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found
friend.
    It was a long, hard run, taking
several years and most of his sanity, and each step of the way the
Dark Stranger stayed just out of reach. Pussbag would catch the
occasional glimpse of Him; in the leering face of a cop as he
tossed the young vagrant into a cell; in the smile of a painted
whore itching to give him the Clap. There one moment, gone the
next. Tempting, taunting, always just beyond grasp. Pussbag,
however, was not dismayed. ‘Follow me and I shall make thee great’,
He whispered in his dreams. ‘A promise was a promise.’
    Pussbag knew where to go by the signs
his elusive new friend would send him. They came in a kind of
secret code, written between the headlines of newspapers and in the
fake smiles of TV anchormen. Bakersfield Girl Slain By Mysterious
Man Hit And Run Driver Kills Two Fresno Children. A Dozen Killed In
L.A. Race Riots.
    Sometimes Pussbag heard about his
friend in far off parts of the country; places like New York and
Chicago. But again, he was not dismayed. The Dark Stranger traveled
on the wind; here, there, everywhere. Such was His power. Pussbag
had but to follow. Sooner or later he would always catch a glimpse
of Him, hidden in the face of indifferent strangers, or waiting in
the headlines of the corner newsstand.
    Then one day he was looking at a
poster in a window. It showed a gaunt old man in a top hat pointing
a finger. Pussbag felt his knees go weak. The stern face suddenly
changed into a shadowy yet familiar one. The pointing finger
touched his soul.
    And Pussbag knew what to do. His
friend was telling him where to go. A place where his potential
would be seen. A place where his skills were in great demand. A
place where ‘mommies’ weren’t allowed. The U.S. Army.
    There were many things about the army
that Pussbag wasn’t overly fond of; the unkind, cutting remarks;
the cold laughter; the casual cruelties. But these things he could
endure. Even the Brig was easier than the Closet. His Friend spoke
to him in the dark. In his heart of hearts, Pussbag loved the Army,
for it had taught him multiple ways to do that which he loved best
--- to cause pain. And Private Theodore Pussbag Smitty had been a
star pupil.
    And now, just as promised, the Big
Change had come. He had awoke this morning to a dead world.
Everywhere he looked, death grinned back at him. China Lake Air
Base was one giant wasteland; a place where brittle dead leaves
filled bunks, littered the runways and spilled from empty
uniforms.
    Pussbag believed in his heart of
hearts that the Dark Stranger, his only friend and distant
companion, had spared him; had chosen him for greatness --- just as
He had promised.
    When the young soldier had found
Pussbag, had held out his hand and spoke soothing sounds, Pussbag
had almost wept with relief. The Dark Stranger had come for him at
last! ‘Follow in My footsteps and I shall make thee great. A
promise is a promise. Mommy says so. Trust me.’
    Then Pussbag had looked into that
young, nervous face and seen only a young, nervous face. No hint of
guile. No trace of cruelty. Only innocence and fear.
    That was when Pussbag had used his
bayonet.
    How long had he sat huddled in that
corner, listening to his mother’s voice? Minutes? Hours? Eternity?
‘The clocks run backwards in Hell’ his mother used to say. ‘And
you’ll be a long time gone once the Dark Stranger drags you
there!’
    Then he’d heard another sound, the
sound of the jeep. Looking out he’d seen a lone man drive by,
smoking a cigarette and smiling. A stranger. A dark stranger
laughing at death.
    Pussbag’s heart had nearly burst with
joy. He HAD come back after all!
    That’s when he’d gone searching for a
present for his long lost friend.
     
    Being an army nurse, Shirley Bates had
seen her share of death. Being a nurse, however, had not prepared
her for what awaited her on the morning of June 22 nd .
Death was one thing. THIS was something else!
    The pills had helped. She’d taken
three blue