I lunge and scoop him up with blood-slick hands. He wriggles like he doesn’t understand the problem. Like his gourmet dog food wasn’t enough and now he’s feeling adventurous.
“No eyeballs,” I scold. “We donotsnack on serial killers.”
I clutch him to my chest, his little heart hammering against mine, and I finally look at it all.
The scene.
The carnage.
What I did.
What Icando.
And the fog lifts just enough for the question I’d been hoping to avoid:
“…Now what in the lemon-drop dandy do I do?”
I stagger to my feet, Dexter in one arm, and bolt for the door. I fumble the knob, shove it open, and slam it behind me.
There’s blood on my door. My face. My arms. My everything.
I look like I just walked off a slasher film, and all I can think about is the Eye of Sauron sitting on my driveway.
I can’t move forward. I can’t breathe until it’s gone.
I try to prioritize the to-do list in my mind.
Hide the body.
Wash the blood.
Bathe in lemon-scented disinfectant.
But no—nothing can happen until the eyeball is gone. Out of sight and off the driveway.
I go to the kitchen, open the utensil drawer, and grab the first thing I see.
A spatula? No.
How ridiculous. What on earth can you do with a spatula?
Tongs? I’d feel the eye give—soft squish, rolling weight. Absolutely not.
A spoon? This isn’t an Easter egg race.
I need something distant. Functional. Something to help me pretend I’m not removing a literal eyeball from my property.
Ah. The turkey baster.
Nestled in the back of the drawer like it’s been waiting its whole life for this moment.
I stare at it, and can’t believe I’m seriously considering this buuut…
The nozzle is a little wide. Maybe eyeball size? Yes. This could work.
“I guess it’s not just for Thanksgiving any more.”
Dexter stays tucked under my arm like a panting loaf of bread. I make my way to the door, my bloody steps squeaking like clown shoes.