by M. O. McLeod
Kurma looked back out the window one last time and braced herself for the night’s events. She knew she wanted the towers, which meant a point to her name and a step further in getting closer to creating a life where she called the shots and where she had more control than Santino.
From time to time she thought of Santino, her old boyfriend who was now a Phantom—a cannibalistic monstrosity. Santino led all of the Phantoms of the city, who just happened to be the Raptors food source. Kurma and the girls had already killed some, but the Phantoms kept coming in hordes and had been attacking and reducing the number of the citizens of Alexandria. Kurma knew that she had to either keep her Raptor numbers up, create more Raptors, or find a better place to hide out from the Phantoms.
The Olivares Tower would be Kurma’s. Santino would not dare come for her there. “Let’s go ladies, it’s show time.”
The girls walked through the light snow on the ground up to the cross walk and looked out at the brightly lit building. Across the street the scene was in full gear. The valet men looked crisp in there purple suits and quickly worked to move the cars away from the curb of the impressive tower. The curbside was all abuzz as the girls made their way pass the doormen in their top hats and buttoned suits. The guests of the tower were donned in beautiful garments made of furs, leathers, and expensive looking fabrics. The girls had on basic black dresses, no jackets or scarves. Kurma worried that they would stand out in the worse way, but there was nothing she could do about not looking posh. She didn’t have any money and it had been hard enough to steal all the dresses they had on. Ever since the Phantoms had attacked the city the security level was on high, so simply taking things had become harder.
Kurma heard a slight scuffle and watched as a bellboy blow his whistle while pointing to a man wearing a hooded fur coat.
“Phantom!”
Kurma’s eyes became wide as she watched the suspected man’s face go from calm to rage. Dark veins ran up his face as he tried to hide beneath his coat.
“I am a tenant here!” the man yelled with a mouth full of dangerously sharp teeth.
The crowd parted away from the man who was now being corned by policemen with their guns raised. Kurma quickly slipped into the tower, but not before the man lost his self-control and lunged for the policemen who shot their pistols immediately. The patrons and guest at the Olivares Tower screamed and ducked away. Guns smoked silently as the night went into a deep freeze. Kurma held her breath at the sight of the Phantom laying in his own smoking silver blood. She was about to turn away when she caught the presumed dead Phantom roll over onto his stomach trying to flee. Guns went off again and Kurma knew that the police would keep shooting until the thing stopped moving. The event started up again as if nothing had happened with people talking boisterously and cars honking. Kurma watched as the security dragged the pale, overgrown Phantom off the hotel’s curbside.
“Kurma we have to go inside before they start asking us for tower keys,” Rimselda said as she grabbed for Kurma’s arm and ushered the girl off down the lobby.
Kurma had to keep focus. She looked over at O’bellaDonna who didn’t even seem concerned. If anything, O’bellaDonna seemed to be floating on air. Her walk was immaculate, her hips swaying left and right as she smiled at the guests as if she was an old friend.
***
The floors were marble and glossy inside the Olivares Tower. The building was huge and had dark corridors lining the main entrance. From time to time Kurma would see huge fern plants dangling from the ceilings and wide sheets of crystal hanging in rows lighting the otherwise dark interior of the tower. Kurma saw a colored waterfall coming from the upper floors pouring into a stone basin and knew she was surrounded in class. The girls walked by the concierge desk into a lone brightly lit hallway and saw two buff men in suits guarding the door and a small petite woman with shocking blonde hair behind a tiny podium. Kurma watched as O’bellaDonna doubled her speed in her five inch heels. Kurma fell in line and figured she would let one of her Raptor’s do the work for once.
O’bellaDonna had everything under control. She had already prepared for this night and had one of her many fake identifications handy. Her identification read a simple name, Ashley Smith. There was bound to be an Ashley on the list. O’bellaDonna had a plan B and C just in case A didn’t work. She moved closer to the hostess and smiled her winning smile and said her full alias.
“Also, I have four other guests with me tonight,” finished O’bellaDonna. “That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
The host, in her bright pink suit, tossed her locks about and scrolled down her list with a felt-tip pen. She tapped her foot silently and hummed to herself as she flipped the pages.
O’bellaDonna turned to the girls and gave them the look. “Ashley Smith, with an E.”
The hostess looked up and giggled loudly and said, “Yeah, with an E. I got it,” then looked back down at the list absentmindedly. “There you are, Ashley. I was just about to give up on you.”
O’bellaDonna gave a nervous laugh.
“But it seems that you are to only have one guest,” the hostess explained. “I’m sorry, but the party is already at capacity and rules are rules.” The hostess plastered a glossy grin across her face and put her list down.
“Oh my, is that my darling sugar pop?” a voice asked from behind.
Heads turned and caught a flamboyant stick of a man who wore a feather and lace outfit. His face was sunken in and his hair was rolled in tight curls. His facial features were feminine but his body was that of a gangly basketball player, tall and thin.
“Rupert, my heart!” screamed O’bellaDonna.
Kurma and the rest of the girls stood aside as the two had their reunion in the middle of the entrance way.
“Babes, love, hone, sugar pop, I have heard so much about you. Why are you standing in this hallway and not inside already?”
O’bellaDonna responded, “This lovely hostess here won’t let all of my friends in.”
Rupert gasped and frowned his face up. “You ladies,” he pointed at the girls, “with me, now.” Rupert walked in between the girls up to the hostess and said his name, high and clear. “Plus these five lovely ladies.” Rupert snapped his fingers and the hostess hurriedly flipped through the pages, not even asking for I.D. One of the security guards inched closer and cleared his throat.
“Okay, there you are, Mr. Rupert. Mr. Chauncey has been waiting for you.”
“As he should be dear.” Rupert flicked his feather boa and walked through the wooden doors and the girls followed behind. Rupert grabbed O’bellaDonna’s hand and led her up front and started reminiscing about the old days.
Kurma didn’t care too much about their conversation. She was busy watching the scene. The party inside the Olivares Tower was in full swing. There weren’t a lot of people on the dance floor. No, there were groups and cliques formed everywhere, with servers walking in and out of the makeshift walkways. Plush vanilla couches were scattered throughout the room. There were beautiful art pieces adorning the walls and a light show being illuminated from a projector somewhere in the room. There were two buffets for the party, one on either side of the room. Couples danced on the elevated platform in the middle and onlookers stood, watched, and ate. There was a DJ booth with a live MC hosting the party. Liquor flowed and people smiled and laughed the night away.
“Rupert and I are going outside to catch some breeze. Kurma, game time,” O’bellaDonna whispered into Kurma’s ear.
Kurma nodded and turned to the rest of the girls. “Alright, see if anybody can get the drop on the security or the system room, better yet, if you can get one of the employees on our side that would be even better.” Kurma knew that last one was going to be a stretch.
Jackie took Chelsea’s hand and led the girl off towards the buffet table where a group of women were dancing together. Kurma looked to Rimselda to see how her protégé was doing.
Kurma didn’t worry too much about Rimse
lda anymore. She had grown and matured in the time of becoming a Raptor. She didn’t ask a ton of questions and wasn’t as naïve as she used to be. If Kurma asked something of Rimselda then Rimselda did it, no problem. It felt good to have someone in her corner. Before she had her brothers, but they were gone and not coming back. Rimselda was her closest friend now and second in charge.
Kurma spoke up over the loud music, “By tomorrow we will be on the top floor.”
Rimselda nodded.
“Any little information helps, just come back and report everything.”
Rimselda turned and disappeared into the crowd. Kurma felt nervous to say the least. She was back on her own. In her old life she was good in school, was pretty and quiet. But, she was naturally a loner at heart, never really having many friends, never going to dances, didn’t get invited to sleepovers in school and ate behind the school during lunch. She was socially awkward and had been for a long time. She had felt alone for most of her life. She got nervous in open places, her thoughts raced, and her tongue got tied when things got out of her control. But ever since becoming a Raptor things had changed. Kurma knew what she had to do.
Kurma took a deep breath in and paced the room a bit and noticed a small glass room off to the side. The room looked as if there were people inside, but there was too much haze to see into the room. As Kurma came closer she saw that the chamber was actually a cigar room, with smoke seeping from the door every time someone came in or out. Kurma shot off a million questions in her head. Who was inside, were they important enough to end up smelling like smoke all night, what would she say when she got inside, or would anybody try and talk to her? Butterflies flew up and down her stomach. It felt worse than when she lost her virginity to Santino…the nervousness. This was the big league, big men in expensive suits who probably chewed out young girls like her. But, the top of the Olivares Tower was too bright; she had to have it and everything else inside it.
Kurma placed her olive-skinned hand over the doorknob, turned, pulled and was immediately engulfed by a thick timbered scent. Her vision was clouded from the smoke, so she switched to her Raptor eyes. Kurma saw that there were some men sitting around and other men standing and smoking thick cigars. She also noticed that she was the only female in the glass room. Heads turned her way and she felt like a fly stuck on a sticky trap. The door opened again from behind her and Kurma was brushed aside by an older gentleman with thick side burns and an even thicker mustache.
“Excuse me miss,” the man spoke softly.
Kurma tried to regain her composer and moved away from him. The man turned and looked directly at her, making Kurma change her eyes back to her human ones.
“Did you want to sit down?” the man asked Kurma as he showed her to an empty leather bar stool.
“Sure,” Kurma said. She took the seat and placed her arms on the wet bar. The bartender immediately placed a martini in front of her, which she picked up to keep her hands busy.
“I’m Doyle Packer, I own this place,” the man said as he situated himself besides Kurma. Doyle signaled for the bartender and ordered himself a neat Jameson. Turning to Kurma, he seemed intrigued. “And, you are?”
“Karmenia, but everyone calls me Kurma for short.”
“Karmenia, what a lovely name,” Doyle spoke softly. “Do you smoke cigars, Ms. Karmenia?”
“Just call me Kurma, I prefer it better.”
Doyle chuckled lightly to himself and pulled a Cuban cigar from his inner pocket. Taking his gold-crested lighter, he lit up his cigar, nice and slow and puffed in Kurma’s face.
“Would you like to try?”
Kurma could barely breathe in the stuffy room. But she had heard enough to know that the man sitting across from her owned the tower and if he was offering a smoke then that was what she was going to do. He could have offered her a box of Twinkies and she would have tried that too, anything to keep him talking.
Kurma had never thought of herself as sexy but she tried her hardest to seem seductive and cool as she leaned forward and took the cigar from Doyle’s thick hands. She played dumb a bit just for show.
“All I have to do is just puff on it, right?”
“Right,” answered Doyle. “Not too hard. Let the cigar relax a bit.”
Kurma puffed a bit and felt slightly older. She laughed which made Doyle laugh.
“Is it hard work owning a complex like this?” asked Kurma.
Doyle scratched his thick beard and grimaced. “Life is hard, work is even harder. To be able to make something out of nothing, to see your work from the ground up, now, that makes it all worth it.” Doyle finished his drink and ordered another one. “Do you want another drink?”
“No, I’m fine,” Kurma answered. She looked around the room and scanned everyone’s faces. They were all in their own world not paying any attention to her. She had struck gold in meeting Doyle and knew she would have to work fast.
“Here is your cigar back; I think that’s your thing and not mine.”
Doyle shrugged his shoulders and took back his cigar and plopped it in his mouth.
Kurma inched closer and spoke deep and soft. “You know, this is my very first time in the Olivares Tower. I hope it’s not too much to ask, but could you maybe show me around?”
Doyle looked Kurma up and down as he puffed on his cigar. “You know I only came here tonight to show my face and present this award to the manager of the place.” Doyle stood up and towered over Kurma. “Never did I think that I would end up giving someone a tour of my own complex. I don’t do those kinds of things sweetheart.”
Kurma almost swallowed her tongue from embarrassment.
“But,” started Doyle, “for someone as young and beautiful as you are, how can I say no?”
Kurma let the air back into her lungs. She flashed her teeth and finished her drink. She lightly placed her arm through his and flipped her hair away from her face. Kurma let Doyle lead her out of the cigar room and back through the party. It was go time.
***
“Rupert you saved my ass back there!”
“Didn’t seem like you had everything under control,” said Rupert. “So unlike you.” He cut his eyes at her and smiled at the same time. Rupert knew O’bellaDonna was from the streets. He was too, but that was years behind him, his past and so many rich men ago. He had met O’bellaDonna some years back in a shoe boutique where he noticed she had swindled the owner in giving her a pair of heels and immediately liked her style. Nonetheless, he knew she did shady things and would double cross you if she had too. But she was also young and hip and in a room full of stuffy rich people, Rupert needed some excitement.
“Trust, I had a backup plan. I’m just glad I didn’t have to bring out the big guns!”
The two laughed as they looked out into the cold night. They were overlooking the western side of the building and saw bright lights north of the city. The pair stood next to an outside heater and nibbled on hors d’oeuvres.
“What about that crazy mess in south Alexandria?” proclaimed Rupert out of nowhere.
O’bellaDonna nibbled her food slower. She knew all about the problem on the south side and the east side for that matter too.
“It is lights-out over there. They say that the east side is shut down too!” said Rupert in a shocked voice. He threw his hands up which only made his feathers move in a fury. “Nobody is safe over that way. You couldn’t catch me driving over there in a tank honey child.”
“You heard anything about the west?”
Rupert cut his eyes at O’bellaDonna again. “Now, who you talking too? You know I know about the west side.”
She hadn’t been on the west side in months. The west side was where most homes were and the exit out of Alexandria into the desert.
Rupert began in a hushed voice, “Its pandemonium love. All the people from the east and south have been trying to get into the west. But what they don’t know is that whatever is going round, this Phantom thing, is already in the w
est.”
“What do you mean?” asked O’bellaDonna. She was intrigued about the news. She had been out of the Phantom news because she was a Raptor and knew those two didn’t mix.
“Rumor is that the Phantoms that live over the west side is just like you or me and only come out at night and then they attack! They have people staying in their backyards, in their basement acting like they are going to help the stranded folks of Alexandria and turn around and do some crazy stuff at night. A lot of people have been missing for days.” Rupert finished and touched his curls lightly. He had heard more than that but he wasn’t going to tell any more than he needed.
“They call it Phantasm, you know?”
“Oh, honey pop I know what they call em’,” said Rupert.
“You leaving the city anytime soon?” asked O’bellaDonna.
“They gone have to burn Alexandria down to the ground to get me to leave. Aint nothing outside of this city but that god forsaken desert and an ocean on the other side,” responded Rupert. “Plus, I got a nice little nest up on the north side. You know, daddy keep me right,” he joked.
“Oooohhh!” squealed O’bellaDonna. She wanted to be living in luxury like Rupert. “I heard that. But seriously, the Phantoms are out killing people, eating them whole. Are the police winning?”
“They’re calling it a ‘War on Phantasm’. The governor is getting involved.”
“What’s the governor going to do? He never did nothing before,” yelled O’bellaDonna.
Rupert tried to hush her up, “Ssshhhh, I know sugar. The governor is just going to stay over on the Bluff side of the desert and sip his life away.” Rupert smirked loudly. “But if the RAID and the police don’t get it together, then who will?” Rupert stopped a server and grabbed a flute of champagne and tucked his coat around him tighter.
