Johnny’s Got a Gun

Curtis A. Bass

Part 1 appears in this issue.

conclusion

“Benjie, you okay?” No answer. “Hey, Benj, can you answer?” Still nothing. “The shock mighta knocked him out.” Digges sounded worried.

“He fell right here,” I said fumbling for the door jamb in the dark. I couldn’t see Digges. He bumped into me, then grabbed my arm. I was glad for the human contact. It was eerie in the darkened school. I felt more and more that evil might be an actual thing and lurking in this building.

“We need light. Ain’t you got your cell phone?” he asked.

“No, Dad took it. Benjie’s probably got his. If we can find him.”

“We need to stick together,” he breathed in my ear. “Benjie must be on the floor near here. You feel around the left, I’ll take right.” We both got on our knees and started sweeping motions with our hands. After a few minutes Digges called from several feet away, “Anything?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay, turn and start toward me.” After a few minutes, my sweeping hand found Digges’ sweeping hand.

“Well, hell. Where is he?” Holding my wrist, he stood up. I joined him and we crept forward. The doorway was just a bit darker black than the surrounding black. We stepped into the hall.

“Benjie, -jie, -jie!” he yelled, his voice echoing down the eerie black void of the hall.

“That’s weird. Why’s it echoing so much?” I asked.

“Empty places in the dark? I don’t know.”

Hn, hn, hnnn.

“Digges, did you do that?”

“Nah. I bet it was Benjie makin’ voices to scare us.”

I wasn’t so sure. It didn’t sound like Benjie. In fact, it didn’t sound like a voice at all. If Digges hadn’t said he heard it, I would have sworn it was inside my head.

Hn, hn, hnnn, kill you all. That was totally inside my head.

Until Digges yelled, “Stop it, Benjie. Come on, Chad. We’re leaving.” A sudden burst of gunfire rent the air. Digges dropped, pulling me with him.

“Judas Priest! Who’s shooting?” I squeaked. Then there was a deadly quiet.

Johnny’s got a gun.
I’m hit! Somebody help us.
Hn, hn, hnnn. Kill you all.

“We need to get outa here, fast,” Digges hissed into my ear.

“We can’t leave Benjie.”

“We don’t know where he is. He probably hightailed it outa here when the lights went.”

We got up and fast-walked down the hall, our hands on the lockers, looking for the first open classroom. Another burst of gunfire sounded, accompanied by frantic screaming.

“Oh, hell. It sounded just like that,” Digges moaned. We had stopped, pressed up against the lockers. A light breezed slipped by. I could smell gunpowder. And a thicker coppery odor that must be blood. What the hell was happening?

We slipped along, our backs to the lockers, until we found a door, but it was locked. We moved across the hall to check the opposing classroom. Digges’ feet went out from under him. He pulled me down as he fell. The floor was slick with wet slime. What the hell? I raised my hand to my nose. It smelled of blood.

“There’s wet blood all over the place,” Digges yelled. His composure was failing. Mine was pretty much gone. My brain kept screaming over and over: “I gotta get outa here.” That frantic mantra was nearly drowned by the thundering of blood in my ears. I felt my heart might burst as it jackhammered in my chest. We scrambled to the wall and found another door, but again, it was locked. I jiggled it frantically as if extra tugging might magically make it open.

Johnny’s got a gun.
Somebody help us!
Helphelphelp!
Ohgod ohgod ohgod!
Gonna kill you all!
I’m scared. Somebody help me!
I’m hit. Don’t leave me!

I clamped my wet hands over my ears, but the sound was in my head. I could smell the fresh blood as it smeared my face. I wanted to scream but could barely catch my breath. Digges grabbed one of my hands and we went running down the center of the hall, slipping and sliding. Just as we began, an awful pain slammed into my back. I went crashing face first to the ground, skidding forward in the slime. Is that what they felt when they got shot in the back?

Hn, hn, hnnn. Kill you all.
You need to die. I hate you all.

I pushed myself up, realizing I’d lost Digges’ hand.

“Digges,” I called. “Digges, where are you?” The blackness was pressing in on me, and I was hyperventilating in full panic. I pressed up against a locker, not knowing what to do other than keep moving. My teeth were chattering even though it wasn’t cold in the school, and my speeding breath was coming in shallow moans.

I edged down the hallway, seeking the next classroom. Looking back up from where I’d come, I saw faint, ethereal images; people lying on the floor, a boy on a girl as if shielding her, a girl whose head was a shapeless mess. The moans and screams were coming from them. Tears flooded my eyes.

Then, closest to me I saw a boy on the floor. A boy whose feet had outgrown his body and with long floppy hair and wide sightless eyes. It was Tyler, my best friend.

“Oh, no. Oh, Tyler. No, no. If I’d been here, I would have been standing right beside you when this happened. I’m so sorry.” I wasn’t sure what I was sorry about, but it felt wrong that he died alone. The image faded into nothingness. With a short scream I turned to run and bumped into someone hard enough to make them grunt.

“Thank goodness, Digges.” He didn’t answer.

“Digges?” I felt up his arm to his head. Digges had short wiry hair. I felt longer, oily hair. Benjie.

“Oh, Benjie. We didn’t know what happened to you.”

“Johnny’s got a gun, Chad. He hates you. You need to die.” He clamped both hands around my throat, squeezing. I broke his hold and shoved him hard, skittering away, hoping he couldn’t find me in the dark.

“Hn, hn, hnnn. Chad. You’re going to die. Johnny’s got a gun. Gonna kill us all,” Benjie crooned like it was some psychotic nursery rhyme. I continued to put as much distance between me and him as I could.

I was nearing another door when I felt an explosion of pain in my abdomen. I went down, again. I felt a body on top of me. I wanted to struggle, slip away but I couldn’t move. I heard, as if in an echo chamber, “Come on, buddy, we gotta hide. Gotta get away. Come on.” Then it was gone. There was no one on me.

Hide!
We gotta hide!
Johnny’s got a gun gotta gun gotta gun gotta gun.
JohnnyJohnnyJohnny.
Kill you all.

I scrambled up and immediately felt an explosion in my head, followed by piercing pains all over my body. I went down screaming.

Gotta gun gotta gun.
Help help help!
I’m scared! Don’t leave me!

I scrambled to the doorway beside me, using the knob to pull myself up. It was unlocked, thank God. I stumbled in and looked at the far wall. The black was interrupted by faint glimmers of gray slipping through boarded up windows.

“Oh hell!” I muttered.

“Gonna kill you, Chad.” That wasn’t Benjie’s voice, but it was probably him, coming from very nearby. I slammed the classroom door and locked it. I immediately heard him throw his weight against it.

“Let me in, Chad. Johnny’s gotta gun. He’s gonna kill us all. Let me in!”

“Nothin’ doin’. Go away,” I yelled knowing it would do no good. I ran toward the windows, falling over desks. Damn, I was gonna to be bruised tomorrow. If there was a tomorrow. Once at the windows, I tried to pull off the plywood cover. It wouldn’t budge. A loud crash against the door and the breaking of glass came from behind me. Benjie must have used something like a fire extinguisher to break the window in the door.

I renewed my efforts to pull off the plywood. One strip started to give. With a squeal like nails on a chalkboard, it gave way. I looked over my shoulder. With the small amount of light removing the board provided, I could see Benjie crawling through the door’s window. I yanked frantically at the next board. It refused to give. Benjie stood up in front of the door. In a frenzy of terror, I grabbed a nearby waste can and threw it at him. He batted it away.

“Hn, hn, hnnn. Gonna kill you all,” he murmured, menace in his voice.

Gunfire started up in the hallway again, people screamed.

Johnny’s got a gun!
Help! Help! Hide!
Somebody help! I’m so afraid.
I’m hit. Don’t leave me!
Johnny’s gotta gungungungungungun.
Kill you allallallallallall.

“I hate you all,” Benjie said. “Kill you all.” With his eyes vacant, he lurched towards me. I jumped right, picked up a chair and heaved it at him. He caught it but stumbled backwards. I tried to dash around him but there were too many desks in the way. I noticed a supply closet at the back of the room. I ran for it, snatching up a chair as I went. Benjie was quick. As he neared me, I swung the chair at him. Since he was already moving, the blow knocked him to the ground. I reversed direction and dashed out into the pitch-black hallway. I knew the south entrance had to be directly down the hall to my left.

Johnny’s got a gun, Chad. Johnny’s got a gun!
Gonna kill you all.

I put my left hand on the lockers and began running toward the door. I knew it would be locked, but I was out of options. After a few yards something grabbed me around my neck, yanking me to a stop. I screamed. Yeah, I screamed like a baby and tried to swat whatever was holding me.

“Jesus, Chad. Stop! It’s me, Digges,” the dark shadow said.

“Digges?”

“Yeah, damn man. You fight like a girl.”

“I found Benjie,” I told him. “I think he’s possessed or something.” Digges didn’t respond, but a chill crawled over me as his grip tightened.

“Yeah. It’s what Johnny wants,” his voice was flat, as if reading a card. “Johnny’s got a gun, Chad. Gonna kill us all.” I stood dumbfounded. In the moment before I could react, he began squeezing. I scratched at his arm, trying to break free, but it was like a steel band.

“Gonna kill us all,” he whispered in my ear, as if it were an endearment.

We both went flying sideways when another body crashed into us.

“Kill you all! Kill you all!” Benjie screeched. In the momentary pile-up, I gasped in some much-needed air and bit down on Digges’ arm. His salty blood flowed in my mouth a moment before he yanked his arm away. I scrambled away on my hands and knees trying to get to my feet, but the floor was slick with blood. Tears and snot were running down my face mixing with the blood. So much blood. It was all over me. I stank of death. Stumbling to my feet, I ran a few yards before they went out from under me again and I slid along the slimy floor.

Johnny’s got a gun. Gonna kill you all.

“You can’t get out, Chad. Johnny’s got a gun,” Digges yelled.

“Oh, crap.” I was crying harder now. “I just want to go home!” I whimpered. I ran again. A faint glimmer of light rose up before me and coalesced into the grinning face of Johnny Jenkins. “You’re gonna die, Chad. You’re all gonna die. Hn, hn, hnnn.” He pointed his large handgun at me.

I skidded to a stop.

“To hell with you, Johnny! You’re not even real. You’re dead,” I screamed at the apparition. I charged at him determined to end this one way or another. He was as insubstantial as a patch of fog. When I passed through him, I only detected coldness and a sulfurous odor, like rotten eggs.

A loud rattling in front of me made me stop, but my feet slid out from under me, and I landed on my ass in the stinking mess of blood.

A sudden flash, like a million suns going on at once, blinded me.

“What in hell do you kids think you’re doing?” More lights. I froze. A group of men entered the hallway with flashlights. Policemen, guns drawn. The lead one was silhouetted by the lights of the men behind him. I could see he had one hand on his taser. I had never in my life been so glad to see policemen. I raised my hands and didn’t move. There was a blur of action beside me.

“Kill you all!” Benjie shouted as he charged. The policeman fired his taser and Benjie went down in a quivering mass. I didn’t dare move.

“Come on over here, kid. I’m not gonna hurt you,” one of the men said to me. I slowly lowered my hands and stood. I could see in the beam of his flashlight that my hands were no longer bloody, that my clothes had no bloodstains on them.

I told them that we were just looking around when the lights went out and we got spooked. What was I supposed to say? I didn’t know what had happened.

“There’s another one of us somewhere in the building. Digges.”

“Vito Digges? Shoulda known that bad seed was involved. Kid’s always in trouble.” With a gentle whoosh, the emergency lights flashed on.

“We got that transformer fixed a half hour ago. Wonder why the power’s just now going on?” the cop said, looking up at the lights. “A frozen limb fell on it. Knocked out lights all over this side of town. Once we got it back on, we got the alarm of intruders here in the school. If we hadn’t been able to fix it, you could have had the whole night to roam around.” I shuddered at the thought. We probably wouldn’t have survived till morning.

“Let’s get you and this guy down to the station for a checkup. We’ll find your friend and bring him, too.”

* * *

Dad and Mom were none too happy to be called down to the police station in the middle of the night. I’m grounded “until further notice.” Probably for the rest of my life. And now there’s an alarm on my window.

I’ve talked to Benjie. He doesn’t remember anything. He says we met up for a prowl and then he woke up on a cot down at the police station.

The nightmares have been the worst. I hear the gunfire and Johnny’s sickening snickering. I see him coming for me and that’s when I wake up screaming.

So, nothing happened. That was the official story. I’m just a screwed-up kid. It was all in my head, right? Yeah, I call bullshit. Something totally messed up went down that night, something evil. Johnny’s still after us, even from the grave. Don’t tell me nothing happened. If nothing happened, how come Digges is still in the state nut house, rocking back and forth and chanting, “Johnny’s got a gun”?