Stephen King: The Dead Zone

2.

‘Feel any better?’ Roger asked.

‘What’s Cathy’s?’

‘It’s a very fancy steakhouse and lounge in Somersworth. Graduation parties at Cathy’s are something of a tradition. God knows why. Sure you don’t want these aspirin?’

‘No. Don’t let him go, Roger. It’s going to be hit by lightning. It’s going to burn flat.’

‘Johnny,’ Roger Chatsworth said, slowly and very kindly, ‘you can’t know a thing like that.’

Johnny drank ice water a small sip at a time and set the glass back down with a hand that shook slightly. ‘You said you checked into my background. I thought…’

‘Yes, I did. But you’re drawing a mistaken conclusion. I knew you were supposed to be a psychic or something, but I didn’t want a psychic. I wanted a tutor. You’ve done a fine job as a tutor. My personal belief is that there isn’t any difference between good psychics and bad ones, because I don’t believe in any of that business. It’s as simple as that. I don’t believe it.’

‘That makes me a liar, then.’

‘Not at all,’ Roger said in that same kind, low voice. ‘I have a foreman at the mill in Sussex who won’t light three on a match, but that doesn’t make him a bad foreman. I have friends who are devoutly religious, and although I don’t go to church myself, they’re still my friends. Your belief that you can see into the future or sight things at a distance never entered into my judgment of whether or not to hire ……… that isn’t quite true. It never entered into it once I’d decided that it wouldn’t interfere with your ability to do a good job with Chuck. It hasn’t. But I no more believe that Cathy’s is going to burn down tonight than I believe the moon is green cheese.’

‘I’m not a liar, just crazy,’ Johnny said. In a dull sort of way, it was interesting. Roger Dussault and many of the people who wrote Johnny letters had accused him of trickery, but Chatsworth was the first to accuse him of having a Jeanne d’Arc complex.

‘Not that, either,’ Roger said. ‘You’re a young man who was involved in a terrible accident and who has fought his way back against terrible odds at what has probably been a terrible price. That isn’t a thing I’d ever flap my jaw about freely, Johnny, but if any of those people out there on the lawn – including Patty’s mother – want to jump to a lot of

stupid conclusions they’ll be invited to shut their mouths about things they don’t understand.’

‘Cathy’s,’ Johnny said suddenly. ‘How did I know the name, then? And how did I know it wasn’t someone’s house?’

‘From Chuck. He’s talked about the party a lot this week.’

‘Not to me.’

Roger shrugged. ‘Maybe he said something to Shelley or me while you were in earshot.

Your subconscious happened to pick it up and file it away…

‘That’s right,’ Johnny said bitterly. ‘Anything we don’t understand, anything that doesn’t fit into our scheme of the way things are, we’ll just file it under S for subconscious, right?

The twentieth-century god. How many times have you done that when something ran counter to your pragmatic view of the world, Roger?’

Roger’s eyes might have flickered a little – or it might have been imagination.

‘You associated lightning with the thunderstorm that’s coming,’ he said. ‘Don’t you see that? It’s perfectly sim . -.

‘Listen,’ Johnny said. ‘I’m telling you this as simply as I can. That place is going to be struck by lightning. It’s going to burn down. Keep Chuck home.’

Ah, God, the headache was coming for him. Coming like a tiger. He put his hand to his forehead and rubbed it unsteadily.

‘Johnny, you’ve been pushing much too hard.’

‘Keep him home,’ Johnny repeated.

‘It’s his decision, and I wouldn’t presume to make it for him. He’s free, white, and eighteen.’

There was a tap at the door. ‘Johnny?’

‘Come in,’ Johnny said, and Chuck himself came in. He looked worried.

‘How are you?’ Chuck asked.

‘I’m all right,’ Johnny said. ‘I’ve got a headache, that’s all. Chuck … please stay away from that place tonight. I’m asking you as a friend. Whether you think like your dad or not.

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