The Grinding by Dinniman Matt

Author:Dinniman, Matt [Dinniman, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Necro Publications
Published: 2013-09-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

In the glowing darkness, I could make out the silhouette of the strange, silo-like building at the edge of the warehouse district. I wasn’t sure how to get to it. I turned down a dark street. I didn’t know if this Clementine girl lived in the entire silo, or if it was divided into apartments or what. It seemed like a strange place to live, one way or another.

This area was deserted. A few cars sat on the side of the road, but I saw no movement or life. As I crested a small hill, I could see I-10 in the distance, and unmoving lights dotted the interstate.

After a few dead ends and going the wrong way on several one-way streets, I found my way to the entrance of the tall, stucco silo sitting just south of a large, empty warehouse with broken windows. The tall building looked abandoned. It sat ominously behind a tall, wrought iron fence with an open gate. If the building had windows, I couldn’t see them. The metal gate stood amongst the tall, dead weeds. I wondered if the twins had been talking about a different place.

Then I saw the satellite dish on the side of the building. I stopped the car, and I could hear the distant hum of an engine. A generator. Maybe she was home after all.

I looked at the car’s clock. Almost 4:30 AM.

I grabbed the duffel bag and walked through the gate to the entrance. Just as I was about to knock, the door swung open. It swung outwardly, surprising me, and I had to jump back. I stared into the twin barrels of a shotgun.

The massively-pregnant woman stepped out and pushed the double barrels against my chest.

“Want to see if your bullet-proof vest can stop a pair of 12-gauge shells?” she asked. She had a thick, southern-fried accent. I remembered that voice from the Halloween party, thinking she should’ve been in a Gone with the Wind getup. Behind her, I could see a dark, curving staircase. Light glowed from the higher level, and the sound of several mewling and growling cats emanated from within.

“C-Clementine?” I said in surprise. I dropped the duffel bag, raised my hands, and talked fast. “My name is Adam. I’m a friend of Royce and Randy. We met at the Halloween party. You were dressed as a badger. I was a dog. They, the twins…they asked me to come here.”

“What’s the square root of 5,184? Answer or I’ll blow you clear back to your girly car.”

Oh crap. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I said. “How the hell am I supposed to do that in my head?”

“That’s the wrong answer,” she said. “It’s 82.”

I didn’t say anything. She took another step forward. I took a step back.

“Say it,” she said.

“Say what?”

“Say, ‘the square root of 5,184 is 82!’”

“Jesus. Take it easy. The square root of 5,184 is 82.”

“That’s a lie,” she said. “The answer is 72, not 82.”

I should’ve known someone who would date a guy with two heads would be batshit crazy.

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