The Curse of 1977 (Book 2)

Chapter 28

Lethargically climbing out of his Camaro as if he had been driving non-stop for days, Jeremiah, clothed in a pair of blue plaid slacks and a white, short-sleeved button down shirt, dragged his body towards his place of employment.He had totally forgotten his briefcase back inside the car, but just managing to stuff the bottom half of his shirt into his pants was more of an important task than remembering some briefcase.

As he carried on Jeremiah couldn't help but to glance to his right to see Gloria Cohen's orange Datsun parked just three spaces down from the entrance. The man kept on walking, trying in earnest not to become too enthralled with the vehicle that wasn't bothering him in the first place.

Jeremiah stepped into the building, past the receptionist and towards the elevator. Right before he could even press the up button, the whiff of Old Spice cologne whistled into his nostrils.

In a flash, the man finished stuffing his shirt into his pants and buttoned the very top button before wiping his moist hair to the side.Out the door behind the receptionist's desk came a physically imposing, older white gentleman dressed in a dapper grey suit. His full white beard and balding head made him appear, at least in Jeremiah's eyes, like a nineteenth century philosopher directly out of one of the historical books that he once read back in his youth.

"Well, good morning, Doctor Levin." The man warmly greeted as he placed a pile of papers onto the receptionist's desk before approaching the young man face to face.

Clearing his milky throat, Jeremiah replied with a smile, "Good morning, Doctor Hircshbaum."

Examining his watch, Hirschbaum gave Jeremiah a scrupulous glare. "I see you're thirty-three minutes late this morning. Maybe you should invest in a watch these days."

Hanging onto his ingratiating smile, Jeremiah said, "I actually have one at home, but it sorta had a malfunction yesterday."

Heading for the elevator, Hirschbaum said, "I'm awfully glad I was able to catch you out of the blue like this. I'd like to have a talk with you in my office."

"That would be great, sir." Jeremiah rubbed his sweaty palms before following in behind Hirschbaum inside the elevator.

Jeremiah watched as Hirschbaum pushed the button labeled five before saying, "I didn't see your car out in the parking lot. I honestly didn't expect you today."

Hirschbaum replied, "Mrs. Hirschbaum is giving a mathematics lecture down at Ohio State. Speaking of wives, how is Mrs. Levin?"

Swallowing, Jeremiah said, "Well, she's still having strong stomach cramps, but the doctor told her to just get a lot of rest."

"I see." Hirschbaum grinned back in a dignified manner. "My wife and I knew right off the bat that we would never make good parents. Vasectomy's are a life saver, my friend."

Jeremiah just stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and pressed his lips together as hard as he could.

The elevator door opened, Hirschbaum was the first to exit with Jeremiah taking a lackluster rear. The closer they reached Hirschbaum's office the more Jeremiah's forehead felt like a sponge. He couldn't stop sweating or fumbling over his own feet. Just running into the doctor on a morning when his attention was already near the moon wasn't exactly what Levin had in mind for a good day.

Hirschbaum unlocked his office door and went straight for his chair that sat behind his large, oak desk. Jeremiah shut the door behind him and sat down in the seat on the other side of the desk.

"Anne, hold all my calls for the next hour, please." Hirschbaum said into the speaker of his phone that was placed beside him on the desk.

Right then and there Jeremiah's stomach began to grumble before his entire body broke out into a boiling sweat. If he had moved in his chair it would have possibly sounded as if he were soaking wet.

"Jeremiah, I want to get right down to the point." Hirschbaum sat forward and folded his hands. "Over the course of these past few months, I've noticed a considerable change in you."

"I can explain, Doctor, you see—

"No, no, let me finish. You're a good psychiatrist. I realize that one of your patients having a psychotic breakdown back in February unsettled you. These things happen unfortunately." Hirschbaum simply shrugged his shoulders. "But looking forward, I want you to be at the top of your profession."

At the beginning of the conversation Jeremiah figured he knew exactly what Hirschbaum was going to say, but after a while, the man's train of thought became completely derailed to the point where he nearly slid out of his own seat.

"Now, I understand that you have roots here at this practice, and that you and Julie have just moved into your house, but I was wondering what you thought of Boston."

It was as if he had just been slapped right across the face. All Jeremiah could do just then was bat his eyelashes repeatedly while trying to conjure something as simple as a word up in his head.

"I...uh...I don't quite understand." Jeremiah caught his breath. "I'm talking about you starting a practice out in Boston, Massachusetts, young man."

Still, Jeremiah could not fully comprehend what was taking place. He could hear the words coming from Hirschbaum's mouth, but deciphering their meaning was draining him off all energy.

"You want me to move all the way out to Boston?"

Sitting back, Hirschbaum asked, "Why not? You graduated at the top of your class. You've been such a success here. Why not spread your wings and take off? Do it while you're still young."

Listening to the man speak so fondly of him gave Jeremiah such a sinking feeling that he actually wanted to get up and walk away.

Trying to smile, Jeremiah said, "I honestly don't know what to say."

"Say yes!" Hirschbaum said out loud in a joyful manner. "This is a chance of a lifetime! Hell, if I got this opportunity when I was your age I would've jumped at it."

"It almost sounds as if you're trying to get rid of me." Jeremiah blushed.

Hirschbaum stood to his feet at that moment. Jeremiah did the same. He watched as the doctor came around his desk and placed a considerate hand on his shoulder.

"Jeremiah, I've known your parents for thirty-seven years now, the last thing they want is for their prized son to throw an opportunity like this away. Don't look at it as a dismissal; see it as a brand new start for you and your family. Have some hutzpah, my boy!"

Jeremiah humbly nodded his head. "I'll give it consideration. Thank you, Doctor." He shook the man's hand before walking out of the office.

"You do that." Hirschbaum remarked. "And before you begin your day, could I ask you to stop by the record room and pull Doctor Sanyupta's files from July of last year for me, please?"

The second Jeremiah shut the door behind him a strong force immediately seized his body. There alone in the hallway the man began to shudder. Every word, sentence and smile from Hirschbaum felt

putrid inside of him, so much so that Jeremiah wanted to vomit all over the newly shampooed floor beneath him.

Feeling like he was carrying rocks inside his own shoes, Jeremiah turned and began down the hallway towards the record room. As he ventured on he passed by numerous doors, one of the doors just happened to be Paul's.Just for a brief instance Jeremiah paused and pressed his ear against the door.

At first all he could hear was Paul's voice laughing out loud, but soon after his joviality died down Gloria began speaking. Jeremiah listened hard at every word she was saying, even if sounded muffled.He kept on eavesdropping until a woman came out of the restroom down the hallway.

Immediately the man pulled away and resumed his march down the floor until he came to the record room.Jeremiah walked in and cut on the light switch. Within the room were seven file cabinets all lined up against a wall. Jeremiah knew exactly which cabinet he needed.

He carried on towards the correct cabinet that had the label July 1976 printed on it. Jeremiah rooted around inside the cabinet in search of the file. There were so many folders within, all with strange names, that finding the right one would take a while.

Jeremiah looked and looked before his already frazzled attention became distracted. His eyes couldn't help but to glance over to his immediate right. There was a cabinet labeled Recordings. Soon, Jeremiah found himself, just as he had any other time he was in the room, wanting and desiring.

His search for Hirschbaum's file was far from important at that point. The force that he felt back in the hallway was compelling him more so than it had ever before. Leaving his cabinet wide open, Jeremiah stepped over, opened the other cabinet and searched through Paul's files until he came upon the tapes.Jeremiah's eyes caught sight of minutes from the month of June. He took one tape out before going over to a shelf where a tape player was already placed. He then took the tape and inserted it inside the player before blindly pressing the play button.

Jeremiah stood and waited for a second or two before going back to his original cabinet and resuming his previous, pretend search.Not once during his seeking did he feel even the slightest hint of regret or shame. He just listened as both Paul and Gloria conversed back and forth while he himself carelessly rifled through one folder after another.

"Well, it's been a couple of weeks since you and I last talked. How have you been?"

"Not bad, really," Gloria sounded meek. "I did as you said and went out."

"Oh really," Paul sounded surprised. "How did it go?"

"Not too bad. I went to see that 'Star Wars' movie."

"Really? I heard it was out of sight."

"It was actually not as nauseating as I thought it would have been. And I'm not even a science- fiction fan. But I think it's more for kids than adults, though."

"What else did you do? Have you had anymore truck dreams lately?"

"Off and on, but I find taking long jogs in the park seem to help deter my mind from them."

"It helps to put things back into perspective again."

"It really does."

"Now, I wanted us to take a few moments and discuss what we talked about on our last visit."

There came a stifling silence in the recording at that moment. Jeremiah could hear Gloria sighing in the background. It sounded anguished.

"Do we really have to?" She whined. "I mean, I thought I was beginning to make progress."

"And you are, but I believe that in order for you to truly come up out of this pit, you have to be willing to vocalize your experiences."

"How do you except me to vocalize what I experienced when I can't even remember any of it?"

"Gloria...your memories are still there. If you truly want to live with this, you have to be willing to speak it and then conquer it."

Once more, a strong quiet prevailed in the recording. Jeremiah's hands had all but stopped rifling through the folders at that point. He held his breath for the longest time.

"Okay." Gloria moaned. "I remember hearing Leroy open the basement door. I heard something heavy tumble down the stairs."

"What was that something?"

"It was his body."

"Mercer, you mean?"

"Yes. At first, he was just lying there totally naked on the floor. Then he just started to move. I remember getting so excited because he looked like he had survived. But...

"But what, Gloria?"

"But he began to speak. I tried to tell him to keep his voice down, but I guess he couldn't hear me."

"Gloria, you have to keep moving forward with this. You always stop right here. Its right here that I think you can turn a corner. Now, tell me, what happened next?"

Jeremiah could hear Gloria sniff while trying to get comfortable in the noisy leather couch that made sounds every time someone sat on it.

"He rolled over onto his back...and he opened his eyes."

"Keep going."

"That's when it happened."

"Don't stop, Gloria. You can do this." Paul pressed.

"No, I can't!" Gloria yelled.

"Yes you can. You went to Ashlandview for a reason, and I believe that reason wasn't solely for Leroy Cummins. You need to keep moving forward with this. You're almost around the bend."

"It's silly."

"It's only silly if you allow it to control you."

Gloria paused for the longest time. Jeremiah felt like he was right there beside her rather than inside the record room.

"I saw him...change."

"You saw Mercer change? Change into what?"

"I saw...no, better yet, my eyes saw him change."

"Good, good, our eyes play tricks on us sometimes. Now, tell me what your eyes saw."

"I saw him change into...into a werewolf." She broke down and cried. "Fangs and fur, and all! My eyes saw him change into that thing! At first I thought it was going to kill me, but it ran back up the stairs and killed Leroy! God...I can't believe I'm even talking about this!"

Jeremiah could have been knocked over by a mere whisper. Without a second's more hesitation the man bolted out of the record room and down the hallway until he came to Paul's office.

Rampaging right inside, Jeremiah saw only Gloria who was seated on the couch. "Are you sure that's what you saw inside that man's house?" He hollered like a fool.

"What the hell is this?" Paul sat up behind his desk.

Drawing closer to a petrified Gloria, Jeremiah, practically frothing at the mouth, asked, "Are you sure that you saw Isaac Mercer do just that?"

"Jeremiah, get the hell outta here!" Paul furiously pointed at the door.

But it was as if Jeremiah hadn't heard a single word the man was saying because his interrogation increased all the more.

"I was Isaac's doctor before he was killed!" He desperately said into Gloria's face. "Did you really see him turn into that thing?"

"Gloria, you don't have to answer that question!" Paul began to advance towards Jeremiah.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Doctor Hirschbaum came rushing into the office.

Appearing completely startled and disoriented, Gloria stood up and began for the door, but not before Jeremiah stepped right in front of her.

"I'm sorry I scared you, but I have to know this for myself! I have to know about Isaac!"

"Jeremiah, get the fuck outta here!" Paul angrily yelled.

With tears in her eyes, Gloria shoved past Jeremiah on her way out the door. Jeremiah turned and watched as she took the stairs rather than the elevator down.

Looking lost and frustrated, Hirschbaum asked, "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"This son of a bitch just cost me a patient, that's what!" Paul screamed into Jeremiah's face. "I've been working on her for the past two months, and you come and fuck it all up!"

All Jeremiah could do was stand and take the vocal lynching the best he could without striking back himself.

"Okay, okay, let's just calm down and figure out what's happening here." Hirschbaum tried to step in between the two men.

With a strawberry red face, Paul continued, "I'm not going to let him drag me into this sewer that he's been sinking into these past few months!" Paul then pushed Jeremiah out of the way before rushing out the door and down the hallway.

Copious amounts of sweat drizzled and drooled down Jeremiah's face making him appear as if he had just ran a marathon. He couldn't even catch his own breath, let alone look anyone else in the eye.

Gradually, a hostile calm began to settle. Hirschbaum, who was wearing a somewhat dissatisfied look on his face, said to Jeremiah, "Why don't you and I talk about this later?"

But Jeremiah was all out of words to even hold a conversation. He brushed by Hirschbaum on his way out the door where other doctors were curiously observing.Like a prisoner walking his final mile, Jeremiah Levin hauled his body down the stairs until he found himself in the front lobby. All his bloodshot eyes could see in front of him were the double doors that he simply strolled out of.

The heat of the sun soaked into his already blazing body to where he felt absolutely numb and parched like a rock in an age old desert.The man aimlessly walked about the parking lot, completely unaware that he had just passed his own car in the process.

"Excuse me." A delicate voice uttered nearby.

Jeremiah stopped and turned to see Gloria standing by her car. Clearing the fog from both his eyes and head, Jeremiah walked over to the young woman who was wearing a pink t-shirt and matching hip-high shorts.

"Look...I want to apologize for—

"You knew him?" Gloria interrupted.

Jeremiah dropped his head before muttering, "Yes, I knew Isaac."

The two of them both stood in juddering silence while the cicadas carried on all around them in a blistering chorus. Jeremiah found it hard to even lift his head to look at Gloria, let alone ask her anymore questions that had been burning within him for the past few months.

Gloria brushed her long, brunette hair to the side before saying, "You know, this is the very last place I ever imagined I would end up."

Jeremiah suddenly found the courage to raise his head and look directly at Gloria. His eyes couldn't help but to stare longingly at her shy face.

"I honestly thought after Ashlandview that everything would be okay. But when the nightmares started all over again, I knew that I needed something more."

"Did you get what you needed from here?" Jeremiah asked in a skittish way.

Looking all around, Gloria answered, "Not really. Or at least not until I met you just a few minutes ago, that is."

"Look, I never meant to scare you." Jeremiah compassionately emphasized. "It's just that...ever since February I've been going shit-faced over this whole thing of Isaac."

"What was he like?" Gloria stepped closer to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah took an ever so extended pause in order to conjure just a simple image of the young man inside his head; as if doing so were the hardest thing in the world to do.

"The last thing I want is to throw salt on a dead man." He said. "I only got a chance to meet Isaac on several occasions. The last time I saw him, something terrible was vexing him."

"Just for the record...I don't really believe in such things." Gloria timidly stated.

Still staring straight at her, Jeremiah asked, "And yet, that's what you believe you saw?"

Gloria stared just as persistently right back at Jeremiah. "I got knocked out and screwed up the asshole by a pervert. I could've seen a leprechaun for all I know."

"But something tells me that you didn't see a leprechaun."

"Do you believe in such things?"

Sighing, Jeremiah replied, "No, even though it would explain all those slayings that's been happening in the city."

Gloria began to wander about her vehicle before she found herself standing next to the driver's side door.

"I really want to know more about Isaac." She said while taking her keys from out of her purse."

Jeremiah stood for a moment. He then watched as Gloria climbed into her car and reached over to unlock the passenger door.

With a fidgety right hand, he lifted the handle and got into the steaming hot Datsun.The engine came to life. As they pulled out of the parking space Jeremiah's eyes couldn't help but to glance upwards at the building only to see Paul gazing back down from his fifth floor office with a blank expression upon his face.