Iniquity

Part I:  Introduction

A Story Written by:

Chase Merkley

“I can’t say it enough Cody,” Jacob said reaching for his wallet.  Cody tries not to pay attention as he looks at the time on his phone.  “You will not go out with her again,” he finishes lying out his debit card.  He looks around for the waitress.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could tell me what to do,” Cody says.

“Well now you do,” Jacob says laughing.  Cody laughs as well as their other friend Michael.

“I thought she was pretty hot,” Michael says.

“That’s the important thing,” Jacob says.  “As long as Michael thought she was hot.”  Cody laughs.  After Cody stops laughing, there’s an awkward silence.  Jacob breaks the silence.

“Alright, we need to get your mind off of her,” Jacob says.  “Let’s go to that party,” he says laughing.

“What party?”  Michael says.

“Don’t listen to him Michael.  He wants to go to that high school party,” Cody says.

“Will girls be there?”  Michael asks.  Cody and Jacob look at Michael and give him a look.  “What?”  Michael asks.  They continue to stare at him.  “You guys ok?”  Michael asks.

“Are you serious?”  Cody asks.

“Um…no?”  Michael says. 

“Come on Cody,” Jacob says.  “What do you say?”  Cody gets out of the seat.  “All right, let’s check it out I guess,” he says.  Jacob smiles and crawls out of the booth as Michael stands.  They begin to make their way to the door when Michael pokes at Cody.

“Hey man…for real…are girls going to be there?”

The hip hop music is loud as Cody takes his seat at the table Jacob is sitting at.  Cody sets his beer on the table.

“WHAT’S UP MAN?”  Jacob screams over the music.  “WHERE’S MICHAEL?”

Cody says nothing and points in the living room of the house.  Jacob follows his extended arm and sees Michael talking to a girl.  They continue to watch.  Michael continues to talk to the girl who doesn’t look that interested.  Jacob and Cody begin to laugh as they still continue to watch him.  They see him laughing at his own jokes as the girl gives a smile and then begins looking around for her girlfriends.  By now Jacob is laughing hard.  Then Michael puts up his hand for a high five.  The girl just looks at him.  Cody and Jacob stop with the laughing, but keep their smiles.  Michael stands there waiting for a high five.  The girl just turns her head, lowers her eyes, and walks away.  Jacob and Cody want to burst out into laughter, but they want to see his next move.  Michael slowly lowers his hand and looks around to see if anyone just saw what happened.  He quickly turns around and sees another girl and walks over there and begins talking to her.  Cody and Jacob just laugh and turn back to their table.

“Man Michael is dumb,” Jacob says.

“Yeah…not a smart guy…but he makes me laugh,” he says.

“So talk to me man,” Jacob says finishing up his third bottle.

“What is there to talk about man…she dumped me,” Cody says taking a drink.

“This is the third time man.  Why do you keep going out with her?  Cody…dude, it just seems to me that she is using you,” Jacob says.  Cody looks at him.

“What makes you say that?”  Cody asks.

“Think about it man!  She has no car.  She’s seventeen with no job and no license.  Every person she dates, she says that “he is the best person in the world.”  I just think she is using you for every time she gets hurt.  I mean didn’t she stop talking to you Cody?”  He asks.  Cody says nothing and stares at his beer bottle.  He shows no emotion as he takes another drink.  “Then she breaks up with what’s his name and she comes back to you?  I hate to see you in pain dude and seriously…I’m your buddy and I just dislike her,” Jacob says.  “I’m sorry to say, but she is like a curse to you man,” Jacob says with a smile.  Cody gives a tiny smile.

“Dude not cool,” Cody says smiling.  Jacob giggles a little.

“Alright my bad,” Jacob says.

“You know what man?”  Cody asks.

“What’s up?”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Africa and help the children starving for food and love, you know?”  Cody says finishing up his bottle.  Jacob laughs.

“That was random dude,” Jacob says.  “How long have you been wanting to do this thing?” Jacob asks laughing.

“For a while I guess,” he says.  “I think the four shots of liquor are really getting to me man,” Cody laughs.  Jacob laughs as well and they stand up to join Michael with their drinks in their hand.  They continue to drink and Jacob sees Cody changing. 

“MICHAEL!”  Cody says opening the front door.  Michael is laughing on the lawn.  Cody looks and sees Jacob lying on the ground laughing.  Cody walks outside and shuts the door behind him.  “Jacob!  Stop falling onto the ground and stuff!”  Cody says reaching in his pocket.  He pulls out his keys and unlocks the car.  Jacob stands and looks at Cody. 

“Dude, I believe we are to drunk to drive man,” Jacob says.  Michael turns to both of them.

“I agree with Jacob dude,” Michael says trying to walk to both of them.  “We need coffee!  Yum…” he says.  Cody laughs a little. 

“Let’s drink some water and let Michael drink his coffee.  You want some coffee Michael?”  Jacob turns and yells at Michael.  Cody turns with Jacob and they see Michael puking on the lawn.  “Alright buddy, we’ll go get you some coffee,” Jacob says stumbling going up the steps to the front door.

Cody slams on his breaks to a stop sign.  Cody drinks some more water.  “Yeah man, this is a stop sign,” Michael says in the back seat.

“Oh thanks Michael.  Thanks for helping us out,” Jacob says drinking some water and swallowing down some Tylenol.

“I got this man,” Cody says continuing to drive.  They come across Hewitt drive.  Cody continues to drive trying to concentrate down the busy street.  Cody looks and makes sure he is going the speed limit and stops at the stop lights.  “Do I look drunk?  I don’t look drunk do I?”  Cody asks as he drives. 

“Dude…” Michael says.  “Yeah dude…your drunken man,” Michael says.

“Michael, just shut up,” Jacob says.  Cody stops at stop light.  He turns to his window and sees he is on the right hand lane.  He looks and sees a turning lane beside him. 

“It’s a turning lane, a lane, and then us man,” Michael says looking at the lanes as well.

“Oh good job Michael,” Jacob says being sarcastic.  Cody suddenly feels weird.  He feels the weirdness coming from his stomach.  Jacob turns and sees Cody acting strange.  “Hey man, you ok?”  He asks.

A company, eighteen wheel, truck gets in the turning lane making the right hand lane smaller and thinner.  Cody turns and stares at the truck.  Then he feels his stomach wanting to get rid of some stuff he put in it.  Cody doesn’t think and rolls down his window and puts his head out of the window and begins to puke on the road.  Michael begins to laugh and Jacob tells Cody to roll back up the window.

“Did you get enough to eat?”  The father asks the two boys.

“Not really,” one of them say.  The father doesn’t listen and pulls out of the fast food place with his SUV and gets on the same road as Cody, Jacob, and Michael.

Cody stops puking and puts his head back in the car, but doesn’t roll up the window.  “Dude…I told you were you out of it,” Michael says laughing.

The father looks down the road and sees the truck in the turning lane and sees Cody’s car in the right hand lane.  The father looks up and sees the light turn green and continues with the speed limit without slowing down. 

“Honey, that’s a thin lane because of that truck.  Maybe you should slow down to make sure you don’t hit a mirror or anything,” the wife says.

“Honey, it’s ok,” the father says.

Cody feels his stomach again and begins to stick his head out of the window.

The father keeps the speed and begins to pass Cody’s car when he sees Cody’s head come out of the window.

“Hey Jacob,” Michael begins to say.  The SUV slams violently and hits Cody’s head.  The head tears and rips from the body, but still manages to stay on the neck.  Cody’s blood hits the wife’s side window and hits Cody’s steering wheel.  As Cody’s head is crushed by the metal and ripped almost completely from his body, his back breaks as his body tries to hang on.  Cody’s car shakes and the father in the SUV slams on his breaks. 

Jacob sits there in horror.  He hears people screaming outside his ear and hears honking.  Jacob continues to stare at Cody’s body.  Silence and darkness fill up through Jacob’s cold, disturbed body and soul.

One Week Later…

“We are here on the memory of a good friend, a loving family member, but most important; a good person in the world of life,” the preacher says at the funeral.  Jacob sits in the second row not wanting to get noticed by any of the family members.  Jacob hears the grieving mother, brother, and father.  He looks at the closed casket and keeps visualizing in his head what happened that fatal night.  Jacob turns from the casket, sees Michael sitting next to him, turns to his other side and sees Cody’s mother holding a bible as she cries with sadness from the heart.  “He shall rest in peace and rest with God Almighty,” the preacher finishes.  Everyone in the room says aloud, “Amen,” after. 

            Cody’s mom stands and walks to the podium.  People blow their noses as she reaches the podium.  She has stopped crying, but her face is red.  “Cody was a star.  Cody was a light.  Cody was an angel, as are all of us in God’s eyes,” she says reading the piece of paper she holds in her hands.  “Cody put a smile on anyone’s face and made anyone he came in contact with happy.  Cody cared more about the people surrounding his life more than he cared for himself.  Cody did not die without marking his name within all of us.  He has touched many of us that are here today to pray on his next journey,” she says.  Jacob feels like time has stood still as Cody’s mother is talking.  Nothing is important to Jacob as of right now.  He listens to her words and looks into her eyes.  “As most of you know, I was once an addict and not much into the faith and God.  Cody’s father, my ex-husband, showed Cody the light without darkness.”  Jacob turns for a second and glances over at Cody’s father, James.  James breathes hard not wanting to bring the tears back.  “Without my son, Cody, I would be lying in a hospital bed or laying in the casket my son is lying in today,” she says holding her tears as well.  She takes a breath.  She tries to speak once again, but stops and takes another breath.  Jacob begins to feel the reality.  He blinks and feels his eyes flow with tears.  He fights the tears and wins the battle and looks at Cody’s mother who can not defeat the tears.  James gets up and hugs her.  Cody’s mom weeps loudly as she hangs onto James.  James comforts her and escorts her back to her seat.

            The funeral continues with different family members coming up to speak about Cody and the memories they shared with him.  Jacob loves the stories, but none surpass Cody’s mother.  Jacob sees the final reader leave the podium and sees the preacher rise from his chair and stand up to the podium.  “Cody’s mother has requested one more speaker.  She did not put him on the list not knowing if he was going to show or not,” he says.  “Would a Jacob Clemens step forward please,” the Preacher says looking for Jacob.  Jacob hesitates before standing, and slowly makes his way to the podium.  As he walks, he stares at the closed casket.  Shivers suddenly run down his neck and move all around his weak body.  Jacob stands in front of the podium.  He listens and hears only silence from the crowd.

 “I met Cody in the third grade.  I moved here from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Cody was the first to welcome me to this lovely town Lorena, Texas.  Cody loved to talk and loved to make people laugh,” Jacob says forcing a smile.  “Not only that, but he was very smart and had creative thoughts.  Cody was always thinking and always looking out for everyone,” he says turning to the casket.  “That night before he passed, we were talking about his recent girl.  I was telling him not to see her again.  He was taking care of all of us.  I wanted to return the favor,” he says.  He pauses.  “We were sitting there and I asked him, “What makes you happy?” and I swear that I will never forget his response.  He turned to me and gave me a confident look and told me, “You know what makes me happy?”  I shook my head and he answered, “Having a friend like you looking out for me while I look out for everyone else.””  Jacob slowly turns and stares at the casket again.  He turns back to the crowd.  Jacob extends his arm and points at the casket.  “That was my best friend,” Jacob says.  Jacob decides to step down and walks over to Cody’s mother and father.  They show Jacob love and give him a hug as everyone in the room begins to weep.

A knock is heard at the wooden door.  The door creaks open and a woman stands there.  “Jacob is in his room Michael,” she says to him.  Michael walks in the home and makes his way to Jacob’s room.  He opens his door and sees Jacob packing.

“Whoa…Jacob…where are you going?”  Michael asks walking in his room.  Jacob turns and looks at him.

“I have to go and do something,” Jacob says adding more clothes in the suit case.

“Where are you going?”  He asks again. 

“I’m going to Africa,” he says.  Michael stands there in silence and lowers his head.  He turns and sees a picture of Jacob, Cody, and him.  He turns and looks at Jacob.

“Hey man, you don’t have to do this,” Michael tells him.

“Believe me Michael…I do,” he says.

“Its ok man, you really don’t,” he says wanting to keep talking, but is interrupted by Jacob.

“YES I DO!  You just don’t understand Michael,” he says sitting on the edge of his bed.  Michael just stands there.  “If it wasn’t for me, Cody would still be alive man,” he says shaking his leg.

“It’s no one fault for what happened to him man,” Michael says.

“I’m sorry Michael, but that’s just not good enough.  I have to do this for Cody,” he says.  “I know Cody had wanted to do this for a long time and I don’t want to see his dream die as well,” Jacob says closing the suit case.  Michael stands there and thinks.

“Jake man…you know I would like to go, but,” Michael says.

“I know Michael.  It’s ok,” Jacob says.  “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks, yeah?”

“Yeah man,” he says.

One Month Later….

            Michael stands with Jacob’s family waiting for his plane to land.  He looks around and sees most of the townspeople here as well.  Michael goes up to Jacob’s mother.  “Why is everyone here?”  Michael asks.  Jacob’s mom turns to him.

            “You know Lorena Michael.  Word spreads fast and I guess everyone is here to bless Jacob for doing Cody’s dream and to thank him,” she says.  Michael says nothing as everyone waits for Jacob.

            After the plane lands, Jacob walks out of the gate and sees everyone.  He stands there and smiles.  “Hey everyone,” he says not knowing really what to say.  Everyone begins to clap for Jacob.  Jacob thanks everyone and walks to his parents to give them a hug.  He sees Michael and gives him a hug as well. 

            “Look at that tan,” Michael says laughing.  Jacob ignores him and walks away.  Michael turns and sees where Jacob is going.  Michael sees Cody’s parents there and sees Jacob walking towards them.

            “Hello Jacob,” Cody’s mom says.  Jacob stands there and looks at her.  He reaches out and gives her a hug. 

            “Cody’s dream has changed my life ma’am,” he says letting her go.  He looks into her tearing eyes.

            “I prayed last night and asked Cody what he wanted you to do,” she says.  “Did you save lives Jacob?”  She asks.  Jacob stands there and gives a smile.

            “They saved mine as well as I saved theirs ma’am,” Jacob says.  She gives Jacob another loving hug.  Jacob says hello to everyone that came to see him and to tell them thanks before walking back to Michael and his family.

            “Is it hot in here or is it just me?”  Jacob asks Michael.

            “Nope…it’s just you,” Michael says.  Jacob laughs.

Night…The Restaurant

            Jacob’s family as well as Michael sit at the table and talk while they enjoy their nice dinner.  Jacob doesn’t talk much as he tries to eat his food.

            “Jacob, what’s wrong?”  His dad asks.  “Are you not hungry?”

            “I just feel really hot right now,” Jacob says.

            “Well you got that tan buddy,” Michael says.  Jacob begins to sweat. 

            “No…something’s wrong.  I’m not burning,” Jacob says.

            “It is a little warm in here I guess,” Jacob’s mom says.  Jacob begins to shake a little.  “Jacob, are you ok?”  Jacob stands screaming. 

            “SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG!”  Everyone in the restaurant is now staring and looking at Jacob.  Jacob screams horrifically. 

            “What is that?”  Jacob’s mom says looking at a certain spot on Jacob.  Jacob’s father looks where his wife is looking and sees something.  Blood begins to drip out of Jacob’s pants.  “OH MY GOD!  JACOB!”  His mother says standing.  Michael stands as well and grabs Jacob. 

            “Jacob!  Jacob!  What’s wrong?  Talk to me Jacob!”  Michael says holding Jacob as he screams.

            “MY SKIN!”  Jacob says screaming as blood drips out of his pants.

Two hours later…The Hospital…

            Michael sits in the waiting room as well as the rest of Jacob’s family.  Finally, a doctor comes out of the room.  Michael stands.  “Jacob’s family, right?”  He asks.  Jacob’s mom nods. 

            “What’s wrong with him doctor?”  Michael asks.  The doctor stands there wondering what to say.

            “We checked him out to see what could possibly make him freak the way he did,” he says.  “We checked his skin as you said his skin was burning,” he continues.  “There was something,” he says.

            “What do you mean something?”  Jacob’s father asks.  The doctor looks at the worried family.

            “When you brought him in here, he was burning,” he said.  “I brought in one of the best doctors in this state to look at him and we checked his blood.  I don’t know how this is possible,” he says.  “I think your son encountered a new parasite that no one has had or gone through before,” he finishes.

            “What’s wrong with his blood?”  Michael asks.

            “His blood is beginning to boil,” he finishes.  The family and Michael stand in fear.

            “Did you find the parasite?”  Jacob’s mom asks.

            “That’s the problem,” he says.  “It seems when Jacob began to bleed, the parasite snuck out of his body,” he says.  “I have never seen a parasite do what this thing has done after we studied how this could have happened,” he says.  “It seems the parasite got into his body when your son used the bathroom.  When he sat down on the toilet, it must have used its advantage to sneak into his body without Jacob knowing it,” he says and then pauses.  The family knows where he is going with this.

            “So did he get this thing when he went to Africa?”  Michael asks.

            “We want to believe that; but after questioning Jacob, he said he didn’t use the bathroom except to pee,” he says.  “Jacob said he suffered constipation and finally used the bathroom when you guys went to the restaurant,” he says.  “This parasite was traveling inside his blood after he made his way through his body.  The symptoms would have to be feeling hot numerous times and begin to sweat abnormally,” he continues. 

            “Will he live?”  Michael asks.  The family turns and look at Michael and then turns back and look at the doctor waiting for a response. 

            “We don’t know,” he says after pausing for a while.  “This parasite will spread if we do not contain it.  We need to secure your son and your friend into a confined place so we do not have a spread,” he says. 

            Suddenly they hear Jacob screaming.  The doctor tells them to say here, but the family and Michael run with him anyways.  The doctor opens the door and sees Jacob.

            “Oh my God,” the doctor says.  Jacob is shown bleeding horrifically out of his eyes and fingernails.  Jacob just lies there screaming and shaking.  More blood comes out of his fingernails then his eyes.  Jacob screams telling him that it burns.  The family screams not knowing what to do.

            “Get the family out of here,” the doctor screams at the nurse.  The nurse runs out of the room as Jacob begins to somewhat bubble up.  The doctor doesn’t know what to do at this point.  Jacob begins to scratch his neck with his bloody, hot hands.  Suddenly blood squirts out of his neck and hits the doctor in the face.  The doctor quickly turns away with pain.  The doctor screams as he tries to get the blood off his face.  He puts a towel on top of this face and begins to rub his face violently as he screams.  He runs to the small bathroom in the hospital room and turns on the sink and takes off the towel.  He opens his burning eyes and sees what looks like skin lying in the sink.  He looks up and sees himself in the mirror.  He looks and sees his skin melting from his face.  He screams as the burning continues.  He tries to save his life, but becomes too weak as the boiled blood begins to melt his whole face off.

            The family and Michael stare at Jacob who begins to boil up.  Jacob can’t scream anymore as his head is covered in boiled blood.  Suddenly, his skin begins to melt into his body.  His boiling blood rises above his skin and swallows his outer body.  Michael and the family run out of the room screaming.  Michael falls on the ground as everyone in the hospital runs around not knowing what has just happened.  Another doctor runs to everyone screaming to work fast before an outbreak occurs.  Michael bawls on his knees asking if all of this is a dark nightmare.

Five Days…Outbreak…

            “America faces the worst of fear,” the President says on all the television stations.  “We ask that if you are not infected, that you get far away from the country as we try to demolish the plague that haunts our country.  We have been informed by the doctors of what this “disease” does.  It reaches in our bodies and makes its way into our blood.  They are still not sure how, but the parasite makes the blood boil to a certain degree to where you can not survive.  It infects the blood as well.  Ladies and Gentlemen,” the President says.  “I’m sorry to all of America.  God be with us all,” he says signing off.

End of Part I

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Comments (2)

Posted by tarhead 2008-01-31 01:30:51 chase that was pretty awesome. write on! + Report this comment
Posted by 1800 2008-01-31 14:08:26 .... Ending creeped me out. + Report this comment

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