Kiss & Hell (The Last Casket Book 2)

by Wallen, Jack

  Ich geb mein Leben für dich

  Gibst du dein Leben auch für mich?

  “Well played, Kitty! Well played,” Billy shouted.

  The cantata in hate flat crescendoed until the windshield glass shuddered in its frame. In the distance, a massive cloud of dust rose.

  “Holy hand grenade of Antioch,” Max whispered. “We are so fucking doomed.” Max nervously drummed out a speed-metal four-four on the roof of the truck. “Todd,” Max called out. “Maybe now would be a good time to bail.”

  Todd revved the engine in response.

  “Seriously, man,” Max replied. “Make like your last name and get us out of here at the speed of zoom!”

  Another call and response from the engine.

  The first wave of Screamers exploded from the massive cloud of dust. The second Todd spotted the rage-fueled wall of hate, he slammed the truck in gear and punched the gas. The truck lurched forward and was up to speed in seconds.

  Billy grabbed Todd’s arm and shouted, “Dude, why are you heading straight for the zombies?!”

  “Hold onto your butts!” Todd screamed and, just when the truck was dangerously close to the first squadron of Screamers, he turned hard left and punched the gas again. The truck complained against the roadside gymnastics, but muscled onward all the same. The three members in the back of the truck clung to the railing with both arms and every ounce of strength they could muster. A handful of Screamers bounded after the truck, but the old engine had enough chutzpah to distance itself. As soon as the Screamers realized the chase was lost, they turned back to the sound of the Moaners.

  “You don’t think those damnable pricks will find Gracie?” Kitty shouted above the rushing wind.

  Billy stuck his head out the window and called back. “No. We led the Moaners too far away. The Screamers won’t be able to pick up their scent. Besides, more than likely the Sharks’ll come chasing after us once they’re done tearing the Jets to shreds.”

  Todd didn’t hesitate to jam the accelerator to the floor as he pointed the truck back toward the Last Casket.

  ten | gone kitty gone

  The gang arrived back at the Casket as the moon bumped the sun from the playlist. They marched into the bar to see Toque seated alone, nursing a drink.

  “No luck, Toque,” Billy said with disappointment to spare.

  Toque nodded. “Maybe next time, friends.” He lifted his glass to the band and followed the salute with a long drink.

  “I hope like hell there won’t be a next time,” Kitty replied. “I’m exhausted. It’s nap time for this kitty.”

  “My angst has me crashing hard,” Max added.

  Todd scrunched his face up. “Well…umm… I’ll be out in a flash.”

  Boos came from all directions as everyone turned in for the night.

  Toque rose from the bar and made his way to the kitchen door. He placed his hand over the light switch and said, “Night, kiddies. See you all in the morning.”

  Before anyone had a chance to return the kindness, the room went black.

  m/

  Kitty sat up, eyes still closed against the blackness of night. Without the help of sight, she awkwardly stood and stumbled her way to the kitchen door. The stress of singing at full voice for so long had put a serious strain on her chords. She needed water.

  The door to the bar closed behind her. The hum of the kitchen and the smell of well-scrubbed metal was an oddly soothing balm. She reached out in front of her as she shuffle-stepped, until her hand found purchase on the stainless steel, industrial-grade table. With the help of the cold metal guide, she made her way to the sink. The clink of metal pans echoed from behind. She spun on her heels, still unable to see enough to take in the situation.

  “Billy,” Kitty whispered. “Is that you?”

  The clattering fell silent. Kitty’s question went unanswered.

  “I’m not in the mood for games, guys. I just want some…”

  Two powerful arms wrapped around Kitty; one hand placed a cloth over her face—the stench of paint thinner, laced with a misplaced sweetness, stung her eyes and nose. Kitty struggled against the overpowering grip of her assailant.

  “Sssshhh…sssshhh. It’ll all be over soon. Just relax into it, Kitty.” The strange voice caressed her ears with a loathsome kindness.

  The struggle in Kitty’s limbs grew weak, her lungs burned, her eyelids drooped with the weight of a calling calm. She swung her arm up with what little strength she had left, but failed to connect with anything but forgiving air. In what seemed like a far-off distance, she heard the sound of something falling and landing…the noise echoed between her ears and faded as quickly as it came.

  The surrounding blackness of night gave way to a far deeper darkness.

  m/

  Consciousness returned…hard and fast. Kitty’s body jerked in a reverse myoclonic spasm. The rattle of metal chains immediately yanked her mind into the now.

  “Wh-what the fu-uck?” Her vision twisted in a Gaussian blur and then focused on her right wrist…which carried the weight of a heavy metal shackle. Her eyes widened and her mouth unleashed a banshee’s raging wail.

  “Help!” Kitty shouted, neglecting her already exhausted larynx. Again she cried out, ignoring the stabbing pain. “Somebody help me!”

  Through the darkness, a silhouette appeared…tall, skinny. The sound of chair legs dragging against a wooden floor crashed down into the moment.

  “No one can hear you, Kitten.” A raspy, drawn-out voice spoke, “Besides, you need to save that purr-ecious voice for later.” The man affected his voice to bring a new level of creep to an already dark and twisted reality.

  “Why are you doing this? What do you want?”

  “So many questions…so much time.” The stranger laughed. “I’m doing this because I can. What I want, I now have. Does that answer your questions?”

  Kitty’s whimpers evolved into full-blown tears. “No. Please…let me go. I’ll forget this ever happened. I promise…”

  “You are in no state to make promises, Miss Casket.”

  A bright beam of light cut through the darkness and into Kitty’s pupils. She closed her eyes and craned her neck to avoid the sting. “Just tell me what you want? I’ll do anything.”

  Another round of laughter from the stranger. “Oh, my darling, I’m certain you will.”

  The statement floated about, wafting over the air like threat and oppression. Kitty pulled her arms in tight, only to feel the tug of chains at both wrists. The sharp light glinted off the metal cuffs on both wrists.

  A sharp clapping bounced off the walls and brought the lights in the room to life. Kitty squinted against the sting of her adjusting pupils. A torrent of tears fell from her eyes and onto her cheeks. She took in the situation to see both legs were chained. She traced the thick metal links of the restraints to the center of a stage. The final loops were attached to a massive padlock secured to a D-link welded to the floor.

  “Welcome to your new home, Kitty Casket.” The stranger chuckled.

  “Fuck you,” Kitty hissed.

  The stranger stood and offered up a cliched slow clap. “Now, Kitty, you know that’s not a part of the plan. If I wanted sex, I’d just hire a hooker and be done with it. What I want is so much deeper…so much more. I’m fairly certain you are the only woman on the planet capable of delivering to me what I require.” The stranger leaned into Kitty until she could smell the spicy aroma of his breath. “What I want is far deeper than the primal connection brought about by carnal coupling.”

  Kitty strained against her bindings and screamed at the top of her lungs. “I don’t give a shit what you want. Let me the fuck go now!”

  Laughter filled the room from every angle. Kitty twisted her head around to take in the space. She was chained to a stage, complete with instruments of rock destruction—guitar, bass, and drums. Standing sentinel at the other end of the room was a bar.

  “What in the hell is this?” Kitty stood; as she
did, her arms were stretched to the floor by chains too short to allow her the slightest bit of freedom. “What am I doing here?” she screamed.

  The stranger drew nearer to the stage; splayed across his face was the most serene smile. “Kitty Casket, you are going to sing for me.”

  “Like hell I am.”

  Three glowering men entered the bar and stepped up onto the stage. Kitty drew herself inward in an attempt to become as small as she could. Not one of the men approached her. Instead, they took up instruments and turned to face the stranger in front of the stage.

  The stranger pulled a radio to his mouth and said with blistering confidence, “Bring ‘em in.”

  A deep rumbling sound poured from stage right and left. Kitty snapped her head one way and then the other.

  Large cages were rolled out…one placed on either side of Kitty. The all-too-familiar sound of moaning spilled from within each roll-bar prison. The zombies snapped and swung toward Kitty.

  “How shall I put this kindly,” the stranger muttered, as if to himself. “I know…I can’t.” A wicked grin snaked across his lips. “Here’s the deal, Kitty, either you sing or I release these evil, ugly bastards and, within seconds, they have you infected and ready to turn. All you have to do to prevent that…is sing me a song.”

  “Go to hell, fucking creep,” Kitty spat.

  “Well, now, that just hurts, Kitty. I guess I have no choice but to let slip these dogs of war.” The stranger tapped the talk button on the walkie a few times. “What’s it gonna be, sister? Should I give the go to my minions and have them open the cages? Or will you sing to me with that golden throat of yours?”

  Kitty’s chest heaved a down-beat rhythm to punctuate her sobs. The rage that lined her face smoothed slightly and the stream of tears slowed to a trickle. “Fine.”

  The stranger stood and spun in place as he clapped and laughed. “That’s my girl.” He stopped, facing the stage, with that same generous grin spreading across his lips. “I knew you’d come around.” He held his arms up high and, as he mimicked the motion of a conductor, said, “Come on boys…let’s rock!”

  The drummer counted the band in with a quick four beats of his sticks. Kitty instantly recognized the tune as “Red Sweet Red.” As soon as the intro finished, she sang.

  I’m waking up in bright moonlight

  I’m wide awake, but I’ve never been so tired

  Blinded by its lurid glow

  Coming through my open window

  Kitty’s body remained motionless, save her lips and eyes. She blinked out a steady flow of tears as she took in the stranger doing his best molester mash before the stage. She continued singing, the lyrics a poignant tribute to the scene at hand.

  Desire’s calling me

  I can’t wait to taste its sweet, sweet symphony

  From skin to skin, from blood to blood

  This need is all I got

  I’m wide awake I got rules to break

  It’s well known that I’m a bloodsucker

  When you go to sleep then I start to breathe

  And turn into a child of the night

  The stranger joined in on the song, his voice veering toward painfully flat.

  The moon is up and I am out

  A heartbeat calls my name aloud

  It is in my nature

  Deep in my soul

  There is no recovery

  And there is no cure

  The lanky creeper climbed up on the stage and shimmied his way around Kitty. She did her best to crane her neck as he vanished behind her. Even without eyes on the man, Kitty could sense exactly where he was. She stopped singing and allowed him to take the chorus.

  I’m wide awake I got rules to break

  It’s well known that I’m a bloodsucker

  When you go to sleep then I start to breathe

  And turn into a child of the night

  The stranger grabbed a handful of Kitty’s hair and pulled down hard. “Keep singing, Casket. You don’t want to know what happens to you if you deny me my pleasure.”

  Kitty complied and repeated the chorus solo.

  Desire’s killing me

  I can’t wait to taste its sweet, sweet symphony

  From skin to skin, from blood to blood

  This lust is all I got

  The stranger joined back in for a rousing final refrain, his voice ragged and cracking against the strain of the task.

  I’m in a bloodrush

  And you can’t hold me back

  The only thing I want is

  Your sweet, sweet red

  The last notes of the song rang out against the rough-hewn brick walls and tin ceiling of the bar. The stranger squealed with delight. “Holy shit! Kitty Casket, you just made my dreams come true. That was…damn, girl, you are better in person than you are in the studio.”

  Kitty stared at the man, eyes rimmed with rage and lips sealed tight.

  The stranger swooped in and planted a kiss on Kitty’s lips before she had a chance to react.

  “Yowza, those lips are like sugar.” The stranger tilted his head from one side to the next. “Did my voice just echo?” The question was followed by a bout of maniacal laughter. “Oh, my love, we are going to make such sweet fucking music together!”

  eleven | catnapped

  Billy snored…just enough to startle him from sleep. In the deep darkness of the Casket, he rolled over, expecting his arm to drape over the torso of Kitty. When his hand smacked down onto the cold floor, his mind and body were shocked to waking.

  “Kitty?” Billy launched the hushed whisper into the darkness. His query was met with silence. “Fuck. Kitty…” He called louder. “You there?”

  When she didn’t answer, Billy stood and shuffle-stepped his way to the kitchen door. He slammed his hand against the metal of the entrance and, once it opened, slipped his arm into the kitchen and felt along the wall for the light switch.

  The too-bright light dug into his pupils like Freddy Kruger’s fingers. Billy blinked against the sting until his eyes adjusted. The kitchen was empty. He walked toward the rear of the room, his bare feet slapping against the hard tile. When he reached the halfway mark, his right foot connected with an object that rattled across the floor.

  “What the hell?” Billy dropped to his hands and knees.

  Under the stainless steel, industrial-sized table, Billy spotted the object he’d kicked. He stretched his right arm under the table until his fingers touched down on whatever it was.

  The second his eyes took in the familiar jeweled knife, he screamed, “Kitty!”

  Billy’s cry was met with silence. He dashed through the kitchen in a desperate search. Once he’d exhausted every possible hiding place, he called out, “Hey! Everyone…get the fuck in here now!”

  From within the bar, a rumble of moans rose and fell. The muffled sounds of waking too soon spilled under the door.

  Todd Flash entered the kitchen first. “What the fuck, Billy?”

  As an answer, Billy held up the knife.

  “Yeah? So you found a bedazzled knife. Big douching deal. Can I go back to sleep now?”

  The door crashed open again—this time, Max shuffled through. “This better be worth waking me from what was probably the best sex dream I’ve ever had.”

  Billy once again thrust the knife into the air.

  Without saying a word, Max turned and made to exit the kitchen.

  “Kitty’s been kidnapped.”

  Billy’s proclamation sucked the frustration from the room.

  Todd was the first to reply. “What do you mean, she’s been kidnapped?”

  “What do you mean, what do I mean? The implication is pretty clear. Someone fucking took her from here…as in Kitty Casket is not in the Casket.”

  “Maybe she’s using the litter box, dude.” Tom spoke through a cavernous yawn.

  Billy raised the knife one final time. “You see this knife?”

  “Yeah, Bat, that’s the third time you’ve mad
e a point to show it to us. Care to finally explain?” Todd snarked.

  “This is the knife that prick pulled on me, right after he attacked Toque,” Billy snapped.

  “Are you certain?” Max questioned.

  “How could I forget a knife like this? Trust me…this is it.”

  “Yeah,” Todd began. “But how does finding that knife equate to Kitty being kidnapped?”

  Billy hesitated.

  “What is it, Billy?” Todd insisted.

  The skin on Billy’s face blanched. “Right before he left, the dude said, ‘You never know what might come up missing.’”

  “So?” Tom prodded.

  “Kitty’s come up missing!” Billy shouted.

  Before anyone could say another word, Toque entered. He was in the process of tying his robe as he approached the young men. “What did you just say, Billy?”

  Toque’s voice caught Billy off guard. He jumped and then spun on his heels, fists ready to fly. When he spotted Toque, his hands lowered back to his side.

  “I said…Kitty’s come up missing.”

  Toque’s voice brought a level of calm floating down on the moment. “Are you certain? Have you checked the entire building?”

  Billy shook his head sharply.

  “Well, then, I suggest we search for her before jumping to possibly erroneous conclusions.”

  The gang agreed and split up to search every visible and not-so-visible inch of the Casket. Shouts rang out through the building—cat calls of a different nature.

  “Nothing,” Billy said as he returned to the kitchen. Toque shook his head to confirm his search had turned up nothing as well.

  “She’s gone,” Toque said softly. “We know who took her, we just don’t know where.”

  “What do we do?” Max asked.

  “We get out there and find her,” Billy insisted.

  “Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?” Todd asked.