After finishing a three-year stint in prison, my goal was to regain stability in my life. The teenager, Max, that I had hit with my car while driving under the influence, had survived the collision but was paralyzed from the waist down. Night after night in my cell, his screams of pain haunted me. And yet, I still blamed him for running across the road at three in the morning. I refused to own up to my idiotic mistake. I never grew up with a supporting cast of positive influences in my life, but as soon as I was free, I had that lightbulb moment. A lifestyle change was needed.
I was fortunate that my parents took me in to live at their house while I tried to land on my feet and get steady employment. An old friend secured me a job bagging groceries and stocking shelves, and it was during my third shift that I met Cassie.
“Excuse me, can you help me reach those diapers at the top?”
My moment of hesitation to stare into those green eyes, an obvious hint I was checking her out.
“You’re tall and strong, and I’m… well I’m me,” she chuckled.
“Sure thing, no problem.” I reached for the size three swaddlers and put them on the bottom of her cart.
She saw the disappointment in my face, thinking she already had a family and kids at home.
“Oh no, they are not for me. I don’t have any kids. They are for my parents,” she said to ease my mind.
“Oh, these are for babies. I think other stores sell them for adults though if that’s what you are looking for. Not that it’s any of my business.”
She smirked. “I’m Cassie.” She looked at my nametag. “Thanks for your help, Luke. Would you be interested in grabbing a coffee some time?”
A woman asking me out on a date after handing her a box of diapers was not something I had on my bingo card.
“Sure, I’d like that.”
Cassie gave me her phone number, and a day later we met at the local coffee shop. Her interest in me baffled me. The only reason I could think of was that I looked like a tough guy. Muscular and tattoos all over my body including my neck. But I’ll be honest with you, Cassie had such a warm and playful demeanor that I couldn’t resist falling for her immediately. Within three weeks of dating, she was eager to invite me over to meet her parents. She hadn’t stepped foot in my parents’ house. All of our dates had been out in public, so I was a bit nervous and anxious when I stepped foot onto their front porch.
My face went pale when Jonathan Miller opened the door. Cassie’s dad was one of the correctional officers from my building. What were the odds?
“Just my fucking luck,” I muttered under my breath.
He smiled and extended his hand. “Cassie doll, I knew it, I just knew it. The way you talked about your boyfriend Luke. I knew it was him. It’s nice to see you out in the world again,” he said to me. “Come on in, don’t be shy. Sandra’s putting the finishing touches on dinner.”
I should have turned around and went home, but after three years of following orders, it was in my nature to do as I was told. I awkwardly took my seat at the dining room table. Jonathan and Sandra sat across from me and Cassie.
“So, how have things been on the outside? You certainly found a nice catch, the best catch might I add. Cassie’s the only fish worth hooking.” Jonathan banged his hand on the table and giggled like a kid.
“Dad, you’re embarrassing him,” Cassie responded.
“Oh honey, you know we are just playing with him. Your dad and I found each other at the circus and look at us now. We may have wrinkly skin, but we are still two goofballs,” Sandra said.
“You two used to work in the circus?” I responded.
“Indeed! We were the hottest act at the show. Magic. Laughs, you name it. We had it covered. But a little traveling circus gig doesn’t pay the bills, and when Cassie came into this world, we knew we had to grow up just a little bit.” Jonathan put his arm around Sandra. “Of course, you know where I work. And my darling Sandra here got into the medical field. We still love to perform though!”
“Sure do, Johnny boy!” Sandra followed with.
The four of us worked on our beef stew, as I listened to Jonathan and Sandra babble on about the various towns they performed in. I had never felt more uncomfortable in my life. Cassie was just eating it up, every little quirk and joke her parents made. After dinner, we hung out in Cassie’s room, and to my surprise, she asked me to spend the night. I wouldn’t dare get intimate. It just didn’t feel right being at her parent’s house. She planted a wet one on my cheek and then we dozed off.
A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of high-pitched laughter, a squealing of sorts. I looked over and Cassie was not in the bed. I threw on my clothes and tiptoed down the hall past her parents’ bedroom. Their door was open all the way, so I glanced just for a second, noticing they were also not in their bed. The giggling led me to a basement door. I opened it quietly and looked down the stairs. The lights were on, and the commotion was louder. It sounded like Cassie.
“Cassie, is that you?” I whispered. “It’s like one in the morning.”
I walked down the steps and noticed a long corridor with stone walls. I could hear Cassie laughing up a storm at the end of the hall. When I reached the room she was in, my body stiffened in disgust. Cassie was rocking back and forth on a chair watching the most sickening display I have ever seen. Jonathan and Sandra were dressed as clowns, and they were rolling a woman without limbs in a blanket that looked like it was entirely comprised of diapers.
“What the fuck is happening here?” I shouted.
Jonathan looked up at me and squeezed his red, fluffy nose. “Pig in a blanket!” He chuckled and together he and Sandra rolled the woman inside. Her head was just visible at the top of the blanket.
“What are you doing? Let her go!” I yelled. “This is fucked up.”
I rushed over to the woman. “Why did you do this to her?”
“She left her baby alone in a car, and that poor child died of heat exhaustion. So now, she needs to learn a lesson. Prison taught her nothing. She showed no remorse,” Cassie said from behind me.
“What, this is fucking crazy,” I said.
“Welcome to the laughing room,” Jonathan chimed in. “Laughter truly is the best medicine!”
The three of them giggled wildly, as I tried to unravel the diaper blanket off the woman. Jonathan pounced on me and pressed a wet, toxic-smelling rag against my mouth. I passed out seconds later. I woke up on an operating room table, covered with a white, bloody sheet. I dozed off shortly after coming to. When I regained consciousness again, I looked down at my body and screamed. My right leg had been severed and was attached to the bottom part of my left foot.
“No, no, no, this can’t be real,” I cried out.
Jonathan and Sandra walked in—still fully dressed as clowns—and began to sprinkle cornmeal and flour on me.
“Luke, welcome back, you little corn dog,” Jonathan said.
Vomit ejected from my mouth and drizzled down my neck.
“You remember that night you hit Max, of course you do. The police report mentioned you had dropped a corn dog on your lap, causing the accident when you took your eyes off the road. Well, tonight we are going to turn you in to that very corn dog. Cassie’s just about ready for the show.” Jonathan wheeled me down the hall and back into the laughing room.
I heard a loud thud upstairs, like the sound of someone crashing through a door. Droves of SWAT members came storming into the basement and entered the laughing room, aiming their guns at Jonathan and Sandra. Cassie, Jonathan, and Sandra surrendered immediately. I learned that the woman without limbs had been missing for months, and that her dad finally got a lead that led him to the house.
I was grateful for being rescued, but the physical damage had been done. I only have one functioning leg. And since I was freed, I’ve been having nightmares. Flashbacks to the night I got my DUI. And every time I think of a corn dog, I picture myself getting fully covered in batter, slowly suffocating. I just want to live a normal life.