“Benny, what is this thing behind me?” His arms tensed, hands tightening around the wheel.
Benny patted Maddox on the shoulder, smiling. “This is the surprise I was telling you about. Mads, meet Jazzy.” He turned around toward the…the thing behind them and said, “Jazzy, meet Mads.”
Chapter Nine
Rain, Rain, Go Away
By the time Addison awoke, it was already raining.
The time of night was undeterminable. The air was cold and wet. She snuggled closer into her sleeping boyfriend’s arms, seeking stronger warmth. The sound of rain pounding against the tough steel of car roofs hammered into her ears like nails.
Ever since she was little, bad weather had always given her a sinus headache. Her temples felt like they were inflamed with the hottest fire known to man. Usually if she went back to sleep she’d feel a hundred times better in the morning, but it appeared the icy temperatures of the night weren’t going to let her do such a thing.
She pulled the wizard cape against her, wrapping her body in it, when Connor asked about the time.
“I don’t know,” Addison whispered. “It’s late.”
“Is it raining? Jesus, it’s coming down hard.”
Addison nodded, adjusting herself on the swing. “I should probably be heading home, anyway.”
“Why don’t you stay here? We can sleep in my room.”
She debated the idea for a second, and thought it would probably be in her best interest to stay as far away from her stepfather tonight as possible. That punch must have been one hell of a throw to knock him out like that. He’d be hurting still, and undoubtedly in a rage. She knew he’d be drinking and shooting up, and Addison tried to stay away from him when he was high. Bad things happened.
“Okay, I’d like that,” Addison agreed. “But I need some aspirin. Bad.”
“The rain again, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Lemme go see what we have.” Connor kissed her, kicked the robe off him, and jogged into the house. A short time later he came back outside with an apology. “I guess there isn’t any. Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Addison said. She gave long drawn out blinks, trying to force the pain from her brain, but to no success. She rubbed the spot between her eyebrows, wincing. “Let’s just go to sleep,” she said, although she knew full well it was going to be hell trying to fall back asleep now. She would be up most of the night tossing and turning, blowing her nose and pushing a pillow in her face to cry. It was how it always was.
And Connor knew this. “C’mon,” he said, “I’ll take you to Walgreens. Get you some good medicine. It should still be open.”
“Connor, no,” Addison said, shaking her head. “That’s really nice of you and all, but really, I’m fine. It’s raining way too hard to be driving around in.”
“What are you talking about?” Connor said. “I’m the best driver there ever was.”
Despite the headache, she still managed to snort.
“Are you saying I’m not?”
“No,” Addison said, “I’m just saying good drivers usually don’t play bumper cars at red lights.”
“I told you, that light was green!”
“I was there with you. That light was red and you know it.”
“Whatever,” Connor said. “The guy had a Colts bumper sticker, anyway. He deserved it.”
“And that’s exactly the type of talk that makes me hesitate when getting in the same car as you when it’s storming out.”
Connor sighed and gave her a look that told her to quit being so stubborn. “Babe, need I remind you who beat Grant Theft Auto IV in one day’s time? Me, that’s who. And you think I’m a bad driver? You should be ashamed of yourself.”
She risked a soft laugh, which she immediately regretted. She really hated the rain. “Fine, but just as long as you remember red means stop.”
“Yeah, it also means kiss my ass,” he said, and stuck his tongue out.
She chased him off the porch and ran through the rain and snow, piling into his 1987 Ford Fiesta parked in the driveway. It was a cheap little bucket of bolts, but, unlike most kids’ cars at their high school, it actually drove. And drive they did. Miraculously without failing to stop at a single red light, too.
Her head was hurting more than when they left, so she said she’d just wait in the car while he went in and got the meds. They kissed and she leaned her head against the cold window, resting her eyes as Connor closed the car door and jogged into the drugstore.
Her lips curved faintly into a crescent as she thought about what a great guy her boyfriend really was. Not any man would drive out in the middle of the night in the pouring rain to buy a bottle of aspirin for his girlfriend. They just weren’t like that. Unless, of course, there was the possibility of sex; then they’d be rushing out any time of night to buy her whatever she desired. But Connor already knew how she felt about that, and seemed perfectly understandable, even if he didn’t know the reasoning behind it. Addison felt lucky. She really had someone special. She knew he would always do his best to protect her from harm, and she loved him dearly for it. She knew he loved her, too, if not more.
One day they’d even get married, she was thinking, and dozed off into a light sleep.
* * * * *
Connor strolled into Walgreen’s feeling pretty good about himself. Hair dripping from the rain, he made his way across the store to the pill aisle. He grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen and headed toward the refrigerated section for a couple Cokes, going past a bin of pink ski masks that were on sale. Walking to the front to pay, he found himself wishing soda still came in glass bottles. Glass always made liquid so much better. He didn’t know why, but it was true.
“That all?” the cashier asked, a kid only a few years older than Connor.
“Yup,” Connor said.
“It letting up any out there?”
“Getting worse,” he said, shaking his head and paying for his items.
“Well, be careful.” He handed over the plastic bag.
“Thanks,” Connor said, and exited the drugstore.
He stopped a few feet short of his car. Addy’s door was wide open, and she was nowhere to be seen. He looked around.
“Addy!” he called out. “Addy, where are you?”
He got in the car and set the bag down in the backseat. Maybe she went into Walgreens to use the bathroom and forgot to close the door. Didn’t seem particularly unrealistic. Then he noticed a spatter of something brownish red on the passenger seat, where Addison had been sitting before he left her, and all logical thought escaped him.
Blood. Fucking blood.
Connor dove out of the car and yelled his girlfriend’s name. He searched the parking lot anxiously but came up with no results. She was gone. Just like that, missing from the face of the Earth.
What the fuck?
He thought he heard something, but wasn’t too sure. The rain was too loud, made it near impossible to hear anything unless it was right in your ear.
Connor paused. That time there was something, he was positive of it. A scream? A girl’s scream. Connor gulped. He didn’t like the sound of it, but it’d have to do. Somewhere off to the left. He didn’t hear it anymore, but it had come from that direction. He was sure of it. He ran off and shortly found himself entering a small wooded area. Addison screamed again. Much louder now. He was getting closer.
Jesus, please be okay, he thought, mind growing into a state of complete panic. I’m coming, baby, I’m coming.
Chapter Ten
Night of the Demons
Donald was used to the rain.
The snow stabbing his bare feet as he trudged through town no longer affected him. While Jericho had heightened some of his senses, it had also diminished others. The ones he really didn’t need. The ones that without, he became stronger. A more powerful entity. A superior being.
Donald was on the prowl tonight.
There was only so much longer he could withstand the w
ithdrawal before death’s wicked breath inhaled his soul. And then even Jericho wouldn’t be able to help him.
If he wanted to continue living, he’d need a fix. A fix cost money, money of which Donald did not have. Money was everywhere but in his pocket. It was all around him, up for grabs. He just had to reach out and grab it.
The rain was a criminal’s advantage. Camouflage. Especially in the middle of the night, like now. He stumbled through the Walgreens parking lot, scoping out cars with the keys still in the ignition. There weren’t many choices, as it turned out. A pick-up truck here, a Toyota there. All of which were securely locked.
He supposed he could just smash a window and hotwire one. The rain would cover up any noise of breaking glass, but it still didn’t help the fact that he had no idea how to hotwire a car. He’d probably just end up electrocuting himself. Still, there were probably valuables in them that he could snatch. Stuff he could pawn. Maybe even some cash, perhaps a wallet or purse. And if anyone gave him any trouble, well, that was what the knife was for, wasn’t it? He wouldn’t mind taking out a few demons. Hell, he’d even enjoy it.
He always did.
Donald found the knife in a dumpster a few weeks back. It was a big ‘un, a weapon akin to something Arnold Schwarzenegger would’ve been packing in Predator. The blade was a little rusty, and the handle was a bit rough, but it’d still do the job. He decided to keep it around in case anymore of those pseudo-mailmen tried to convert his pure Christian soul into something of a darker kind.
Just when he was about to smash his fist through the pick-up truck’s window, another car pulled up. This one pretty dingy, but he thought he’d give it a look before committing to anything permanent. He waited ‘til the driver got out and entered the store before progressing. Donald crept forward and peered inside. The keys were still in the ignition, just dangling there. Which meant the driver didn’t plan on being in the drugstore long. There was no time to waste.
He opened the door and slid behind the wheel. Getting ready to pull the gear from park to reverse, he paused as he spotted something out of his peripheral vision. He slowly turned his head to the figure in the passenger seat. A girl. Sleeping, by the looks of it. If she was awake she didn’t seem very fazed by the sudden intruder.
His eyes focused on the hump in her hoodie where it curved outward. Toward him. Almost as if they were begging for his touch. There was a familiar tightness in his pants as he licked his lips. All thoughts of stealing the car temporarily subsided, as did the inevitable return of the driver. He suddenly found himself faced with more pressing issues. The last time he was this close to a girl was over a month ago when he still had a few bucks left. It was the cheapest prostitute he could afford, yet she had still been afraid to touch him. He took care of her, though. Now she wouldn’t be touching anyone.
Donald reached his hand out and rubbed it against the girl’s breast. The contact alone was enough to make him gasp. The caress only continued for a second further, however, for the car was suddenly filled with a piercing shriek.
He directed his vision from her chest to her face. Eyes wide, mouth in an oval, screaming. He felt nails digging into his cheek and he recoiled. The girl, frantic, opened the passenger door and jumped out. A warm trickle of blood dripped down his face. Donald climbed out after her. He gripped the knife tightly in his right hand as he scanned the parking lot. He was sure she would’ve fled straight into the drugstore, but he didn’t see the automatic doors sliding open. So where?
There, to the left, running wildly through the rain, toward an outskirt of trees. He booked after her. Fast, fast—soles of his bare feet slapping against the snow. He followed her into the woods. Ahead, gaining speed. Then an abrupt stop as she tripped over something on the ground. Within seconds he was leaping on top of her. She screamed for help and Donald backhanded her across the face to shut her up. People never knew when to shut up. That was their problem. Just shut up, he told her. Or maybe he only thought it in his head.
She just would not keep still no matter how hard he smacked her. He kept trying to knock her out, but the bitch was tough. And aggressive, too. He sorta liked that. It turned him on. His face was bleeding pretty badly now from where she scratched him.
They fought on the ground, rolling around in the snow. It was almost fun. But he was growing impatient. He wanted to get down to business before he exploded.
All he had to do was show her the knife and she immediately stopped resisting. Her eyes widened in terror, choking on her own air. Her body stiffened, just lying there on her back with Donald on top, waving the knife back and forth.
He asked her if she was going to scratch him again. After a while of no response he reached under her shirt and grabbed her nipple and twisted until she was crying. He repeated himself. Still nothing. He was about to twist her tit again when he realized he hadn’t actually been talking out loud. He shook his head in frustration. It’d been a long time since he conversed with someone who wasn’t a demon.
“You done scratching?” he asked, voice more hoarse than he remembered. He coughed a few times, globs of blood spraying from his mouth. The girl was terrified, seeing the color of his blood was purple and feeling the cold steel of the knife pressing against her throat. He asked again. “Well?”
“Yes,” she replied, nothing more than a whimper.
“Good. Next time you scratch I cut off a finger. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“And if you scream again you lose your tongue. Got it?”
“Yes,” she said. She was shaking uncontrollably now, tears blinding her vision.
“Do you believe me?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’m not fucking around. Now let me ask you something. You one of them?”
She frowned, confused. “What?”
“I SAID, ARE YOU FUCKING ONE OF THEM?” he yelled, twisting her tit all the way around. She started to scream again but bit back her tongue just in time. “ARE YOU?”
“No!” the girl answered, biting down on her lip. Lines of crimson drool seeped from the corners of her mouth.
Donald smiled. “Good, I didn’t think you were. You look nothing like a demon, do you? Nah, you look good. You look real good. I like it. I like it a lot. I want to see more of you. Turn around.”
“What?”
She was getting on his last nerve. He would kill her after he was finished just for this alone. This time he grasped her entire breast within his palm and squeezed hard enough to make her cry out again.
“I said, turn the fuck around.” This time she didn’t ask him to repeat himself. Fumbling in the snow, she managed to turn around on her stomach. His greedy hands grabbed the end of her jeans and pulled them down to her ankles, revealing only a pair of black panties, which he cut open with the tip of his knife. He ran the blade along the smoothness of her buttocks, reveling in the whimpers it invoked. He leaned his head down and allowed his tongue the same path the knife had taken.
It was all too much for him to handle. It was either now or never. He flipped her over on her back again and pushed himself on top of her. “Spread your legs,” he ordered gruffly, unbuttoning his own pants and releasing his throbbing cock. The girl clamped her thighs together and he pulled them apart, not bothering to argue with her any longer. Donald reached over and held the knife against her throat. She stopped fidgeting.
He really fucking needed this. He thanked God for having the patience to wait in the parking lot. Look at what he had found! Maybe today was Donald’s lucky day after all. The girl might even have some money on her as well, maybe enough to score a small dosage of purple, but he wouldn’t be upset if she didn’t. This would be good enough for tonight. Nevertheless, he’d still go through her pockets after he was sated and she was dead. Which would be soon. He was almost there. Oh God. Oh sweet fucking almighty Christ.
Then something hard bashed into the side of his face, sending him flying off the girl.
A deafening ring devoured every ou
nce of his consciousness. He could feel part of his cheek hanging there, torn off from his face. He turned around just in time for another blow, this one connecting below his jaw. Some kind of log. Hard as a brick wall. Raining down upon him. He never had a chance to see his attacker, blood and rain clogging his eye sockets.
Everything went black.
Chapter Eleven
Silencing a Monster
Connor dropped the log and rushed toward Addison. She was still lying there in the snow, partially naked, curling into a ball and shaking. He kneeled down and put his hand on her. Her body seemed to be drenched in blood. Whether it was from her or the rapist or both was too hard to tell.
“Jesus Christ.” He didn’t know what else to say. What words of comfort could he possibly offer her? He grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. She responded by squeezing back, clamping tightly down like a set of canines. She was in shock. It was freezing out, the rain coming down hard as ever. She’d catch pneumonia out here long enough, exposed like this. He gently pulled her pants back on and lifted her up.
He took slow steps, careful not to trip. It seemed to take an eternity to find the parking lot again, but he did. He opened the backseat and laid her down on the cushion. There was a throw blanket back there that he kept in case they went to the park or the beach. He wrapped Addison with it and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re okay, now,” he said. “No one else is going to hurt you.”
She whispered something but it was too distant to make out.
He leaned closer.
She whispered it again, this time just loud enough to hear. “Help,” she said. “Help me. Please.”
“I know,” he said, wiping back his own tears. “I know.”
He stood there for a while looking at her. At all the blood. It set off something in his head, made him snap.
“I’ll be right back, okay? I promise. Just sit tight and when I get back we’ll go to the hospital, okay? I love you, Addy. God, I’m so sorry.”
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