And a saw.
He stared for some time at the saw. It was a little rusty, but its teeth looked sharp. He touched his finger to them and felt their bite. They could still cut well.
Yes, they could cut. They could sever.
He gulped.
He closed the cupboard, then grabbed some other things from the kitchen before going into the bathroom. There, he began to spread out the plastic sheets. He covered everything with them. He even taped them to the walls. He stood and surveyed his handiwork. There was one other thing he needed.
The body.
He returned to the living area. Stood over the man called Joseph Cobb and tried to tell himself that what he was looking at was no longer a man. He was meat. Just meat.
I’m wasting time, he thought. Let’s get this over with.
He reached for the sheet and pulled it away from Cobb’s face.
And then he yelped and leapt backwards.
Cobb was staring at him. His eyes had been closed – Scott was certain of it – but now they were wide open, accusatory.
Scott felt suddenly terrified. He knew nothing about death and what could happen afterwards. Could the dead open their eyes? Was it possible that Cobb wasn’t properly dead when they brought him in here?
He approached the body again, watching the eyes. They didn’t follow him.
The sheet. When the sheet was pulled across his face, that’s when it must have happened. The cloth must have tugged his eyelids up. It was the only explanation.
Scott could feel his heart pounding again. This was getting too stressful.
Calm down, he told himself. It’ll be over soon. Just do what you have to.
He placed his index finger and thumb on the eyelids. Tried to lower them.
They wouldn’t move.
‘Fucking close, will you?’ he rasped.
But it was as if Cobb’s eyelids had been sewn open. And the more Scott tried, the more his fingers slid across the cold eyeballs. The sensation made him want to retch.
‘Shit!’
Just do it. Forget the eyes. He’s not looking at you. He can’t look at anything now. Shift him!
Scott took the sheet away completely, then grabbed one of Cobb’s arms. It didn’t want to move away from his body. Scott pulled harder, dragging the body from the sofa and onto the floor. He had expected it to flop onto the carpet like an octopus out of water, but instead it remained rigid like a mannequin.
They do that, he thought. I read about it somewhere. Rigorous mortem or something.
Scott grabbed the man’s ankles and slid him across the floor, out into the hallway (Daniel and Gemma, do not come out now!), and then into the bathroom. He closed the door and locked it.
He was breathing heavily, and had to take a minute to recover.
Enough time-wasting. It’ll be daylight soon. Get on with it.
He kneeled down next to the body. Picked up the saw. Took a deep breath. Touched the saw to the point where Cobb’s right arm joined his shoulder.
There’ll be blood, he thought. Lots of it, probably. But it doesn’t shoot out as quickly when the heart’s not working, does it? And it’s probably gone all gooey by now. Maybe it’ll just ooze out.
He looked at the bath and thought about manhandling Cobb into it. But the bath was in an alcove, and he didn’t think he could properly manipulate the saw in that cramped space. Chances were he’d end up sawing through the bath.
He had brought plenty of cloths and a bucket. He would mop up as he went. It would be fine.
But still . . .
Scott undressed, then tied up his clothes in a bin-bag and put it on top of the cistern. He didn’t feel comfortable standing naked under the gaze of another man, even a dead one, but needs must.
He positioned the saw again. Took another deep breath.
Cobb’s jacket. It was made of thick leather, and wasn’t going to make this job any easier.
Scott put down the saw, then spent the next few minutes struggling to divest Cobb of his jacket. No simple task when the man’s arms refused to bend.
Panting, Scott picked up his saw and leant over the body again.
The eyes. Cobb was staring at him. How can you dismember someone who insists on glaring at you while you do it?
He picked up the jacket and wrapped it around Cobb’s face. And then another thought occurred to him.
Get the worst of it over with first.
