In Which the Book Almost Ends (RB Vs. The Shadow God, Chapter 17) · 2:57pm Jul 10th, 2022
Previously, on The Shadow God:
Three for the price of one!
And now:
The chapter opens with Craig and the Blood Bros burying the old man's body in Mark's back yard.
“What if he comes back?” Todd asked, his voice taking on a frightened edge.
“Look,” said Mark. “I can assure you this ain’t no Pet Sematary.”
Oh, believe me, I've noticed.
They try to drop the corpse into the shallow grave they've dug for it, but when they lift the body, it splits open at the waist. A horde of maggots pour out. Mark throws up.
Eventually, they manage to get the pieces of the corpse into the hole and begin to fill it. Craig ruminates on what they should do next, and decides he needs to talk with his father again. He floats the idea past his friends, and they decide they'll go after getting some rest.
Then they hear a car approaching from the street. They go to look.
“It looks like a cop car,” said Todd.
Craig pursed his lips. “I’ll bet it’s that damn Underwood trying to snoop around.”
Mark runs inside to grab his gun. Shortly, the car pulls up outside the house. Someone gets out and goes to the front door. Craig and Todd can hear them knocking.
Craig and Todd’s hearts beat wildly in their chests. Why were they still there? Waiting to be caught? Although Craig knew Mark would never answer the door, he decided he and Todd should get out of there while they still could. Underwood would eventually make his way to the back and their luck wasn’t good enough to remain inconspicuous. And if Underwood by chance found the grave, it would probably be a good idea to be long gone by then.
To hell with Mark. Mark could find his own way out. If he wanted to risk being caught, then that was his business. But Craig and Todd were leaving without him.
Friends 'till the end.
We switch to Mark's POV.
If the person behind the door was that cocksucker, Underwood, he was going to put a bullet right between his eyes. He didn’t care. He’d bury his body in the yard right beside the other old bastard.
Mark spends a whole two pages trying to decide whether or not to open the door and speculating about who or what could be on the other side. Eventually, he decides to just open the thing:
Fuck it, he thought. He was going to answer it. If it was Underwood, then let the games begin.
Suddenly that strange thought came to him again: What if it WASN’T Underwood?
Then let the games begin, he thought bravely.
He opens the door and, out of fear, shoots anyway. It doesn't seem to do anything to the figure, who grabs Mark.
Sledge looked down on him and said, “Let’s go. Ridley’s waiting.”
Cut back to Craig and Todd, who are running, but aren't sure where to go. Craig suggests they go to Todd's house. Todd asks why they don't go to Craig's house instead; Craig replies that he doesn't trust his mother not to rat them out to Underwood if he shows up, which is news to me.
Todd looked at him, not understanding. “Why would she rat us out?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Craig said, shrugging. “She’s been acting a little weird lately. I think it’s from me treating Kristy like crap lately. Kristy’s probably telling her everything.”
You've interacted with your mother, like, twice in the whole book, Craig. And she was sympathetic both times.
The pair arrive at Todd's house.
Todd suddenly froze in his tracks. “I don’t want to go in there,” he said, turning back toward the field. “Isn’t there somewhere else we can go? Please?”
Craig didn’t think he could put up with Todd’s whining much longer.
I can't put up with either of you for much longer.
They ring the doorbell. Nobody answers. Craig tries the doorknob. It turns.
We go back to Mark, who is now in Ridley's office once again.
As always, Ridley had his three girls with him. The blonde and redhead were standing naked beside him, and the brunette was joyfully giving him head.
Mark found the sight most offensive, given the seriousness of the meeting. It was hard to concentrate whenever the brunette slurped on the head of Ridley’s dick.
Even Mark is being put off by this. Amazing.
Ridley wants to know why Mark hasn't killed Craig yet. Then he calls Ginny Cook, the satanist nurse from earlier. He has her and Mark kiss.
Mark and Ginny faced each other and touched their lips together, and then quickly pulled apart.
“Aw, what the hell was that?” Ridley complained, disgusted. “When I tell you to kiss, I want you to really go at it! Now do it right! Wrap your arms around each other and really get those tongues going!”
Mark took hold of Ginny, feeling her large breasts pressed up against him, and began kissing her. He didn’t feel an ounce of passion because his mind was too busy trying to determine if Ridley was intending to kill him soon. Ridley probably possessed an ounce of dignity and a sense of what it was like to be a man and he wanted Mark to feel the passion of a woman’s body before he died.
That was the only thing Mark could think of, and if that was so, then he greatly appreciated it. Tears slipped from underneath his eyes.
Ridley breaks them up after a while.
“Are you dripping wet yet?” Ridley asked Ginny.
Ginny nodded. “Yes, sir, I am.” Her tone was bland, almost robotic.
“Good!” said Ridley. “Do you want that yummy pussy?” he asked Mark.
Even though Mark didn’t want it, he nodded, nevertheless. “Well, you’re not going to get it,” said Ridley, laughing wholeheartedly as Lisa, dutifully, continued to give him head.
Oh, that Ridley. Always so wacky. Such a jokester.
I'll admit it: I'm grasping for funny things to say at this point. This book has really worn me down. And I'm not all that funny at the best of times!
Ridley tells Mark that he's going to give Ginny a mission. That mission being to find and kill Mark's sister.
“Oh, yes!” cried Ridley. “Your dear sister is as good as dead! And if you can’t come through for me this time, your family is going to get smaller and smaller.”
We cut to Underwood, who is just pulling up in his car to Mark's house. He vows once again to "catch those bastard kids if it was the last thing he did".
And once this was all over, he would have a good chance at getting elected as the next county sheriff—a position he craved. More money, ungodly perks, and enforcing laws that the current sheriff had slacked up on. What he was after was power.
Seriously, dude, you're not getting elected sheriff for catching three boys who have committed no serious crimes aside from breaking and entering. Chill out.
Underwood knocks on the door. A "young lady" answers it.
The woman shook the detective’s hand. “I think my brother’s mentioned you before. What do you want?”
“Funny you should ask,” said Underwood. “I need to speak with your brother, if I may.”
“He’s not here.”
“May I ask where he might be?”
The woman smiled pompously. “He might be up your ass. If you look close enough you just might find him.”
Underwood smiled thinly and thought, Why do so many people despise policemen?
I mean, aside from all the actual reasons to not like policemen, if they all act like you do then I can see why they have that reputation.
“Look, my brother’s not here so you have no more business here. Good day to you!” She slammed the door in his face.
Underwood smiled gratefully. Not the worst door-to-door encounter he’s had, but definitely more crass than he’s had in a while. At least she was a pretty girl, instead of the usual crack whore.
Underwood gets back in his car and heads towards Craig's house to see if he can bully some answers out of his mother.
Meanwhile...
Ginny peeked out the window until she was convinced Underwood was gone. She turned to face Margie, who she had just finished gagging and tying up. She traced a long butcher knife across Margie’s smooth, white skin.
Nice one, Mr. Rayburn. You actually got me with that. Good job!
“This is for The Shadow God’s Army,” Ginny announced. “And for the Day of Awakening that’ll soon be upon us.”
She laughed and then laid into Margie’s body with her ceremonial instrument.
And Margie is dead.
Probably.
We switch back to our dynamic duo of Craig and Todd, who have just entered Todd's house and been hit by the stench of dead meat.
Craig and Todd bolted through the house, maniacally seeking the location of the horrendous smell. It wasn’t until they turned the corner of Todd’s parents’ bedroom that they shockingly discovered Stacy and Josh Harris in a pool of their own blood atop the king-sized bed.
Wow. Lotta death this chapter.
Craig couldn’t stand to look any longer. Who or what could have done this? And why? It made absolutely no sense. Why were Todd’s parents slaughtered in their own home? What gain did the perpetrators have in committing these senseless murders?
Craig’s mind fuddled. Was that the answer? Should they call someone? He thought they should, but what would that say for them? With all the other charges stacked against them, Craig felt this would somehow be pinned on them.
That was it. That was the answer. That was why Josh and Stacy were murdered. Just to frame them.
“Don’t touch anything, Todd,” said Craig, but he could see it was already too late for that. Todd was practically swimming in his parents’ blood.
It was too late. The damage was done. But as long as he didn’t touch anything, he’d be fine.
Way to only look out for yourself, there, Craig. Here's a question: why? Why would someone want to frame you for murder? What does that gain any of the antagonists in this story?
Todd still wants to call someone, and he doesn't want to leave. He and Craig argue for a bit. Eventually, Todd asks if they can call Craig's mom and have her call the police, to which Craig agrees.
We cut to the perspective of Craig's mother, Susan.
She knew Craig to be a strong-willed individual and knew he should have no trouble, especially since he had his friends and a girlfriend who cared deeply for him.
They should bail him out of trouble should he get into any, she thought. She remembered a saying they shared: Friends till the end.
They keep saying this, and yet I still don't believe it.
Susan is awoken by the phone. It's Craig on the line. He explains the situation with Todd's parents, but badly.
There's a knock on the door. It's Underwood. She puts a finger to her lips and beckons him inside, writing a note for him while talking to Craig over the phone.
Underwood bent and read Susan’s scratchings. He nodded and then stepped out of the house. A moment later, Susan watched him screech his tires, darting madly down the street. She had sent a police officer away the night Craig crashed his truck, but this time, the crime was a bit more serious. Craig and his crazy notions were getting people killed. She only hoped she was doing the right thing.
Cut back to Craig and Todd, just as Underwood pulls up in front of Todd's house. The two boys manage to escape through a window just as Underwood breaks the door down.
Craig looked back and saw Underwood’s head pop out of the window they had just climbed through seconds earlier.
Underwood shook his fist at them, and then disappeared back into the house.
"Oh you darned kids!"
The boys keep running. Underwood gives chase. The three run towards a train trestle over a river. Craig figures they can lose Underwood if they make it across.
Then from around the bend, in front of them, the train emerged, its lights shining brilliantly in the early dark morning.
“Oh fuck!” yelled Craig.
Hit them hit them hit them hit them hit them—
The train was almost upon them.
WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!
—hit them hit them hit them hit them—!
Todd screamed and Craig pushed him with all his might over the edge, Craig diving after him. His eyes widened at the thought of not being quite past the trestle’s beams and the jagged rocks below.
But at the same time, he saw that he was, indeed, flying towards safety, even as the nose of the train clipped his foot, sending him spiraling out of control to the small sandy shore beneath the trestle.
Craig fell hard to the ground, his breath knocked out of him. When he finally opened his eyes, Underwood was glaring straight at him.
No! So close!
And on that note, thus ends the chapter.
See you tomorrow, folks.
One of the biggest laughs I've had in these journals. :D
How does a person say something like this with zero regret, or desire to atone or self-improve? Mr. Rayburn is a fucked up little devil.
"Why do people hate me?" asks Underwood. "I'm just a vengeance-seeking misanthrope with delusions of grandeur. People love those!" And this explains the above, none of these characters have the ability to self-analyze in the least.
Ah, yes! I as well! Ginny's consistent plot twists are the only thing I would count as a bright spot in this shithole. Still covered in shit, but, y'know.
You mean he values revenge over stopping to, like, preserve a crime scene? Heavens to Betsy!
thank you for all the suffering, you're not even done but you deserve thanks regardless