by Crymsyn Hart
“Barry, you going to that freaky club tonight?”
Barrett gritted his teeth. He hated being called Barry and his coworker, Travis, knew that. “For the last time, don’t call me Barry.”
He threw up his hands. “Dude, don’t get your boxers in a wad. I was kidding. So you going to the club or what?”
“Yes. I’m going.”
Travis clapped him on the back. “Sweet, man. They have some fucked up things there. I was hoping to get my freak on. See you later.”
Barrett shook his head and headed to his apartment. There he flipped through his wardrobe and pulled out his leather pants, his old combat boots, and a black mesh shirt. He ran some gel through his hair and then looked at himself in the mirror. It wasn’t the look he was going for because he resembled all the other emaciated Goth boys who thought they were all that because they could sway with the music or had the latest designer fangs. He glanced at his watch. Shit. I’m going to be late.
Once he got to the club, the line was already wrapped around the corner. From his vantage point, he could see the flames by the entrance spouting up into the air. The whole building was painted black, but it was much bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. He wasn’t sure how many levels were below ground now that he knew of the second level. Barrett didn’t think there would be too many more. The club itself was a mystery. It claimed to have been in business for over thirty years in the same location, but he didn’t remember it being there more than ten or eleven years ago. Now it was prime real estate if a developer wanted the block. He wondered if the owner had been offered an amount to sell. Not that it mattered. He was just glad the fetish club was in business so that he could indulge.
Barrett paid the gate fee and went inside. The overwhelming bass shook his bones once he entered the main room. The club was only half full. The bartender was wiping down the bar before she was inundated with orders. Her pink head of hair bobbed in time with the music. The week before she had sported blue hair. It was one of the constant things he counted on just like coming to the club. Tonight, however, he needed to find Amelia first. He gazed around the club and didn’t see her.
The night wore on and the club increasingly became packed. The fetish areas had lines winding through their cues full to capacity. It was a rare night. He was about ready to give up because he was tired of people stepping on his toes. He had been trying to avoid his coworker, Travis, who he had spotted watching other men and women getting whipped and paddled. Barrett shook his head and made his way to the restrooms. From there, he noticed the black velvet curtain that Amelia had brought him through the week before.
Maybe she’s in the longue. Who am I kidding? She’s probably down there hiding out from me. Fuck it. He pushed the curtain aside and went down the stairs. Barrett wound through the hallway and found himself back at the lounge. Sitting in the corner was Amelia. She wore the same outfit from before. His mouth went dry. All the words he wanted to say died on his tongue. This was the woman for him. It didn’t matter that she had run away from him the week before. All he had to do was make her see that they were meant to be together. For a moment, it seemed he could see the black leather chair right through her. Can’t be. I’m seeing things. Barrett shook his head and found the courage to approach her.
“Hi, Amelia.”
She looked up and captured him with her stunning blue eyes. When she locked her gaze to his, it seemed she became more solid, and the world around him ceased to exist. The shock that peppered her features nearly took his breath away; it made her ever so much more beautiful. His entire being flushed with the excitement of what was to come next between them. He couldn’t wait any longer and dropped to his knees before her. Barrett grasped her fingers and drew them to his lips, kissing them lightly. She jerked away from him but didn’t pull her fingers from his hands.
“Barrett, what are you doing here? How did you get down here?”
“I came through the curtain. I had to see you again.”
“You shouldn’t be down here. Please, you need to go back upstairs.” She tried to lift him from the floor.
“Not until you hear me out.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll stop you right now. You and I aren’t meant for one another. We are completely different and—”
Barrett leaned up to capture her lips. Even while she spoke all he could see was how her lips formed around the words. They were plump and soft. This time she tasted smoky, but she didn’t wrench away. Instead, she rested her hand on his face and the other on his shoulder. The gentle pressure of her fingers on his skin made him moan while he kissed her. The vision of her hand riding his length flashed through his mind, and he was instantly erect. It took everything in him to not give in to the hunger coursing through him. Only she was the one who pushed her lips into his.
Her hand trailed along his neck. He wrapped his hand around her waist and eased her on top of him. Amelia was so light he barely noticed her weight. She flicked her tongue over his lips. He met it with his own until the tips touched. Then he drew her into his mouth and ran his tongue over hers until they entwined and caressed. Barrett wove his fingers through her hair until he poked himself on the tines of her metal comb. Breaking the kiss, he pulled away and glanced at his finger. There was a drop of blood on his fingertip.
“I’m sorry,” Amelia said.
“It’s nothing. Just a pinprick. No harm done.” He smiled and then wiped his finger on his pants. A chill went through him, but he shook it off and focused back on her, his goddess.
“Barrett, I shouldn’t have kissed you just then and last week.”
He studied her face and saw the conflicting emotions running across it. Her cobalt blue eyes were troubled, and worry lines marred the perfection around her eyes and pinched the corners of her mouth. “Do you deny that you feel something for me? I haven’t been able to get you out of my thoughts. I dream about you and your wonderful feet. I know how that sounds, but there’s something between us. I don’t know what spell you have me under, but I want nothing more than to worship you. Please let me.”
He prayed she would see the truthfulness of his confession. That she would hear it. Barrett buried his face in her lap and felt her fingers run through his hair. He groaned again, feeling her soft touch. If he had to leave her again, he wasn’t sure he could. Screw his job and everything else. This was where he belonged.
“Yes. I-I feel something for you, but you don’t understand. I’m not who you think I am.”
“I don’t care who you are. I want you.”
She eased his head up from her lap so he could see the sad smile adorning her lips. “You won’t once you see who I really am. Come with me so I can show you.”
He rose and she took his hand. They wound through the maze of hallways and other rooms until they stopped outside of a gray door. There was no knob on the door, but Amelia pushed it open with ease. The room was small, but it had a bed, dresser with a flat screen television on it, and purple curtains where a window should have been to give it some contrast against the gray walls. He noticed another door and figured it was a closet or a door to an adjoining room. Amelia closed the door behind them, leaving him wondering what she had to show him. It doesn’t matter to me if she’s Frankenstein’s mother or the bride of Dracula.
“So, what’s the big secret?” he chuckled, trying to hide his nervousness.
She wrung her hands and then glanced at him. “Do you believe in the supernatural?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s a great television show. I DVR it so I can watch it on Saturday since I’m here Friday nights.”
“No. Not the television show. You know ghosts, the bogeyman, werewolves, stuff that goes bump in the night.”
“I’ve never really thought about it. Weird stuff happens all the time. UFOs and all that. So sure. Why not? What does this have to do with you? Are you a psychic or something?”
She twisted her fingers around the fabric of her skir
t and then sighed. “No. I’m not a psychic. I’m dead. I’m a ghost.”
He let out a full belly laugh. “That is a great line. If you’re dead then how can you be here now? You’re solid. You—”
Amelia took off her ring and placed it on the dresser. Once she did, her solid form faded away. Barrett couldn’t believe his eyes. One second she was there and the next moment he was staring at the gray wall through her. Then she disappeared altogether. It’s not possible. Can’t be real. He stepped forward and moved his hand through the place where she had been and felt a cooler spot. After walking over the location of where she was, he was hit with another cold breeze that made him shiver.
“Great trick. Where are the mirrors? Come on out, Amelia.”
The ring moved on the dresser, sliding across the dark surface until it floated in midair for a split second. Then Amelia reappeared. At first, she was nothing more than a misty outline and solidified before his very eyes. Fear took hold. He backed up against the wall and realized she was telling the truth. It hadn’t been a trick. She walked toward him, but he put up his hand to keep her back. She hung her head.
“See. I told you that you wouldn’t want to be with me. I promise I won’t haunt you. I understand if you don’t want to see me again.”
“How long have you been dead?” he asked.
“Eighty-five years.”
“How’d you die?”
“My boyfriend and I were caught in the middle of shoot out between two mob factions. It was the twenties. They were running liquor in and out of the city trying to gain control. We were on our way to a speakeasy, a club back then where they had liquor and entertainment.” She stopped and a dreamy look came to her eyes.
Studying her now, Barrett never would have guessed she was dead. There was a faint hint of pink to her cheeks, and she had felt real in his arms. It just can’t be.
“We were crossing the street, and Shawn took the first bullet, but jumped in front of me. The next bullet from the tommygun pushed through him and hit me in the heart. I died instantly. He passed on and I was left in the cold wasteland of limbo. Leah, the club’s owner, welcomed me here about ten years ago, I think. Time passes differently for me. Sometimes I focus on something for so long and hours have gone by or days.”
“So, how is it you’re corporeal now?
She held up her hand that had the ring on it. “This ring. A friend of mine gave it to me. I wanted a change of pace. I wasn’t expecting to meet you. Last Friday was the first night I had it on. I’m sorry you got mixed up with me. I wasn’t planning on it.”
Barrett took in everything she said and stayed against the wall. He needed something firm to let him know he wasn’t dreaming all of this. Amelia remained where she was. His heart slammed into his chest. It took him a moment to catch his breath. This is real. I’m not dreaming. He dragged his hand across his lips, trying to get the taste of her from his mouth. “I need to get some air.” He tried for the doorknob, but there was none.
Amelia nodded. She rested her hand on the door and it popped open. Barrett slid out, careful not to touch her. He made it down the hall before Amelia grabbed his arm. He couldn’t help but pull away. Instead, he was backed against the wall. She held his wrist and then pressed against him. Barrett saw a light in her eyes that told him she couldn’t be dead.
“There was something I wanted to tell you before you left.”
“S-sure,” he stammered.
“I really did appreciate you rubbing my feet last week and your attentions. I haven’t felt anyone touch me in such a manner for a long time. I’m sorry if I scared you. I don’t blame you for running away.” She leaned up and brushed his cheek with a kiss before backing away.
His heart sank, but he was still too overwhelmed to say anything else. Instead, he moved away and found his way back upstairs. The club was still slamming with people. The music did little to ease his nerves. At the bar he ordered a shot of whiskey and drank it straight down. Then another. The bartender eyed him, but he slapped down another ten and she slid him a third one.
“Hey, Barry. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You okay, man?”
He glanced over and saw Travis standing next to him. “Fine. Travis. Having a good time?”
His coworker nodded. “This place fucking rocks. You ever get laid from one of these chicks?’
Barrett clenched his fist by his side and slammed his glass down. No one was going to say anything about this club. He couldn’t imagine Travis going after Amelia or any of the other people. Not everyone here was perfect, but that didn’t mean Travis could come in here and rock his one sense of normalcy. “No. And I suggest you don’t try to either. If you disrespect anyone here, they will throw you out.”
“Dude,” he hit his shoulder. “Chill.”
Barrett spun around and punched his coworker in the face. Travis staggered backward into another man. He didn’t care that no violence was tolerated at the club. Barrett’s world had been turned upside down. What was real and what wasn’t real didn’t matter anymore. He went to swing again when he felt something painful stabbing his chest. When he looked down, there was a silver blade sticking out of his flesh. The wetness of blood stuck to his fingers when he touched the wound. People rushed around him. Falling to the floor, he saw Amelia on the edge of the throng who had gathered around him. Before his vision failed him all he saw was her reaching out to him.
Chapter Five
Amelia tried to rush toward Barrett, but Tig grabbed her arm and shook his head. A tear slipped down her cheek. The music had cut off. All was quiet in the club. She hadn’t heard it so hushed in a long time. It reminded her of a cemetery. The cold of the grave washed over her skin. A gray haze descended over the world. Tig’s grip on her arm wavered, and then she couldn’t feel his fingers on her anymore. She dropped to her knees and slid a few feet toward Barrett and reached out to him. Her fingers passed through his arm and then she was able to grab it. It was cold and firm. Please. Please don’t die. Please don’t become like me.
The paramedics rushed in and placed him on a stretcher. She sat with her back against the bar and watched them take him away. Why did you have to come back here? Amelia ran her fingers through her hair and prayed Barrett would live.
“You care for him.”
She looked up and saw a woman with blonde braided hair, in a flowing white dress. She appeared to be an angel or what Amelia imagined an angel would look like because she had never seen one. The woman lifted Amelia’s head so she could gaze into her hazel eyes.
Those eyes saw right through her. Amelia nodded.
“Yes. I cared for him. He wasn’t supposed to come back here.” The sadness in her nearly stopped her already slow beating heart.
“Sometimes men, no matter what species, don’t listen when it comes to their hearts. They do anything to prove a point.”
“Will he be okay?”
“That’s up to the goddess to decide. Come, there are things you and I must discuss. And the rest of these people are wondering why I’m talking to thin air.” The woman offered Amelia her hand and she took it.
She followed her through the club until they came to Leah’s office. The other woman entered and Leah was leafing through a large, black book.
“Honey, will this affect business? The last thing we need is a death in the club.”
“No.” The other woman smiled. “The spells on the property will make it so that the human population will think something happened, but nothing tragic.”
Leah closed the book and then looked at Amelia. “Well, that’s a relief. I don’t need the publicity right now. Amelia, I’m sorry about your friend.”
“Thanks, but I hardly knew him.” She let out a breath and studied the Spartan office. Besides the large desk and the two filing cabinets, there wasn’t much of anything in the room. The only comfortable adornment was the plush, Oriental rug on the floor which filled the space. She had never gone in the office when Leah wasn’t there.
“Really? Tig said you two were kissing. Barrett’s a regular. I’ve never seen him so smitten with anyone before. Either way, he’s a nice guy. On to business. The reason I had Honey bring you here was so we could talk to you. She’s the witch who enchanted your ring. Plus, she was here reinforcing the wards in the club. I noticed some things were coming in that shouldn’t have been here. I wanted to know if you were going to be keeping your room on the second level.”
