All the Colors of the World

He could see the blood trickle down the side of his face like scarlet teardrops. “Christ, Matt. What did you do? We were just supposed to scare the guy. Is he, Jesus, is he dead?” William looked at Matt and then shifted his gaze back to the lifeless body of the Animal. His name was, or had been Greg. But that name humanized him, and the piece of shit lying next to the swing set at the old Dover park was no human.

Will had been weary of this moment since he concocted this half-assed plan when he was drunk on James Ready with Matt. It had only happened a few times, but when he passed a certain threshold of anger, he blacked out. All the colors of the world faded into the ether, and when he returned, it was too late. The damage had been done.

But this time, for no sensible reason, he felt somewhat confident that it wouldn’t happen. That he could keep his animal at bay. Yes, he was wielding a baseball bat that was meant for the ribcage, or possibly, the knees of the Animal, but his plan had been to hit him a couple of times as a warning. Then he would give him the “stay the hell away from my sister,” speech, and that would be the end of it. He would keep his anger in check and walk off into the sunset like Clint Eastwood in a Sergio Leone western.

Of course, that wasn’t meant to be. The Animal had to go and mouth off. He had to laugh at Will and Matt like they were infants playing grown-up. Amateurs trying to play in the pros. The Animal had to say that Jenny liked it when he bit her, and that she had loved it when he had torn a nickel sized piece of flesh from the right side of her face. He called it “bedroom fun.”

“The good girl act is just that, boys, an act.” He had said. “When the lights go out she’s,” The Animal took a deep inhale, waving both hands just under his nose, smelling the park air “she’s dirty. She’s rotten.”

Will had bitten down hard on his tongue in a last-second attempt to keep the cloak of darkness from blinding his eyes. His teeth sunk deep into the organ, cutting it, and tasting the liquid copper as it descended into his throat. The plan was supposed to be simple. Goddamnit.

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The plan had been to lure Greg to Dover Park to conduct a transaction. A bag of white powder for some cash. Greg was a junkie, and despite Will’s best efforts to prevent it, Jenny was on the fast-track to becoming his junkie bride. She had smoked pot since Will could remember, the skunky-smell always emanating from her room, but lately he had noticed track marks on her arms, and seen her lifeless eyes gaze into nothing.

Matt Langley, Will’s best friend, was happy to help with this so-called plan. “You gotta get him away from his goon squad. We need him to meet us alone, alright?” Will asked, and Matt said, “No problem, buddy. No problem at all.” Not only was he Will’s best friend, but he had also been in love with Jenny since they were kids.

One Wednesday afternoon, Matt caught up with the Animal by the dugout outside of the school, where he and Jenny went to smoke.

“Yo, Greg. You interested in trying something new?” He asked, while taking a drag from his cigarette. The Animal was curious, but Jenny’s face lit up like fourth of July fireworks, and it made Matt feel horrible.

“My cousin from out of town brought this shit. Man, it’s insane. It’s like an attack on the senses. The smell, the taste, the feel of it. It’ll knock you out of this world, man.” The Animal had taken out his wallet to buy what Matt was selling then and there, no questions asked. “Meet me at Dover park at 8?. I don’t have any on me.” Matt said.

That evening, Will sat on the swing, his father’s old wooden baseball bat in hand. He was gripping it tightly, splinters sticking into his palms like porcupine quills. For someone who could be counted on to remain calm, cool, and collected, Matt was a nervous wreck. Sweat was trickling down his brow as slow as a slime trail left by a traveling slug. He kept going over the pros and cons of this meeting, and couldn’t come up with any for the former.

At 8:00, Will went and hid behind the sycamore tree adjacent to the swing set. At 8:05, the Animal came walking through the park. Shoulders going up and down like a teeter-totter, a smoke hanging from his mouth, and eyes black as a midnight sun. “Christ. We’re fucked.” Matt said to the sycamore tree. “Just relax. It’ll be over soon.”

“I ain’t got all night. Where’s the stuff that’s supposed to make me see and feel things that I’ve never felt before? It better be what you say, or I’ll keep the drugs, and come back for the money and you.”

The Animal raised his fist, and Matt hadn’t realized before just how scrawny he was. This man could eat him for breakfast if he wanted to. Demolish him with just a touch. He was only a year older, but he looked like a hardened man who’d lived long enough to hate the world, and the people in it.

“Well, where is it then?”

“It’s right here.” Will said, coming out from behind the tree, holding the bat like an MLB designated hitter.

The Animal turned around, and within seconds burst into laughter. Matt looked at Will and could see the darkness approaching.

“What in the hell is this?” The Animal asked. “Matt, was this a setup? So, this dipshit could get me alone?” He turned to face Will. “Is this about your sister? I knew she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.” The Animal continued laughing. Tears of anger dropped onto Will’s lips and he could taste the stinging salt.

So, Instead of a couple warning shots to the ribs, he went for his head. One clean hit to the skull, and Matt heard it crack. The Animal dropped like a sack of potatoes. He fell like the boneless man from a horror movie Will had seen when he was too young to be watching such things.

“Christ, Matt. What did you do? We were just supposed to scare the guy. Is he, Jesus, is he dead?

Then they heard a loud bang ring out through the nearly deserted park.

Will turned around and saw Jenny. Tears streaming down her face, arms shaking viciously as she gripped the colt that was pointed right at her brother. Will looked down at his midsection. He watched as a pool of blood formed. He grabbed his stomach, dropped to his knees, and looked at Jenny, and the cheek sized bandaid on her right cheek. Then all the colors of the world went black.