Billy: A Tale Of Unrelenting Terror Read Online Free PDF Page A

dat line man? Who gonna answer for dat?" Poppie asked.
    "I don’t know, cher . Maybe we gotta do some t’ing, but we can’t just kill ‘em," Dorcelia said.
    "For true! Don’t know if we even can. More likely, he get da better of us now," said Poppie. "But we gotta do some t’ing, and we gotta do it quick."
     
     

Chapter Five
    Nine-One-One
    " N ine-one-one, how may I help you?"
    "Yeah, I’m calling to report something I found in the marsh."
    Manny’s phone crackled and popped like an old phonograph that was playing a worn-out and often abused record from the distant past. He knew the reception was always spotty at best out here in God’s country, and he didn’t want to lose the signal before he could complete the message.
    "Please state your name and location, sir."
    "My name is Manny Duplantis, and I’m out in the swamp off Bayou Pigeon Road."
    The woman’s voice on the other end sputtered in and out, and Manny knew that the operator probably had as much difficulty hearing him as he had understanding her.
    "Damn Cingular!" he muttered with disgust and sighed in frustration.
    Manny had trouble getting a quality signal out in the swamp regardless of the carrier he used, but he had to direct his anger somewhere. It had been a long day. Once the unintelligible ramblings from the operator subsided, Manny figured that it was his turn to respond. Taking a big breath, he tried again.
    "I am off Bayou Pigeon Road. My name is Manny Duplantis, and I work for Louisiana Gas."
    He paused to see if the voice on the other end successfully received his communication.
    "Yes, sir, Mr. Duplantis. How may I help you today?" the serious, but pleasantly feminine, voice responded in a brief moment of clear reception.
    Manny tried to picture the disembodied voice on the other end and could only come up with a young, college-age hottie in scant lingerie sporting an ample bosom and pouty lips. He knew that his prediction was probably one hundred and eighty degrees off, but, when afforded the opportunity, Manny always preferred to envision his female associates in the same manner. I really need to get a hobby, he thought to himself before returning his focus to the task at hand.
    "Like I said, I think I saw something floating in the marsh."
    "What did you see, Mr. Duplantis?"
    "It looked like a person; well, a body, at least."
    The unexpected sight had been quite disturbing. Manny was just trying to wrap things up for the day and get out of the desolate area before nightfall when he spotted the object. He figured that he probably would’ve missed it altogether if he hadn’t been forced to stop to inspect his tires after running over a wayward alligator corpse on his way up the bayou . His tires proved to be in satisfactory condition though his nerves were now a bit frayed.
    Manny felt uncomfortable out in the swamp alone, even after all the years he had worked out there. The terrain was treacherous and the area filled with all kinds of nasty varmints that showed no fear of human encroachment. As far as the cold-blooded hunters of the swamp were concerned, the only thing Manny represented was lunch.
    "Can you give me your exact location on Bayou Pigeon Road, sir?" the voice inquired, crackling again with the poor reception.
    "No, ma’am, I can’t. Just send someone down here. I am sure you won’t miss me and my truck. And hurry please, it’ll be dark soon."
    Manny waited for a response, but none came. He realized that his call had been dropped and quickly tried to call back to no avail.
    "Damn Cingular!" he cursed again. Lately, the phrase earned its place at the top of his swear list.
    He did his best to be a good employee of Louisiana Gas as well as a fine, upstanding citizen, but hanging out in the Atchafalaya Basin after sundown was asking too much. Manny walked back to his truck and opened the door, tossing his useless cellular phone on the dashboard and taking a seat. He contemplated leaving some kind of note at the site and