TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
93rd installment
warning...adult content
~
Round after round, re-load after re-load...still no hits.
"What the hell am I doing wrong, Ghost? I aim right at it!" Steve said, frustration showing on his face.
"Nothing's wrong, Steve. I told ya, it just takes practice..lots of it," Ghost said.
"Well, how long did it take you?" Steve asked.
"I don't know, don't remember...probably a long time, but I remember practicing a whole lot. Eventually, I got it."
"Where was I, when you learned how? I never saw you doing it."
"Steve....I was a little kid, up in the mountains, before we ever moved here."
"You mean you really had a gun then...like really?" Steve asked, trying to fathom this.
"Yeah, really," Ghost said. "All kids up there learn to shoot a gun by, I don't know, maybe before they even go to school."
Steve thought about that a minute. "Well, then, I got a lot of catching up to do, huh?"
"Uh-huh, guess so," Ghost smiled.
Steve heaved a big sigh, turning back to practice some more. Ghost didn't want to show off, but he wanted to practice some more, too, so he aimed and shot every can in one try.
"Damn, you're good!" Steve said, grinning.
They stayed out there another hour; by then it was starting to get dark.
"Let's go back to the house," Steve said, "and are we going into town tonight?"
"Guess so. We'll see what that band of Terry's is like." ...And, have to talk to Nothing... he thought.
~
Arriving at the club early, there wasn't anyone there, yet.
"Kinsey's probably mad at us, Ghost. After last night, he might not even let us in," Steve said.
"Yeah, I know, but it seems like that was a long time ago, not just last night, doesn't it?" Ghost said.
Steve nodded, "Yeah, it sure does. Guess we better go on in and see what kind of mood he's in."
Going up to the heavy wooden door, they hesitated. "What if he asks us about the vampires?" Ghost asked.
"Oh, yeah...it does sound kinda stupid, now...accusing people of that, but I can't help it if it's true," Steve reasoned.
Ghost shrugged, "Well, he thinks we're idiots now, anyway...maybe we should just say it was nothing...I mean, not Nothing ... but, not as bad as we were carrying on. Ya know?"
Steve nodded, and blew out a big breath of air onto his hair that was hanging on his forehead. "Let's go get this over with. Maybe that creep won't even show up."
They went in. Everything was quiet; the lights were dim, only the ones on the stage, and behind the bar were on. Steve's boots clacked on the hard cement floor...Ghost's canvas sneakers just squeaked, as they walked back to Kinsey's office.
Kinsey heard them coming. He was seated at his desk, and he looked up as they peered around the door frame.
"Hey, Kinsey," Ghost said with a shy smile.
Kinsey didn't say anything, just narrowed his eyes, looking at them.
"Can we come in?" asked Steve.
"Y'all here to cause trouble?" Kinsey asked.
"I don't think so," Steve said.
"Look, Kinsey," Ghost said, "we was crazy last night. We didn't even know what we was saying. Can we just forget about it...please?"
Kinsey made them wait for a long minute. "Why should I give y'all another chance? Y'all promise every time not to cause trouble..and then ya do it again. What's gonna be different this time? Can ya tell me that, guys?"
They just shrugged, looking at the floor. "We can't help it, Kinsey. It just happens," Ghost said.
"Yeah, we don't mean to wreck the place. We're trying to be better - just, we're sorry, Kinsey. I'm sorry I yelled," Steve said.
Kinsey loved these two, like sons. He couldn't stay mad at them for long, but he was trying to make a point...trying to teach them a better way to do things.
"Fine, ya'll can come in, but really...cool it with the rampaging in here."
Ghost smiled, "We love you too, Kinsey!"
Both Steve and Kinsey looked at him. Kinsey shook his head, "Go on get outta here."
They went back into the club - Ghost to his writing wall, and Steve racked up the balls on the pool table. As they busied themselves, the front door opened quietly, and Nothing slipped in, alone. He made his way over, in the darkened club, to the wall where Ghost was writing by the one light over the stage.
Ghost kept writing, finishing his thoughts, but he could sense that Nothing was staring at him. Then, he turned to Nothing. "Hey..." he said, not smiling.
Nothing had not changed in looks since the last time Ghost had seen him in New Orleans. "Hey, Ghost," Nothing said.
Ghost didn't speak, just tried pushing into Nothing's mind, to get a sense of how things were. Nothing knew he was doing it, and let him...let Ghost see he was sorry how things went down; that he didn't want to get revenge on Steve and Ghost for killing his father, Zilla, and Christian, too.
"Ghost," Nothing finally began, "I just wanted to see you...see if you were ok. I still love you...but, I know there could never be anything between us...not after...well, there never could have been. We're too different. I'm sorry for everything that happened, and for ever coming here. I didn't know then. I just didn't know what I was. Now I do, so...guess that's it."
Ghost knew he meant it; he didn't totally hate Nothing, even now. But, he'd brought so much pain and misery to him and Steve...so much.
"Nothing...I can't hate you...but, I can't love you, either. We just want to forget - everything that happened."
"I know, me too," Nothing said, his eyes tearing up. "I'm leaving after tonight...just me. I'll never come looking for you again." His tears fell freely, now. He still had some human emotion, after all.
Ghost steeled himself against those tears. There was no way he wanted to be sucked back into Nothing's world. "Steve wants to kill you," he said. "I'll try to hold him off, but you have to leave. Don't come to our house, don't send postcards...don't...just don't...'cause I'll always back Steve...always...even if he kills you," Ghost vowed.
Nothing nodded, "I know, Ghost."
They both tensed up, as they heard Steve coming their way. "Hey, Ghost," Steve was saying, as he came around the edge of the stage. He stopped short, when he saw Nothing.
"YOU!" he snarled. He looked at Ghost. "You, ok, Ghost?"
"Yeah, we just talked. It's ok."
"Steve..." Nothing began, "I'm leaving after the show, tonight. I don't want to cause any trouble...just wanted to say good-bye to Ghost. I'll never bother y'all again, that's a promise."
Steve was barely containing his loathing. "That's right...you'll never bother us again...'cause if I ever see your fucking vampire face again, I'll blast it off with my gun. Just so it won't be a surprise to ya, I'm telling ya right now, for future reference...got it?"
Nothing nodded, "I got it, Steve. I promised I wouldn't let Zilla kill you, and I kept that promise. And, I promise I'll stay away from y'all, from now on...forever." He turned and left as quietly as he'd come in.
Steve and Ghost watched, as he went out the door. "Good riddance," Steve said, as he punched his fist into the wall. "Aaaggghhh," he yelled. "That's what I wanted do do to him. I swear, Ghost, if he comes to the house, I won't ask questions...I'll shoot to kill."
Ghost gulped, "I know, Steve...and I'll be right by you, doing the same."
Steve looked at Ghost, and smiled. "Damn, Ghost...I think you finally grew a pair."
Ghost smiled and shrugged, "Guess so."
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...(ninety second installment)
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
92nd installment
warning...adult content
~
Steve had found the address of the guy Terry had told him about. He parked at the curb. Nothing was unusual about the house or the neighborhood. There was nothing to indicate that this was someone operating outside the law. These were nice family homes, with kids playing in the front yards. He looked at the paper again. "Yep, this is the right place."
He checked his wallet. He didn't know how much a gun cost from this guy, but he'd brought $500.00 with him. He walked up to the door and rang the bell. A casually dressed man opened the door. Steve noticed he didn't look mean, or thuggish at all.
"You must be Steve?" the man asked. "Terry gave me a call, said to be expecting you. Come on in."
Steve followed him into a nicely furnished home, but was led out to the back yard, and to a storage shed.
"Terry said you were looking for some home protection...that right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Steve said. "I'm not sure what I'd need for that, though."
The man unlocked the shed door, and they went inside. "Well, I have a few I can show you; let's take a look."
There in homemade display cases, were guns of every size...from small lady-like pink ones, to full size rifles. The walls were lined with shelves full of ammunition. Steve just stared, not knowing even what to ask for.
"Let me suggest a couple of pretty popular ones, for home protection," the man said, as he brought out two pistols. He described their features, and ease of use.
"That one," Steve said as he pointed to one.
"Good, choice," the man said, as he showed Steve how to load it, the type of ammunition, the safety lock, and a carrying case. "I'd advise a little practice, first. Maybe even take a gun safety class." He hesitated a second, then said, "Here's the thing, though...You never heard of me...you didn't get the gun here. Make something up if you have to, but don't ever mention my name, or implicate me in any way. Got it?"
"Sure, man, I got it," Steve said. He paid the price that was asked, almost the whole $500.00, but Steve didn't argue about it. He put the gun, in its padded, zippered case, into his jacket pocket, and left.
He was paranoid the whole way back to Missing Mile. He felt like everyone was staring at him...could see right through the car doors, through his jacket, and see the gun on display. He tried to drive carefully; he couldn't chance getting pulled over with an illegal gun in his possession. He was even scared the thing was going to go off at any second, like a time bomb, fixing to explode...probably blow his crotch off...even if it wasn't loaded.
He laughed, nervously. He even talked aloud to himself, "I can't believe I did that. I bought a gun...a damn gun I don't even know how to use. Shit, I'm scared to even touch it. How am I gonna shoot Nothing, when I'm too scared to pick it up. That kid'll kill me with his fangs before I could get it out of my pocket. I'm an idiot," his laugh now, more like a high-pitched giggle, verging on hysterical crying. "Now, I gotta figure out a way to tell Ghost. Oh, Lord, how am I gonna do that?" He worried and planned all the way home.
~
Ghost himself, was worrying how he was going to tell Steve about his own gun. He'd gotten home, and cleaned it, and reloaded, and put the safety on. He was sitting on the couch with it, practicing his aiming, as he had to now compensate for his eye problem, when he heard Steve pull up into the driveway. "Well, the time has come," he thought. He wondered what Steve had done, too.
Steve gasped, as he came in the door, seeing Ghost sitting there aiming the gun at the bookshelves...one eye squinched shut, and a calm look on his face.
"Wha...what are you doing, Ghost?" He barely got the words out; he'd seemed to lose his breath at the sight.
Ghost put down the gun, and looked over at Steve, "Just practicing my aiming."
"Where'd ya get that? Did you go out and buy it when I was gone?"
Ghost shook his head. "No, it's mine. I've always had it. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a kid...and Steve, I'm sorry I never told ya about it...just...it never came up. I kinda forgot about it, too." he looked up into Steve's eyes. "I know how to use it. I took it out and practiced shooting it today...out in the woods." He waited to see if Steve would tell him he'd gotten one, too.
"Well, shit, Ghost...if I'd have known you already had one, I wouldn't have had to go get this one," Steve said, as he pulled his gun out of his jacket. It was still in it's padded case, but Steve held it like it was gonna explode.
"Do you know how to use it?" Ghost asked.
"Not really. The guy who sold it to me showed me a few things...but, I never shot a gun before."
Ghost nodded, not wanting to make Steve feel bad. "Well, I can show you...we can go practice. Bring it over here and let me look at it, then."
Steve carefully handed it over, and Ghost unzipped the case. "It's a nice one, Steve," he said, as he checked the safety on it...just in case. "Ya wanna go shoot it, now? I'll show ya how."
Steve was still awed by the fact that Ghost even knew about guns, much less that he had one, and could use it, and that he'd never, ever told him about it. "All these years, and you never told me? Jeeze, Ghost, that some secret ya held out on me."
Ghost shrugged, "Well, it never seemed important. I never use it...at least in a long, long time. But since you was talking about needing one, ya know, just in case, well, I thought I'd practice again and...and...well, I'm telling ya now about it."
"Yeah, I guess you are," Steve smiled. "So, where do we go to shoot these things? I gotta learn how."
Ghost grinned. "Come on." He grabbed his jacket, heading for the back door. Steve followed.
"Grab some empty cans, too...we can shoot at them out in the woods," Ghost said.
They reached the area where Ghost had practiced earlier. Steve set up his cans, and saw the others laying there, each with several holes in them.
"You shot all these?" he asked Ghost.
"Yeah, earlier," Ghost nodded.
"How long do ya think I can get good at this?"
"Well, I don't know...ya have to practice. Maybe you'll do ok right now."
"Ok, show me what to do," Steve said.
"Ok, watch me first...remember the steps," Ghost said. He flipped the safety switch off his pistol. "Don't ever point it at anyone or anything unless you're sure you're gonna kill it."
"I know, I know..." Steve said, but Ghost gave him a serious look. "What?" Steve asked.
"Are you gonna be serious about this, and listen?" Ghost asked. "These things are deadly...even on accident, even if sometimes you forget...it'll still kill someone...maybe me, maybe even yourself...that's why I'm kinda scared to even know you have it," Ghost gulped. "You know how you are, Steve." He didn't have to spell it out. Steve knew Ghost meant when his temper flared, and he flew off into a rage."
"Ok, but you don't have to be scared of me accidentally shooting you," Steve said.
Ghost looked into Steve's eyes...a silent prayer, that Steve would never be careless with the gun.
"Ok, then, here's what you do." He pointed at the cans, held the gun up at arm's length, sighted, and fired. He hit the can. Steve jumped at the loud sound, and he was still amazed that Ghost could actually do it.
"Now, you do it," Ghost said, putting the safety back on.
Steve took his gun out of it's case. He wasn't paying attention to how he held it, just held it up, looking for the safety switch. Ghost ducked, and hollered.
"Steve! Steve! Stop waving it around! You know how many times you just pointed it right at me? Pay attention to what you're doing!"
"What? I didn't point it at you. I was just looking at it."
"Yeah, ya did, Steve...all that waving it around...just hold it with it pointed down at the ground...all the time ...until you're ready to actually shoot, ok?"
"Ok, ok, what now?"
"Walk over there, keep it pointed down. Now flip the safety off."
Steve did this, all right.
"Now hold it up and point it at the can you want to shoot. Look down the barrel and close one eye. If it's still on the can, fine. If it's not, try the other eye. Remember which one is accurate...that's the one you always use." He waited for Steve to find the right one.
"Got it? Now, slowly squeeze the trigger. It'll be loud. Then, as soon as you fire, point it down again!"
"Ok, but it seems so complicated...too much to remember," Steve said, as he was trying to sight the can with his dominate eye.
"Yeah, you're right, Steve, but this isn't TV...this is real. So go on, shoot a can."
Steve followed Ghost's instructions, with only a couple of prompts. "Wow!" he said, after the first shot. "That was loud, and it really had a kick, huh? Did I hit it?"
Ghost almost laughed out loud at Steve's remark. The pistol had absolutely no 'kick' at all to it, but he let it slide. "Sorry, dude, didn't hit it, but you were close. So, try again, and keep on...you'll get one soon enough."
He sat down, to watch Steve 'in action' for awhile.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
92nd installment
warning...adult content
~
Steve had found the address of the guy Terry had told him about. He parked at the curb. Nothing was unusual about the house or the neighborhood. There was nothing to indicate that this was someone operating outside the law. These were nice family homes, with kids playing in the front yards. He looked at the paper again. "Yep, this is the right place."
He checked his wallet. He didn't know how much a gun cost from this guy, but he'd brought $500.00 with him. He walked up to the door and rang the bell. A casually dressed man opened the door. Steve noticed he didn't look mean, or thuggish at all.
"You must be Steve?" the man asked. "Terry gave me a call, said to be expecting you. Come on in."
Steve followed him into a nicely furnished home, but was led out to the back yard, and to a storage shed.
"Terry said you were looking for some home protection...that right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Steve said. "I'm not sure what I'd need for that, though."
The man unlocked the shed door, and they went inside. "Well, I have a few I can show you; let's take a look."
There in homemade display cases, were guns of every size...from small lady-like pink ones, to full size rifles. The walls were lined with shelves full of ammunition. Steve just stared, not knowing even what to ask for.
"Let me suggest a couple of pretty popular ones, for home protection," the man said, as he brought out two pistols. He described their features, and ease of use.
"That one," Steve said as he pointed to one.
"Good, choice," the man said, as he showed Steve how to load it, the type of ammunition, the safety lock, and a carrying case. "I'd advise a little practice, first. Maybe even take a gun safety class." He hesitated a second, then said, "Here's the thing, though...You never heard of me...you didn't get the gun here. Make something up if you have to, but don't ever mention my name, or implicate me in any way. Got it?"
"Sure, man, I got it," Steve said. He paid the price that was asked, almost the whole $500.00, but Steve didn't argue about it. He put the gun, in its padded, zippered case, into his jacket pocket, and left.
He was paranoid the whole way back to Missing Mile. He felt like everyone was staring at him...could see right through the car doors, through his jacket, and see the gun on display. He tried to drive carefully; he couldn't chance getting pulled over with an illegal gun in his possession. He was even scared the thing was going to go off at any second, like a time bomb, fixing to explode...probably blow his crotch off...even if it wasn't loaded.
He laughed, nervously. He even talked aloud to himself, "I can't believe I did that. I bought a gun...a damn gun I don't even know how to use. Shit, I'm scared to even touch it. How am I gonna shoot Nothing, when I'm too scared to pick it up. That kid'll kill me with his fangs before I could get it out of my pocket. I'm an idiot," his laugh now, more like a high-pitched giggle, verging on hysterical crying. "Now, I gotta figure out a way to tell Ghost. Oh, Lord, how am I gonna do that?" He worried and planned all the way home.
~
Ghost himself, was worrying how he was going to tell Steve about his own gun. He'd gotten home, and cleaned it, and reloaded, and put the safety on. He was sitting on the couch with it, practicing his aiming, as he had to now compensate for his eye problem, when he heard Steve pull up into the driveway. "Well, the time has come," he thought. He wondered what Steve had done, too.
Steve gasped, as he came in the door, seeing Ghost sitting there aiming the gun at the bookshelves...one eye squinched shut, and a calm look on his face.
"Wha...what are you doing, Ghost?" He barely got the words out; he'd seemed to lose his breath at the sight.
Ghost put down the gun, and looked over at Steve, "Just practicing my aiming."
"Where'd ya get that? Did you go out and buy it when I was gone?"
Ghost shook his head. "No, it's mine. I've always had it. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a kid...and Steve, I'm sorry I never told ya about it...just...it never came up. I kinda forgot about it, too." he looked up into Steve's eyes. "I know how to use it. I took it out and practiced shooting it today...out in the woods." He waited to see if Steve would tell him he'd gotten one, too.
"Well, shit, Ghost...if I'd have known you already had one, I wouldn't have had to go get this one," Steve said, as he pulled his gun out of his jacket. It was still in it's padded case, but Steve held it like it was gonna explode.
"Do you know how to use it?" Ghost asked.
"Not really. The guy who sold it to me showed me a few things...but, I never shot a gun before."
Ghost nodded, not wanting to make Steve feel bad. "Well, I can show you...we can go practice. Bring it over here and let me look at it, then."
Steve carefully handed it over, and Ghost unzipped the case. "It's a nice one, Steve," he said, as he checked the safety on it...just in case. "Ya wanna go shoot it, now? I'll show ya how."
Steve was still awed by the fact that Ghost even knew about guns, much less that he had one, and could use it, and that he'd never, ever told him about it. "All these years, and you never told me? Jeeze, Ghost, that some secret ya held out on me."
Ghost shrugged, "Well, it never seemed important. I never use it...at least in a long, long time. But since you was talking about needing one, ya know, just in case, well, I thought I'd practice again and...and...well, I'm telling ya now about it."
"Yeah, I guess you are," Steve smiled. "So, where do we go to shoot these things? I gotta learn how."
Ghost grinned. "Come on." He grabbed his jacket, heading for the back door. Steve followed.
"Grab some empty cans, too...we can shoot at them out in the woods," Ghost said.
They reached the area where Ghost had practiced earlier. Steve set up his cans, and saw the others laying there, each with several holes in them.
"You shot all these?" he asked Ghost.
"Yeah, earlier," Ghost nodded.
"How long do ya think I can get good at this?"
"Well, I don't know...ya have to practice. Maybe you'll do ok right now."
"Ok, show me what to do," Steve said.
"Ok, watch me first...remember the steps," Ghost said. He flipped the safety switch off his pistol. "Don't ever point it at anyone or anything unless you're sure you're gonna kill it."
"I know, I know..." Steve said, but Ghost gave him a serious look. "What?" Steve asked.
"Are you gonna be serious about this, and listen?" Ghost asked. "These things are deadly...even on accident, even if sometimes you forget...it'll still kill someone...maybe me, maybe even yourself...that's why I'm kinda scared to even know you have it," Ghost gulped. "You know how you are, Steve." He didn't have to spell it out. Steve knew Ghost meant when his temper flared, and he flew off into a rage."
"Ok, but you don't have to be scared of me accidentally shooting you," Steve said.
Ghost looked into Steve's eyes...a silent prayer, that Steve would never be careless with the gun.
"Ok, then, here's what you do." He pointed at the cans, held the gun up at arm's length, sighted, and fired. He hit the can. Steve jumped at the loud sound, and he was still amazed that Ghost could actually do it.
"Now, you do it," Ghost said, putting the safety back on.
Steve took his gun out of it's case. He wasn't paying attention to how he held it, just held it up, looking for the safety switch. Ghost ducked, and hollered.
"Steve! Steve! Stop waving it around! You know how many times you just pointed it right at me? Pay attention to what you're doing!"
"What? I didn't point it at you. I was just looking at it."
"Yeah, ya did, Steve...all that waving it around...just hold it with it pointed down at the ground...all the time ...until you're ready to actually shoot, ok?"
"Ok, ok, what now?"
"Walk over there, keep it pointed down. Now flip the safety off."
Steve did this, all right.
"Now hold it up and point it at the can you want to shoot. Look down the barrel and close one eye. If it's still on the can, fine. If it's not, try the other eye. Remember which one is accurate...that's the one you always use." He waited for Steve to find the right one.
"Got it? Now, slowly squeeze the trigger. It'll be loud. Then, as soon as you fire, point it down again!"
"Ok, but it seems so complicated...too much to remember," Steve said, as he was trying to sight the can with his dominate eye.
"Yeah, you're right, Steve, but this isn't TV...this is real. So go on, shoot a can."
Steve followed Ghost's instructions, with only a couple of prompts. "Wow!" he said, after the first shot. "That was loud, and it really had a kick, huh? Did I hit it?"
Ghost almost laughed out loud at Steve's remark. The pistol had absolutely no 'kick' at all to it, but he let it slide. "Sorry, dude, didn't hit it, but you were close. So, try again, and keep on...you'll get one soon enough."
He sat down, to watch Steve 'in action' for awhile.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...(ninety first installment)
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
91st installment
warning...adult content
~
Steve, meanwhile, had left the house that afternoon with a mission in mind. The problem was, that he wasn't sure how to go about it. He'd never had any dealings with guns, or people who used them. He figured he could buy one at a gun store, but he was afraid they'd ask him what he wanted it for. And, if they did a background check, well...he was sure his record wasn't exactly spotless. So, he drove over to Terry's place. He knew he'd be at work at the record store, but maybe he could ask his advice.
Terry was busy with a customer, when Steve entered the Whirling Disc, so he just kept walking all the way to the back room, letting Terry know he needed to talk to him.
When Terry came back there, Steve just blurted out, "What'cha know about guns?"
"Uh...why, Steve? You planning on getting one?" Terry asked.
"Yeah, I gotta get one, and I need to know where should I get it," Steve said.
"You gonna go hunting this year?"
"Yeah, something like that," Steve said. "Only I never used one before. How do I get one, and how do I learn how to use it?"
"Well, if you're hunting dove, ya need a smaller rifle, than if you're hunting something bigger. It all depends. And, I guess the sporting goods store over in Raleigh would have shooting lessons, or something. Why don't you just go there and find out?" Terry explained.
"Well, it's not that easy, Terry. I need something now, today, and I need to know how to use it...today."
"Wait a minute, Steve. What's going on? This don't sound like a hunting trip. What's the real deal?"
"Terry, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me, anyway. So, all I can say, is someone's been breaking into our house, and I'm gonna be ready for next time."
"So, do you know who it is? Did they take anything, did they threaten you and Ghost?"
"I know who it is, and it feels threatening, when they come in and harass us and spy on us all the time," Steve said. "So, ya gonna hook me up, or what?"
Terry thought for a minute, frowning. "Let me think...uh, I know a guy over in Raleigh...deals in cash only, no questions asked...but, are you sure this is how you want to handle it? I mean, just call the cops on the guy; let them do their job...get him off the street, ya know."
Steve nodded, then said, "I get ya, Terry, but this is a special circumstance. It's an old score I need to settle, so yeah, I need protection at the house."
"Well, ok...here's the guy you need to see," Terry said, as he wrote down the information. "But, really..try not to kill anyone. Just scare him off. That'd probably work, too."
"We'll see, Terry...thanks," Steve said as he left.
~
As he sped off down the highway out of town, he didn't notice he was being watched. Terry needed a break, so he put his 'Be Back Later' sign on the shop door, and walked on down to the Yew. He needed to see Kinsey...let him know what was going on, now. He pushed open the door the the club, and hollered, "Hey, dude, where are ya?"
"Back here, Terry, c'mon in," Kinsey hollered back. Kinsey was doing some office work, but motioned for Terry to take a seat. After another minute of adding up receipts, he looked up. "What's up?" he asked.
"Uh, ya know I'm not one to gossip...heh, heh...but, I got something I want to let ya know about," Terry said.
Kinsey shook his head, and sighed. "Don't tell me, let me guess...it has something to do with those two renegades we call Steve and Ghost."
Terry nodded, "Yep, and it don't sound good."
"What did they do this time...no wait...I don't even want to know."
"Well, here it is anyway. Maybe you can makes heads or tails out of it," said Terry. "I got no freakin' clue." He shrugged, then begin telling Kinsey what had just happened.
"So, Steve comes in, just a few minutes ago, and he goes - hey, do you know anything about guns? - Well, sure I do, I mean, I got one under the counter...almost shot Ghost, that time. Anyway, come to find out, he wants to buy one. Like right now. Says it's for protection out at the house..." he was interrupted by Kinsey.
"Protection...from what? They never had any trouble out there...why now?"
"Well, he says someone's been breaking in, and threatening them, and all kinds of shit...I don't know. Anyway, what I did, was I gave him the name of a guy over in Raleigh, ya know, he'll sell him one, for sure. So Steve takes off, and now I'm telling you. What'd'ya think?"
Kinsey sat back, closed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead. "Could be about that business last night. Probably is...I swear, Terry, I think they just go making up shit, so they can stay in trouble; can't wait to get in the middle of something...gotta go looking for it."
"What are you talking about?" Terry asked. "I was here for awhile; I didn't see anything going on."
"Well, you missed it then. There was plenty going on. I think they've finally gone crazy, this time," Kinsey explained. "Steve was in here ranting about some kid was a goddam vampire, and he was after them. I laughed in his face, and told him he was officially insane, and to get outta my office. But, then Ghost comes in and totally freaks...thought he was gonna die on the spot, and kept saying why did Steve tell me." Kinsey stopped, seeing Terry's reaction to this was the same as he'd had the night before.
"Then, Steve goes on and on about New Orleans, and murder, and Ann, and I don't know what all. Ghost was crying, and Steve was banging his fist on my desk, saying I have to believe him. And, it's something to do with that little kid, Nothing, and it's all his fault. Shit, Terry, I'd heard enough, and I kicked them out. That's the last I heard. I don't have time for this kinda crap...ya know?" Kinsey said.
"That's crazy, Kinsey. Vampires? I know that kid is kinda creepy, but he does a good job booking our gigs, stuff like that," Terry said. He thought about it a minute. "Well, you know those other two in the band...they're kinda weird too, living out there in the *murder house, where Trevor's family got killed...but vampires?"
Kinsey nodded, "That's what they said."
"Sounds like Steve's been smoking some of that shit I gave him, and watching too many horror movies on TV," Terry said.
"Well, I don't know, but Steve with a gun? That is real trouble, right there...you know how he is. I don't like it, I don't like it at all, Terry," Kinsey said.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Terry asked.
"What do you mean, me? All I know is he's not bringing it in here. I'm just scared they'll kill each other, trying to figure out how to use the thing."
They sat there imagining the many things that could go wrong.
"They'll probably be here tonight, to see the band. At least, that's what I heard 'em say," Kinsey said. "Should I just not let them in?"
"Kinsey, they're like our family...you can't do that. These other guys...we don't even know them, really. They just showed up outta nowhere. Maybe you should tell them to get lost."
"Crap, Terry, I feel like I'm the mediator between two warring gangs. Why? Why me?"
"'Cause, dude, you're the only one around here that acts like a grown-up. You're the only one that can keep us 'kids' in line," Terry laughed.
"Hmmph, maybe I'll resign the position and let hell break loose...let everybody do whatever the hell that want to," Kinsey said.
"Good luck, man," said Terry, as he got up to leave. "See ya tonight at the show, I guess."
~
*reference to murder house = in the book "Drawing Blood", by Poppy Z. Brite, 1993, published by Dell
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
91st installment
warning...adult content
~
Steve, meanwhile, had left the house that afternoon with a mission in mind. The problem was, that he wasn't sure how to go about it. He'd never had any dealings with guns, or people who used them. He figured he could buy one at a gun store, but he was afraid they'd ask him what he wanted it for. And, if they did a background check, well...he was sure his record wasn't exactly spotless. So, he drove over to Terry's place. He knew he'd be at work at the record store, but maybe he could ask his advice.
Terry was busy with a customer, when Steve entered the Whirling Disc, so he just kept walking all the way to the back room, letting Terry know he needed to talk to him.
When Terry came back there, Steve just blurted out, "What'cha know about guns?"
"Uh...why, Steve? You planning on getting one?" Terry asked.
"Yeah, I gotta get one, and I need to know where should I get it," Steve said.
"You gonna go hunting this year?"
"Yeah, something like that," Steve said. "Only I never used one before. How do I get one, and how do I learn how to use it?"
"Well, if you're hunting dove, ya need a smaller rifle, than if you're hunting something bigger. It all depends. And, I guess the sporting goods store over in Raleigh would have shooting lessons, or something. Why don't you just go there and find out?" Terry explained.
"Well, it's not that easy, Terry. I need something now, today, and I need to know how to use it...today."
"Wait a minute, Steve. What's going on? This don't sound like a hunting trip. What's the real deal?"
"Terry, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me, anyway. So, all I can say, is someone's been breaking into our house, and I'm gonna be ready for next time."
"So, do you know who it is? Did they take anything, did they threaten you and Ghost?"
"I know who it is, and it feels threatening, when they come in and harass us and spy on us all the time," Steve said. "So, ya gonna hook me up, or what?"
Terry thought for a minute, frowning. "Let me think...uh, I know a guy over in Raleigh...deals in cash only, no questions asked...but, are you sure this is how you want to handle it? I mean, just call the cops on the guy; let them do their job...get him off the street, ya know."
Steve nodded, then said, "I get ya, Terry, but this is a special circumstance. It's an old score I need to settle, so yeah, I need protection at the house."
"Well, ok...here's the guy you need to see," Terry said, as he wrote down the information. "But, really..try not to kill anyone. Just scare him off. That'd probably work, too."
"We'll see, Terry...thanks," Steve said as he left.
~
As he sped off down the highway out of town, he didn't notice he was being watched. Terry needed a break, so he put his 'Be Back Later' sign on the shop door, and walked on down to the Yew. He needed to see Kinsey...let him know what was going on, now. He pushed open the door the the club, and hollered, "Hey, dude, where are ya?"
"Back here, Terry, c'mon in," Kinsey hollered back. Kinsey was doing some office work, but motioned for Terry to take a seat. After another minute of adding up receipts, he looked up. "What's up?" he asked.
"Uh, ya know I'm not one to gossip...heh, heh...but, I got something I want to let ya know about," Terry said.
Kinsey shook his head, and sighed. "Don't tell me, let me guess...it has something to do with those two renegades we call Steve and Ghost."
Terry nodded, "Yep, and it don't sound good."
"What did they do this time...no wait...I don't even want to know."
"Well, here it is anyway. Maybe you can makes heads or tails out of it," said Terry. "I got no freakin' clue." He shrugged, then begin telling Kinsey what had just happened.
"So, Steve comes in, just a few minutes ago, and he goes - hey, do you know anything about guns? - Well, sure I do, I mean, I got one under the counter...almost shot Ghost, that time. Anyway, come to find out, he wants to buy one. Like right now. Says it's for protection out at the house..." he was interrupted by Kinsey.
"Protection...from what? They never had any trouble out there...why now?"
"Well, he says someone's been breaking in, and threatening them, and all kinds of shit...I don't know. Anyway, what I did, was I gave him the name of a guy over in Raleigh, ya know, he'll sell him one, for sure. So Steve takes off, and now I'm telling you. What'd'ya think?"
Kinsey sat back, closed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead. "Could be about that business last night. Probably is...I swear, Terry, I think they just go making up shit, so they can stay in trouble; can't wait to get in the middle of something...gotta go looking for it."
"What are you talking about?" Terry asked. "I was here for awhile; I didn't see anything going on."
"Well, you missed it then. There was plenty going on. I think they've finally gone crazy, this time," Kinsey explained. "Steve was in here ranting about some kid was a goddam vampire, and he was after them. I laughed in his face, and told him he was officially insane, and to get outta my office. But, then Ghost comes in and totally freaks...thought he was gonna die on the spot, and kept saying why did Steve tell me." Kinsey stopped, seeing Terry's reaction to this was the same as he'd had the night before.
"Then, Steve goes on and on about New Orleans, and murder, and Ann, and I don't know what all. Ghost was crying, and Steve was banging his fist on my desk, saying I have to believe him. And, it's something to do with that little kid, Nothing, and it's all his fault. Shit, Terry, I'd heard enough, and I kicked them out. That's the last I heard. I don't have time for this kinda crap...ya know?" Kinsey said.
"That's crazy, Kinsey. Vampires? I know that kid is kinda creepy, but he does a good job booking our gigs, stuff like that," Terry said. He thought about it a minute. "Well, you know those other two in the band...they're kinda weird too, living out there in the *murder house, where Trevor's family got killed...but vampires?"
Kinsey nodded, "That's what they said."
"Sounds like Steve's been smoking some of that shit I gave him, and watching too many horror movies on TV," Terry said.
"Well, I don't know, but Steve with a gun? That is real trouble, right there...you know how he is. I don't like it, I don't like it at all, Terry," Kinsey said.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Terry asked.
"What do you mean, me? All I know is he's not bringing it in here. I'm just scared they'll kill each other, trying to figure out how to use the thing."
They sat there imagining the many things that could go wrong.
"They'll probably be here tonight, to see the band. At least, that's what I heard 'em say," Kinsey said. "Should I just not let them in?"
"Kinsey, they're like our family...you can't do that. These other guys...we don't even know them, really. They just showed up outta nowhere. Maybe you should tell them to get lost."
"Crap, Terry, I feel like I'm the mediator between two warring gangs. Why? Why me?"
"'Cause, dude, you're the only one around here that acts like a grown-up. You're the only one that can keep us 'kids' in line," Terry laughed.
"Hmmph, maybe I'll resign the position and let hell break loose...let everybody do whatever the hell that want to," Kinsey said.
"Good luck, man," said Terry, as he got up to leave. "See ya tonight at the show, I guess."
~
*reference to murder house = in the book "Drawing Blood", by Poppy Z. Brite, 1993, published by Dell
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Monday, November 10, 2014
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...(ninetieth installment)
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
90th installment
warning...adult content
~
They didn't wake until almost noon the next day. After grabbing a bite to eat, Ghost settled on the couch to write awhile. Steve was restless, pacing around, muttering to himself.
"I'm going out for awhile," he finally said.
Ghost looked up, knowing what Steve had in mind. "I'm not going with you," he said.
"Ok, then...I'll be back later," said Steve.
Ghost tried to keep calm. He knew when Steve got back, he'd have a gun. It made him nervous. What he hadn't mentioned to Steve, was that there was already a gun in the house. It was his own. His grandmother had left it to him. In fact, Ghost was a pretty good shot with it. He'd been using it since he was a kid. His grandmother let him shoot at tin cans, and other targets, until he was familiar with it, and was pretty accurate.
He never would shoot a bird, or squirrel, or rabbit, but she would. They had meat on the table that way. He hadn't used it in a long time, though. He thought maybe he should get it out and practice a bit. He didn't know why he'd never told Steve about it. Even when Steve came to live with them, they never brought it out when he was there.
Ghost went into the kitchen. The gun was hidden behind a false panel in the top cabinet. It had always been there. Steve had never had much interest in exploring up there, and he hardly ever cooked anything, so he'd had no reason to look way up there.
Pulling a chair over, he climbed up onto the cabinet. There wasn't anything left up here anymore. Not since he'd thrown out all the old stuff, when they were looking for the journal. He pulled open the false panel, and reached in. The strong-box was right where he'd left it. It wasn't locked, so he opened it. There was his gun, and a box of bullets. It wasn't a huge one...just right for easy handling, and powerful enough to kill a squirrel, or an intruder...and maybe a vampire.
He took it and a handful of the bullets, got his jacket, and backpack, and left out the back door, heading for the woods. He grabbed a few empty beer cans from the trash barrel, on the way down the path. After walking about half a mile, he set the cans up. Taking aim, he began shooting. He hit most of the cans, but kept practicing. After about an hour, he put it away, and thought he probably should tell Steve about it, now. Steve should come out here and practice; maybe he'd never shot a gun before.
He walked on down to the big cemetery, where his grandmother's grave was. He felt like he needed advice. As he reached her headstone, he knelt down and brushed away some fallen leaves.
"Hey, grandmother, it's me. Sorry I haven't been here in awhile. Me and Steve had a lot of stuff to do. We went on a road trip, and saw some graveyards. They weren't as nice as this one, though. We stayed in a haunted house, for real...and the lady said she used to know you, but I didn't like her. She called me a liar, and she was mean, so we left.
Well, I really need to ask you something," he stopped for a minute. Picking up a crisp, fallen leaf, he twirled it around. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Steve went to buy a gun, today, because he didn't know I already had one. So, should I tell him?" He closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts, and leaned back against the headstone.
"He says he's gonna maybe have to kill a vampire. See, there's this kid who's half vampire, and he's maybe after us... I don't know. I'm kinda mixed up about it anyway. I know what I saw, and I already killed one, and so did Steve. But we had to, 'cause they would'a killed us. But sometimes I don't even believe there is such a thing." He frowned, remembering.
"I saw them turn into a pile of dust. So, what am I supposed to do?" He gazed up into the overhanging trees, trying to clear his mind to any messages he might receive. It was quiet way out here in the cemetery...only the sounds of nature. Sleepy chirping of birds, ready for their afternoon naps, was all he could hear. The breeze ruffled the tops of the trees, a few yellow and orange leaves, swirling down onto him. Picking one up, he studied it, knowing it was a small death, to the tree, but not a forever death; the tree would recover in the spring.
"Are you here?" he whispered into the air. He closed his eyes. Memories of him and his grandmother began to form in his mind's eye. The times they'd walked in these woods, her showing him plants...good ones and bad ones. She'd taught him about the way insects and squirrels, and all of nature prepared themselves for the cold winter ahead. And, that they did the same, by gathering food from the garden, preserving it for later. He remembered her teaching him to use the gun, and her stories of the old days...how they'd learned to survive.
And, how there were good and bad people in the world, just like the insects and plants, and how each learned to defend themselves...their place in the world. They all had in them the will to survive, and the stakes were high. It was kill or be killed back then, just as now.
And then he could hear her voice, as clear as if she were right here in front of him. "Ghost child, you are a survivor. You are strong and you know in your heart what is right and what is wrong. You must allow this to guide you when faced with a choice...a difficult choice...in whatever form it presents itself to you.
Your spirit wants to live, at whatever cost, and you must take action to preserve that. You must be willing to do whatever it takes, to commit to your beliefs, and not be swayed in the presence of ridicule or evil. That is your true self. Listen to it, Ghost child, listen to it."
Ghost opened his eyes, waiting for more, but there was no more. A feeling of calm and peacefulness was left in him. He felt more sure of what he should do, now. And now, it was time to go home...to find Steve, to face whatever came their way together.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
90th installment
warning...adult content
~
They didn't wake until almost noon the next day. After grabbing a bite to eat, Ghost settled on the couch to write awhile. Steve was restless, pacing around, muttering to himself.
"I'm going out for awhile," he finally said.
Ghost looked up, knowing what Steve had in mind. "I'm not going with you," he said.
"Ok, then...I'll be back later," said Steve.
Ghost tried to keep calm. He knew when Steve got back, he'd have a gun. It made him nervous. What he hadn't mentioned to Steve, was that there was already a gun in the house. It was his own. His grandmother had left it to him. In fact, Ghost was a pretty good shot with it. He'd been using it since he was a kid. His grandmother let him shoot at tin cans, and other targets, until he was familiar with it, and was pretty accurate.
He never would shoot a bird, or squirrel, or rabbit, but she would. They had meat on the table that way. He hadn't used it in a long time, though. He thought maybe he should get it out and practice a bit. He didn't know why he'd never told Steve about it. Even when Steve came to live with them, they never brought it out when he was there.
Ghost went into the kitchen. The gun was hidden behind a false panel in the top cabinet. It had always been there. Steve had never had much interest in exploring up there, and he hardly ever cooked anything, so he'd had no reason to look way up there.
Pulling a chair over, he climbed up onto the cabinet. There wasn't anything left up here anymore. Not since he'd thrown out all the old stuff, when they were looking for the journal. He pulled open the false panel, and reached in. The strong-box was right where he'd left it. It wasn't locked, so he opened it. There was his gun, and a box of bullets. It wasn't a huge one...just right for easy handling, and powerful enough to kill a squirrel, or an intruder...and maybe a vampire.
He took it and a handful of the bullets, got his jacket, and backpack, and left out the back door, heading for the woods. He grabbed a few empty beer cans from the trash barrel, on the way down the path. After walking about half a mile, he set the cans up. Taking aim, he began shooting. He hit most of the cans, but kept practicing. After about an hour, he put it away, and thought he probably should tell Steve about it, now. Steve should come out here and practice; maybe he'd never shot a gun before.
He walked on down to the big cemetery, where his grandmother's grave was. He felt like he needed advice. As he reached her headstone, he knelt down and brushed away some fallen leaves.
"Hey, grandmother, it's me. Sorry I haven't been here in awhile. Me and Steve had a lot of stuff to do. We went on a road trip, and saw some graveyards. They weren't as nice as this one, though. We stayed in a haunted house, for real...and the lady said she used to know you, but I didn't like her. She called me a liar, and she was mean, so we left.
Well, I really need to ask you something," he stopped for a minute. Picking up a crisp, fallen leaf, he twirled it around. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Steve went to buy a gun, today, because he didn't know I already had one. So, should I tell him?" He closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts, and leaned back against the headstone.
"He says he's gonna maybe have to kill a vampire. See, there's this kid who's half vampire, and he's maybe after us... I don't know. I'm kinda mixed up about it anyway. I know what I saw, and I already killed one, and so did Steve. But we had to, 'cause they would'a killed us. But sometimes I don't even believe there is such a thing." He frowned, remembering.
"I saw them turn into a pile of dust. So, what am I supposed to do?" He gazed up into the overhanging trees, trying to clear his mind to any messages he might receive. It was quiet way out here in the cemetery...only the sounds of nature. Sleepy chirping of birds, ready for their afternoon naps, was all he could hear. The breeze ruffled the tops of the trees, a few yellow and orange leaves, swirling down onto him. Picking one up, he studied it, knowing it was a small death, to the tree, but not a forever death; the tree would recover in the spring.
"Are you here?" he whispered into the air. He closed his eyes. Memories of him and his grandmother began to form in his mind's eye. The times they'd walked in these woods, her showing him plants...good ones and bad ones. She'd taught him about the way insects and squirrels, and all of nature prepared themselves for the cold winter ahead. And, that they did the same, by gathering food from the garden, preserving it for later. He remembered her teaching him to use the gun, and her stories of the old days...how they'd learned to survive.
And, how there were good and bad people in the world, just like the insects and plants, and how each learned to defend themselves...their place in the world. They all had in them the will to survive, and the stakes were high. It was kill or be killed back then, just as now.
And then he could hear her voice, as clear as if she were right here in front of him. "Ghost child, you are a survivor. You are strong and you know in your heart what is right and what is wrong. You must allow this to guide you when faced with a choice...a difficult choice...in whatever form it presents itself to you.
Your spirit wants to live, at whatever cost, and you must take action to preserve that. You must be willing to do whatever it takes, to commit to your beliefs, and not be swayed in the presence of ridicule or evil. That is your true self. Listen to it, Ghost child, listen to it."
Ghost opened his eyes, waiting for more, but there was no more. A feeling of calm and peacefulness was left in him. He felt more sure of what he should do, now. And now, it was time to go home...to find Steve, to face whatever came their way together.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Saturday, November 8, 2014
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...(eighty ninth installment)
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
89th installment
warning...adult content
~
The fresh, cool air revived them, and cooled them down.
"Steve, why did you say anything?" Ghost asked.
"I had to...I had to warn him of the danger. This puts everyone we love in danger. He had to know, Ghost, he had to."
They left for home. Steve was so paranoid, he kept looking over his shoulder, and in the rear view mirror, thinking every shadow was Nothing. Ghost was shivering so much his teeth were chattering. Neither wanted to admit they were scared. At the house, they walked carefully up to the door. Ghost held up his arm in front of Steve.
"Wait, something's not right." He concentrated, and what he sensed, was someone had been in the house while they'd been gone. He knew it was Nothing. He looked at Steve, and nodded.
"Do ya think he's still in there?" Steve whispered.
"No, he gone, but he was snooping around, not long ago."
Steve looked all around the yard and woods, on either side of the house, but it was too dark to make out anything. "What if he's still out there, watching us right now?"
"He's not," Ghost said, with certainty. He pushed open the door, knowing it had been locked when they'd left, but wasn't, now. They went in, turning on all the lights, and making a check of all the rooms. Nothing seemed out of place, but the air was heavy feeling now.
"It stinks of evil, Ghost...even I smell it," Steve said.
Ghost was already lighting a sage smudge, to wave around.
"This is crazy," Steve said. "I keep thinking they're all gonna bust in here, like last time."
"Yeah, me too," Ghost agreed. "But, Nothing's by himself now, just him and those two band guys, and I guess they're regular people...not vampires."
"Yeah? Well, we'll see, I guess. He probably already turned 'em into one by now, so..."
Ghost gave Steve a look. "You know that's ridiculous, don't you?" Ghost said.
"So what? So is vampires...I seen it with my own eyes, and I still don't believe it happened. I think they're just mean, evil people...you know, just people people." Steve said, but he was talking to an empty room, as Ghost had gone waving his sage broom around in the kitchen.
"Hey, what are we gonna do now?" Steve hollered to Ghost.
"We're just gonna act normal," Ghost said, as he came back into the living room. "We are not gonna go asking for trouble. When we see him...and we will, we'll just talk and see what he's up to. If it looks like he's minding his own business, then fine. If not, guess we gotta kick some vampire butt."
"Kick some vampire butt...hah! That sounds like fun," Steve laughed.
"Yeah, but only if he's up to no good. Maybe he just wants to show us his band, and say hi...tell us what he's been doing all this time. Maybe he's joined the good side, now, and forgot about his vampire half," Ghost said, being optimistic.
"Uh-huh, sure, we'll see about that," Steve said. "So do you want the first half of the night, for guard duty, or the last half?" Even he wasn't sure if he was serious or not.
Ghost rolled his eyes, and went into his bedroom. Steve made sure the doors were locked, and went to bed, too. Tomorrow night they were supposed to go see Terry's band play. Nothing was sure to be there.
Ghost lay in bed, not sleeping. He knew Steve was awake, too. As the old house settled, in the cool night air, there was the usual creaks and noises. The wind picked up, making the tree branches scrape against the windows, casting shadows on the wall. Steve jumped with every sound, even familiar ones. "Ghost, did you hear that?" he asked every few minutes. "What was that? Did you hear it?"
"Yeah, it was just the refrigerator coming on," Ghost hollered back.
Steve got up and came into Ghost's bedroom. "I can't sleep, too much noise...scootch over," he said, as he got into bed with Ghost. "Tell me a story, or sing me a song, Ghost...anything to take my mind off everything."
"Uh, well...ok...let me think of something," Ghost said. Steve lay there waiting. The wind made an eerie, whistling sound through the cracked window.
"Well, hurry up, Ghost."
"Ok, ok...uh...ya remember those *Siamese twins we saw that time; when your car broke down out in the country?"
"Yeah, what about 'em? They died, already," Steve said.
"Well, I don't think they did, really, Steve. I had a dream about 'em, and they were alive, back on their farm. That quack doctor that sawed them apart, he almost killed them. He thought they were dead, though, but they pulled through. They were in real bad shape...all cut up, and infected, but eventually got better."
"That's dumb, Ghost. If they were half dead, how'd they go get food...how'd they get medicine...how'd they get back to their home? Their parents didn't even want them, anymore. That's why they never came looking for them," Steve said.
"I don't know all that; I just dreamed it, that they were still alive."
"Well, crap...now ya got me thinking of creepy, half dead, cut apart Siamese twins. I don't know what's worse, that or real alive vampires." Steve sat up on the edge of the bed. I'm gonna get something to eat. Maybe that'll help.
Steve went to the kitchen, and rummaged around in the fridge, finally settling on baloney and a piece of bread. Sitting at the table, in the dark, he felt a chilly breeze on his bare feet. Then, he noticed the back door was open a bit. "That's weird," he thought. "I know I locked the doors. Guess it wasn't closed good, and the wind blew it open."
He got up and closed it, making sure it was locked, this time. As he passed by the counter, he noticed a piece of notebook paper, lying there. It was too dark to read it, so he turned on the small light over the sink, to take a closer look.
"Ghost! Ghost! Get in here! Look at this!" he hollered.
Ghost came in, squinting his eyes against the sudden light. "What is it?"
"Look, this wasn't in here before...I just found it...it's from Nothing."
Ghost took the paper and read...'Ghost, I have to talk to you. Meet me at the club tomorrow, before the show.' And, again it was signed in blood.
"He was in here, Ghost! After we went to bed. This note was not here earlier," Steve said.
"Turn off the light, Steve...now!" Ghost said. "He's still out there, he can see us in this light, reading his note."
Steve flipped off the light, and they both stared out the window, into the darkness.
"What the hell does he want? Why is he sneaking around?" Steve asked. He went to the door and yanked it open. "Hey, Nothing! We know you're out there! Come out in the open, you're not scaring us with your tricks, you little bastard!" Steve yelled.
They waited, but Nothing didn't show himself. Steve slammed the door shut. "That does it. I'm getting a gun. The next time he comes sneaking into our house, he'll wish he hadn't. I mean it Ghost...this is harassment, and it's gonna stop."
"He's gone, now," Ghost said, as he continued to look out the window. "We'll talk to him tomorrow. And, you're not getting a gun."
"Yeah? Watch me."
Ghost turned and went back to his bed. "He's not gonna bother us anymore tonight. I'm gonna go to sleep. You can keep watching if you want to."
"You're not gonna talk me out of it, Ghost," Steve hollered.
Ghost knew Steve would do what he said...and he knew he was actually ok with it. He was tired of the harassment and sneakiness, too. And, if Steve did shoot Nothing...well, so what? Was it really murder, if the one that got killed was not even human...or even half? Maybe it'd be like Christian and Zilla...he'd just shrivel up into dust...into nothing.
He closed his eyes, and tried to block out any and all thoughts.
~
*Siamese twins reference = from the book "Wormwood" by Poppy Z. Brite, chapter 1, "Angels", Dell Publishing, 1994.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
89th installment
warning...adult content
~
The fresh, cool air revived them, and cooled them down.
"Steve, why did you say anything?" Ghost asked.
"I had to...I had to warn him of the danger. This puts everyone we love in danger. He had to know, Ghost, he had to."
They left for home. Steve was so paranoid, he kept looking over his shoulder, and in the rear view mirror, thinking every shadow was Nothing. Ghost was shivering so much his teeth were chattering. Neither wanted to admit they were scared. At the house, they walked carefully up to the door. Ghost held up his arm in front of Steve.
"Wait, something's not right." He concentrated, and what he sensed, was someone had been in the house while they'd been gone. He knew it was Nothing. He looked at Steve, and nodded.
"Do ya think he's still in there?" Steve whispered.
"No, he gone, but he was snooping around, not long ago."
Steve looked all around the yard and woods, on either side of the house, but it was too dark to make out anything. "What if he's still out there, watching us right now?"
"He's not," Ghost said, with certainty. He pushed open the door, knowing it had been locked when they'd left, but wasn't, now. They went in, turning on all the lights, and making a check of all the rooms. Nothing seemed out of place, but the air was heavy feeling now.
"It stinks of evil, Ghost...even I smell it," Steve said.
Ghost was already lighting a sage smudge, to wave around.
"This is crazy," Steve said. "I keep thinking they're all gonna bust in here, like last time."
"Yeah, me too," Ghost agreed. "But, Nothing's by himself now, just him and those two band guys, and I guess they're regular people...not vampires."
"Yeah? Well, we'll see, I guess. He probably already turned 'em into one by now, so..."
Ghost gave Steve a look. "You know that's ridiculous, don't you?" Ghost said.
"So what? So is vampires...I seen it with my own eyes, and I still don't believe it happened. I think they're just mean, evil people...you know, just people people." Steve said, but he was talking to an empty room, as Ghost had gone waving his sage broom around in the kitchen.
"Hey, what are we gonna do now?" Steve hollered to Ghost.
"We're just gonna act normal," Ghost said, as he came back into the living room. "We are not gonna go asking for trouble. When we see him...and we will, we'll just talk and see what he's up to. If it looks like he's minding his own business, then fine. If not, guess we gotta kick some vampire butt."
"Kick some vampire butt...hah! That sounds like fun," Steve laughed.
"Yeah, but only if he's up to no good. Maybe he just wants to show us his band, and say hi...tell us what he's been doing all this time. Maybe he's joined the good side, now, and forgot about his vampire half," Ghost said, being optimistic.
"Uh-huh, sure, we'll see about that," Steve said. "So do you want the first half of the night, for guard duty, or the last half?" Even he wasn't sure if he was serious or not.
Ghost rolled his eyes, and went into his bedroom. Steve made sure the doors were locked, and went to bed, too. Tomorrow night they were supposed to go see Terry's band play. Nothing was sure to be there.
Ghost lay in bed, not sleeping. He knew Steve was awake, too. As the old house settled, in the cool night air, there was the usual creaks and noises. The wind picked up, making the tree branches scrape against the windows, casting shadows on the wall. Steve jumped with every sound, even familiar ones. "Ghost, did you hear that?" he asked every few minutes. "What was that? Did you hear it?"
"Yeah, it was just the refrigerator coming on," Ghost hollered back.
Steve got up and came into Ghost's bedroom. "I can't sleep, too much noise...scootch over," he said, as he got into bed with Ghost. "Tell me a story, or sing me a song, Ghost...anything to take my mind off everything."
"Uh, well...ok...let me think of something," Ghost said. Steve lay there waiting. The wind made an eerie, whistling sound through the cracked window.
"Well, hurry up, Ghost."
"Ok, ok...uh...ya remember those *Siamese twins we saw that time; when your car broke down out in the country?"
"Yeah, what about 'em? They died, already," Steve said.
"Well, I don't think they did, really, Steve. I had a dream about 'em, and they were alive, back on their farm. That quack doctor that sawed them apart, he almost killed them. He thought they were dead, though, but they pulled through. They were in real bad shape...all cut up, and infected, but eventually got better."
"That's dumb, Ghost. If they were half dead, how'd they go get food...how'd they get medicine...how'd they get back to their home? Their parents didn't even want them, anymore. That's why they never came looking for them," Steve said.
"I don't know all that; I just dreamed it, that they were still alive."
"Well, crap...now ya got me thinking of creepy, half dead, cut apart Siamese twins. I don't know what's worse, that or real alive vampires." Steve sat up on the edge of the bed. I'm gonna get something to eat. Maybe that'll help.
Steve went to the kitchen, and rummaged around in the fridge, finally settling on baloney and a piece of bread. Sitting at the table, in the dark, he felt a chilly breeze on his bare feet. Then, he noticed the back door was open a bit. "That's weird," he thought. "I know I locked the doors. Guess it wasn't closed good, and the wind blew it open."
He got up and closed it, making sure it was locked, this time. As he passed by the counter, he noticed a piece of notebook paper, lying there. It was too dark to read it, so he turned on the small light over the sink, to take a closer look.
"Ghost! Ghost! Get in here! Look at this!" he hollered.
Ghost came in, squinting his eyes against the sudden light. "What is it?"
"Look, this wasn't in here before...I just found it...it's from Nothing."
Ghost took the paper and read...'Ghost, I have to talk to you. Meet me at the club tomorrow, before the show.' And, again it was signed in blood.
"He was in here, Ghost! After we went to bed. This note was not here earlier," Steve said.
"Turn off the light, Steve...now!" Ghost said. "He's still out there, he can see us in this light, reading his note."
Steve flipped off the light, and they both stared out the window, into the darkness.
"What the hell does he want? Why is he sneaking around?" Steve asked. He went to the door and yanked it open. "Hey, Nothing! We know you're out there! Come out in the open, you're not scaring us with your tricks, you little bastard!" Steve yelled.
They waited, but Nothing didn't show himself. Steve slammed the door shut. "That does it. I'm getting a gun. The next time he comes sneaking into our house, he'll wish he hadn't. I mean it Ghost...this is harassment, and it's gonna stop."
"He's gone, now," Ghost said, as he continued to look out the window. "We'll talk to him tomorrow. And, you're not getting a gun."
"Yeah? Watch me."
Ghost turned and went back to his bed. "He's not gonna bother us anymore tonight. I'm gonna go to sleep. You can keep watching if you want to."
"You're not gonna talk me out of it, Ghost," Steve hollered.
Ghost knew Steve would do what he said...and he knew he was actually ok with it. He was tired of the harassment and sneakiness, too. And, if Steve did shoot Nothing...well, so what? Was it really murder, if the one that got killed was not even human...or even half? Maybe it'd be like Christian and Zilla...he'd just shrivel up into dust...into nothing.
He closed his eyes, and tried to block out any and all thoughts.
~
*Siamese twins reference = from the book "Wormwood" by Poppy Z. Brite, chapter 1, "Angels", Dell Publishing, 1994.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...(eighty eighth installment)
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
88th installment
warning...adult content
~
When they turned onto the main street in town, there were lots of cars parked up and down the street, and the jukebox was playing loud music, filtering out into the night air. Entering the club, they made their way to the bar, greeting friends along the way. Kinsey was busy pouring drinks and serving food, so he just brought them a beer, and said he'd talk to them when he got a break.
Steve downed his beer in a couple of gulps, as he scanned the crowd. He didn't see who he was pretending not to look for. Ghost went over to read the wall and see what was new since they'd been away. He noticed the postcards he and Steve had sent, pinned there, and lots of new writings all around them, mostly saying how much they missed him and Steve.
He then noticed a vaguely familiar handwriting. It said 'come home soon Ghost. We need to talk', and it was signed...Nothing...the same way he always signed his name, the letter T with a long tail. It was also kind of drippy looking...like the ink had flowed too fast. But, looking closer, Ghost realized it had been written in blood...Nothing's blood.
He closed his eyes. He could picture Nothing standing there, at this very wall, maybe stabbing himself to get at his blood...writing those words. Shivering, he turned to look out over the crowd. He sensed that Nothing wasn't there, but he still felt a strangeness in the air...a sort of leftover essence. He also knew, now, that it was true...Nothing was back in town.
Ghost wasn't afraid of him, but it still gave him a creepy feeling, to know Nothing had been in this club, at this wall...Ghost's wall...getting all up in his and Steve's space, talking to their friends, and nobody knew the real Nothing. He felt violated. And then, Steve was on the verge of exploding with anger...there was going to be trouble, and he was going to be right in the middle...again.
Ghost looked over at Steve, and tried to send him a message...to keep cool. Steve didn't seem to get it. He just waved back at Ghost. In fact, Steve had been distracted by a crowd of kids, over in the arcade room. Lots of laughter and bustling around, and it was centered on two guys at one of the games.
He'd never seen these two before. One was nerdy looking - skinny, with wild dark hair, not unlike his own. Nothing unusual about that. The other guy was a bit taller, a bit older, and had long, ginger colored hair, held back in a pony tail down his back. They definitely were holding the crowd's attention.
As he watched, the two laughed, then kissed. Ok, Steve thought, they are a couple. But, who are they? Grabbing his third beer, he started over there to see what was up. But, just then, Kinsey grabbed his arm and motioned to come talk.
Kinsey led him back to his office, where it was quieter, and closed the door. He sat down and propped his aching feet up on the desk. Steve sat on the worn out old couch.
"I'll tell ya, Steve, the older I get, the longer these night get," Kinsey laughed, shaking his head. He knew he'd never retire from his club...he loved it.
"Well, glad you and Ghost are back home. Did ya have a blast, or what?"
Steve wasn't really in a talking mood, at least about the trip. He wanted to know about the two guys he saw. "Yeah, the trip was great, Kinsey. We got a lot of pictures and stuff for Ghost's book, and saw lots of weird shit, and played a few places. But it was time to come home for awhile, ya know." He didn't offer up any more details, and they just stared at each other, the moment growing awkward.
"What the hell's wrong with ya, Steve? You don't seem like yourself. What's going on?"
Steve sighed. "I don't know, Kinsey," he said, rubbing his face in his hands. "Things seem weird since we got back...changed, or something."
"You and Ghost getting along ok?" Kinsey asked.
"Yeah, we're fine...just...something Terry told us got us worried, now."
"Well, spill it, what'd he say?"
"He said some guy came looking for us, here in town, and he didn't want to cause trouble, but..but...that's all he does is cause trouble."
Kinsey frowned. "I don't want any trouble in here, Steve. This place is off limits for that shit."
"I know, Kinsey, but..."
"No...no buts, Steve. I mean it. What kind of trouble are you expecting? What's he done in the past, and who is he? Do I know him?"
"Kinsey, I can't even talk about it...but, he's dangerous. Kinsey, he almost killed me and Ghost...or rather his posse did, and he had everything to do with Ann's death!" Steve got up from the couch, pacing around the office.
"All that shit that went down in New Orleans...well...we never told ya the whole story, Kinsey, and I said I'd never talk about it again...but now, here he is, come looking for us...for Ghost!" Steve stared hard at Kinsey, his jaw clenching, his eyes narrowed.
"God, Kinsey...he's obsessed with having Ghost for himself. I can't let that happen. I'll kill him first!"
"Hey, hold on, Steve, settle down. You're not gonna kill anyone, ya hear? And what's Ghost got to say about it? Does he know this creep's back in town?"
"Yeah, and he says he's not afraid of him, but I can tell he is. Man, I'm so messed up!" Steve said.
"So, who is he? I won't let him in here," said Kinsey.
Steve stared right into Kinsey's eyes. "Nothing...his name is Nothing."
Kinsey was confused. "That little kid? That little goth kid? I've seen him...he manages that band Terry put together. They play here some nights. What's dangerous about him?"
Steve banged his fist on Kinsey's desk. "Trust me, he's evil...he's not even human...he's a vampire!"
Kinsey couldn't believe his ears. "Steve! Have you lost your marbles for real this time?" He was laughing. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Shut up, Kinsey! You have no idea. Stop laughing." Steve began pacing around again, pulling at his wild hair and looking crazed. "I have to get rid of him before he hurts someone else."
Just then, the door opened, and Ghost came in looking for Steve. He took one look at the scene in front of him, turned even paler than usual, and burst out in tears.
Kinsey was stunned at this turn of events, and was at a loss for words, just staring from Steve to Ghost. These two caused chaos everywhere they went.
"You told him?" Ghost whispered, looking like he was going to pass out. "Why?"
"Yeah, I told him all about Nothing, your vampire stalker...and what I was gonna do to him."
Ghost turned frightened eyes to Kinsey.
"He laughed in my face, Ghost...didn't believe a word of it," Steve said. "Isn't that right, Kinsey? How long ya known us, huh? We ever lie to you? No! But now you don't believe us when we tell ya something about how there's evil out there, looking for us? Just because you don't believe in vampires?" Steve was breathing hard. "Hate to tell ya this, but you had one working for ya awhile back...Christian...yeah, he was one. Say it...vampire, vampire...but he's gone now, cause I killed him. Good and dead, vampire dead, and Ghost killed Christian's lover vampire, Zilla...deader than dead...and guess what? Nothing is Zilla's son. So, yeah, he's a vampire, too. And he's after Ghost and me...and, and...we're not lying, and we're not crazy, Kinsey. And..." Steve ran out of words, as tears ran down his face from frustration.
Ghost was in tears, Steve was in tears, and Kinsey was reeling with all this crazy talk and drama. He'd never had reason to doubt Steve or Ghost, ever...about anything, but this...this, well, he didn't know what to think, to believe, to say.
"I'm sorry guys. This is just so outlandish. I've never heard anything like this in my life. But, I'm sorry I laughed, Steve. You just caught me off guard. I know y'all wouldn't lie to me, but, I don't know...could you be mistaken about the vampire thing?"
"Kinsey," Steve said, calmly, too calmly, "you believe whatever you want, but we're not mistaken" He pulled Ghost up from the floor, where he'd collapsed, and they went out the door, and out of the club.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
88th installment
warning...adult content
~
When they turned onto the main street in town, there were lots of cars parked up and down the street, and the jukebox was playing loud music, filtering out into the night air. Entering the club, they made their way to the bar, greeting friends along the way. Kinsey was busy pouring drinks and serving food, so he just brought them a beer, and said he'd talk to them when he got a break.
Steve downed his beer in a couple of gulps, as he scanned the crowd. He didn't see who he was pretending not to look for. Ghost went over to read the wall and see what was new since they'd been away. He noticed the postcards he and Steve had sent, pinned there, and lots of new writings all around them, mostly saying how much they missed him and Steve.
He then noticed a vaguely familiar handwriting. It said 'come home soon Ghost. We need to talk', and it was signed...Nothing...the same way he always signed his name, the letter T with a long tail. It was also kind of drippy looking...like the ink had flowed too fast. But, looking closer, Ghost realized it had been written in blood...Nothing's blood.
He closed his eyes. He could picture Nothing standing there, at this very wall, maybe stabbing himself to get at his blood...writing those words. Shivering, he turned to look out over the crowd. He sensed that Nothing wasn't there, but he still felt a strangeness in the air...a sort of leftover essence. He also knew, now, that it was true...Nothing was back in town.
Ghost wasn't afraid of him, but it still gave him a creepy feeling, to know Nothing had been in this club, at this wall...Ghost's wall...getting all up in his and Steve's space, talking to their friends, and nobody knew the real Nothing. He felt violated. And then, Steve was on the verge of exploding with anger...there was going to be trouble, and he was going to be right in the middle...again.
Ghost looked over at Steve, and tried to send him a message...to keep cool. Steve didn't seem to get it. He just waved back at Ghost. In fact, Steve had been distracted by a crowd of kids, over in the arcade room. Lots of laughter and bustling around, and it was centered on two guys at one of the games.
He'd never seen these two before. One was nerdy looking - skinny, with wild dark hair, not unlike his own. Nothing unusual about that. The other guy was a bit taller, a bit older, and had long, ginger colored hair, held back in a pony tail down his back. They definitely were holding the crowd's attention.
As he watched, the two laughed, then kissed. Ok, Steve thought, they are a couple. But, who are they? Grabbing his third beer, he started over there to see what was up. But, just then, Kinsey grabbed his arm and motioned to come talk.
Kinsey led him back to his office, where it was quieter, and closed the door. He sat down and propped his aching feet up on the desk. Steve sat on the worn out old couch.
"I'll tell ya, Steve, the older I get, the longer these night get," Kinsey laughed, shaking his head. He knew he'd never retire from his club...he loved it.
"Well, glad you and Ghost are back home. Did ya have a blast, or what?"
Steve wasn't really in a talking mood, at least about the trip. He wanted to know about the two guys he saw. "Yeah, the trip was great, Kinsey. We got a lot of pictures and stuff for Ghost's book, and saw lots of weird shit, and played a few places. But it was time to come home for awhile, ya know." He didn't offer up any more details, and they just stared at each other, the moment growing awkward.
"What the hell's wrong with ya, Steve? You don't seem like yourself. What's going on?"
Steve sighed. "I don't know, Kinsey," he said, rubbing his face in his hands. "Things seem weird since we got back...changed, or something."
"You and Ghost getting along ok?" Kinsey asked.
"Yeah, we're fine...just...something Terry told us got us worried, now."
"Well, spill it, what'd he say?"
"He said some guy came looking for us, here in town, and he didn't want to cause trouble, but..but...that's all he does is cause trouble."
Kinsey frowned. "I don't want any trouble in here, Steve. This place is off limits for that shit."
"I know, Kinsey, but..."
"No...no buts, Steve. I mean it. What kind of trouble are you expecting? What's he done in the past, and who is he? Do I know him?"
"Kinsey, I can't even talk about it...but, he's dangerous. Kinsey, he almost killed me and Ghost...or rather his posse did, and he had everything to do with Ann's death!" Steve got up from the couch, pacing around the office.
"All that shit that went down in New Orleans...well...we never told ya the whole story, Kinsey, and I said I'd never talk about it again...but now, here he is, come looking for us...for Ghost!" Steve stared hard at Kinsey, his jaw clenching, his eyes narrowed.
"God, Kinsey...he's obsessed with having Ghost for himself. I can't let that happen. I'll kill him first!"
"Hey, hold on, Steve, settle down. You're not gonna kill anyone, ya hear? And what's Ghost got to say about it? Does he know this creep's back in town?"
"Yeah, and he says he's not afraid of him, but I can tell he is. Man, I'm so messed up!" Steve said.
"So, who is he? I won't let him in here," said Kinsey.
Steve stared right into Kinsey's eyes. "Nothing...his name is Nothing."
Kinsey was confused. "That little kid? That little goth kid? I've seen him...he manages that band Terry put together. They play here some nights. What's dangerous about him?"
Steve banged his fist on Kinsey's desk. "Trust me, he's evil...he's not even human...he's a vampire!"
Kinsey couldn't believe his ears. "Steve! Have you lost your marbles for real this time?" He was laughing. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Shut up, Kinsey! You have no idea. Stop laughing." Steve began pacing around again, pulling at his wild hair and looking crazed. "I have to get rid of him before he hurts someone else."
Just then, the door opened, and Ghost came in looking for Steve. He took one look at the scene in front of him, turned even paler than usual, and burst out in tears.
Kinsey was stunned at this turn of events, and was at a loss for words, just staring from Steve to Ghost. These two caused chaos everywhere they went.
"You told him?" Ghost whispered, looking like he was going to pass out. "Why?"
"Yeah, I told him all about Nothing, your vampire stalker...and what I was gonna do to him."
Ghost turned frightened eyes to Kinsey.
"He laughed in my face, Ghost...didn't believe a word of it," Steve said. "Isn't that right, Kinsey? How long ya known us, huh? We ever lie to you? No! But now you don't believe us when we tell ya something about how there's evil out there, looking for us? Just because you don't believe in vampires?" Steve was breathing hard. "Hate to tell ya this, but you had one working for ya awhile back...Christian...yeah, he was one. Say it...vampire, vampire...but he's gone now, cause I killed him. Good and dead, vampire dead, and Ghost killed Christian's lover vampire, Zilla...deader than dead...and guess what? Nothing is Zilla's son. So, yeah, he's a vampire, too. And he's after Ghost and me...and, and...we're not lying, and we're not crazy, Kinsey. And..." Steve ran out of words, as tears ran down his face from frustration.
Ghost was in tears, Steve was in tears, and Kinsey was reeling with all this crazy talk and drama. He'd never had reason to doubt Steve or Ghost, ever...about anything, but this...this, well, he didn't know what to think, to believe, to say.
"I'm sorry guys. This is just so outlandish. I've never heard anything like this in my life. But, I'm sorry I laughed, Steve. You just caught me off guard. I know y'all wouldn't lie to me, but, I don't know...could you be mistaken about the vampire thing?"
"Kinsey," Steve said, calmly, too calmly, "you believe whatever you want, but we're not mistaken" He pulled Ghost up from the floor, where he'd collapsed, and they went out the door, and out of the club.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Monday, November 3, 2014
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...(eighty seventh installment)
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
87th installment
warning...adult content
~
"So, are y'all done traveling?" Terry asked.
"Yeah, for awhile, anyway. I got tired of all the driving, and Ghost couldn't handle getting on a plane, yet. Guess we needed a break from our vacation on the road."
"Well, I'm glad you're back. Everybody's always asking about y'all. Kinsey let us know where you were, whenever you called. Are y'all gonna arrange some gigs at the club, now?"
"Yeah, Kinsey said we could, but we'll probably take it easy for a little while. Ghost is putting together a book about it all. Got some good pictures, and he's writing stuff for it. We wrote a couple of new songs, too. Just need to get them polished up," Steve explained.
"Cool," Terry said, "maybe me and R. J. can sit in sometime."
"Sure, I'll let ya know," Steve agreed.
They continued cleaning the house. Ghost came back in, lugging his duffle bag, back-pack, and Steve's guitar.
"Hey, why aren't you over here helping?" Terry asked. "It's your house."
"Y'all are doing it just fine, and besides, Steve told me not to," Ghost said, then grinned.
Terry gave Steve a look. Steve nodded and smiled. Finally, they were finished, and each grabbed a beer, taking it out to the front porch swing. Ghost was still in his bedroom, writing on his memory wall.
"Y'all coming to the Yew, tonight?" Terry asked.
"Don't think so," Steve said. "I'm beat...probably stay around here. I need to feel like we're actually home, again."
"I hear that," Terry said. "Oh, by the way, me and R. J. have been playing pretty regular at the club. We took on Calvin...you remember him? And a new guy in town, Zach...he does the singing. Lord knows I can't sing very good. We're calling ourselves Gumbo," Terry laughed.
"I know...sounds dumb, but anyway, the kids keep coming back to hear us. So, y'all should come check it out. We're doing a show on Saturday."
"So, what are y'all playing different these days?" Steve asked, a sudden mixture of curiosity and jealousy flaring up. He knew there was no reason to resent a band playing at the club, other than Lost Souls?. After all, Kinsey had to draw in customers, but still...
"Uh, some of the old stuff, like we always did, but Zach wanted to add in some punk, and some goth sounding stuff, too. Kinda weird, but the kids seem to like it, so me and R. J. are ok with it." Terry tipped back his beer, draining the can.
"Oh, another thing...we hired a guy as our manager. He says he's been in town before, and saw you and Ghost play, a long time ago. Anyway, he said something kinda strange, too...said he wasn't here to cause you and Ghost any trouble...said you'd understand."
Steve frowned, thinking. "Sounds weird, Terry, and I don't like how it sounds. Maybe we will see ya on Saturday, after all. Guess we should see what's up."
"Ok, then...guess I should get going; half the day's gone already, and I haven't even opened up shop, yet," Terry said. "I'll tell Kinsey y'all are back. Take it easy, man." Terry went down the porch steps to his car. Steve watched him leave, the radio blasting as Terry went down the gravel drive out to the highway.
Steve sat there a while longer, thinking about what Terry had said. If that new manager guy was who he thought it was, it was bad news, all around. He needed to talk to Ghost.
When he got back inside, he found Ghost sound asleep on his bed. Steve shrugged, thinking he'd just tell him later. He thought a nap sounded good, too, so went into his own room. But, sleep was hard to come by...his mind would not stop going over and over the news he'd heard; who was this person and how did he know them. Finally he got up and paced around the house.
The only name that came to mind, was Nothing. He was the only one left of that mangy group of vampires, except maybe Twig and Molochai, and they were useless without Zilla. He hoped Nothing had done away with the both of them, himself...that kid was better off without those two.
Ghost had killed Zilla, plunged the jeweled dagger right in his brain...and he, himself, had killed Christian - didn't mean to but, hey - a vampire dead is the only kind he wanted to deal with. Maybe Nothing still had a chance, being he was only half-vampire. He kind of felt sorry for him, but not enough to welcome him back into town...into their lives. And besides, Nothing had a burning passion for Ghost. Steve knew he'd kill him with his bare hands, if he ever made a move on Ghost.
And so he paced, and thought, and worried, and looked in on Ghost, to see if he was awake yet. And another thing...that other new guy in the band. Terry said his name was Zach. Never heard of him, but if he was in with Nothing, then he didn't like him already.
And, why would Kinsey let scumbags play in his club, anyway? Well, Kinsey didn't know about everything that went down in New Orleans, or about Ann. He could never speak of it again, afterwards. Neither could Ghost. Didn't want to think about it now, either, but how could he not?
"I need to find out!" he said out loud. "I need to find out and deal with it."
Just then, Ghost came into the living room. "Find out what, Steve?" he said as he rubbed his forehead, and ran his hand through his hair.
"Ghost!" Steve yelled, startled. He'd not seen Ghost come in, he was so worked up. "Guess who might be in town, that we haven't seen in a long time...that we never, ever wanted to deal with again?" he paused a second, waiting to see if Ghost would answer.
When Ghost only shrugged, Steve said, "That fucker I said I was gonna kill if I saw him again!"
Ghost looked confused. "I don't know who you're talking about. Just tell me already, I'm not in a mood for guessing games."
"Use your magic powers, and just go on and guess...I'll give you a hint - it's not a good surprise."
Ghost squinched up his eyes and tried to think, but just couldn't. "I can't, Steve, my head is hurting. I can barely see, and I can't think right now."
"Dammit, Ghost, fine...it's your favorite little vampire, Nothing. That's who."
Ghost gasped, and went to sit on the couch. He was shaking. "How...how do you know?" he asked.
"Terry told me, well, he didn't say it was him, but said this strange kid was in town, and he hired him as their manager. Said he knew us and wasn't here to cause us trouble. Sound familiar? Yeah...just like last time...wasn't here to cause us trouble, and look what happened! We both almost died, and Ann did die. Now, he's back to finish the job. What'd'ya think of that?"
Steve was almost hyperventilating. He stopped to catch his breath. "I swear, Ghost, he's not getting anywhere near you. I'm fixing to put an end to this...and to him...for good!"
Ghost's head was pounding, and he held his hands over his ears to try and block out Steve's ranting. "Stop it, Steve," he cried. "Stop yelling. If it's Nothing, he's not gonna hurt us...he promised...and he saved us from Zilla, that one time."
"God! Listen to yourself, Ghost! Don't be taking up for a damn spawn of the devil! He's just as evil as the others. Why can't you see that?"
"Steve, please...I can't even see you right now; leave it alone, leave me alone...stop yelling!"
"Ok, fine, but it's not over. You will see the truth!" Steve said, then stomped out the front door, slamming the screen behind him. Ghost just sat there stunned, and tried to will his head to stop hurting, and his eyesight to clear.
He could still hear Steve stomping around outside. He laid his head back on the couch and tried to breathe evenly. That's what he was doing when Steve finally calmed down, and came back inside.
He looked at Ghost, sorry he'd made it worse. "Still hurting?" he asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Ghost murmured.
"Can you see me, yet?"
Ghost cracked open his reddened eyes, and shook his head, no.
"Damn, I'm sorry I got so worked up. It don't do no good anyway." He brought a cold, wet cloth, for Ghost to put over his eyes.
"Steve, Nothing don't mean nothing to me. I just feel sorry for him, ya know," Ghost said quietly.
"Yeah, I know, but he's obsessed with you. And I can't let it be."
"I know, but trust me Steve. I can shut him down, any time."
"Ok, Ghost...but he better just watch himself...and get outta town, before...before..." Steve trailed off. Ghost reached out and took Steve's hand, squeezing it.
~
By the next morning, Ghost was feeling better, and so they worked on their new songs awhile. Ghost wrote copy for the book, to go along with his notes from the graveyards, and captioned the pictures. He'd get them printed up, soon.
It had turned chilly and rainy, so being inside gave them the time and rest they needed to get back into a familiar routine. By night, however, they were both getting restless.
"I'm going into town, maybe have a beer, see Kinsey...ya wanna come?" asked Steve.
Ghost had a couple of stray thoughts run through his mind, so was hesitant to say yes. Steve didn't have to be a mind reader to see what Ghost was thinking, this time...his expression said it all.
"Ghost, look...I'm not going to go looking for Nothing...really. Maybe he'll be there, maybe not. We can't just hide out here at the house, waiting for something to happen. It makes us look like scaredy cats...besides, he knows where we live. So, coming or not?
"Guess so," said Ghost. He grabbed his Army jacket. The only place to go on a Friday night in Missing Mile was the Sacred Yew or the record shop. Everything else in town closed early. They knew the club would be full - no band tonight, though - Saturday's were band nights.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
87th installment
warning...adult content
~
"So, are y'all done traveling?" Terry asked.
"Yeah, for awhile, anyway. I got tired of all the driving, and Ghost couldn't handle getting on a plane, yet. Guess we needed a break from our vacation on the road."
"Well, I'm glad you're back. Everybody's always asking about y'all. Kinsey let us know where you were, whenever you called. Are y'all gonna arrange some gigs at the club, now?"
"Yeah, Kinsey said we could, but we'll probably take it easy for a little while. Ghost is putting together a book about it all. Got some good pictures, and he's writing stuff for it. We wrote a couple of new songs, too. Just need to get them polished up," Steve explained.
"Cool," Terry said, "maybe me and R. J. can sit in sometime."
"Sure, I'll let ya know," Steve agreed.
They continued cleaning the house. Ghost came back in, lugging his duffle bag, back-pack, and Steve's guitar.
"Hey, why aren't you over here helping?" Terry asked. "It's your house."
"Y'all are doing it just fine, and besides, Steve told me not to," Ghost said, then grinned.
Terry gave Steve a look. Steve nodded and smiled. Finally, they were finished, and each grabbed a beer, taking it out to the front porch swing. Ghost was still in his bedroom, writing on his memory wall.
"Y'all coming to the Yew, tonight?" Terry asked.
"Don't think so," Steve said. "I'm beat...probably stay around here. I need to feel like we're actually home, again."
"I hear that," Terry said. "Oh, by the way, me and R. J. have been playing pretty regular at the club. We took on Calvin...you remember him? And a new guy in town, Zach...he does the singing. Lord knows I can't sing very good. We're calling ourselves Gumbo," Terry laughed.
"I know...sounds dumb, but anyway, the kids keep coming back to hear us. So, y'all should come check it out. We're doing a show on Saturday."
"So, what are y'all playing different these days?" Steve asked, a sudden mixture of curiosity and jealousy flaring up. He knew there was no reason to resent a band playing at the club, other than Lost Souls?. After all, Kinsey had to draw in customers, but still...
"Uh, some of the old stuff, like we always did, but Zach wanted to add in some punk, and some goth sounding stuff, too. Kinda weird, but the kids seem to like it, so me and R. J. are ok with it." Terry tipped back his beer, draining the can.
"Oh, another thing...we hired a guy as our manager. He says he's been in town before, and saw you and Ghost play, a long time ago. Anyway, he said something kinda strange, too...said he wasn't here to cause you and Ghost any trouble...said you'd understand."
Steve frowned, thinking. "Sounds weird, Terry, and I don't like how it sounds. Maybe we will see ya on Saturday, after all. Guess we should see what's up."
"Ok, then...guess I should get going; half the day's gone already, and I haven't even opened up shop, yet," Terry said. "I'll tell Kinsey y'all are back. Take it easy, man." Terry went down the porch steps to his car. Steve watched him leave, the radio blasting as Terry went down the gravel drive out to the highway.
Steve sat there a while longer, thinking about what Terry had said. If that new manager guy was who he thought it was, it was bad news, all around. He needed to talk to Ghost.
When he got back inside, he found Ghost sound asleep on his bed. Steve shrugged, thinking he'd just tell him later. He thought a nap sounded good, too, so went into his own room. But, sleep was hard to come by...his mind would not stop going over and over the news he'd heard; who was this person and how did he know them. Finally he got up and paced around the house.
The only name that came to mind, was Nothing. He was the only one left of that mangy group of vampires, except maybe Twig and Molochai, and they were useless without Zilla. He hoped Nothing had done away with the both of them, himself...that kid was better off without those two.
Ghost had killed Zilla, plunged the jeweled dagger right in his brain...and he, himself, had killed Christian - didn't mean to but, hey - a vampire dead is the only kind he wanted to deal with. Maybe Nothing still had a chance, being he was only half-vampire. He kind of felt sorry for him, but not enough to welcome him back into town...into their lives. And besides, Nothing had a burning passion for Ghost. Steve knew he'd kill him with his bare hands, if he ever made a move on Ghost.
And so he paced, and thought, and worried, and looked in on Ghost, to see if he was awake yet. And another thing...that other new guy in the band. Terry said his name was Zach. Never heard of him, but if he was in with Nothing, then he didn't like him already.
And, why would Kinsey let scumbags play in his club, anyway? Well, Kinsey didn't know about everything that went down in New Orleans, or about Ann. He could never speak of it again, afterwards. Neither could Ghost. Didn't want to think about it now, either, but how could he not?
"I need to find out!" he said out loud. "I need to find out and deal with it."
Just then, Ghost came into the living room. "Find out what, Steve?" he said as he rubbed his forehead, and ran his hand through his hair.
"Ghost!" Steve yelled, startled. He'd not seen Ghost come in, he was so worked up. "Guess who might be in town, that we haven't seen in a long time...that we never, ever wanted to deal with again?" he paused a second, waiting to see if Ghost would answer.
When Ghost only shrugged, Steve said, "That fucker I said I was gonna kill if I saw him again!"
Ghost looked confused. "I don't know who you're talking about. Just tell me already, I'm not in a mood for guessing games."
"Use your magic powers, and just go on and guess...I'll give you a hint - it's not a good surprise."
Ghost squinched up his eyes and tried to think, but just couldn't. "I can't, Steve, my head is hurting. I can barely see, and I can't think right now."
"Dammit, Ghost, fine...it's your favorite little vampire, Nothing. That's who."
Ghost gasped, and went to sit on the couch. He was shaking. "How...how do you know?" he asked.
"Terry told me, well, he didn't say it was him, but said this strange kid was in town, and he hired him as their manager. Said he knew us and wasn't here to cause us trouble. Sound familiar? Yeah...just like last time...wasn't here to cause us trouble, and look what happened! We both almost died, and Ann did die. Now, he's back to finish the job. What'd'ya think of that?"
Steve was almost hyperventilating. He stopped to catch his breath. "I swear, Ghost, he's not getting anywhere near you. I'm fixing to put an end to this...and to him...for good!"
Ghost's head was pounding, and he held his hands over his ears to try and block out Steve's ranting. "Stop it, Steve," he cried. "Stop yelling. If it's Nothing, he's not gonna hurt us...he promised...and he saved us from Zilla, that one time."
"God! Listen to yourself, Ghost! Don't be taking up for a damn spawn of the devil! He's just as evil as the others. Why can't you see that?"
"Steve, please...I can't even see you right now; leave it alone, leave me alone...stop yelling!"
"Ok, fine, but it's not over. You will see the truth!" Steve said, then stomped out the front door, slamming the screen behind him. Ghost just sat there stunned, and tried to will his head to stop hurting, and his eyesight to clear.
He could still hear Steve stomping around outside. He laid his head back on the couch and tried to breathe evenly. That's what he was doing when Steve finally calmed down, and came back inside.
He looked at Ghost, sorry he'd made it worse. "Still hurting?" he asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Ghost murmured.
"Can you see me, yet?"
Ghost cracked open his reddened eyes, and shook his head, no.
"Damn, I'm sorry I got so worked up. It don't do no good anyway." He brought a cold, wet cloth, for Ghost to put over his eyes.
"Steve, Nothing don't mean nothing to me. I just feel sorry for him, ya know," Ghost said quietly.
"Yeah, I know, but he's obsessed with you. And I can't let it be."
"I know, but trust me Steve. I can shut him down, any time."
"Ok, Ghost...but he better just watch himself...and get outta town, before...before..." Steve trailed off. Ghost reached out and took Steve's hand, squeezing it.
~
By the next morning, Ghost was feeling better, and so they worked on their new songs awhile. Ghost wrote copy for the book, to go along with his notes from the graveyards, and captioned the pictures. He'd get them printed up, soon.
It had turned chilly and rainy, so being inside gave them the time and rest they needed to get back into a familiar routine. By night, however, they were both getting restless.
"I'm going into town, maybe have a beer, see Kinsey...ya wanna come?" asked Steve.
Ghost had a couple of stray thoughts run through his mind, so was hesitant to say yes. Steve didn't have to be a mind reader to see what Ghost was thinking, this time...his expression said it all.
"Ghost, look...I'm not going to go looking for Nothing...really. Maybe he'll be there, maybe not. We can't just hide out here at the house, waiting for something to happen. It makes us look like scaredy cats...besides, he knows where we live. So, coming or not?
"Guess so," said Ghost. He grabbed his Army jacket. The only place to go on a Friday night in Missing Mile was the Sacred Yew or the record shop. Everything else in town closed early. They knew the club would be full - no band tonight, though - Saturday's were band nights.
~
Next installment coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
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