steel and cement. Colin led them an odd way in, towards a sunken
basement window that he hoped was still not wired with alarms.
This was the place he used to spend most of his time as a kid, a
nether region filled with expensive toys, narcotics for his hyperactive
mind and body. In truth, they only made him wilder and as the
throwing of billiard balls and books and sports equipment around
the room continually set off the alarm, it was removed. It was
replaced later, but when he used the basement for heavy metal
practice sessions with his dazed schoolmates, the vibrations from the
myriad decibels only triggered the alarm once more. Bidden finally
ripped out the wiring and added another layer of soundproofing. He
imagined that Colin, incapable of independence, would spend the
rest of his life in that wretched pit, and could act as a perfectly
credible watchdog at the gates of hell.
But Colin finally escaped and managed to survive without his
father, principally by stealing a chunk of the old man’s cash. He did
not know if the alarm system had been rewired again for that room,
though he suspected not. He had created an odor in there that could
never be eradicated and no one without proper protective gear would
ever think of venturing inside.
Colin climbed down to the window and jabbed at the moldings
with a penknife. The glass slid open easily and he thrust his thumb
up in the air in easy victory. But then when he tried to crawl in he
discovered just how much weight he’d gained in the intervening
years.
“We can’t go in without you, Colin,” Sprout said, “We don’t know
our way around.”
“Can’t you suck in your gut a bit more, Soldier?” Heck said,
repulsed.
“I’ll tell you what you can suck,” Colin started.
“Listen,” Izzy said. “We’ll go in first and then we’ll all pull you
through. It’s much easier to pull than to push.” They agreed that this
was the best plan and so the three of them climbed quickly in the
window. As they passed him, they couldn’t help but notice that
Colin’s face had changed color.
“Good Lord,” cried Heck, now inside.
“Smells like somebody died in here,” Izzy complained, coughing
out his nicotine gum.
“Come on,” Sprout said, “The faster we get Colin in, the faster we
get out.”
ABYSSINIA
300
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