The Reapers Vacation

Blood trickles down the side of my mouth as I come to. Heat is washing over me in waves. Smoke fills my nose. Grunting I try to sit up, pain splinters up my chest. Something is draped over me. No, someone is draped over me. Pushing the limp body to the side I see the flaming wreckage of the car a few feet away.

“Oh God! Fuck! Kate! Frank!” We never should have been going that fast! The body next to me starts to let out a moan. Elli made it out alive at least. Pushing myself to my feet, the most intense pain I’ve ever felt spasms across my chest.

“Frank! Are you ok? Kate!” Limping to the wreckage, Frank comes into view first. His face mauled by the dashboard and shattered glass. His motionless face stares back at me from the window. “Oh Fuck! Oh God. Jesus Fuck! Frank! Come on buddy!” Pulling the door open his body falls from the car.

Kate. I have to see if she’s still alive. Hobbling to the other side of the car I start to lose hope. Blood is splattered over what remains of the passenger window. The pain in my side starts to go numb. The door opens to reveal her. Shards of sanguine glass are sticking out of her throat. Her neck is cloaked with small rivers of blood.

“R… Rob. Is that you?” Kate sputters with blood bubbling out of her mouth. On her forehead small red lines start to appear in the shape of a scythe. “It’s ok Rob, I’m ok.” Kate smiles up at me, red teeth glaring at me. The red scythe starts to grow in intensity, burning into her skull.

“No no no no no! Kate, I can’t! I can’t do it!” Pulling her from the wreckage I fall with her to the ground. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. Not her. Please not Kate! The scythe stops burning and leaves a brand on her head. The mark. The mark we’ve all come to hate. I’m supposed to kill her now. No! I can’t do it! I won’t!

“It’s there isn’t it Rob?” Kate moves her hand to her forehead, tracing the lines of the scythe with her fingers. She stares back at me. “You need to-” She starts coughing up congealed chunks of blood. “To kill me. It’s time. There’s no life like this. I can’t move my legs.”

As I push the hair out of her face tears start to form in my eyes. “Katie, it’s not the same! You don’t know what it’s like!” Bringing her close to my chest I start to sob. What kind of fucked up world is this! Having to kill people yourself, it’s not natural!

“Robert… Please!” The urgency in her voice is exaggerated by the bubbles of blood made from her talking. “I want it to be you, don’t make the Exy do it. You know they’ll find me. I love you.”

Nodding slowly I start to understand. Nobody wants the Exy, they just chop your head off without a second thought. I pull the large glass shard from her neck inviting the flow of blood out.

“I. I love you too.” With all the strength left in my glass riddled arms I plunge the shard of glass into her chest. “I love you too…” I whisper. The scythe disappears.

The Squeeze

My heart was racing as I pulled up to her house. I knew she had money but this was a mansion. The carefully manicured lawn, split evenly by the white marble walkway, showed just how wealthy my crush was.

                “White marble walkway?” I exclaimed to myself in my car. Who has a white marble walkway? Coming from someone who had to share a room with 3 other siblings such a display of wealth took me off guard.

                “It’s OK, Dan. You didn’t even know she was rich before you got to know her more. She doesn’t flaunt it, her parents do! Would you even care if she did flaunt it? Stop! Damnit Dan, stop talking to yourself! Wait, what’s wrong with talking to yourself? Doesn’t everyone do it?” Closing my eyes I take a deep breath. No need to be so nervous, she already said yes!

                I step out of my truck, red door squeaking as I open and close it. Brushing myself off I start on the marble walkway. The further I walk the more the abode seems to loom above me. The giant glass windows seem to reflect the light right on me: A spotlight.

                I make it to the polished steps of the house and ring the doorbell. The sound that rings out resembles renaissance church bells. How am I going to take this girl on a date if I’m intimidated by her house! A man answers the door. He is a giant; I stand at six foot-one and he is towering above me. He is wearing pleated blue jeans and a polo shirt a few sizes too small. The shirt is stretching across this man’s chest; his pectorals fighting to rip it open. He must be a body builder, this is one of the biggest guys I have ever seen!

                “I’m going to guess you’re Dan! Good to meet you buddy! I’m Ralph, Katy’s uncle. She’s real excited to go out with you today, you seem to have made a great impression.” Ralph’s smile is infectious; the pearly whites behind that goatee shine out unnaturally. He must wear dentures.

                “Hello Mr. Ralph, it’s really nice to meet you. Is Katy by chance ready yet?” I dry wash my hands hoping she is ready to get out of here.

                “Well not yet, but me and her Father are in the kitchen, we just made some fresh iced tea, why don’t you join us and have a cup. Plus Michael wants to meet you before he sends you off with his only daughter!” Ralph turns and starts walking through this labyrinth of a house without a response from me.

                The hallways are lined with beautiful pieces of art from all different cultures. Some seem to be from ancient China while others resemble modern abstract art. Every few pictures there’s a wardrobe or small table with some kind of sculpture on it. Is Mr. Michael an art collector? We enter a bright room lit by a sky window.

                Behind a large dark granite island sits a man on a cherry wood stool.  He is wearing a light blue button up shirt with dark grey slacks, black socks and some black shoes. They look like those expensive Italian leather you see in fashion magazines.

                “You have to be Dan!” Michael stands up and walks over to me, he has the height of his brother but has a lean frame that contrasts his brothers muscular one.

                “Yes sir, it’s good to meet you Mr. Michael. You have a lovely home. I really like some of your art pieces.” I realize I have been dry washing my hands faster than before; I put them in my pockets. “Do you know if Katy is ready? I was hoping to get out on the lake before it gets too dark.

                “No, I think she needs a few more minutes. Do you want some tea?” Before I can reply he has already handed me a glass. It’s a heavy crystalline glass filled with a light brown liquid, a couple ice cubes, and a slice of lemon. I take the glass and take a sip. Unsurprisingly, it’s fantastic. “Tell me Dan, where exactly are you going to be on the lake, I like to know where Muffin will be.” His friendlier demeanor has shifted to a more serious one, arms moving from open to crossed. 

                “Well, there is a spot on the Western part of the lake. It’s almost cut off from the rest of it but you can get a small boat through. Most people don’t get in there because you have to have a really small boat, but I can get mine through. It’s quiet and the fish are small. I figure that will be a good place Sir.” Michael scratches his jaw with one hand, still staring at me. His face looks like one of his Greek sculptures I saw in the hallway; chiseled and hard.

                His face eases up and a small smile creeps across his face. “Alright son, that sounds ok to me. I think I know where you are talking about. Well, It’s good to meet you, I hope you guys have a good time. And just for traditions sake; bring back my daughter safe. If you don’t, Ralph will come looking for you.” Ralph looks me in the eyes and flexes. I think I heard the cotton screaming.

                “Yes sir! Nothing will happen to her, I promise.” I take my hands out of my pocket and salute.  Why did I salute? Why would I do that! I look like an idiot! Some movement catches the corner of my eye. It’s Katy. She is wearing a blue sundress, with matching shoes. Her golden curls bouncing as she walks towards us.

                “Hello Daniel.” Her voice calls out to me. It’s the beautiful serenade of a succubus. No! Shut up Dan. That’s creepy, don’t’ say that. “You look dashing. Are you ready to go?” I look down. I’m wearing a red T-shirt and some white-washed jeans. Dashing?

                “You look beautiful. And yeah I am totally ready to go. It was great to meet you Mr. Michael, Mr. Ralph.” Michael nods at me. Ralph gives my shoulder a squeeze and winks at me. That wink might mean, “Good luck out there buddy,” or “If you fuck up I’ll kill you.” Either is equally nerve wracking.

                Katy starts down the hallway we came in at; sundress flowing with every step. Her skin was a light sun-kissed golden. She must have tanned recently. She looks back at me, emerald eyes locking with mine. “You did park out front right?”

                “Yeah, I.” I realize I am dry washing my hands again. I pocket my mitts and look back up at her. “Yeah, I’m in your driveway.” She smiles back at me and keeps on going. I walk a little faster to walk beside her. “Your house is amazing. Is your dad an art collector?”

                Her eyebrows shoot up like she is surprised at the question. “Art? Oh yeah, my Mom loves art. She is always around the world at different art shows. New York, London, Paris. I’ve been to a couple but it’s kind of boring. But it’s what she lives for apparently.” She shrugs at me.

                We reach the door and pass through without any more dialogue. We get to my truck and I open the door for her. We start on down the road to the lake, which just happens to be around the corner because they own just about half the lakeside property. That’s probably the reason her father had no problem with me taking his daughter out to the lake for our first date. It’s practically their back yard.

                Finally we get the boat in the water after a few minutes. There wasn’t much talking on the way to the spot; it was too hard to hear over the din of the motor. As we approached the spot I cut the motor and let us drift through the isolated “mini-lake”. We were kept private by a wall of fir trees. The azure water gave the boat a light, but steady rock.  We set up our fishing rods without much hassle. She knows what she is doing surprisingly.

                We sat with our rods in the water for about ten minutes before she spoke. “So, do you come out here much?” My heart is beating abnormally fast. Is this a heart attack? No Dan, you’re just a pussy.

                “Yeah, I really like to come out here and just think. Even if I’m really not doing anything, it’s a great spot to just reflect on things that have been going on.” She looks me in the eyes. Exaggerated by her long, dark lashes, her eyes look like deep green emeralds. I need to make sure she likes me. This girl is beautiful. I can’t pass up this chance. Katy just smiles at my answer. We go back to just sitting for a little while; listening to sounds of nature.

                Ok Dan, this is it. This is the moment of truth. You have to do something to seal the deal here buddy. You need a second date. She looks distracted. Maybe she isn’t having a good time? Ok, here it goes. I slowly move my free hand to hers. I slide my palm onto her palm and wrap my fingers around her hand. She looks over at me with a coy smile; she gives my hand a light squeeze.

I am posting this to RoyalRoadl.com under the name J. Anthony

              

Steel is a Cold Bitch

Distracted by the glazed look in her eye, my mind started to wander to less immediate things. Dancing last night, the way she looked in that dress, the way her tits bounced if she laughs just right. Could I spend the rest of my life with this girl? I even love that frown... frown. 

"Jake! Seriously! Are you even listening to me? It's a fucking nightmare to think with this hangover. The most you can do is just listen to what I can say." I love it when she is annoyed, she wrinkles her nose and her lips puff out a little. 

"Sorry, I was just thinking about last night. Remember when that guy tried jumping off the roof to confess his love for Manny?"

"He broke his legs, that was terrible."

"It was the most beautiful proof of love I have ever seen. Why don't you break your legs for me?" Looking up from her coffee, she puffs out her chest and squeezes her breasts together.

"Do you want me Jake? Do you want me so bad that you want to see me swan dive off a roof?" She whips her hair back and stares at me seductively. 

Immediately we both start giggling. Life is cruel. Becky is a lesbian. Even though I might be in love with her I can't tell her anything about it because it would just ruin our relationship as friends, instead of invoking another step in the relationship. "How are things going with Lindsey? You guys move in together yet? I heard that her Dad was giving her a hell of a lot of trouble about the whole thing."

Taking a sip of her coffee she gave me an unfortunately familiar look. It's the look that your mother gave you as a child when you wanted to know things you shouldn't. "Now that's none of your business. That's between Lindsey, her Dad, and whoever they chose to tell. I can't spread around things told to me in confidence. What kind of a confidant would I be then? A shitty one, that's what kind I would be. Besides, they are all being over-dramatic about the whole thing. It's like a fucking soap opera." Putting her head into her hands she sighs. I hate seeing her so defeated. 

What do you do when you love someone who will never love you back? How do you move on when that person has been your best friend for 10 years? I look at my hands, the light shadowing of dirt on them makes it look like I was out hiking. 

"10 years." She looks at me confused. Why did I decide to do this now? I can't stand looking at her anymore and not being able to do anything. It will hurt her now, but it will save me a lifetime of heartache. 

"10 years what?" She takes a sip of her coffee dismissing it as nothing.

"It's how long I've been in love with you. But... But I can't be friends with you anymore. Becky I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore..." Her cheeks turn red, but instead of her eyes starting to water her brow furrows. 

"You can't do this anymore? What?! You can't be a good friend to me when my life is going to shit! My girlfriend is pulling me into her family feud. My parents disowned me coming out as a lesbian. I lost my job because I wouldn't sleep with my boss! But being my friend, is just too hard on you?!" Standing up she puts on her jacket and stares at me for a few seconds. "Sorry for being such a fucking burden. Go ask Daddy to deposit some money in your bank so you can wipe your tears. You don't know what real pain is. You're a sheltered child." 

I sit alone for a few hours drinking the refills the morose looking waitress brings me. This date may not have went as planned, but I have another date at home. She's cold, but she can solve all my problems. All I have to do is pull the safety back.

Gunshot

“30 minutes… 30  minutes until we are hunted by people we used to call friends.”

“I’m not going to let them touch you. I promise, we will be fine. All I have to do is figure out a way to get us a signal.” Tom said. The damp earth made him shiver. Tom fiddled with the old HAM radio he was able to steal. “If only I could just get this piece of shit to work!”

“Stop it! That’s our only way out of here! We are stuck on an island, with people hunting us like foxes, and you are trying to break the only thing that can get us help!” Sarah sleep deprived and frightened snatched the radio from Tom.

Sarah and Tom used to be a part of an exclusive organization, ENAHA. Exotic North American Hunters Association, it was a club to hunt the most dangerous and exotic game possible. The Association, while being a legitimate organization, had members that partook in barbarous acts. The hunting of human beings. Tom had come across this information as he was hunting with one of the members.  Unfortunately for Tom, Sarah was an upstanding human being.

“Hey.” Tom nudges Sarah awake. “Hey wake up, I think I got the radio working!” Faintly audible voices are heard coming from the dusty radio.

“Oh my god! There are!  Talk to them! Tell them we are in trouble!” Sarah exclaimed.

“This is Tom and Sarah Cransty, we have been kidnapped and brought to an island unknown to us. We are on the South part of the island, if anyone is out there please help us.” Tom and Sarah both stared at the little old radio hoping for some kind of response. Ten minutes go by and only static has been heard from the radio.

“Maybe we should try to get some more sleep in. What if they found us?”

“Ok, let’s take shifts though, someone should be on the radio at all times.” Tom said exasperated……

“Aaaeeeeiiigh!!!!!” Tom, awakened by the shrill of his wife stands up immediately ready to protect his mate.

“Sarah! Where are you?! SARAH!”

“I’m right here, it was just a bird that startled me.”

“ Jesus Christ Sarah, you scared the living shit out of me. You can’t scream like that with people looking for us. I don’t know why this is even happening. We used to be FRIENDS. I was supposed to be Marlow’s Godfather for Christ’s sake!” Tom said.

            “FINE, OKAY FINE YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY WELL HERE IT IS!I… I found out that they were hunting. Hunting PEOPLE TOM! They were hunting real people. They kidnapped them brought them to an island and hunted them like boar. I told them that they had to stop or I would go to the feds. All those missing people, all those headlines in the paper. It’s been the association, well some of them. This is them shutting us up. And it’s my fault.” Sarah, out of breath sunk down and started to sob.

“You knew… You knew why we are being hunted? You didn’t tell me? You… you. Not only did you know why we are running for our lives from a pack of cannibals. But you CAUSED this!?!!!” Tom started to yell “You didn’t think that this was something I should know about? Maybe I wanted to know that I was being tracked by some of the worlds best hunters. Do you think this is some kind of book Sarah? You think we are in a movie!? We aren’t going to get out of here alive. This isn’t Rambo, this isn’t some fairy tale. We are going to die, in grime covered dirty clothes, on an island. And nobody even knows we are here.” Tom writhing with anger turns away and starts to walk away from Sarah.

“Where are you going!? TOM!” Sarah screamed in desperation.

“I’m leaving. If you want to keep secrets, so can I.” Tom walked off into the woods.

“TOM!” Sarah paused.

“TOOOOOM!!!!” Sarah curled up into a ball at the base of the tree, sobbing.

A gunshot is heard in the distance…

Interview

His palms were sweating. The clock’s incessant ticking only worked as a chronic instigator to his anxiety. The room was an eggshell white. There was a constant and quiet hum of the A.C. only interrupted by the receptionist, softly murmuring appointments to exasperated businessmen.

“Tim Casey, Mr. Erickson will see you now.” That was it. Those were the words he had been waiting for all night. The polite woman opened the eggshell door to the eggshell room. Clammy palms gripping his $5 briefcase, he walked into the office. It was bland. There sat a modest oak wood desk, topped by only a small lamp, an agenda, and a few pens. The windows were covered with dusty grey curtains, the kind that looked like they haven’t been touched in years. The carpet had obvious tracks through it with the corners of the room being nearly untouched.

“Mr. Casey! Good to finally meet you. Your resume was fantastic, a Yale grad who is still on the market after two years? I figured you would have to be a leper!” The man bellowed. He was a fat man. Two chins, the second swallowing the first. His chair was extra-large, to accommodate his stature. His beard was scraggly and unkempt, yet throughout all this, he had a commanding presence. He was a man who knew how to hold the attention of a room.

“No. I’m not a leper, just a man with a computer science degree looking for a job. Nobody has called me back except for you. The job market is especially tight right now.” As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. He’s the only one who called me back? Now he knows that I’m desperate. Backed into a corner, that’s what I’ve done to myself.

The corners of the fat man’s mouth tightened into a wry smile. “Well, isn’t that a tough situation then? Here’s my offer Tim, I’ll give you 40,000 to start, and you can work up to 50 after 5 years. We can put that into a contract. How does that sound now?” Tim was speechless. That was half of what people with his qualifications were getting paid. Does he think I’m just going to let him shaft me with this? I’m worth twice this!

Sweat started to bead down Tim’s head as his anxiety started to get the best of him. “I.. I.. I can’t take this. I’m worth more than what you are offering here.” He squeaked. Tim dry washed his hands hoping to conceal his nervousness. Negotiating his salary isn’t something he prepared for. The eggshell walls seemed to creep closer to him, the fat man looming over him.

“Well, that’s the best I can do Tim. You can accept it or leave it, but if I really am your only call back you might want to consider this for a moment.” Smugness crept over the man; he leant back in his chair folding his cradled hands on top of his stomach.

Dry mouthed, Tim swallowed. “I’m qualified to run the whole IT department. In fact, that’s what I’m applying for. This is something that takes years and years of school to do properly. I don…”

“I don’t care if you are qualified to run a spaceship Timmy, I have made you the best offer I can. If you don’t want to take it then you can leave my office, and the best of luck to you.”

Tim hated the man already. He’s trying to bully me! Why can’t I stand up for myself? Come on Tim walk out… walk out Tim!

“Why don’t you pick up that pen and sign right here Tim. You aren’t going to get another offer like this.” The man pulled a greasy pen from  his jacket pocket and slid it over the worn out desk towards Tim. The smug smile crept back over his face. He pulled a cheap bottle of scotch out from a desk drawer, pouring it in two glasses. “To celebrate our new partnership Timmy boy, have a drink.”

Picking up the glass of scotch, Tim looked up at the man in disgust. Too much of a coward to walk out on this man, he took the glass and drank it all. In a quick motion he signed the contract with the greasy pen.

“Alright, when do I start?” Tim said with his voice wavering.

“Peggy will call you with everything when we have it all worked out. I’m looking forward to seeing you around here Tim.”

Disgusted with his own lack of courage, Tim walked out. Clammy hands still clutching the faux leather briefcase.

Blood

            The coffee table was broken, smashed into splintering pieces of wood. The room hazy with smoke, has shattered glass thrown about. Someone was lying down. There was a stain on the carpet, deep and red. She was wearing lingerie, red and laced. Lips wet with crimson lipstick, cheeks caked with red powder. She was young, only 20. Her eyes were grey blue, wide as if just seeing a murder. The door is wide open. Scratch marks mar the door’s natural beauty, Oak.

        The sunlight filtered through the thin Japanese curtains. The girl was covered in a blanket of sunset. She was in love. But now she is quiet, silenced by the same thing she loved to talk so much about. Her heart so big, so loving, was so easy to hit. Under her still body, was a puddle in the shape of a heart. Her greatest attribute was her greatest weakness, and she died the way she wanted to, smothered in love.

Pale Faces

            His eyes were bloodshot and strained, pupils dilated. His skin was a pale white with a red tint. His skin was cracking and lightly oozing blood around the eyes and neck. Illuminated only by the light from a computer monitor, he toiled. His fingers typed furiously. There was a shared wear between the keyboard and his fingertips, both worn raw from each other.

            The room was dark except for the small illumination of the monitor. The tan walls of the room seemed to swallow the small amount of light that emanated. The linoleum floors were torn, patches missing baring hard concrete.  The room was littered with papers, crumpled, torn, written-on, and barren. The soft hum of the air conditioner was only broken by incessant typing.

            Creaking, the door to the room opened. Light sliced through the darkness like a sword through feeble flesh. A petite woman stepped into the doorway; she was wearing an orange sun dress, with matching shoes. Her skin was a sun-kissed golden. Her hair shone in the light. She stood there, with a somber look on her face.

            “Erik? Erik hun, are you alright? You have been in here for a whole day now. Don’t you think you should get some sleep? I’ve made some biscuits if you’re hu-“

            “No, just leave.” The man interrupted sternly.

Shocked at the rudeness the woman stood in the doorway, mouth agape. The typing fingers have stopped moving, but the man didn’t move to look at her. He stayed hunched over, seemingly for her to leave.

            “You have been in this room almost exclusively for weeks. I think you should come out and see your children. They always ask where Daddy is and I tell them that you are working and can’t see them. Erik, they haven’t seen you in over a week. This book is driving you crazy! Take a shower, eat food, sleep for Christ’s sake!”

            “Damnit woman! I’ve been working on this book for months now! I’m not stopping when I am so close to getting it right. If I can get it right we might have some money alright?” Turning to look her in the eyes, he twisted in his seat. Giving her a look of what seemed to be disgust. “Why don’t you want me to finish this book? Do you think I’m not good enough? Do you think I can’t handle the criticisms? Or are you just jealous of me? Yeah that’s it, you can’t handle that I’m going to be famous; you want it all for yourself. Well you can’t have it! I’m going to finish this and be forever remembered in history like Homer.”

            As he stood up, it was clear that he hadn’t had a good diet in a long time. His frame was frail, his arms veiny, legs wobbling. The man looked to be near death.

            “That’s it! I’m taking the kids and going to my sister’s house. Once you decide to come to your senses and become a human being again you can come see me. But as long as you stay like this I don’t want to be around you.” The woman started to leave the room.

            “You are NOT, taking my kids anywhere!” The man screamed

            “You’ve turned into a monster.” The woman said calmly, looking at him with shock and dismay.

            Face flushed with red, he bolted for her. Snarling he tackled her. Screaming and flailing the woman tried to flee. Even in his frail state, the woman couldn’t over power him. The man put his pale, cracked hands around her neck and started to squeeze.

            “Erik, Erik… Eri…” The woman’s voice trailed off with a lack of oxygen. Exhausted the man slumped off the woman’s body and leaned against a wall. Chuckling he wiped his mouth of any saliva that spilt out in his anger. In the doorway stood two young girls, faces pale as their mothers.