The Cleansing - 1. The Cleansing

One cool morning two men began their vacation. It would be like a second honeymoon for them. Five years earlier they had promised each other unconditional love. They had celebrated the beginning of a life together. Now they were celebrating five years of success. Their trip would begin at their home in West Hollywood, an area popular among homosexuals. They fit the stereotypes well. David was the more masculine of the two. He was tall with black shoulder length hair. He worked at a gym, had a nearly flawless figure, dressed well, and cooked well. Kenneth was smaller and more delicately built. He was blond, fair skinned, always neat, and a member of a furniture design team.

They were planning to drive to New Orleans. They wanted to see the famous city and some sights along the way. As they traversed the Southwest they enjoyed mild weather and each other's company. Once they were in the Midwest the temperature and humidity were much higher. The air seemed to get thicker every day and the weather reports warned of a tropical storm. The couple made a point of tuning into the local news station as they passed from town to town.

They were a day's drive from their destination when a newscaster announced that there was a chance that the storm would hit New Orleans. The residents were panicked remembering the devastation caused by the last big storm. Many were boarding up windows and leaving town.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Kenneth.

David shrugged his shoulders and said, "Check into a motel in the next town and wait it out."

The next town was small and very rural. A thick dirty spicy smell hung in the air. The houses were small and brightly colored. The roads were dirt. Old cars and bicycles were parked in the front yards. Chickens and goats watched from the sides of the road as the couple's car kicked up a cloud of dust. The road eventually turned into asphalt as they entered the middle of town. There were a few small shops, a restaurant, and a tiny hotel. Then the asphalt ended. David stopped the car in front of the hotel. Kenneth gave him a questioning look.

"I just though I'd ask how far the next town is," he said while tying his hair back into a ponytail.

"For a minute I thought you were planning to check in here," Kenneth laughed.

"Why not? Don't you like the rustic charm of the place? I thought it might be romantic."

Kenneth rolled his eyes as they got out of the car. The little town felt like it belonged in a foreign country. The locals wore brightly colored cloths that seemed more appropriate to the Caribbean than the mid West. They all spoke with heavy accents and had dark skin. David and Kenneth stood out like white lilies on dark wood.

As they entered the hotel they were pleasantly surprised. It was clean and bright and furnished with elegant slightly worn antiques. Kenneth instantly regretted his earlier complaints. A pretty woman who looked about thirty five sat at the front desk. She seemed slightly startled to see them. David gave her a smile and asked her how far away the next town was.

"It be four hours drive East, but I wouldn't go that way. The storm is coming," she answered with a heavy Jamaican accent.

The two men looked at each other. After a few seconds Kenneth said, "It would be kind of romantic."

"We'd like a room please," said David with a smile.

The woman checked them in. She did not say anything more but she gave them a worried look. They thanked her and got their suitcases out of the car. Their room was large and decorated with the same elegant furniture they had seen in the lobby. There were two large windows and a door that led to a private porch. Kenneth stood admiring the room while David took a look at the bathroom. Satisfied with it he came out and walked up behind his boyfriend. "There's a really big bathtub," he whispered while gently draping his arms around Kenneth's slim waist.

"Why do you think she looked so worried?" asked Kenneth.

"I don't know," answered David kissing Kenneth's neck, "Maybe she thinks we'll mess up the sheets."

They both laughed but David could tell that Kenneth would not be satisfied until he had an answer. He suggested that they go out and have a better look at the town. They went back to the lobby where a young man was sweeping the floor. David greeted him but the man did not answer. He just stared blankly at the floor. The woman at the desk was watching them with the same concern as before. David approached her and asked if something was wrong with the young man.

"He has no soul," she answered in a hushed tone, "The bokor took it away."

Her two guests looked confused. So she explained that the people who lived in this town were mostly immigrants from the Caribbean. The town had been prosperous once. The wealth and culture attracted a group of Haitians. They brought voodoo to the town, which attracted tourists. The town was growing and becoming a tourist attraction when the witch doctor arrived. He was called a bokor and practiced a dark side of voodoo called poodoo.

A month after his arrival people began to die mysteriously. The grief was overshadowed by fear as some of the dead began to rise from their graves. They would return home confused and changed. Most of them never recovered. Like the young man cleaning the floor they stared blankly and never spoke. It was said that the bokor had taken their souls. Those people now belonged to him and were under his ultimate control. Those whose souls he had not succeeded in capturing recounted stories of being buried and then disinterred later at night. They all seemed to have been affected in such a way that they appeared dead but were aware of everything that was happening. They were the lucky ones. Many of the dead stayed dead. The population dwindled. Many people moved out.

"Why do you stay?" asked Kenneth.

"Because of my brother," she said motioning to the young man cleaning the lobby, "I am afraid to take him away. The bokor has his soul. He can punish us."

"I'm sorry," said Kenneth seeing the pain in her eyes but still not believing what he was being told.

"Stay away from the bokor," she warned, "Never go on his land."

"Where is his land?" asked David.

"Many places. Wherever you find a goat's skull that is his land," she answered.

The men exchanged looks but did not say anything. They walked around the few shops but did not venture far past the paved road. Neither of them believed in magic potions or zombies but the idea of being murdered by the local madman kept them cautious. As the day got cloudy they returned to their room. In the evening they ate dinner at the little restaurant across the street. They could hear some of the locals talking about the storm. It was now a hurricane. It had gained strength and would likely reach land in the next forty-eight hours. The town was far enough inland that no one was worried but they expected a heavy downpour as the remnants of the storm blew inland.

That night the humidity was almost suffocating. The clouds had sealed in the heat of the day. As David and Kenneth were getting ready for bed a light rain began to fall. They could hear it through the open windows. The hotel had no air conditioning. The only relief from the heat would come from the rain.

"That rain sounds so good," said Kenneth as he pulled off his t-shirt and ran his fingers through his soft blond hair.

"I love it when you do that," whispered David and kissed Kenneth.

They wanted to be close but the heat made it uncomfortable. "You want to go outside?" asked David.

"In the rain and mud?"

"Yeah. Its cooler out there, and then we can take a long bath together."

They walked out onto the porch and then down the two steps leading to the ground. A light on the second story showed them a barren muddy area that had probably been a garden many years ago. At the far end there was a small group of trees. One of them was dead the other's were sickly. The two men walked in the direction of the trees enjoying the cool clean drops of water that showered their skin. They stopped when they had passed the trees because it was too dark to go any further. They could only see outlines of each other. Their lips met as the light that had guided there went out. David could feel his boyfriend tense up and knew what he was thinking. "Its OK. I have a flashlight on my key chain," he said.

Kenneth relaxed again and pulled David closer. They kissed pressing their wet bodies against each other. David ran his fingers down Kenneth's spine and gently slipped his hand past the waistband of Kenneth's shorts. It threw Kenneth slightly off balance and he reached for the nearest tree. He caught himself on it and felt something under his hand that was much too smooth to be bark. He jerked his hand away. "What is that?" he exclaimed.

"What is what?" asked David.

"I put my hand on something. It's on the tree."

"Oh my God! Did it bite you?" asked David looking for his flashlight.

"No. It just feels weird, too smooth."

When he found the flashlight David shown it on the dead tree. The light of the blue LED revealed a goat's skull tied to a branch. A sudden cool gust of wind splashed rain in their faces as they looked into the hollow eye sockets. They ran to their room and locked the door. In the warm incandescent light of the hotel lamps the incident seemed less frightening. They had splashed themselves with mud while they were running. As soon as they calmed down a little they went to the bathroom to clean up. The bathtub was huge. It was a typical old-fashioned claw foot tub except for its extraordinary width. They were able to sit side by side in it. After a few kisses under the florescent tube light David asked, "Do you wanna turn off the lights?"

The idea of sitting in the dark immediately reminded them of the hollow eyed skull. Kenneth quickly answered, "I have nothing to hide," and ran his hand up David's leg.

The rain continued through the night and the following day. By five in the afternoon the wind was furious. It lashed the houses with rain. The hurricane had shifted farther West than anyone had expected. The town's people who were still in possession of their senses were nervous. Over dinner David and Kenneth could clearly identify the so-called zombies. Their eyes were empty of feeling as they went about their work oblivious to the punishment that nature brought on their town. The rest of the people talked about boarding up windows in case the hurricane came further inland that expected. The wind had already damaged some power lines. Everything was lit with candles.

David and Kenneth ate slowly as they listened to the locals talk in their heavy accents. They could hear the windows rattle and the old building creak and groan. After dinner they ordered coffee and desert mostly as an excuse not to go back out into the ever-worsening weather. Some of the local people began returning to their homes. Others seemed afraid to leave. The couple had been in the restaurant for an hour and a half when David excused himself to use the restroom. When he came back there was an unnatural silence in the room. He could clearly hear things being blown over outside and the shingles being torn off the roof. Somewhere in the distance a window broke. The wind was gaining power quickly.

Inside the restaurant everyone was watching one man, although no one dared look him in the eye. He had come in out of the storm while David was in the bathroom. There was no doubt that this was the evil bokor. No one else could have survived out there. As the man sat down and gave his order to one of the zombie waiters, conversation began again. Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise. The wind had become incredibly strong in the past half hour. It had uprooted a tree. David looked over at Kenneth and was horrified to see the bokor standing right behind Kenneth. The evil man poured something into Kenneth's coffee while his victim watched the storm through the window. David shouted to Kenneth as Kenneth picked up the cup but another even louder crack drowned out David's voice. Kenneth swallowed the last drop of coffee and turned to look out the window again. As everyone watched an even greater gust caused the little hotel to sway. A few minutes later it collapsed.

A wave of fear swept over the crowd. They gave into the terror that had been building in them all day. They were instantly crying and praying. There was nowhere for them to hide. The only two basements in town had flooded and distance had not protected them from the hurricane. It had violated all predictions as if driven by a life of its own. It had come to wash the world of the evil that resided here.

David ran to Kenneth's side. A crash behind him made him turn. The violent wind had blown a chicken through the window. It lay on the floor newly dead and bleeding. Suddenly the bokor ran outside. A second later the restaurant collapsed. Everyone who was still inside was pinned under the weight of the heavy roof. David was able to find Kenneth's hand. He held on to it because there was nothing else he could do. With all the debris flying around it would be dangerous to escape from under the heavy beams. The barrage seemed endless. Screaming and wailing mixed with the sound of the wind and rain. Slowly the screams stopped as people gave up or died. David held Kenneth's hand and prayed that they would be spared. His past should have flashed before his eyes but instead he was tortured by visions of the future. He would have given anything to know that he and Kenneth would have even one more day to spend together.

When the wind finally died down it was the middle of the night. The rain was still falling as if it wanted to wash away the world. David was numb but he managed to free himself from the beam that had fallen on him. He called Kenneth's name but got no reaction. There were only a few light boards covering him and David easily moved them away. He inspected every inch of Kenneth's body but found no sign of injury. He also found no sign of life. He searched desperately for a pulse. Then he opened his boyfriend's eyes and shown his flashlight on them but his pupils did not move. David shook him and shouted but Kenneth was unresponsive. David would have given anything for a sign of hope. He looked around him in the dim light of his little flashlight. All he saw was death and devastation. Dead limbs reached out from under the collapsed building and blood mixed with rain made murky puddles. He turned the light off and fell on his knees next to Kenneth's limp body. He wanted to die but death would not oblige.

After sitting and crying hysterically he finally got up. He wanted to leave this place but not without Kenneth. In his despair he lifted the lifeless body and began to walk. He had no plan or destination. He just wanted to move from the scene of the disaster. Kenneth was slim and light but eventually David got tired. He sat down on what remained of the road and held Kenneth's body in his arms. The rain was now only a shower now. It reminded David of the night in the hotel. He cried bitterly and after a while picked up his boyfriend's body and began to walk again. In the darkness he stumbled on things he could not see. Once something brushed against his leg. He assumed it was some falling or floating debris but then it made a sound identifying itself as a survivor. It was a goat. It followed him for a while and then wandered off somewhere.

Shortly after sunrise David stumbled into a graveyard. Only bones basked in the week rays of light that broke through the clouds. The graves had been washed out. Caskets lay broken. The dead reached out of their graves with bony hands. They were making their escape. A small mausoleum stood open with its old doors ripped off its hinges. David laid Kenneth on the smooth wet floor.

Somewhere in the distance he thought he heard a helicopter. It meant nothing to him. He was beyond saving. His whole body shook from exhaustion. He thought about killing himself. There were many implements of death scattered around but he did not look for them. He was not naïve enough to think that death could end such suffering.

He sat down next to Kenneth and began to wipe his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He removed the tattered muddy clothing from the body and almost felt guilty for it. Then he remembered that Kenneth could no longer feel the cold. The realization hurt. David did not cry this time. It was futile. He slowly ran his fingers over the smooth porcelain skin. He looked at the body admiring every part. He touched the soft lips that had once given him kisses. He touched the hair which was now wet with rain. Gently he passed his hands over Kenneth's shoulders and down his chest. He remembered how touching this perfect body had made him feel only hours earlier. Now it was like touching a statue. It was beautiful but cold. He concentrated on every gentle curve and every line intent on committing them to memory before the rain and wind took away this heaven sent still life.

As he sat looking and touching, he became aware of a sound. It was a pitiful moaning. Unable to ignore it David went to its source. The sound was the dying breath of the bokor. He had been skewered by a fencepost during the storm. David stood over him and dispassionately watched him die. David thought of the captured souls. If they truly existed, they were now free. It was no comfort to him. He returned to the mausoleum and sat down. Outside the rain was light. The sun had come up and was making rainbows in the mist. The world was clean and new again but David could not see this. He was still caught in the storm and suffering. His eyes were fixed on the soft pink color that even death could not steal from Kenneth's cheeks.

For a moment he thought he saw Kenneth's chest move. David watched closely and it happened again. Somehow life was returning to him. Kenneth began to breath regularly and to shiver. David wrapped his arms around the body. He did not hope for a miracle but he got one. Kenneth slowly awoke. He was eventually able to speak again. He said that he had been aware of everything but unable to move.

"But how did this happen?" asked David holding him tight.

"It must have been the bokor," answered Kenneth.

"Well he can't have you. He's dead," said David still afraid that somehow he would loose his soul mate again.

"He couldn't anyway. It's not the one who kills you it's the one who brings you back. That's the one that gets your soul."

They held each other and rested for a few hours before they went back out into the wet world. They were in pain, tired, and soaked but thankful for another rainy day.

© 2007 jfalkon

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