Lou Fill

HEAT

Chapter 3 - Part 2

Lou had figured out long ago that if you were just showing up in any town intermittently it aroused too much small talk and suspicion. He showed up often and did small jobs - painting, grounds-work, light repair - whatever it took. He became part of the itinerant, derelict community. In fact it worked so well that folks didn't think about the fact that he had been in Matlacha for 85 years. If folks over the years had taken pictures of Lou, they would only notice a subtle difference in hair coloring and skin wrinkling. He had chosen this human host very well.

Lou was in Matlacha today watering lawns and picking up fallen palm fronds and coconuts. He kept an old 70s pick-up in town and threw everything in the truck bed and carted it to the landfill.
Lou never missed a happy hour - that is what the itinerants did - and therefore to blend in that is what he did. Lou was legendary for his capacity - actually he had infinite capacity - he had to pretend drunkenness after a while - again to blend in.

Lou could hardly stand the insect intelligence of the others and he looked forward to harvesting them and raking their souls with great delight.

This day Lou was working in mid-Matlacha and he caught sight of Jenade across the street working around three cottages. Jenade was talking to someone he had never seen before. All of a sudden a brilliant red jet of blood shot from Lou's right ear.  Lou immediately covered his ear and quickly got inside his truck.

Lou grabbed the steering wheel in both hands as 'pain' - something he didn't have a word for - racked his skull - the steering wheel started to melt - Lou's body temperature rose to a point where the ear self cauterized. Smoke rose from the truck seat where Lou was sitting and started drifting out the open windows.

The stranger Jenade was talking to turned and caught sight of the truck and the smoke. The pain in Lou's head increased - Lou started the truck, slammed the accelerator to the floor and peeled out onto the main drag heading towards the land fill.

Fill looked at Jenade and said, 'What the hell was that all about?'