I Live In A Small Town In Texas Called Sanderson, And I Can Tell Something Weird Is Going On

Daryl took the seat at the head of the table as Fred came around and slapped a fat leg and thigh on my plate. I looked up to him, and he wouldn’t make eye contact with me. He seemed a little sad, but otherwise his face was vacant of any expression. He picked up a bowl of mashed potatoes from the table and flopped a heavy helping down next to the chicken.

“I’m sorry about the truck, Fred,” I said staring up at him. I wasn’t particularly sorry, I only wanted him to look at me.

“No big deal Wade, that’s not the problem. Dig in,” he said. Fred wouldn’t look at me. He turned and walked into the kitchen, eventually leaving my line of sight.

“He’s right, Wade. That’s not the problem,” Daryl said. “The problem is your head, boy. Sneaking out at night and leaving town when people need you. When your family needs you.”

“We all need you Wade,” Mr. Z had finally stopped stuffing his face to look up and speak. “You’re a vital asset at the factory, and like I said, it’s peak season. We would suffer at the factory without you. What if you’d gotten hurt last night, Wade?”

“Yeah, Wade!” This time it was Connie. You could count the times we’d spoken on one hand, but she was easily the prettiest girl at the factory. Maybe the whole damn town. “You’re important to a lot of people. If you’d had gotten hurt…or worse…” She looked at me as if I was supposed to answer a question.

“Or what if you’d hurt somebody else, son?” Sheriff McCullough asked. Even indoors, he still wore his huge, dark aviators. There were flakes of crust and chicken skin on his tie and uniform. He broke into a shit-eating grin, revealing chicken stuck between his yellow teeth. “You’re a bright boy, Wade. What in your right mind were you thinking, stealing your brother’s truck and playing destruction derby on the 90?”

“I didn’t steal anything, I planned on bringing it back. I just wanted to see Austin for a day or two. Stretch my legs, that’s all. I don’t see why everyone’s got their panties in a twist.” I immediately turned to Mrs. Schertz. “Sorry ma’am, but it’s my business.” I looked back around the table. “And nobody else’s,” I added. Everyone was preoccupied with their chicken. Only Sheriff McCullough and Daryl looked at me.

“You’re wrong Wade. It’s not just your business,” Mrs. Schertz said in her sweet little voice. I turned to her. “It’s all our business. Sanderson is a small, lonely town. We all look out for one another. We’re all very special to each other.” She gestured to the people at the table. I looked around the table as she spoke. They were all feeding like ravenous animals. Even Connie inhaled her food, ripping the meat from the bones and going for the next piece. All of their teeth were yellow and glossy, like moldy rotting wood someone had wasted the time to varnish. Everyone’s gums had receded and their teeth stretched long into the chicken. I could barely see their eyes, as their heads were almost in their plates. For a moment, Connie sat up to swig back a full glass of water.

In the three seconds it took her to down the glass of water, I caught a glimpse of her eyes. Again, Connie and I had rarely swapped words, but I knew she had stunning green eyes that left your knees weak. Only this time, her eyes were pitch black and so big you could barely see the whites. She went back to slobbering down her food. Shuddering, I turned back to Mrs. Schertz, afraid to see what was next.

“We’re all important parts of a whole. You don’t seem to understand that, Wade and that’s just a crying shame, boy. Because we all love you,” Mrs. Schertz cocked her head with a dimpled little smile. I glanced at Daryl, who was still staring into my fucking soul. “We’re you’re family, Wade. Now enjoy some fine fried chicken with your family.” She stretched her bloated arm and hand across the table, and nudged my plate a few inches closer to me.

I placed my hands on the edge of the table and leaned in close to Mrs. Schertz. I hissed my words out through my clenched teeth.

“You’re not my family. I’m not eating the fucking chicken.” I flipped the table over. Chicken, fixings, and cutlery flew all over the room. Mrs. Schertz leaned back in her chair and sucked her teeth at me. Daryl turned red as his anger boiled up, but all he did was stand up to continue staring me down. Everyone else at the table went down on their hands and knees, to frantically scoop up the chicken into their mouths. It was like watching hounds jump at food spilled just before feeding time. They snarled and smacked their lips. I backed away from the dining room, unable to tear my shocked gaze from the clusterfuck in front of me. I finally managed to turn and head towards the front door. I never saw it coming. Fred, not two feet in front of me, threw a straight right jab directly into my face.

I woke up to the smell of rust. I licked the inside of my mouth and tasted the copper. Fred had split my lip open. I opened my eyes, and at first saw nothing. I rubbed my face and could feel the sore bump on my left cheek where Fred’s fist had connected. Finally, my eyes adjusted to the low light and I realized I was in Daryl’s room. I wasn’t on the bed, but on the floor. I staggered to my feet and went to the window. It was already nighttime, and pretty late by the look of it.

I was fucked.