Authors: Joel M. Andre
Chapter Eight
Marisela looked down at her cellphone and saw her friend Kayla was calling her. Chances are she was going to go into a long-winded rant about how her husband was on a drinking binge again, and how she was really going to leave him this time.
Pushing the ignore button, she pushed deeper into the couch and hit the play button on her DVR. The chef on the screen was explaining how to make some fancy chicken dinner that would require a lot of prep work and more time in the oven than a TV dinner.
If she had someone else to bother cooking for, there would be more of a chance of her actually putting a pan on the stove. Instead, she would go out and find a restaurant that offered a similar meal, or she’d settle for something that could be tossed in the microwave and be cooked before long. It wasn’t a glamorous or fancy way to eat, but she really despised cooking. Her mother claimed she’d never catch a man if she didn’t cook. But men like to cook too and she’d rather have someone else cook for her.
Her phone started ringing again and seeing it was Kayla, she sighed and hit the answer button.
“What did the asshole do this time?” Marisela sighed.
“He’s dead Mari.” Kayla whimpered in the phone. “He was burned to death. The police have to compare dental records. But I know it’s him.”
“Let’s not jump the gun, Kayla.” Marisela replied, ignoring the pet name that made her cringe.
“There was a note. It said ‘Looks like my lucky day. Now he’s no longer in the way.’ Who would send that to me?” Kayla began to sob uncontrollably on the phone.
“Someone sent you a note after the police found the body?” Marisela questioned. “That is really creepy.”
“No it was in the box with his head.” Kayla whispered. “It was so scary, Marisela. I don’t even want to be alone right now. Do you think I can come over?”
“Sure.” Marisela replied. “Maybe we can go out for some barbeque or something.”
“What a horrible thing to say.” Kayla cried. “Why would you say that?”
Marisela cringed in terror. The thought was spoken without even thinking.
“No, I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. Come over and I’ll feed you. Pack a few things and you can stay here.”
“Thanks Mari.” Kayla replied sobbing softly. “I just need someone to be around right now.”
“Well, you’ve got me.” Marisela replied.
Hanging up the phone, she sat in the darkness. She couldn’t imagine the pain and suffering her friend was going through. Marisela felt a tear slide down her cheek as her phone began to ring again. Looking down at the caller ID, she cleared her throat and attempted to lighten her voice.
“Hey Kayla, what’s up are you on your way?”
“Kayla’s luck has changed, I’m afraid.” A man’s deep voice replied. “Unfortunately, she’s not going to be able to make it.”
“Who is this?” Marisela demanded. “I’m calling the police.”
“Oh, they’re already at her place.” The man laughed. “So is the fire department and probably the Medical Examiner again.”
“What you have you done?” Marisela cried.
“It was her lucky day.” The man laughed. “It was in the cards for her and I hope very soon, it’ll be in the cards for you also, Marisela. I do think you’ll make a lovely corpse.”
With that, the phone went dead. Marisela could feel her heart racing and she quickly dialed 9-1-1.
Chapter Nine
He watched from the window across the street. She was pacing back and forth frantically. The fear etched on her face aroused him. This was all going according to plan and he desperately wanted to see her struggle with the agony. To watch as her life was completely destroyed. The pieces so finely smashed she couldn’t put them back together. Like she had done to him.
He knew how sick and twisted it sounded. He knew the rage he had for her wasn’t right. But she had taken so much from him. She had driven him on this journey of revenge that was far from over now.
No matter who came between them now, they were marked for death. He had to kill people who grew too close to him and knew the truth. He knew Amelia had stumbled across the lottery tickets and wanted to know more about them. It was why she had to die. Otherwise, he’d likely have kept her around longer.
Now, he was getting closer to Marisela. The agony and the pain she had put him through would finally all be worth it in the end, when he could see death in her eyes. To feel her blood dry on his hands and know that he finally brought the bitch to an end.
It would all be worth it. Then, he could stop killing. Because he had the power to do that, right? The urge to kill couldn’t continue beyond that, could it?
As he watched her carry the suitcase out the front door to her car. He knew the next round had begun. There wasn’t time to worry about what he’d do in the future. Just what he planned to do right now.
Chapter Ten
The events of the previously day continued to stick in Marisela’s mind. After speaking to officers about Kayla’s death, she had made her way over to Frances’s home and spent the night in the guest bedroom. The pair had decided to make it a girl’s weekend.
“Thanks for letting me sleep over, Frances.” Marisela smiled and hugged her friend hard.
“No one is going to take out my best friend.” Frances smiled. “Kevin took the kids to his parents for the weekend anyway. All I was going to do is watch movies. It’s better when you’ve got a best friend to watch them with.”
“That’s true.” Marisela nodded and smiled. “What did you get?”
“Well, we’re going to have to head on over the video store.” Frances laughed. “I rented a bunch of slashers, seems a little inappropriate now.”
“They still beat chick flicks.” Marisela offered.
“True. But both are trumped by vampire romances.”
“No, just no.” Marisela replied.
Both women laughed and settled into their respective chairs as the movie started. As the movie progressed Marisela found she was less than interested in the screaming characters on the screen and more concerned with the phone call that she received.
The person knew her name and had intentionally dialed her number. The thought of the stranger’s voice caused her to cringe. It seemed familiar, but she couldn’t link it to anyone that she had met.
She thought about the creepy old guy and knew it couldn’t have been him. The voice was vibrant and young and the voice wouldn’t match the old man’s body at all.
Marisela watched as her friend cowered and shook during the movie. She wondered how she would react in a real life situation with a predator chasing her down, looking to end her life, just for the sake of killing. In a way, she wondered how anyone would be able to handle knowing that a killer with a weapon was about to take them out for good.
Frances’s scream shook her back to reality. Marisela’s eye darted towards her friend who was howling now with laughter.
“Oh fuck.” Her friend laughed. “I didn’t see that one coming.”
“It was pretty intense.” Marisela lied.
Shaking her head, Marisela realized that she was getting too worked up over nothing. It wasn’t like people were being knocked off left and right now.
The killer had only taken out Aaron and Kayla. It could have been an isolated incident and the call to her was maybe to steer the police off the trail. Really, whomever Kayla had dialed last probably would have ended up with a phone call and there wouldn’t have been any further concerns.
Feeling satisfied with that weak explanation, Marisela turned her attention to the screen again. Some bleached blonde woman was having her heat sawed off clean with a chainsaw.
“I don’t think a person could do that in real life.” Marisela said. “I mean, with all of the fighting going on, it would be far too messy.”
“We don’t watch movies for facts. We watch them for entertainment.” Frances replied while eyeing Marisela.
Feeling self-conscious, Marisela left the room and went into the kitchen. Clutter covered the white countertops and there was a stack of dishes in the sink. Frances wasn’t well known for her housekeeping skills, but Marisela wasn’t going to be the one to mention it to her.
Instead, she opened the fridge and grabbed an ice cold cola instead. A little caffeine and sugar would give her a much needed perk right now. She needed something to get her mind off the people that were dying around her.
Walking back into the room, there was some guy being whacked with a hatchet and Frances was laughing in her chair.
“This movie has an excessive number of death scenes in it.” Frances laughed. “I mean wouldn’t two or three deaths be enough?”
“They wouldn’t be slasher films if they didn’t have an excessive number of kills. Remember that movie
Body Pile
?”
“Oh! The one that got banned from theaters and received an X for violence?” Frances nodded her head. “Did you see it?”
Marisela nodded her head. “I did. 30 characters died in an hour and 20 minutes. It was pure torture porn too. The person who came up with that movie was sick in the head.”
“But was it a good movie?” Frances demanded. “I mean was it worth watching?”
“It was okay.” Marisela replied. “If you’ve seen one slasher flick, you have pretty much seen them all. Like every other genre the works become oversaturated with cookie cutter results.”
“Hey, if I was in a horror movie, when do you think I would die?” Frances asked. “Would I be the opening kill or some random victim in the movie?”
“I’d be the sole survivor and you’d be the victim near the end. The one where my heart breaks as the killer takes you out in front of me.” Marisela smiled. “I’d probably then cry for all of five minutes before taking out the killer with a knife in the neck.”
“Yeah you would.” Frances laughed. “You’d kick some serious ass.”
“Only in a world of fiction.” Marisela smiled. “Here in the real world, I am pretty bland and boring. But at least I have one thing going for me.”
“What’s that?” Frances asked.
“I live at the end.”
Both girls began to laugh warmly. Marisela looked at the clock and was surprised to see it was already almost 9 PM.
“Hey, I’m hungry are you up for some food?” Marisela asked.
“You owe me Mama Clifton’s.” France smiled.
Nodding her head, Marisela stood up and checked for her wallet. Then nodding towards the door, Marisela let it be known that she was ready to go.
As they were leaving, Marisela noticed a scratcher ticket next to Frances’s chair. Looking down at it, she noticed it was an unscratched
Lucky Damnation
ticket. Shaking her head at the silly name of the game, she made her way to the door and closed it behind her. Frances locked it and the pair made their way to Marisela’s old truck.
Chapter Eleven
Each time the door opened to Mama Clifton’s, Marisela cringed a little. The place was still packed and she and Frances were sitting, just waiting for a spot to open up. She had tried to convince her friend that another place would be just as good, but after missing a chance at chicken fried steak earlier in the day, Frances was holding firm that she wouldn’t settle for anything less.
With a smile on her face, Marisela sat and waited with her friend making idle small talk, hoping that the man from earlier in the day wouldn’t be making a surprise visit of any kind.
“I wonder if the waiter that liked you will be here.” Frances smiled and pushed her friend coyly.
“Who are you talking about?” Marisela laughed. “I don’t recall any guys who were interested in me.”
“Michael.” Frances winked. “Or should I just call him your future husband?”
“Let’s not hurry and marry me off already.” Marisela laughed. “Chances are, he’ll take one look at my cooking and that ship will sail really quickly.”
“He works in a restaurant,” Frances offered. “Who says he can’t cook for you? Let him know that you’ll eat and he’s responsible for all other activities in the kitchen.”
“I doubt he’ll go for that Frances.” Marisela laughed. “But if he does, he would certainly be a catch wouldn’t he.”
“That or he could just be desperate for any gal open to have a relationship with him.” Frances snickered. “Maybe he has other short comings?”
“You didn’t!” Marisela playfully pushed her friend. “You shouldn’t say things like that about other people. It’s not cool!”
“Oh, I did honey.” France smiled. “But you’ve been so far removed from the game, would you even know the difference?”
“I would like to think that I could love a man for who he is. No matter what.” Marisela laughed.
“You say that now. We’ll talk about that this again in a few months if it turns out to not be the case.” Frances laughed and winked.
“Why are we talking about this?” Marisela asked.
From behind her she could hear a man clearing his throat. Turning around, Michael was standing there in a fresh uniform and smiling at the pair.
“Anything you’d like to ask me directly?” He asked, beaming his sparkling white teeth. “Or am I just a taboo topic you like to talk about in a fantasy world?”
Marisela felt the warm rush of blood to her face. “We clearly weren’t talking about you. I mean why would I be obsessing over you? But wow, great you are here right now.”
“She pretty much wants you.” Frances smiled.
“Frances!” Marisela cried in horror.
“It’s a good thing I like nice girls, who are outed by their evil friends.” Michael responded. “Now, may I seat you lovely ladies? Or will you be sipping water quickly on the go?”
“No, we’ll stay this time.” Frances smiled. “Someone was bothering Marisela earlier. So we left. You got the payment for lunch the other day?”
“We’ll call it payment for dinner. I watched you guys leave before the cook had even started. So you’re paid in full.” Michael laughed. “But please, wait for your meal this time.”
“I guess we can do that.” Marisela said and looked into Michael’s eyes before shaking her head.
“Well, let’s get you two seated then.” Michael motioned for the pair.
The girls followed him through the crowded restaurant. Marisela looked at the tables of people eating and laughing. All of them carefree and oblivious to the events that were going on in the community. Part of her wondered if she would ever truly feel safe living in a small town again.
As they arrived at their table, Marisela was taken aback as Michael handed her a napkin with his name and number written on it. He then nodded and allowed the girl’s to seat themselves as he went to grab them menus.
“He’s not going to let you slip by this time.” Frances laughed.
“I hope not.” Marisela smiled. “I didn’t remember how striking he was.”
“He is pretty smoking.” Frances agreed.
Setting the menu in front of the women and taking their drink orders, Michael took off to the kitchen. On the way, he stopped at a few tables and grabbed some empty glasses that needed refilling.
“I’m glad we came back out. It’s nice to be in public in a place where nothing can happen.” Marisela said to her friend and squeezed her hand.
“Well, eating can happen. Spending money, staining your shirt, there are lots of things that could technically happen.”
“Okay, but you know what I mean!” Marisela laughed. “Oh and hey! You didn’t tell me you picked up scratcher tickets too. I love those things.”
“I don’t play those things.” Frances laughed. “Everyone knows that they are a waste of money. You never win anything big on them and on occasion a winning ticket is awarded to get you to spend it on another losing ticket.”
“But when you do win it is sort of exciting.” Marisela smiled. “It must have been Kevin’s then.”
“Probably.” Frances agreed. “I tell him all the time that he needs to stop gambling. He just thinks I am bitching because it is my wifely duty.”
“Men.” Marisela shook her head. “Who knows what they are thinking half the time.”
“Well, I can tell you. But chances are you’ll blush again.” Frances laughed. “The blushing bride. I swear, I have never met anyone like you.”
“That’s a good thing.” Marisela replied.
Michael burst out of the kitchen and began putting fresh glasses of drinks in front of people as he made his way to the pair. Stopping at their table, he pulled out a set of straws and plopped one in each girl’s drink. He then placed a soft hand on Marisela’s shoulder.
“What would you two lovely ladies like for dinner tonight? Or should I guess?”
“You can guess.” Frances smiled.
“A chicken fried steak for you and a chicken Caesar salad for Marisela?” he guessed.
“Spot on for me.” Frances laughed.
“It is dinner time, so I think I should have more.” Marisela smiled. “How about the baked chicken with truffle sauce. It sounds fancy.”
“As long as you think canned mushrooms that are being called truffles are fancy, I’ll play along.” Michael smiled. “I am also not kidding.”
“Oh, well chicken fried steak it is.” Marisela smiled.
“You got it.” Michael replied and winked.
As he left, Marisela got lost in watching him. He seemed genuine and truly interested in her. Perhaps getting to know him better would be a smart move on her part.
“So, I don’t think you can order him to go.” France quipped. “But we can see if he comes with his own doggy bag if you’d like.”
“No, I was just thinking about something else.” Marisela lied. “I hope the chicken fried steak is good tonight. I am so freaking hungry.”
“You’ve got a lifeline to the kitchen. You are going to get the biggest helping of everything and it will be done fresh and seasoned to perfection.”
Marisela nodded, “You are probably right about that.”
“I’m never wrong.” Frances replied.
As their conversation carried on, the crowd in Mama Clifton’s slowly began to dwindle. By the time the pair had their food, Michael was rushing around cleaning off tables and taking the dishes back to the dishwasher.
Marisela couldn’t believe how incredible her meal was. Part of it was likely due to the fact that she was hungry, but perhaps Frances was accurate in her assessment that Michael would do what he could to ensure that their meal was spot on.
As the girls laughed and finally took their last few bites, Michael arrived with a smile beaming on his face.
“So how was dinner?”
“It was really good.” Marisela smiled. “Honestly, the best meal I’ve ever had here.”
“Sounds like the cook delivered on his promise.” Michael laughed. “I am glad he gave you an awesome meal.”
“Mine was delicious too lover boy.” Frances interrupted. “I wonder if I should go so you both can spend some time together.”
“Oh, but I drove you here Frances. I wouldn’t do that to you.” Marisela replied.
“I could always give you a ride back to wherever you are going.” Michael responded. “If you want me to, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Frances anxiously nodded her head. “I am going to hunt down a copy of
Body Pile
and watch it. You two can take your time. I’m in the mood for torture porn and you didn’t seem to be enjoying yourself with the last slasher flick we were watching.”
“I thought girls only watched horror films when they wanted to snuggle up next to a guy.” Michael replied.
“Those are lies that men want to believe.” Frances replied. “Some girls do like watching horror films too. Preferably without anyone else around in the dark until after midnight. When her friend should call and let me know if she’s coming back or not.”
“I guess I can say hint taken.” Marisela smiled.
Fumbling through her jeans, Marisela pulled out the key’s to her vehicle and handed them to Frances, who turned as she grasped the keys.
“I should get going before you change your mind.” Frances smiled, patted Michael on his back and darted for the door. As she ran out the doors she called, “Okay bye, you two”
“Your friend was a little too excited to leave us alone.” Michael smiled. “Is she always this anti-social?”
“No, she’s always looking for me to run off and to get married. She just likes to rush the process in any way she can. In her mind, the sooner it happens, the sooner she can plan it and make the day all about her, with some focus on me. She likes planning weddings.” Marisela sighed.
“I am surprised you’re already talking about us getting married. That’s kind of fast.” Michael laughed.
“No, I was just saying,” Marisela blushed.
“I’m kidding.” His voice cooed. “I like it when you blush. The warmth on your cheeks is very beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Marisela whispered. “I just want you to know-“
“I move slowly too.” Michael replied and patted her on the back. “I’m not looking for a roll in the hay by any means. We’re going to probably head up to Jerome and just look at the stars and the lights of Cottonwood. Unless, you have somewhere else you’d like to go.”
“No, that sounds enchanting.” Marisela replied. “I’m really looking forward to this.”
“I am too. I just need to finish up a few things around here. You don’t mind waiting around for me for about thirty minutes do you?” Michael asked.
Marisela nodded her head. “I’ve waited this long to find someone like you. Another thirty minutes won’t kill me I don’t think.”
“I sure hope not. It would end up being a waste.” He smiled.
“Well, you better get going. Otherwise those thirty minutes will turn into an hour.” She grinned.
“I really hate that I am working right now. I would love to just take off with you and to get out in the fresh air and just live.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “But we could continue this conversation now or I could finish up. “
“I’ll be here.” Marisela smiled. “Just take your time. I am not going anywhere.”
With that, Michael smiled and nodded again. As he turned to go, Marisela couldn’t help but feel happy that someone was here that seemed genuinely nice. Although part of her felt a little bad that she was so happy.