Voiceover by Emily S Hurricane, whose generosity is outshined only by her talent.
Bianca is not meat. She is more than I deserve.
I don’t have to remind myself of that anymore.
She is the lap I rest my head on. What am I to her? My lap isn’t soft, I can’t keep still and my knees jab. I look up at her.
Her eyes are empty and dark under the forest shade. It’s been just the two of us. And Smokey. After Rainy was killed, Erica split. Sienna and Anna never showed. We all might find each other again. Hopefully, we won’t.
Bianca and I haven’t spoken about any of it, not until earlier today. We drove what we carjacked to a little library somewhere in PA and tied Smokey’s leash to the bike rack outside. He loves to nap in the sun, even under that fur.
Bianca got on a desktop. She typed P-I-N-E-T-O-W-N-N-J.
I’m not sure what did it: the photo of the abandoned diner, or the bloggers cheesing in front of it, or the articles quoting the Twitchells about the Dyers, about the murders, about the speculations, about Elena Panco—they actually said they thought she was involved with the Mafia.
It’s the Jersey Devil, it’s Satanists, it’s a lion, tiger, bear someone illegally kept as a pet. Some people guessed the correct answer, but they’ve got the story all wrong.
Meanwhile my awesome family, excluding me obviously, has been canonized into sainthood. Miss Panco didn’t get that treatment.
“The Twitchells are totally rebranding Pineworld Adventures,” Bianca explained as she closed twenty tabs. “They’re opening it up for adults and doing tours near the sites of the deaths.” She flicked strands from her eyes with her stub-pinky, not used to being without glasses. “Including my house.”
“What the fuck,” I said. “Guess they lost campers this summer.”
“We’re gonna make them lose everyone. We’re gonna kill Pinetown.” She typed, searched, found their next tour scheduled during a full moon and scribbled the dates into her pink notepad.
I pet her hair. “Okay.”
Not itching to go back there, but I am hungry. And maybe it would be a healing experience for us or something. Bianca’s excitement alone is a relief. And after this, we’d never go back.
So, that’s our plan. Hit them in… a week? I don’t know what day it is. Bianca always does.
A spring breeze blows hair over her face. Smells sweet. Only a little different than before.
I’m scared of what I smell like.
Bianca strokes me, temple to jaw, and inhales. Maybe she likes how I smell. Maybe she loves it.
THE END.
A note from the author (BIG FAT THANK YOUS)
Of course this has meant the world to me and consumed at least half of my waking thoughts over the last few months.
Emily S Hurricane reached out to me offering to provide a voiceover. I was stunned. Then I listened to her and was stunned again. Not only is she an excellent voice actor but a fantastic writer, reviewer, and all around stellar person. Thank you, Emily, for making FEVERCHAIN come alive. It is a story we share.
Didrik also reached out to me to ask whether he could create a song for FEVERCHAIN, and wow did that excite me. The songs are dynamic, gritty, cool, atmospheric. I fucking love them and have listened to them so much that they’ve wormed into my brain 4ever.
I want to thank Alex Shifman for writing the first review for FEVERCHAIN in his incredible Serial For Dinner. I’m not used to being reviewed like that (see: taken seriously). I want to thank Wendy Russell as well for her idea about starting The Chapter One Club and her #protectsmokey campaign which may or may not have reigned in the author’s brutality.
Tom Schecter you know what you did. Mainly, you told me this story had juice and genuinely encouraged me in ways that will keep me motivated after this project and beyond. And although Emily’s Bianca can’t be beat, your falsetto was magnifique.
RM Greta has supported me since I started here and had basically 0 subs. I wouldn’t have even thought to attempt this without her presence (I knew that at least she would like it), and I am continuously inspired by the work she shares. Don’t miss her hilarious FEVERCHAIN fanfic, but better yet, read as much of her as you can. She is a treasure, and we do not deserve her.
I want to thank my hot & sexy girlfriend for inspiring me and pushing me to write about lesbians even though I was scared because it felt vulnerable. It still does, and maybe that’s the point.
Finally, I want to thank Dan Scamell and Iris Tanner for beta reading each installment before I posted and giving me honest feedback so I didn’t look like a total moron. I may have stolen a joke or two from you both.
If you like Vonnegut or Douglas Adams or sex or aliens, get Dan’s fiction here: https://dvsfiction.com
Until next time!!! You all inspire the fuck out of me 🩷 go pet a dog
∧,,,∧
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/ づ♡ ꜰᴜᴄᴋ ᴛʀᴜᴍᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴜᴄᴋ ɪᴄᴇ
Really strong finish. It’s a neat trick to get someone to read “We’ll go back and kill a whole bunch of people, that’ll show them!” and nod along in encouragement 🤣. Hell of a story. Proud to know you.
A most excellent wrap-up to a most excellent serial. I love that Bianca's kind of come into her own in all the ways.