That was unbelievably cruel, Cadence, David said.
And what you did to Juno wasn’t? Cadence asked. I’m sorry, dear. When you adore me, I can feel it and it makes me want to drive you crazy. Even now. It’s as much your fault as it is mine.
She was blocking my view. And I’m happy to accept full responsibility.
David, you really are impossible.
A member of the mob of townsfolk moved forward and snatched the photographs, bringing them back with him as Cadence resumed speaking. “I want you to look at those pictures. Every person in every one has given their life to feed your hunger. Many more have too. All so you could eat your precious provision. There’s no reason for you to continue doing so. It doesn’t help you in the slightest. It’s actually hurting you much more than you know. I, myself, only partook because I foolishly promised myself to a man, who stands alongside you, who had no intention of ever making me his wife.”
People in the crowd began pushing and shoving and, soon, it was obvious where Brent was standing. ‘Seriously? You wouldn’t hit that?’ was the question that seemed to be asked the most. The best Brent could do was shrug and explain that he tried to. Which wasn’t entirely a lie. Brent’s bones began cracking with every shove from the crowd. No one noticing they were accidentally beating him to death until it was almost too late.
You shouldn’t have. Cadence looked back to see David’s blinking slow. He wasn’t worth the energy.
But you are, David said. I won’t apologise. He nearly killed you, and now he’s nearly dead. We’ll be fine. I love you, angel. No one will ever hurt you again. Or, at least, I won’t just let them. Your past attachment to him made him a threat. That threat no longer exists.
Oh, my David, Cadence said. I do love you. So very much. Thank you.
Forever, Cadence.
“But we need it to survive,” someone else yelled out. “It makes us stronger and better able to work and live our lives how God intended.”
“No,” Cadence said, as the crowd slowly advanced. “You only think you need it. And your hunger for the human meat has nothing to do with God. Consuming it was a conscious choice each and every one of you made, so please quit laying the blame at His feet. As I said, the provision provides no benefit you wouldn’t get from a cow. Or a pig. Or a chicken. You may think it makes you stronger. Or more virile. Or what have you. But that’s all folderol. Poppycock. Foolishness.”
The crowd advanced even closer, as the sky grew dark and their overwhelming murmur sounded a bit angry. Possibly insulted. Definitely edgy and tense.
“You really know how to pick ’em.” Juno backed up slightly. “She’s going to get me fuckin’ killed for sure.”
David looked back at Juno and yanked her forward, to his side. “I know how to pick them now, anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, if things go badly, all of us will die.” Juno looked at David like she was confused. David scoffed. “You know what I mean, you cheap trick. You sold me out to save your own ass. We already had this argument. Oh and, by the way. Our relationship. Or whatever it became when you decided we were no longer exclusive. That’s over. I’m off the market.”
“As if you could do better than me. Who is it? Her?” Juno pointed at Cadence and coughed as she watched David nod. Wanting to laugh, but not finding everything all that hilarious anymore. “Good luck getting a decent blow job again. Ever, Davey. You fuckin’ idiot.”
“Blow jobs aren’t everything, Junie. But thanks for all the memories.” David turned his face back to look at the crowd, as Juno crossed her arms and pouted.
“What you’re experiencing,” Cadence said, undaunted by the movement of the crowd, “is called the Placebo Effect.” Sounds of confusion rolled through the streets in waves. “You can read about it in a book. They have several that explain it very well. At the local library.” She turned around and looked right into Juno’s eyes. “They also have quite a selection of hard-core erotica, though it’s mostly unimaginative dross. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about David. He’ll never need to stray. No matter what his desires. And he will certainly no longer have to settle for anything mundane or ‘decent’. I can do things with my tongue you wouldn’t believe.”
David chuckled, and spoke directly to Cadence as she turned back around. “God, I love you more and more every second.” Juno struck David’s ribs with her elbow, hard, as he finished his sentence, and pulled it back in shock to rub at the deep bruise.
How much time until your friends arrive? Cadence asked.
Should be here in just under seven minutes, David said.
“Please,” Cadence said to the crowd. Her voice was loud. Commanding. Stopping the mob in their tracks as they’d begun to move forward at a more feverish pace. “If you want to continue feeding on the provision, I am not here to judge you. I am only wishing to leave. And I will be leaving. There is nothing any of you can do to stop that. But you do have three options.”
The crowd quieted down. Interested.
“The first is that you leave now. Go back to your homes and your places of work and forget this ever happened. I promise you that I will bear no grudges.”
No one in the crowd seemed at all enthusiastic about just letting things go.
“The second,” Cadence continued, “is that you advance on me. However, should you advance on me or my beloved David, you will only be ensuring that you become the provision you hunger so desperately for. Because I will maim, torture and kill each and every one of you who come anywhere near me or my beloved. And there won’t be a thing you can do but watch in horror as I make you suffer a most cruel and painful death.”
They all believed her. There was a reason they were so upset she was leaving. “The third, and final, option is that you accept my offer of a sacrifice. A great bounty of provision you may feast upon for months, perhaps a year, while you learn to provide for yourselves, or one amongst you takes my place and does all the dirty work everyone wishes to benefit from but no one wishes to perform.”
“Is she talking about me? Is that what she threatened me with inside?” Juno trembled.
“Fuck, no,” David said. “She means Paulie and his crew. She was messing with you before. You may have a nice pair of tits and a bouncy little ass, but they’re not going to feed an entire town for a year.”
David, please, Cadence said. Can you refrain from speaking such things to that foul woman. I know she’s beautiful and she’s—
I’m just giving her a hard time, Cadence, David said. And I just broke the relationship news to her.
I know. And I know. Cadence laughed inside. I couldn’t resist. I’m just playing with you too.
The crowd started to get restless again.
“Where’s this big fuckin’ sacrifice?” they all seemed to shout as one.
“You’ve chosen wisely,” Cadence said. “I present to you—”
David grabbed Cadence around the waist and ran her off to the side of the road, as Juno sped to catch up, and he shouted: “Meals on wheels.”
Just as they ducked around the side of the kill house, twenty-six vans, seven limousines and twenty-seven crappy grey four-door compact cars came roaring around the corner to a stop.
Guatemalans poured out by the hundreds. From their hiding place on the side of the house farthest from the corn, David and Juno both recognised Paul and Richard. Standing well in the back. Behind their army of Machete and gun wielding goons.
Paul pulled out a bullhorn he’d borrowed from the city police and made an announcement.
“All right, all you backwoods, country ass, half retarded, inbred pricks. I’m only going to say this once. We’re here for one man, one woman and a cassette tape.” Paul looked over at Richard as the crowd stood, unmoved. “Here’s the thing. There’s lots of rumours going around that you corn-fed idiots eat people. ...And a whole lot of other crazy shit... I’m not judging, if that’s true. I could give a fuck. All I’m saying to y
ou good people right now is, if you want to live to see tomorrow, you’ll hand over your town’s newest residents. And I mean now. You do that and we’re gone. You don’t...?” He paused for dramatic effect. “You don’t and we’ll slaughter you all. Maybe we’ll leave six or seven of you alive so you can pretend it’s all-you-can-eat day at the local buffet. Your choice.”
“This is getting exciting.” Cadence looked back toward David. “But I’m not going to miss it.” She kissed David on the chin as Juno moved to strike her. “We will live peaceful lives.” She let her tongue lick around David’s lips and smacked Juno’s hand away, leaving a welt. “You will never want for anything I can give you.”
“And I will always be there for you, my angel.” David returned her kiss even more fully.
Juno began to say something insulting, but then turned and ran around the back of the kill house, making her way behind the army of Guatemalans and over to Richard and Paul.
Richard welcomed her warmly. Sliding his hand down the back of her jeans and giving her ass a squeeze. “Oh, baby. You are looking better. A little beat up, but better.” He glanced over at Paul, who was still waiting for an answer from the mob. “Where’s our little Davey boy at?” Richard paused, waiting. “What’s...? Is your temple all fucked up from Davey training you to be his bitch?” Juno flinched as she shook her head. “Then where the fuck is he?”
Juno winced. Hating to give David up, though the thought of him swapping spit with that disgustingly proper little vixen they’d endured as a neighbour for the past few days was making her want to kill him with her bare hands. “He’s behind the house. On the far side. Away from me. Pretty much between me and the mob of locals.”
“That settles that, then,” Paul said. “Does he have the tape?”
“Yeah. It’s on him. In his pants pocket. He hasn’t let it go the whole time we’ve been here.”
“Okay, good,” Paul said. “Then we’ll take him out.”
“But...” Juno wondered, again, why the words were coming out of her mouth. And why the swelling on her hand, where Cadence had struck her, was concurrently disappearing. “He’s with another woman. A local woman. I can’t stand her. As delusional as they come. She’s, like, the same age as me and she’s convinced she’s Davey’s mom, but she’s not a bad person. Maybe you could leave her alive?”
“Wrong time, wrong place,” Paul said. “Bad shit happens to good people every day. And to people like you.”
“But, Ricky. You promised me. I thought you always made good on your—”
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth unless I say.” Ricky pushed Juno’s arms down to her sides as he cracked her across the face, thirteen times on each side. Harder with each blow. His stare daring her to defend herself. Watching to make sure her hands didn’t move and she didn’t stumble. “That’s a good bitch. You remember who you’re talking to. Tell me what you are.”
“I’m...” Juno replied, beginning to fall apart. Flustered and remembering how desperately she’d wanted to never feel the fear and degradation she was experiencing again. Wishing she’d stayed with David and Cadence. “I don’t know what you want,” she muttered, tears streaming down her puffed up, bruising cheeks.
“You’re an ugly, useless junkie whore who does who and what she’s told. Tell me.”
“I’m an ugly...” She paused, trying to keep from breaking down, and Richard’s hand threatened another succession of smacks. “...useless junkie whore who does who and what I’m told,” she said, her soul evaporating through her eyes as she tried to hold back tears and her entire body quaked uncontrollably.
“Don’t make me have to say it,” Richard demanded.
Juno began sobbing hysterically as she managed to reply. “Thank you for reminding me what I am, Ricky.”
“And, just so you never fuckin’ forget again...” Juno looked up, scared, as Richard grabbed her wrist and three Guatemalans held her in place. “Look away,” he said. “This won’t hurt as much if you don’t see.” But Juno watched as Richard pulled out a small pair of pruning shears and cut off the ring finger of her right hand as she screamed. He held his hand out, a Guatemalan passed him a hot coiled cigarette lighter from one of the cars and he cauterised the nub. “Don’t worry, baby. You don’t need that to take a good drilling. Besides, who would put a ring on that finger anyway?” He laughed as Juno cried. “Nobody in their right mind, that’s who. You three-timing little shit. You’re lucky I’m letting you live. If you consider wasting away on dope, and spending the work day in the gutter on your knees, living. And stop with the crying or I’m going to really beat the shit out of you later.” Juno rubbed at her eyes as he gave her another quick slap across the chin. “Did you actually believe we were going to welcome you back with open arms? Get the fuck out of my face.” She stared ahead blankly. “You really are that stupid, aren’t you?” Richard pinched her nose shut and punched her in the throat. Feeling her fight to breathe. Then he pushed her away and the three Guatemalans hustled her into the back seat of a compact car.
“Send boys around the side,” Paul said to Richard, and then he screamed into the bullhorn again. “Look. I haven’t got all fuckin’ day. But we have the woman now. All we want is the man and the cassette tape and we’re nothing but a memory. And look. I know you folks are old fashioned, but I’m going to need an answer this century.”
Cadence yelled out from the side of the house. “Don’t listen to them, good folk. Don’t listen. Once they think they have the man I’m with, they’ll kill you all anyway. They can’t leave any witnesses. You must know that. This is your sacrifice. My offering to you. Either you consume it, as I will ensure you can, or I promise I will most definitely allow it to consume you.”
Cadence created a glass prison around herself and David, from where they stood, up through the front lawn, as she felt several Guatemalan goons advancing along the side of the house. David sat down, against the wall, and she sat in his lap so her dress wouldn’t get stained as they watched.
Within moments the sky turned black and the air misted crimson.
“All right,” Paul said from his command station at the back. “Let’s fuckin erase this town.” He barked orders in Spanish over his bullhorn as the townsfolk rushed at them.
David and Cadence decided to make their way onto the lawn, where Cadence resumed sitting in David’s lap, as they watched the carnage unfold. Staying safe inside their glass prison. Preserving their energy. Each of them contributing to the violence in non-violent ways. Blinding the Guatemalans. Making their pistols jam. Causing them to ham-fistedly drop their Machetes or, on occasion, accidentally kill one of their own with a wild swing. Easily allowing the townsfolk, who could no longer see either of them, to overrun the invading city drug syndicate’s forces. Shooting, stabbing and skewering their way through waves of Guatemalan goons as if they were ploughing a low-cut field.
David sucked his thumb while they watched and waited, and the sound of the battle was instantly replaced by the sound of a hospital’s nursery. Cadence laughed and slapped him on the knee before she reversed the spell. Then she pulled his thumb from his mouth and held it to her chest, humming softly as his head relaxed on her shoulder.
When the action got too close, and it appeared there was no stopping, or even harming, any of the townsfolk, Paul, Richard, Juno and seven Guatemalans tore out of town as fast as they could in three compact cars nearest the dirt road leading out of town. To Cadence’s despair, and slight relief, Brent’s broken, helpless body was trampled to death in the mayhem.
When it was all over, David erased the glass prison surrounding himself and Cadence and they walked back to the front door of his temporary home to retrieve her bags.
The street ran red with rivers of blood. Littered with dead bodies and lots of confused locals. All demanding to know what in the hell they were supposed to do with the Guatemalans’ remains. Because, as they pointed out angrily, they didn’t resemble the boneless steaks and burgers they were so used to eat
ing. Not at all.
Should we help them out? David asked.
No, Cadence said. They’ll figure it out themselves. When they get hungry enough. If they think they really need it, they’ll learn. It’s no longer my... Our concern. They can eat the provision. They can eat themselves alive arguing about it. This place is theirs. Their lives. Their problems. Not mine to fix. Nothing, in fact, is mine to fix. And I, for one, am never eating a human being again. I don’t know how I did it for so long.
Giving up now? David asked. You’re going to make me cry.
You really are irredeemable, Cadence said, laughing. You know what I meant. My God, David. ...And please, you can wait to eat me later. Good Lord.
As they finished gathering all their things, the seven townsfolk who got it in their heads that either David or Cadence would make a fine addition to the meat they were haphazardly collecting that afternoon, died mysteriously. At least, it appeared mysterious to everyone but Cadence and David.
Twenty-five minutes later, when they had finished packing all their suitcases, and other belongings, in one of the compact cars Paul’s crew left behind, they waved goodbye to the townsfolk, began kissing as light poured down from the sky, lost themselves in each other for longer than was probably appropriate and proceeded to drive off into the sunset.
Paul, Richard, Juno and the seven goons remaining in Paul’s army poured back into the warehouse office. All shaking, all scared, even the muscle.
It was getting late and the sky was looking ugly, but the day they’d just been through felt more than a few shades darker.
“What in the good sweet mother of Jesus fuckin’ Christ was that shit?” Richard asked, still unable to shake the fear. “That place really is a kill house. Fuckin’ cannibals, was it? And they were like demons. Unstoppable. Maybe they really were alien space monsters. I didn’t see any dead cops, but Davey really fucked us. And good. I’ll tell you what, though. I’ve got a book of at least twenty-seven great ideas on how to make his sorry ass beg for death. And you can bet, if I ever catch his ass. When I catch his ass, I’m going to make him suffer every one.”
fiX - A ParaBnormal Fairy Tale Page 49
