Sucker Punch

So, for the first time in a while I am posting an original story that I can legally put my name to. This isn’t ghostwritten material it’s a writing exercise using the word “samurai” as a prompt. The story centers around a reality show that presents professional fights with a twist they can happen anytime and anywhere. The only rule is last man standing. It was a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Christmas, Hannukah, Yule, and whatever you may be celebrating at this time of year. Bring on 2021!

FADE IN

Psychedelic multicolored Silhouettes throw punches and kicks as names flash by the background in a polka trash style. Big block letters appear: SUCKER PUNCH!

INT. SUCKER PUNCH STUDIO – NIGHT

Two men in suits, one sporting a rattle snake tattoo on the side of his head the other with a conservative hair cut, smile at the camera behind a shiny black desk. Behind them is a chain link fence in front of a graffitied brick wall with a burnt out busted up neon sign reading Sucker Punch between the two men.

The tattooed man speaks first “I am Gunther Stevens.”

“And I am Mikel Norn welcoming you to the Sucker Punch pre-show,” Mikel switches to another camera view. “Tonight we will see Anthony Briars face off against none other than the Immortal Mark Gentry and it looks like one for the ages. Gunther Stevens has the tale of the tape”

The camera switches to a two shot Gunther chimes in almost immediately, “This season has just been a roller coaster and this fight promises to be exactly what the doctor ordered. I have to say on a personal note I am really digging this kid Anthony Briars. He’s got the makings of a champion and could take it all the way to the final.”

“He is going up against the Mark Gentry and there is a reason they call him Immortal, Gunther.”

“Absolutely, Gentry is no slouch, He was a machine in seasons twelve, thirteen and again in the All Star season fifteen but It has been two years and he ain’t getting any younger.”

“I can see where you’re coming from but Gentry is undefeated in eleven straight fights on Sucker Punch not to mention his formidable MMA record of twenty seven and two by TKO early in his career,” Mikel scoffs then shakes his head. “I just don’t see it going Briars way.”

“It’s a gut feeling, man. I have seen a lot of passion in this young man and I got a feeling he’ll have the upper hand on Gentry.”

“How does it break down, Gunther?” Mikel asks.

The camera shifts to a Gunther’s side. “Tale of the tape would agree with my colleague and by the numbers it appears that Anthony Briars has his work cut out for him. The Immortal Mark Gentry at 37 has a three and a half inch reach advantage as well as thirteen pounds of muscle on the new comer. At six foot four Gentry looks like a beast compared to the more svelte Briars.

“Briars is definitely the underdog but he has one thing that I haven’t seen in a long time, heart. Every since Kraft started sponsoring him in the lower divisions he has been an impressive competitor in a variety of environments from bar, junkyard, basketball court, and even spectacularly in his debut hallway fight in his own tenement building. I just see a lot of style and a lot of heart in this new comer and hope he proves the skeptics wrong.”

Camera cuts again to the two shot as Mikel speaks to the camera, “That would be awesome to see but for now we will take a break to hear from our sponsors. We’ll be right back with Nikki Bing on the street and exclusive footage from one of our dark matches that sadly ended in tragedy. See you in a few,” He smiles and winks at the camera.

The floor director yells, “Okay and we’re out that’s three minutes,” She turns away and moves next to the camera operator.

Gunther calls out, “Can I get some alka seltzer over here?” A production assistant nods and turns to find the prize.

“Briars is your pic, huh?” Mikel said casually.

“No fucking way but Kraft paid me thirty five hundred to puff his ass up on screen.”

Mikel was floored, “God, they must be pushing this kid hard.”

Gunther belches, “Yeah, I don’t see it. That kid is gonna get murdered.”

INT. CLUB – NIGHT

Anthony looks at the beat sheet and shakes his head as he reads it over. He shines his phone flashlight on the page, “Tyler!”

A black haired man with a band t-shirt and jeans approaches at the sound of his name. “What is it Anthony?” He asks.

“Why am I drinking, I’m supposed to fight Gentry tonight. Why the fuck would I get drunk before a fight?” He asks as he shoves the sheet into the producer’s chest crumpled. “I ain’t doing that.”

“Listen, you’re not supposed to know you’re gonna fight. You know the premise, anytime…”

“Yeah yeah, anywhere. I don’t drink, though. I’ve been pretty clear about that, Tyler.”

“Kraft says you drink, so you drink tonight,” Tyler says with a shrug. “They’re merging with Pernod Ricard so your drinking Absolut tonight. Make sure you mention the product name, by the way.”

“Is Kraft in charge of this shoot? I mean I can drink cranberry juice. It’ll look like I’m drinking visually.”

“Kraft isn’t but they are in charge of you,” he throws his hands up, “If it helps at all Gentry is supposed to be drinking in the same club when he happens on you so no advantage but they need you drinking Absolut.”

“Could they at least pick a better liquor?”

“Not my call,” he leans in close to Anthony, “and too be honest you’re on thin ice after that whole anti-capitalism thing at your last fight.”

“What?” Anthony takes a step back. “I plugged a meat coop.”

“Kraft didn’t like it. Drink the vodka,” he says then turns back to the surrounding crew, “Alright bring it in, I need steady cam and boom, now.”

Anthony sits back in the white leather couch that looks pink under the neon. The assistant director a redheaded woman with a variety of pens in her hair appears with an attractive cocoa skinned girl showing a lot of skin, “This is Bianca and she will be your date for tonight.”

Anthony stands up and shakes her hand courteously, “Reality television,” he says with a roll of his eyes.

She laughs and says, “Hi, I’ve been watching your fights. I’m a big fan.”

“Thank you, please have a seat, I hope you like Vodka.” He says as he sits next to her.

EXT. BOURBON STREET – NIGHT

A gorgeous blonde in a silver dress with a microphone in her hand is surrounded by tourists who are all hooting and hollering. Her left hand is held to her ear as she struggles to listen to Mikel in the studio, “Thank you Mikel, it appears to be going down shortly! Behind me is Saints and Sinners the bar once owned by Channing Tatum and rumor has it both The Immortal Mark Gentry has just entered the building and I know Anthony is inside but he is in the upper level. It is possible that may might pass like ships in the night but the smart money finds that unlikely. Either way word on the street is we are in for a hell of a show on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter! How about this crowd!”

The crowd screams as she turns to them and asks them to show Sucker Punch some love. She laughs and shouts with them with her hands up before touching her ear again. “Well I do know that Anthony has had a few drinks, especially after what happened to his teammate in that dark match. I have to say this season is in New Orleans and gators exist here,” she says with a shrug. “Thoughts and prayers to Erma Dalton’s family,” She reaches up to her ear again, “Something is happening inside.”

INT. NIGHT CLUB – NIGHT

Anthony takes down the drink and turns to Bianca. The scene is a pleasant moment between a man and a woman with Anthony’s muscles bulging nicely through the fabric of his shirt and Bianca’s bosom heaving and almost translucent under the neon glow. Anthony feels his stomach knot up as he swallows down the vodka. “Not a fan of vodka?” she says at his reaction.

“No, I love Absolut, just feeling weird about today, the show, just everything,” he says but doesn’t feel convinced himself.

“You ready, Briars!” A loud booming voice comes from the darkness and is silhouetted by red light. The camera pans to him. The tall thick man called the Immortal presses forward. His facial tattoos come into view as the camera light hits him.

Anthony is already on his feet when the camera pivots back to him. He throws the table to the side to give him some space as he widens his stance. “I just come here to drink man, we don’t have to do this now,” the shot of vodka was already coursing through his veins and his head felt foggy.

“You know the rules, anytime, anywhere,” The brute growls as he moves closer to Anthony. Anthony springs forward with a jab that catches Mark but it’s the overhand cross that shows him he means business.

Two camera crews are on the scene, one for each fighter and they maneuver around the fighters carefully as Gentry is knocked back from the punch. Mark spears the younger fighter and they fall over the white leather couch. Mark beats at Anthony’s face with heavy blows but Anthony reaches up pops his ears and shoves his thumbs into the big man’s eyes. Anthony throws him over and stands to get some distance from the massive fighter. “That’s hack shit, man.” Mark says as he sits up.

“Fuck you,” Anthony retorts.

Mark stands up and looks over his opponent who stands ready with his hands up in a boxer’s stance. The cameras are zeroed in on each fighter’s expressions. Crystal clear and gorgeously textured in the Red plus formatted digital cameras.

Mark laughs and moves in to strike back when a big hand grabs him by the throat from behind. The hand is big enough to cover Mark’s muscular neck an elbow comes down hard on the center of Mark’s forehead knocking him back to the ground. The follow up stomp to his face caves in the fighter’s skull.

Anthony’s mouth drops open. “Who?”

The monster that dispatched Mark in a few brief strikes takes off the cloak covering his face, “My name is Karl and I will be your opponent for tonight. He catches Anthony hard under his left eye before knocking him hard in his abdomen with an uppercut. Anthony pushes away and dives through a pair of french doors overlooking Bourbon street. The beast follows after and Anthony clinches Karl around the neck and goes to town on his midsection wit his knees throwing in elbows to Karl’s head. Karl grunts and nails Anthony in the ribs with his big hand breaking a rib. All the air leaves Anthony’s body as he drops the clinch. Karl bats his face with his maul-like hand and Anthony can feel his jaw is dislocated if not outright broken.

The beast above him is about to finish Anthony off when he lifts up, grabbing Karl’s legs and hoisting him up over the balcony. The fall wasn’t huge but the wrought iron fence that borders the clubs patio perforated the interloper along his ribs. Anthony stands up and looks at Karl as he tries to pull himself off the fence.

EXT. BOURBON STREET – NIGHT

The camera shows Nikki’s back as she looks at Karl limply trying to pull himself from the fence. She grabs at her ear and turns quickly back to the camera. “Just wow! It looks like Anthony has survived the fight and will move on to the next round. I have no words, back to you Mikel.”

INT. SUCKER PUNCH STUDIO – NIGHT

Two shot of Gunther and Mikel as they look on with shocked expressions. Mikel shakes his head and says, “In twenty years I have never seen anything like it Gunther what are your thoughts?”

“It is unusual but it has happened before in season five when Frank Leach jumped two fighters in mid-fight eliminating both. The difference there was that Leach was an active fighter in the tournament. This comes out of nowhere and destroys the Immortal and nearly takes out Briars.”

“We’ll get the official call momentarily but as it happens Briars is the winner and will move on to the next tier fighter Thomas Finnegan fourth generation boxer and a favorite to take the whole tournament,” Mikel places a finger to his ear and looks up into the screen shocked. “Finnegan is on the scene!”

INT. CLUB – NIGHT

Tyler makes a circle gesture over his head as he approaches Anthony crumpled on the white sofa, “Alright let’s get the Gentry crew out of here and bring in Finnegan’s crew. Anthony I’m gonna need you to have another drink and try to mention the product.”

“What’s going on?” Anthony asks.

“You’re first fight wasn’t long enough so we moved to the next tier. You’re fighting Finnegan in five minutes. That’s enough time to give you for an intro, yeah?”

“I can’t fight again, I have a broken rib.”

“You now the rules anytime, anywhere. You souldn’t have plugged that Coop I guess, Kraft is really pissed off anyway we’re rolling in five, four,” He gestures three, two, and one before pointing at a dead-eyed Anthony Briars.

The End

Eldorado

It’s been a little while since I posted anything. The quarantine blues had me in their clutches and I didn’t really have much that I felt comfortable posting in the last two months. However this came across my desk and I was pretty proud of it. The client asked for a reverse Harem story where the woman has the harem and it’s set on an oil rig out in the ocean or Gulf of Mexico, I pictured the Gulf of Mexico so that’s pretty much how I wrote it. Any way, here’s some fun hopefully female empowering erotica about a woman taking control of her sexuality. It should be a fun read.

Please enjoy,

They left at dawn. The glow of the rig as the sun rose made it shimmer like a dream. To Melanie Flores it reminded her of Eldorado with the shimmering glow of the rising sun reflected off the water. Smoke rose from the platform that only added to the hazy illusory quality of the place.

Two days before she had a kind of going away party with a few of her girlfriends. Sarah sprung to mind as they got closer to the platform. “You know they’re dirty, right?”

“Yes, of course,” she shook her head as the buzz of the vodka hit her. “They drill for oil. It’s bound to get dirty. I’m just there to make sure everything is up to code.”

“For a month?” She was astounded at the time it took to do a full inspection but Melanie reminded her that there was a long list of things she needed to look over. “With a bunch of sweaty gross men,” she stuck out her tongue at the thought then shrugged. “Actually, come to think of it maybe I should chaperon,” she gotta a dreamy look in her eyes. “Statistically speaking there’s at least one hot guy on there.”

“I’m there for work. It would be a breach of protocol for me to fraternize with the roughnecks.”

“Ooh, roughnecks, you know I was skeptical but I find myself warming to the idea,” Sarah quipped. Seriously when was the last time you got laid?”

Melanie’s mouth fell open and then twisted into a grimace of realization before finally admitting, “It’s been awhile.”

“It shows, Mel.”

“I’m not really looking forward to it. I have to oversee a full rotation so I’m going to be there for longer than most. Except maybe the Rig Manager.”

She landed and saw him as he emerged from a bulkhead door. She’d seen from the file his name was Colin Boucher. He was bigger than she expected. Tall, broad at the shoulders, and his dark brown hair made his deep blue eyes pop against his chiseled face. He looked like he could break her in half. The wind swept up by the blades whipped his hair away from his face as the pilot descended.

“He’ll be there the whole time?” Sarah asked.

“Yes but I don’t even know why we’re talking about this because the plan is to work. Just work,” she put her hand down and accidentally tipped her glass. Sarah’s eyes popped as she reached for the drink but it was too late. The pink liquid inside poured across the bar. When she saw the guilty look on Melanie’s face she erupted in laughter which started Melanie laughing.

She reached out her hand to shake Colin’s, “Melanie Flores, I’ll be supervising the inspection,” she smiled at him and tried very hard not to be taken in by his eyes.

“Colin Boucher,” he shook her hand cordially, “I think you’ll find I run a tight rig,” She could hear his voice clear as a bell despite the helicopter sounds.

She felt a momentary shiver run down her spine as his hand lingered maybe a second longer than was professional. In er head she could hear Sarah’s voice say, “Just work?”

“Absolutely,” she answered the internal question out loud. He cocked his head but seemed to ignore the statement.

An hour later he’d given her a tour of the facility. Melanie was in awe of the place it was like a city on the water with every amenity a person could want. While Melanie was well-versed in all the procedures and functions of everything she passed on the tour it was a different thing to be on one. This was her first. The men worked in twelve hour shifts with two crews total. This was one of the smaller rigs Colin had worked on with only a crew of fifty total.

He introduced her while the men were just sitting down to breakfast. The mess hall was set up like a cafeteria but with small lounge areas set out at the perimeter with television screens for watching whatever was available. It looked more like a college then the rig she was just walking along, “This is Melanie Flores,” she heard catcalls and whistles which raised her hackles instantly. She looked to Colin and expected he would put a stop to it but he kept talking over the whistles, “she will be inspecting the rig and all our procedures. I want you to extend her every courtesy,” he looked to her and saws the ferocious look on her face. “There aren’t any women on the rig and some of these men are at the ed of two weeks without companionship,” he explained.

“They look to you for how they are supposed to behave,” she fumed.

“I should’ve warned you,” he said.

“You should’ve reprimanded them,”

A flash of anger crossed his face, “Did you have anything else you wanted to add?”

“No, short of a striptease I doubt they’d pay attention to anything I say. Show me to my quarters,” she demanded.

“Alright,” she heard the tone of his voice shift and knew she had ruffled his feathers. She wasn’t sorry she was right to voice her frustration.

“I’ll be starting my preliminary work shortly but I would like to organize my objectives before I start.”

He nodded and silently as he led her to her quarters. Once inside she opened her briefcase and set to work. Only an hour in and already she was feeling friction around her. It was going to be a long month, she thought to herself as she looked over her itinerary for the day. As she stepped onto the main deck she saw men hoisted by ropes working high above her. That alone wasn’t unusual but the method he was using was clearly dangerous. “Get that man down!” She yelled as the hanged man started welding a steel plate.

The man below shrugged and shook his head but she was unsatisfied with that reaction. Her dark Latina eyes were flashing rage as she got in the technician’s spotter’s face. “I can’t just get him down, lady,” he barked back.

She shifted her neck ready for a fight. He was just a little taller than her but his bare arms were corded with tight muscles. “I have the power to fire you,” she said with venom.

Colin stepped behind the man and Melanie turned her gaze to him. “That man is not secured properly,” she explained as she stepped around the spotter.

Colin cast a glance up, “That’s Squirrel, he’s fine,” he said curtly.

Melanie seethed, “Do you like your job?” she asked Colin.

He looked at her eyes and tapped the spotter on the shoulder, “Tim, get Squirrel down and take five,” he instructed then looked Melanie dead in the eyes, “My office, now!”

He didn’t wait for a response but instead turned on his heels and walked away. Melanie looked up as Squirrel began his decent. She took a breath to compose herself before following.

His office door was at the top of a series of grated steps. The door hung open for her as she climbed the grating. She entered confidently but startled when he slammed the door with a ferocity she hadn’t yet seen in him. “Don’t you dare emasculate me in front of my men!” he bellowed.

“You’re not doing your job!” Melanie yelled back. Her heart was beating a tattoo against her sternum. He terrified her. His size alone made her feel like a little girl again but she was never one to back down from a man and she wasn’t about to start now.

“You have a problem wit how I do things, that’s fine we can discuss it but we do it privately. On this rig I am the final word and anything else makes my job harder. Men second guess me and men die.” She could feel the passion in his words and her breath caught in her throat. Her cheeks and neck blushed involuntarily and he saw her eyes dilate. He broke away from her and closed the door.

Melanie’s throat was dry but she managed to speak, “I would prefer that stay open,” The words didn’t come with the confidence she wanted.

“Is that what you want?” He asked as he got close to her.

She could smell his musk as he got close. Too close. She couldn’t think with him this close. She looked down at the ground but one strong hand touched her chin and lifted her to look in his eyes. The dreamy quality she felt when she arrived returned. She felt like she couldn’t catch her breath and that words wouldn’t come even if she wanted to say something. Se wanted to tell him to stop but she held his face in her eyes. His deep blue eyes drew her in and she understood suddenly what it felt like to be hypnotized. Her chest was heaving and in those endless seconds she was transfixed.

“Kiss me,” he said and she did. The words rattled in her head like a new law. His lips were softer than she expected and when his tongue pressed against her lips her eyes closed and she let him in.

His desk was behind her and just high enough that she could rest her bottom on it. Their mouths moved in sync and she was lost in a sea of lust. It was like her body was moving on instinct. She felt his hand on the small of her back as the other held the arm that was holding her up. Her legs wrapped around his just under his firm ass. Her one free and rested on his hip as they kept making out on his desk. She let her body fall across the top of his desk. She could feel files and papers on her back but she was past caring.

His pelvis gyrated into her and caused little spasms of pleasure that beat her brain into constant arousal. She broke away long enough to look at him. His eyes still had her in their power. She moved into him and pushed him away to get at his belt. Her hands worked furiously as she got him free and then tore at her panties. She couldn’t get him inside her fast enough. As the head slid into her folds she gasped. She couldn’t remember the last time it felt like that. He started gently and she was momentarily relieved. She hadn’t seen his rod but judging from the entrance it was big. Then without warning he thrust home and her brain exploded into spasms of color and light as her brain struggled to contain all the sensations her body was feeling.

She heard herself screaming in ecstasy but it was like she was hearing someone else’s voice. He moved so intensely into her that he displaced her soul and left her nothing but this carnal beast rutting against his desk as he pounded deeper into her. Their mouths were kissing and his spear was thrusting into her. His face was the picture of control. He knew exactly what he was doing to her body. Fast, slow, fast fast, slow, deeper, deeper, deeper. He ripped her top away and left her heavy chest exposed to the air. It was a welcome sensation as they were starting to feel restrictive and she suddenly wanted him to see all of her.

She was topless with only her skirt bunched around her waist. His shirt was gone and she could see his rippling chest working as he played her body like a fiddle. She felt her emotions ripple through her as she wanted him closer somehow.

He pulled himself away and for a moment she felt confused until his hands hefted her at the waist and flipped her onto her belly.

She lifted her perfect round ass into him as he worked his way back in and again she was howling. It felt like an eternity but her stomach tightened and the her inner walls were squeezing against his manhood. She felt a wave rising in her as he kept on with his rhythm. Her eyes crossed as wave after wave crested into his magnificent organ. The sounds that came from her mouth could almost constitute as a language given the range and variation of sounds.

“Do you want more?” His voice was ragged as he asked.

“Yes,” she hissed as he flipped her again and held her close to him. She let her hands play with his magnificent spear working it back into it’s full rigidity. His hands wrapped around her waist and she lifted him onto her shoulders, pivoted in place and leaned her back against one of his walls knocking down an old centerfold calendar. His tongue darted out into her sex as er hands worked through his dark hair. He circled her bean with his tongue before lapping at the folds. She was still coming down from er orgasm on the desk as another crested in her body. One hand shot up and grabbed some kind of pipe while the other pulled at is hair. He hummed into her body and she could feel it vibrate through her sex and up into her brain.

His tongue flicked, circled, and hummed into her body and she was wracked with orgasms one after the other in succession until her brain was pulverized with pleasure. “Down, down,” she panted and he initially didn’t seem to hear her as he intoned another orgasm in her quaking body. Finally he did lower her into a chair. All but naked and spent. He knelt down and kissed her again. She smiled as they kissed. “I should,” she was out of breath. “I should work,” she finally managed.

“You should,” he agreed and kissed her a final time before standing.

Several distracted minutes later Melanie managed to out her outfit back together in a semblance of professionalism. “That can’t happen again,” she said as she headed for the door.

“I see,” he said as he re-organized the mess on his desk.

She saw the look on his face and felt like she’d insulted him, “No, it was great. Mind blowing really but I need to work and this could be a distraction,” she reiterated as she felt the sudden urge to jump him again. “a major distraction.”

“Got it, no strings, just work,” he said.

“Just work,” she repeated and walked out of his office. It was only as she got to the main deck that she realized they hadn’t discussed the safety violation at all. She looked back at the stairs and decided to address it later.

The day moved slowly. Melanie found herself daydreaming about Colin and his stuffy office. A shiver ran down her spine every time she thought of the orgasms that bombarded her body and cleared away any rational thought. She admonished herself each time her mind drifted back to the encounter. She would straighten up and readdress whatever she was previously occupied by. “Hey,” a voice behind her spoke and she didn’t recognize the speaker. He was a tall lank black man with dark skin and a nice smile that split his wide face.

“Hello?” She reached out her hand to shake hers.

“Name’s Jamal Derby but the guys call me Squirrel around here,” he said as he took her hand.

“Oh, right, you were up on ropes when I first got here,” she recalled out loud.

“Yes ma’am,” he said still with his smile lighting up his face. “I was wondering if you might accompany me for dinner?”

She thought about the offer and her first instinct was to say no but he had warm eyes and the infectious smile that subconsciously made her own smile emerge. She hadn’t seen Colin since their meeting that morning which stung a little more then she wanted to admit. “You know what? I would like that.”

“Right this way,” he ushered her.

“Let me freshen up in my quarters for just a little and I’ll meet you there,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Your terms are acceptable,” he said as they parted ways.

She walked into the mess hall and Squirrel swooped in as she she entered with his elbow cocked out. She giggled at his gesture and put her hand on his arm. “What would you like for dinner evening. Tonight they are serving Chicken Cordon Bleu and salmon fillets or we could go ala carte.”

“I do enjoy salmon but I think I would prefer something light this evening,” she answered as the made there way through the room. She could feel the eyes on her in the room as Squirrel led her to deli section for sandwiches, salads, and soups. She grabbed a quick salad and e a sandwich and a soft drink.

“How has your first day been?” Squirrel asked as they sat at a small circular table.

“Well it was touch and go there for a minute this morning but once I got going it was good,” she answered.

“I saw the Chief lay into you,” he acknowledged.

“Chief?” she questioned.

“Boucher, the Rig Manager, we call him Chief around here,” he explained.

She nodded and was met with a lurid memory of their meeting in his office, “He really laid into me,” she said and saw him across the room. Their eyes met but the look on his face was unreadable.

“He’s a teddy bear once you get to know him,” Squirrel added and took a bite out of his sandwich.

“Are you done for the day?”

“Yes ma’am, the second shift starts after dinner. Everybody eats together its just for some this is breakfast and for others its dinner. You get used to it.”

“I bet,” her eyes were still trying to follow Colin as he moved through the room but she lost track of him as she spoke to Squirrel. “Would you excuse me for just a moment?”

She made her way to where she assumed bathrooms were while also watching for Colin. She gripped the door handle just as he stepped in next to her. “Squirrel,” he said idly.

“Do you mind?” She asked.

“He’s a charmer,” Colin looked over at Squirrel before dropping his gaze back to Melanie. “Are you sure you can handle him?”

“He was just talking to me,” she said defensively.

“Really?”

“Yes,” she bit back. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“It isn’t, it’s just you talking with Squirrel will get the men wondering,” he let the statement hang in the air.

“What for?” She cursed herself for taking his bait.

“He’s known for his prodigious talents,” He answered.

“Are you jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous? I already had you,” he said matter-of-factly.

Part of her was seething at him but another part felt the same spell that came over her that morning. A flash image of her face down on the desk moaning like a harlot hit her brain like the back draft of a fire. Her face flushed and she covered it with anger. “I’ll be damned if you think you and your men can just trade me around like the village bike,” she pulled at the door and he closed it. She shot him a look with malice in it.

“What I’m saying is that you should feel free to do whatever comes naturally to you,” he explained. His deep blue eyes bored into her, “A month out here is a long time.”

She called is bluff, “No strings attached, remember?”

“I do,” he nodded.

She tried to read his face but she couldn’t find anything. There wasn’t jealousy, mockery, or even anger in his face. The only thing she could feel from him was more akin to a dare. “What would you say if I did sleep with him?”

He shrugged, “My men and I share everything.”

She pulled at the door and expected him to block her again but he just left. Melanie splashed water on her face and looked herself in the mirror. She wouldn’t be traded from one man to the other but even as she worked the thought over in her mind she couldn’t find fault in the idea. Her love life on land had been filled with bad dates and the occasional one night stand. The last real relationship she had was before she got the job with the oil company. For three years she became a workaholic and home body. It was part of the reason she took the assignment. She needed to be shaken from her status quo.

She sat back down with Squirrel, “I thought maybe you had left,” he said as he finished up his meal.

She shook her head, “no, I ran into Colin.”

“Not bad news, I hope?” He said with a smile.

“No, not bad news. I’m just not sure how I want to proceed.”

“Maybe I can help,” he touched her arm and she could feel the warmth of his hand through the fabric.

“I don’t know, it could be risky. There are two ways of doing this job,” she explained as she locked eyes with him. He had such an expressive face, it was beautiful even under the florescent light of the mess hall. She went on, “There is the traditional model which is good, productive, appropriate. On the other hand I could try something unorthodox and maybe come away better in the long run.”

“Without risk there’s no reward,” he said without skipping a beat. “That’s how we get innovation,” again his smile killed her.

Melanie couldn’t help but smile when she looked at him. “What if it doesn’t work? What if it destroys everything?” she asked with concern.

“Oil rig is like its own little world. Get right with Colin and he’ll go the distance for you,” He said with a wave of his hand. “Hey, you want to go for a walk on deck?” he asked.

She was already nodding before she answered, “Yeah, someplace quiet and away from the action would be good.”

“Tricky, there’s always men around but I have a few ideas were we could go that’s quiet. It’s like a harbor,” he explained.

“Perfect,” she said as she stood up.

They walked and talked as they left the mess hall. After a fifteen minute stroll past the next crew setting to work. Bright light blazed against the surface of the deck and made the air feel hotter. Squirrel led her to small circular door in the flooring with a wheel on top. It reminded her of a something out of a submarine. “Is this safe?” She asked as he cranked against the wheel.

“Not completely but this leads to a lower platform closer to the water and without the intense light.”

She nodded as he grunted and torqued the wheel until it gave easily. She caught a glimpse of his wiry pectoral muscles and felt heat in her core. She wasn’t sure what she planned once they got down there but her body definitely had ideas.

The ladder led to a catwalk that zig-zagged between faded girding. Melanie spotted several stairwells leading down. There was still light down here but it was much more subdued and had shadowed corners a plenty. She realized the reason he picked this ladder was because it was in one of those pools. The air below was still hot but a constant breeze snaked through the underbelly of the rig. “Do you like it?” Squirrel asked as he put his arms around her from behind. It was a bold move but it payed off in his favor. She melted into his warmth and relished the heated contact of his body with the cool breeze that whispered across the back of her neck.

“It’s perfect,” Melanie said as she turned to him. Even in the gloom below the rig she could see his eyes gleam. He leaned in and kissed her. She didn’t pull away. All at once she realized what everyone else seemed to already know. She needed this. Colin and now Squirrel, Jamal, she rolled the name over in her mind, Jamal. She preferred it to Squirrel. Her heat was rising and his hands were moving over her body exploring her exposed skin. She followed his lead and found her hands reaching around his waist before sliding down to his toned ass. He smelled like coal and wood fire and his mouth tasted like honey as they made out. Her tongue licked at his lips before darting into his mouth.

His hands found her breasts and squeezed gently as she moaned. She was gushing below and wanted more out of this. The strange sway of the catwalk made her head swoon more and made the movements of his hands seem more gentle or forceful at equal intervals. She cursed herself that she was in jeans instead of the skirt she arrived in.

She felt bold and suddenly brand new as her hands reached into his pants to find his throbbing manhood. It was not a difficult search. She found his thick mushroom just below his belt as her fingered gracefully brushed against his sensitive flesh. He pressed into her in response and for a moment she thought she would fall over the railing but he grabbed her by the back of her head and kissed her hard. His other hand unzipped his fly and let himself free. She called out as e sprang free. And let both her hands stroke at his magnificent organ. “I want you inside,” she gasped.

He responded assertively and instantly. His strong hands unzipped and pushed down the unneeded pants along with her panties. She pushed herself onto the railing so he had a better vantage. He was adept and swift in his execution. He found her willing folds like their sex was magnetized together. There was a moments resistance then he thrust home. She felt herself spasm around him and she cried out.

She thought someone might hear her but the thrum of machinery above and around her drowned out almost all sound. He kept going and moving into even as she felt another orgasm coming. She didn’t remember ever being such a hair trigger but it was like her body was screaming out its need for release. All her libidinous urges swept through her since she touched down like some ancient roman god of lust she felt possessed and couldn’t seem to control herself around men anymore. Minutes stretched into eternity and in the darkness Jamal’s body took on legendary proportions. He wasn’t mortal in her mind’s eye and as he turned her and lined his head up to her ass. She shook her head slightly.

“We’ll go slow,” he growled into her ear. She felt him press into her and she couldn’t deny the pleasure as he pushed against her tiny bud.

Melanie felt him enter and she thought she would burst but instead she howled with lust. Centimeter by centimeter his entered and as she looked across the water through heavily lidded eyes she saw Colin watching as she was bent over the catwalk railing.

Her first instinct was to stop but she didn’t want to stop. She wanted Jamal to go on forever. She found the strength to seek out Colin’s blue eyes and lock onto them. He didn’t flinch but instead watched her. She closed her eyes as she felt each vein of Jamal’s erection pass through her taut rectum. She didn’t believe it was possible but he was inside her and it was heaven. Finally after deliciously slow entry and retreat he poured into her. Jamal fell on top of her for a moment before pulling out. She turned and kissed him.

It was her turn to take charge. She wasn’t finished with him and she wanted to feel in control for once. She pushed him against the railing and stroked him back to full strength as she lowered her eyes to him. For a moment Jamal could see the predator in her. She kissed him one last time before she pull her top from her body, glanced at Colin. He was still there.

“Fuck me,” she said and she climbed up his lank body and impaled herself on him. He held her up easily enough. The catwalk rails acted as the perfect footholds as she rocked into his erection. When she looked up again Colin was gone. She wasn’t sure why but she felt disappointed.

“Let’s go to your room,” Jamal suggested. “I need some water and ten minutes if we’re gonna keep this up.

She smiled and kissed him, “I, should go.”

“You don’t want more?” He cradled her ass.

“I do but I still need to work and I have a feeling if I spent the night with you I wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow.”

“Damn,” he smiled again, “that’s the nicest way anyone’s ever shot me down.”

“I aim to please,” she kissed him again and rocked against him slowly while they made out.

By the time she got back to her room she was physically exhausted but her mind was on fire with the events of the day. Two different men in one day. It was like a fantasy come to life but when would the other shoe drop. Thoughts of sex filled her mind and cycled until they lost all solvency and became absurd. Minutes later sleep claimed her.

Word spread quickly of Melanie’s romantic liaisons. It wasn’t that anybody said anything explicitly but she could feel the eyes on her as she had her morning coffee and worked trough her day. She didn’t see Squirrel at breakfast but spotted him later. Cheerful as ever he waved to her from high above the rigging.

She grumbled that Jamal still wasn’t secured properly and realized that the problem was never discussed. Her day was packed and this was minor but she was livid that she wasn’t being taken seriously. She was just there as a concubine she surmised from Colin’s actions. She stormed through his office door but found it empty. Still fuming she resolved to find him later.

Her path back down was blocked by a short roughneck with the blondest hair she had ever seen. His skin was deeply tanned from days out on the rig. Despite his height we was stacked with muscle and looked like he could fill in for a He-Man action figure, “Excuse me!” she snapped.

“Sorry ma’am,” he said and tried to get out of her way as best he could. “Is there anything I can help you with?” he asked sincerely.

“I’m looking for the Chief,” she tried to calm herself.

“Yeah, I was just with the Chief. I’ll be heading right back to him,” he explained.

“Thank you,” she said, “That would be helpful,” he finished is business quickly and returned to her.

“I’m Ross,” he said and offered her his hand to shake.

“Hi Ross, sorry I snapped at you,” she acknowledged.

Ross led her past a series of red pumps and a menagerie of meters, tubes, and wires. She heard weird clanking noises from the drill and saw Colin worked with several men pulling thin pipes from the well. Colin was barking orders as the men moved quickly. “Turn it off!” he yelled from the well as he waved his arms to a man in a small booth nearby. The action was frenetic and seamless. Melanie wanted to confront him but her fears seemed small compared to what was happening at the well. She knew enough to know that the drill head was blown and needed to be replaced quickly. This was one of the things she had read about or heard described but never witnessed herself.

The men she spoke to always referred to the crew aboard the rig as a second family. They talked about teamwork and synchronicity and it sounded almost mystical at times. She touched a guardrail with her hand and could feel the hum of machinery through the metal. This was a city on the water. It was a living breathing thing and watching Colin she started to understand his talk of being obeyed without question. Any pause or loss of momentum could result in death at any moment for him and everyone around him. Her rage fizzled as she watched the men work tirelessly. An hour passed and the intensity stayed near the same level. Ross moved around the well himself next to Colin. She saw him put a hand on his shoulder before moving off from the drill.

He stopped in front of her, “Is there something you wanted to discuss?” He asked.

“Safety,” she said with some irritation.

“Squirrel?”

“Yeah, Squirrel,” he looked her in the eye and said, “I’ll get it sorted.”

“Thank you,” she still wanted to tell him off but he had a quiet dominance to him.

“Was there anything else?” He asked. His eyes were working their magic again.

Melanie didn’t say anything for awhile and he moved around her. He didn’t have time to chat, she could already hear him in her head. She yelled to his back as he was about to turn a corner. “Last night!” she yelled.

He stopped and turned to her, “What about last night?”

“Did you like the show?”

He didn’t say anything and instead turned and walked away. The lack of answer was infuriating. What did he want from her? She wracked her brain searching for the answer. The only thing that surfaced was him in the mess hall telling her to do what came naturally. The words echoed like a mantra.

She went back to the monitor station she ended with before she went on her mad search for Colin. Over an hour wasted. She went back to her checklists and diagnostic workbooks. Everything would need to be filled out. The problem was her brain wanted to marry her sudden urges to her desire to get her job done. She couldn’t seem to get both on the same page. Work or pleasure and never the two shall meet.

Time crawled forward. She felt antsy like she needed a cigarette but she hadn’t smoked in years but it was the same kind of dread that rose up in her. The words came again, “do what comes naturally,” She turned and found Ross behind her. “Can I help you?”

“Is it true?” He asked innocently. Maybe it was his height but he seemed younger than Colin and Jamal. Was he younger than her?

“Jamal?” she returned the question. He nodded, “What will you do if the answer is yes?” He shrugged. He looked innocent but there was a hidden edge there. Like he had a secret. “Will you try to seduce me? Ask me to dinner? Come to my room? What will you do Ross?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s not particularly creative and you look like a very creative man,” she moved towards him like a predatory cat. If she was going to be a party favor she should be in control, she decided. “What would you do to get me?” she was inches from him but he was still.

He reached out his hand and she swatted it away. He took a step back unsure of himself. He screamed country boy and he was thick with muscle. She found herself rooting for him. Finally, he spoke, “What would you like me to do? I mean, what do you like?” He was nervous and she found herself liking it.

“I like sex, Ross,” she said confidently, “work it through, what would you do to get me? Use your words,” she instructed. He probably only ever had one girlfriend but she bet he got lots of play without trying too hard. He was definitely pretty and probably played football in High School. She guessed defense from the muscle.

It was dark. Shift change was coming at any minute. Ross had a short window before the window closed. “Ms.,” he stopped himself and shook his head. The thoughtful look on his face was adorable. “I’ve wanted you ever since I saw you,” he said, “I like that you take what you want and I find that real attractive in a woman.”

The thought entranced her. Ross thought she chose Jamal instead of him coming onto her. What stories these men must tell when she’s not around? She laughed internally but it came out as a smile and Ross relaxed when he saw her smile. “Not bad,” she answered. “Meet me in my room in fifteen minutes,” she ordered and left him there.

Back in her quarters she pulled her sweaty clothes off and stepped into the shower stall. The water didn’t heat very well but after the eat of the long day the room temperature water cooled her skin and washed away the sweat and grime from the day. She worked through the equation in her head. She could be anything she wanted on the rig, it was Eldorado to be sure but what would you do if you had a city made of gold?

She toweled off and heard a knock at her door. Her heart stopped. “Come in,” she said walking out with nothing but a towel wrapped on her head. “Give me just a minute, Ross,” she said as she dried her hair with her towel and dropped it onto her small bed.

“Ross, huh?” Colin’s voice boomed through the room and she raised her head to meet him.

“Just doing what comes natural,” she said. “What do you want?”

“You,” he said as he leaned against her bedroom wall.

“You already had me,” she said bitingly, “no need to be jealous,” she walked to him still glistening from the shower.

He looked her in the eyes. “You get me wrong, I told you I share everything with my men…”

“But you want control,” she finished his statement. “I’m not a resource, a tool, or a pipe casing. I am a woman who knows what she wants.”

“Has so much changed in twenty four hours?” He asked.

She thought about the question. The answer came back, yes. When she arrived she wanted to work and little else but Colin made the move. “You opened this Pandora’s box,” she said as she took his hand and brought it to her glistening labia. “I am my own woman. If you want to have me again you just have to say the magic words.” She moaned enticingly as is fingers explored her outer lips and found the nub of her clitoris.

“What are those?” He tried to kiss her but she moved her head away.

“Please,” she stated. He brooded and bored into her soul with his eyes. “You can’t say it, can you?” A knock came at the door. She turned her eyes to the door and said, “come in.”

Ross entered with his sweet innocent face and saw Colin with his hand moving into her body. “Should I go?” He asked.

“No,” she ordered. “Don’t pay any attention to the Chief,” she smiled at Ross and turned her attention to him. She took Ross by the hand and Colin stayed where he was. She worked at his shirt as they got to the small bed. He looked stunned but seeing her naked body emboldened him to touch her. He kissed her as she brought his shirt down his shoulders. Melanie knelt on the bed and started on his pants. He wasn’t as long as Colin or Jamal but he had girth on his side as his erection materialized. She pulled him onto the bed by his pants and swallowed him whole.

Ross leaned back and steadied himself on his arms as she bobbed her head. His eyes crossed as her tongue swirled around his flesh. She always enjoyed giving blow jobs. There was an inherently dirty quality to the act but on the other side she had him under control. His prized possession was vulnerable, exposed, and it made her feel powerful to feel their will crumble from her skill.

Melanie’s eyes darted over to Colin whose eyes were glued to her performance. She darted her eyes towards her upturned rear then back to Colin. He took a step forward and her expression changed to fiery anger. He stopped and puzzled over the meaning while she slurped and sucked at Ross. “Please,” she heard Colin say and she moaned. Ross was panting as his fingers curled around her hair with one hand while his other tried to keep him upright.

Colin stepped in behind her and she smacked er own ass as he unsheathed. He filled her with his manhood and she felt her stomach flop as he entered. The sudden pressure in her pussy made her gag and she lifted off Ross’s dick with a pop. She grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss as a cock-drunk haze washed over her.

Melanie tilted up as Colin pulsed in her. Ross’s hand groped her heavy breasts while one of her hands stroked him to orgasm. Ross broke away and howled as he came on her chest. She pressed her tongue into his mouth as Colin increased his speed. “Don’t stop,” she panted.

Colin’s head was thrown back as his finished inside her, “Fuck!” he yelled and pulled free.

The sudden absence was almost painful to Melanie. Her dark hair was plastered to her forehead as she broke her kiss with Ross to kiss Colin. They were both panting. As they stared into each other.

Confusion flitted across Ross’s face and he started to move from the bed but was stopped when Melanie grabbed his cock and turned to him. “We’re not finished,” She pulled Ross on top of her while Colin panted just above her head now. “Keep going.”

Ross nodded and move into her. She was warm, wet, and tighter then he had felt in years. She snarled as she pulled him deeper. Her legs wrapped around him and pulled him closer. He cast a milliseconds glance at Colin before sucking on Melanie’s erect nipple. She whimpered softly and looked up at Colin who watched her as Ross fucked her slowly. Se had a blissful glaze across her face as she reached up and caressed his vein with her delicate fingers. She dabbled at the shaft then his balls before wrapping her fingers around his sword.

Ross flipped her legs onto his shoulders and continued with hard thrusts to her vulva as he increased his tempo. His stamina felt limitless as Melanie closed her eyes. She brought Colin’s amazing organ to her mouth and licked the head before pulling him into her mouth. Her hands clutched at Ross’s back and arms as she screwed her neck towards Colin. She felt so full. The knowledge that she was the conductor of this passion play laid out before her stoked her passion further.

Her abdomen tightened and she was forced to release Colin from her ministrations as an orgasm swept over her. Her world melted away like water color and she saw the world fresh and new. Eldorado was hers now and she would bring it with her when she left. Her eyes closed and she saw the men around her as automatons built for her pleasure. In her mind their skin was replaced with chrome and silicon. The heat they generated was electric in nature and made for her. As she clawed the secret name of god in Ross’s back her eyes flashed open and she could only smile and laugh.

There was a sudden sense of liberation that filled her core and she saw all of it flash before her eyes. Sarah would comment on her poise and confidence. The men at the bar would become a candy shop that she could peruse at her leisure. She had heard the term sexual awakening but all she every felt before was disappointment and shame but now she understood she was in control. She had what they wanted and it was hers to dispense. She would make them say, please. The door once opened would never be closed again. Men like Colin saw her as some babe in the woods unaware of her own effect on the men around her. She was always a fighter but it felt as tough she had grown some teeth.

She pushed Ross away from her as she moved off the bed. She kissed Colin on his chest then trailed the kisses towards his neck before finally arriving at his lovely mouth. She felt stoned as she looked at Colin. “It’s time for me to sleep.”

She stepped off the bed and her dumbfounded suitors stayed where they were naked and waiting for orders. She padded to the bathroom naked. Ross turned his head to Colin and opened his mouth but decided to not speak. Colin was stony faced as he stared forward digesting what had just happened. “What happens now?” Colin asked as she emerged from the bathroom.

“Now you two should get dressed, give me a kiss, and I’ll let you know if I require your services tomorrow,” she answered demurely.

Ross went about collecting his clothes as Colin asked, “Services?”

She fell back onto her bed and played with Colin’s penis with her foot, “I’ve decided Ross can stay. He was the one who asked me out. If you want to stay?” She asked Ross. He nodded and she turned her gaze on Colin, “we’ll have fun again but it will be on my terms. No strings attached, no jealousy, and if you can avoid spying on me that would be nice as well.”

Ross stood stock still unsure of how to proceed. He was locked between loyalty to the Chief and his desire to stay with the beautiful woman longer and alone. “I can live with that,” he said as he stepped away from Melanie.

“I’m very glad to hear it,” Melanie said as she bit her lower lip. “It’s going to be a long month.”

Colin left and Ross remained. She beckoned Ross over with a finger and she giggled as he fell onto her kissing her. She pressed his head gently down towards her sex. He gave her another peck and moved to her abdomen. What Ross lacked in experience he made up for with enthusiasm. She started moaning when he was in the right neighborhood and made lower less orchestrated sounds when he was in the wrong locale. Her Pavlovian moans helped direct him into a nice rest from the gymnastics of the past two days. Soon she was rested and ready for more. The rest of the night was a flash of lust and flesh merging. His stamina was incredible but as the dawn peaked through the small window in her wall she fell into a deep sleep. Ross left as she fell asleep but kissed her on the forehead before he left.

Colin approached her the next day and smiled at her, “You are something else,” he said.

“This is a lot easier then trying to jockey fifty different egos while I stay here. You did say you share everything.”

“True but usually I have a say in how I share it.”

“Not this time. Are you going to be okay with this because I would hate to stop fucking you?” She asked as she took his hand.

“I can,” he said and kissed her on the lips.

As they broke away she whispered into Colin’s ear, “Could you do me one little teensy favor?”

“Name it,” he laughed a little. There was a little pang of joy at that small victory over the brooding man’s man.

“Please get Squirrel a fucking harness,” She laughed and kissed him again.

The End

Profiles

990x1181_10003_Profile_2d_portrait_girl_woman_picture_image_digital_art

I have always enjoyed dialogue. I like hearing the variances in individual voices so this series of shorts is all about voices. The first two stories are told in first person perspective and the last is an epistle using twitter as a format. The formatting didn’t translate well into WordPress, so please forgive me for not wanting to spend an hour re-spacing the story.

These are essentially sketches that may become something bigger down the line, but for now enjoy the experiment for what it is.

Please enjoy.

Kermit.

I was on the porch. Music was playing in the living room. It sounded like something from the 80s, synth heavy and vaguely punk in its orchestration. I felt the need to lay down on the matted couch. Diamond strike on back matches caught my eye on the small end table among a garden of liquor bottles and cigarette butts. At the far end of the porch there was a rusty collection of gardening tools set on a gurney from a Hearse. The gurney was held up by cinder blocks and made into a kind of low table that also housed a collection of bottles and a ripped white parasol along with the garden equipment. A cool breeze swept through the porch lifting the lighter ash from the end table. The ash swirled in the air like a dancing ghost and I was swept up in the jig for a heavenly moment before the breeze caught my skin and raised goose flesh on my arms and chest. I felt the effects of the hallucinogenic mushrooms at this point. I knew I was no longer sober.

th

The house was suddenly foreboding so I couldn’t go back, but the street was dangerous and fraught with unknown perils. I chose the street. I walked out shirtless and barefoot into the yard and was instantly struck by the way the light and shadows lay on the lawn. It looked like a light made in the shape of a large snowflake. I was barely ten feet from the porch and I was already stalled by the heavenly lights pouring through the trees. I ripped my eyes away from the snowflakes and stopped myself from giggling at the surreal humor mundane things hold when you are not sober.

I was away from the house on the sidewalk and walking in an unknown direction. “Aren’t you cold?”

A voice behind me spoke and I was instantly terrified. I became suddenly rigid and willed myself not to look at whatever beast was behind me. I didn’t answer the question, but now that it was asked I couldn’t trust my senses to give me accurate information. I tried to focus on whether or not I felt cold. I was I decided, my skin felt cold to the touch, but I wasn’t sure if I was touching my own arm or someone else’s so I turned to look and saw that it was my arm. I didn’t feel particularly cold on the inside, I felt warm in my chest and in my head which felt as though it was pulsing from fever. “Yes and no,” I answered.

“Are you sure?” The voice said and followed the new question with a giggle.

“No.” I answered.

“You should go inside.”

“That’s impossible.” The voice behind giggled again. I wondered for a moment whether I was imagining the voice. The shrooms were very clearly doing their job and I was fantasy prone and could be having a conversation with myself. I tried to predict the next thing the voice would say. I couldn’t think of a phrase and for a brief agonizing moment forgot how to speak English. I hoped that I would be able to understand the next question. I made myself speak, “Please help me.” I pushed out what I guessed was an English phrase and had a moment of lucidity, “I shouldn’t be outside on my own.”

“What did you take?” The owner of the voice came into view. It was a woman, young, but her hair looked white under the streetlights.

“Mushrooms of some kind.” I answered and my eyes suddenly became very focused on her lips. They looked thick and had some kind of lipstick on them. Her tongue darted out and curled over her perfect white teeth.

She took my hand. Her heat warmed every part of me. There was no sexual attraction at that moment. I was completely incapable of fucking so I pushed it from my mind, but I was suddenly filled with what I could only assume unconditional love feels like. I wasn’t sure if she was black or white. She could have been transgendered, but none of that mattered at that moment I was like a baby chick and this was my mother. “Where do you live?”

I shrugged and turned my head around to see if I could spot my house. It was right there in front of me looming like an ancient God. Bright and barely twenty paces from where I stood. “There it is. I can’t go alone.” My eyes pleaded with her.

“I’ll walk you up.” She smiled and lead my up the small stoop and back onto the porch. She sat me on the couch and kissed me on the lips. “You stay here until I get back.” She gently ordered.

“When will that be?” I asked my voice had taken on a child-like quality that I hated, but couldn’t stop.

“Soon, but you stay on the porch.” She pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around me before she turned and left. I watched the door as she left.

One of my housemates inside turned off the porch light and I didn’t have the strength to tell them I was there so I swam in the darkness of the porch and drifted between the vast darkness in my mind and the finite dark of the porch. I knew there was light inside I just needed to make the journey. It was not an obstacle I could overcome in my state. I revisited the dark in my head and let it take me. I saw colorful fractals and the psychological homunculus of my body was distorted beyond recognition I changed my mental shape like Play Doh. I transformed myself into a woman for several seconds before the shape lost its solvency, but that was as far as my body experiments went because the drug was slowly tapering off by that time. My savior never returned so I went inside and went to bed.

Jennifer.

I pulled a chilled lowball from the cooler, poured a thin line of absinthe into the glass and swirled it. The sazerac is one of my favorite drinks to make. It takes a level of preparation I appreciate. Next I grabbed a pint glass and filled it with rye, simple syrup and bitters. Capped the pint glass with a Boston shaker and shook it rigorously trying to break up the ice enough to dilute it slightly and release the flavors, but not so much that it emasculates the rye. Swirled the lowball one more time before dumping out the excess absinthe and then strain the rye into the glass. Shaved off some lemon zest for garnish and put it on the well for the tiniest waitress I had ever met, Carla, to pick it up. All night every night I mixed sazeracs, manhattans, cosmopolitans and martinis for the rich fucks that drink at my bar. Despite the fancy swagger of the décor and the jazz piped in when we don’t have live music we are still just a bar.

I had a few idle minutes so I washed glasses while keeping an eye on the customers faces. It was a slow night and I wasn’t making much in tips so I wanted desperately to leave. The guy at the end of the bar kept watching my ass and usually that doesn’t bother me, but I was feeling ready to jump down his throat. He was a thick guy with that five o’clock shadow that comes with a guy who has to shave every day, like it never really goes away. He also had some kind of aftershave or cologne floating off of him. It wasn’t too heavy, but I was always pretty sensitive to smells and his was bugging me.

A few hours later I took a smoke break. The customers left and it was just me and Carla waiting for our shifts to end. I stood to head back inside when the ass watcher appeared in front of me, “Could I get a light?” He smirked.

I forced a smile and nodded. I reached for my back pocket and pulled the lighter flicking it as I lifted it when he reached for my wrist. I jerked my hand back and let out a ‘no’ before I could stop myself.

“Sorry, you’ve got a wrist brace. How’d you hurt it?”

I shook my head and left him without a light. I could still see his stupid smirk in my mind’s eye. He followed me into the bar. “Listen,” I started in, “I’m going to need you to leave sir.”

“I’m sorry,” He raised his hands and dropped the smirk. “I got off on the wrong foot with you. I shouldn’t have touched you and I apologize for that.”

“I accept your apology, now please leave.”

The apologetic face was replaced with an angry expression. He lowered his head and I could feel how empty the bar was. I didn’t see the Carla anywhere and I felt suddenly aware of how much bigger this guy was than me. “Do you know who I am?” It was a phrase I had become accustomed to at this bar anytime I told my clientele ‘no’. I got really good at staring them down when I was backed by a full staff and large number of customers, now it was just him and me and I felt scared. “I do not, but I am currently feeling threatened and I will ask you one more time to leave or I will have to call the police.”

The air felt really heavy and I made sure to keep my eyes on him the whole time and prayed that my expression was more stoic than it felt. He finally nodded and left the bar.

I got on the other side of the bar and called my boss instantly. While I was on the phone the waitress sauntered in and answered automatically, “I had to use the bathroom.” She could tell I was livid from my expression alone. I felt a little bad at how much I enjoyed instilling fear into my coworkers, but I was feeling selfish.

Marlon.

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Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 31 Aug

I saw something tonight that I can’t explain. There were a bunch of people singing, but it was super creepy. I think they were Satanists!

Drew Haskell @bropocalypse 01 Sep

@TechPagon Yo, they were just hippies!!! LOL

Sheri Powell @SheriPowell 01 Sep

@bropocalypse @TechPagon You’re both jumping to conclusions. Go talk to them and maybe you won’t have to make assumptions. #checkyourprivilege

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 01 Sep

@SheriPowell I went back today and there was a big circle with a pentagram and I think there was blood in the center of the circle.

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 01 Sep

@SheriPowell zero assumptions. #checkyourprivilege

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 03 Sep

there was a dead cat on my front porch today.

Sheri Powell @SheriPowell 03 Sep

@TechPagon It was probably just a stray.

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 03 Sep

@SheriPowell It was nailed to the door in an upside down crucifix.

Drew Haskell @bropocalypse 03 Sep

@TechPagon Dude that was me. Found him next to the dumpster yesterday.

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 03 Sep

@bropocalypse You are such a bitch!

Drew Haskell @bropocalypse 03 Sep

@TechPagon Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 04 Sep

I am seriously getting freaked out! I’m going to keep tweeting so there is a record if anything happens to me. Twitter is forever. Right?

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

Before anybody starts commenting let me get this out. I went to the woods and they were there again. I know about the occult and thought I might try talking.

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

There were fifteen people dressed in red robes. Mostly women, the man at the center was saying a prayer in a language I nev

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

Er heard before. It drew me in, like music even though they weren’t singing. They smiled as I approached, some of them

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

Patted me on the shoulder. The man at the center kept speaking, but his eyes were on me. I could feel them even with my eyes shut. I saw the

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

Sky open up like a black opal surrounded by a golden ring and I wept. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I swear angels w

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

Ith trumpets descended towards me and suddenly I felt a fever come on me like a wave across my soul. This was a dark fever and it was a

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

T that point I understood I was no longer Marlon. I wasn’t a man or a woman, nor even a beast. I was a God. I have never felt such peace as I d

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

Id in that moment. I murdered the congregation of course. My hunger demands blood. I do feel some small pity for Marlon’s parents, but they

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 05 Sep

Would have stood in my way.

Drew Haskell @bropocalypse 06 Sep

@TechPagon That’s a pretty creepy story bro. You should have put that on Creepy pasta, seriously I’m getting chills.

Marlon S. Baker @TechPagon 04 Sep

@bropocalypse Thank you Drew. Say, I wonder who that is at your door?

Hayward Blues

I wrote a short story two weeks ago. I used the HBO drama True Detective as my writing prompt for the story. Hayward Blues is a straight cop procedural with a few supernatural flourishes. The Detective in the story is an everyman named Jeff Lowe and the town he grew up in is changing around him in a negative way, but he feels powerless to slow its demise even as a detective. I was trying to capture a noir feel and I think I succeeded.

Enjoy.

There was a drive-by shooting. A gang of Native Americans came from the nearby Indian reservation and fired automatic weapons into the woods where a house was set a hundred yards deep into the trees. Their goal was to send a message to a rival from town. He had shacked up with his old lady. No one died, but the girlfriend has to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Jeff closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he got closer to the body. “Have we I.D.ed the body?”

“Kelley Molson.” One of the uniformed officers answered.

“I know that name.” He crouched next to the body. Kelley Molson’s hands were missing and a strange symbol was carved into his forehead. “He works with Richard Heller.”

“Yeah.” The officer replied. “You think he did this?”

“Maybe.” A thin path of dry blood trailed from the corner of Kelley’s mouth to his chin where it turned into a gummy stalactite. “I grew up with Richard.”

The author claims no writes to this photo.

Heidi Crus was home one afternoon when she heard a knock at the door. Jeff stood on the stoop with his badge hung at his chest. Her eyes scanned the badge and traced back up to his face, her face was neutral, almost bored. She left the door open and receded into her apartment. He entered. The coffee table was littered with items, cocaine on a mirror, a powdered credit card, two iguanas with their toes hanging limply over the edge of the table and a large hookah at the center. Heidi flopped on the couch, her right arm reflexively crossed behind her head as she pulled a tendril from the hookah and sucked the smoke into her lungs. She was glassy-eyed and languid. “Where is Richard?” He asked.

“Gone.” she answered with an almost imperceptible shrug.

The room was muggy with heat and all the windows were covered with heavy blankets that cast the room in an orange gloom. He cleared his throat, “I’m looking for Richard.” They have known each other since elementary school but had to stop. He was a violent thug in his youth, but the years mellowed him. Now that he saw her she looked like a ghost of the girl he knew.

Memories of old sexual encounters relayed at the back of his brain in a rapid-fire montage with the girl that laid on the couch in front of him. He hadn’t taken a seat yet, but the scene was depressing him and he wanted to leave already. “He’s a fuckhead.” She said as she shifted onto her side.

He suddenly didn’t know what to do with his hands so he stuffed them in his pockets. “We tried his number.” One of the iguanas shifted and turned almost knocking the hookah over in its haste

“He got into a fight with a bartender last night. They cut him off. I left without him.” She took another puff off the hookah. “Do you want a hit?” She offered. Her eyes were flirtatious with the hint of a smile curling at the corner of her mouth. It was the sly half smile he remembered. The girl he remembered was still in there, buried under asshole boyfriends and prolonged drug use. He didn’t blame her, didn’t think to arrest her for the coke, he just felt sad for her. Years of disappointment left everyone a ghost.

“No thanks.” Her feet rubbed against each other. The movement drew his eyes. “Which bar?”

“Lincoln’s Pub,” She answered.

He put a business card on the coffee table. “If he comes back, have him call me.” she didn’t pick it up, she just pulled the mouthpiece back to her mouth and took another draw.

Outside he felt the blood rushing through his veins. He looked back at the door. Memories were fucking with him, conjuring forgotten emotions. He shook them off as he climbed into his truck. Nothing good would come from him going back to her.

Lincoln’s Pub was an old creaking bar. It had a reputation as an upscale joint in the seventies, but it’s lost its shine, now it’s the kind of place old drunks go to die. The smell of decades old nicotine still hung on its walls and the floor was sticky as he walked to the bar. Jeff flashed his badge at the bartender.

On the stage a band was setting up. The sound man was hooking cords together while the band members drank beers and laughed at inside jokes amongst themselves. Jeff smelled marijuana and he looked over, but nobody was passing a pipe or a joint.

The bartender moved closer and waited for the question. Jeff rehashed the fight to the bartender who corroborated the incident and the bartender on duty. He wrote Cody Reynolds address down on a bar coaster.

The trailer park Cody lived in was a nightmare. None of the lots were marked, the roads that crisscrossed the park were riddled with potholes and it looked deserted, luckily it was small. Jeff circled twice before he found Cody’s place. People watched Jeff through beige blinds and floral print curtains. His trailer had a wooden deck attached to it with a greasy propane grill and a weather warped case of beer next to white plastic patio furniture. There weren’t ashtrays on the table, but there was a forest of stuffed butts on plates and in the tops of tallboy beer cans.

The storm door was all but ripped off its hinges from years of misuse and the primary door had a football shaped hole at shin level. The door hung open. Leaves had already drifted into the house. Jeff cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. “Police. I am looking for Cody.” The house was still.

Cigarette funk seemed to hover in the air. Somewhere in the distance he heard a baby crying. He did a quick sweep of the trailer, he noticed the master bedroom was wide open. The water bed dominated the room and a man sat at the edge of the bed swaying slowly. “Your door was open.” Jeff said loudly. The man continued to sway in place. Jeff lifted his gun from its holster. “Sir, please respond. I need you to turn around.”

Jeff circled the bed. The man didn’t look at him. His hands were gone, blood drained all over his lap and onto the floor. He sported the same strange cross that adorned Kelley’s forehead. The man’s eyes darted up at him. His mouth drew open in an “O” shape. Thick black blood pooled in his mouth and fell forth like a dam when he moved away from Jeff. Jeff reared back startled by the sudden motion. The man didn’t make it far. He crossed half the bed and stopped cold.

Jeff stepped out of the bedroom and went for his radio. “I need backup and an ambulance at 3378 Hargrove Place, Lot 792. Get here fast as you can.” Jeff turned back and saw the motion a second too late. It was Richard, he bashed into Jeff and tried to run down the hallway. The hall was too narrow for him to break away. Jeff grabbed hold of his arm, threw a forearm into the back of his neck and stamped on the back of his knee simultaneously. “What the fuck are you doing? Didn’t you see my fucking badge?” He put his arm around the guy’s neck and held it there without applying too much pressure. His pulse was accelerated and he was seeing red. He threw him to the ground and kicked him in the midsection for good measure before he handcuffed him. “Motherfucker.”

Richard was shackled in a small brightly lit room with two plastic chairs and a table set against the wall. The room looked more like a closet then an interrogation room. There was no mirror, just a small camera covered with black plastic in the ceiling. Richard leaned back against the white brick wall with his eyes closed. He was breathing loudly trying to wish himself away from this place.

Jeff stepped in with a notebook and a piece of paper.“This is a confession.” Jeff put the paper in front of Richard, “Read it.”

Richard opened his eyes and looked at the paper. “I didn’t do shit.” He said through clenched teeth.

“Talk to me. Tell me what happened.” Jeff sat down across from him.

“Fuck man, I didn’t do this shit. He was like that when I got there.” He leaned his head against the wall. He was grinding his teeth and his eyes were watery.

“You got in a fight with Cody at Lincoln’s Pub last night and then you went to his place to get even.” Jeff laid it out.

“No.” He leaned forward in the chair resting his forearms on the table. His hands were fidgeting and his eyes were downcast. “I got in a fight with him last night, yeah, but I wasn’t going over to fuck with him. I walked out to the Res and then went to his place. He was like that when I got there.”

“Why were you over there?”

“I was, I was gonna sell him somethin’.” He shifted nervously in his seat.

“Right now you are in a very bad place. There are two dead bodies and you are my primary suspect. I can’t help you unless you tell me everything.” Jeff clicked a pen and put it on top of the confession. Richard watched the pen intensely as he placed it down.

“Crying Hawk,” Richard said quietly.

“Tom Crying Hawk?” Jeff responded.

Richard nodded, then he looked Jeff in the eyes. “Dude’s going on the warpath. He was sayin’ all kinds of weird shit about death and retribution. He said they were stealing from him.”

“Who was stealing from him?”

“He didn’t say, just said ‘they’.”

“Why did you go to the Res?”

Richard’s eyes were fixated on the paper in front of him. “I’ve been with his sister. She wasn’t around last night, so I bought some crystal. I was gonna sell some to Cody as a peace offering, but he was dead and then you came in. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t kill anybody. It was Crying Hawk, you gotta believe me.” He looked up at Jeff. “I didn’t do this shit.”

The Reservation was made up of several Native American communities and was predominantly forest. None of them were towns in the traditional sense. To the outside world it was just a casino and some duty free shops, but the bulk of the populace lived away from the tourism. The young natives formed mafia-like gangs throughout the region. The large forested area made it near impossible to regulate criminal activities and the flow of drugs in and out of the reservation. Racketeering, drug smuggling and extortion were all common crimes on the Res.

Tom Crying Hawk lived in a small trailer nestled among trees and undergrowth almost a mile from the road. Jeff turned into his long unpaved driveway. The gutted remains of cars lined the trail. He heard howling before he saw the metal pen that housed three large wolves. The air was filled with the smell of roasting meat and dog shit. An army of motorcycles and ratty looking cars were parked out front. A bonfire was burning and several men were milling about with beers in hand. Jeff’s stomach sank.

He stepped out of his car and took a deep breath into his lungs. ‘Play it cool,’ he thought to himself. ‘Just ask a few questions and if you have evidence call for back up.’ He took his time walking up to the trailer, his badge dangling around his neck suddenly felt heavier with all the eyes on him. No one spoke to him, but he could feel the cold wash of their scrutiny. He heard a bottle crash against the bonfire. At the door he took another breath before knocking.

The door opened. A woman greeted him with a smile the was wiped away when she saw his badge. “It’s the cops,” She said with a sneer in her voice.

“I have few questions for Tom,” Jeff spoke calmly. He could feel the teenagers growing restless next to the fire. There was no conversation between them which meant they were waiting for him to make a move.

A booming voice inside answered, “Let him in.”

The woman stepped out of the way and Jeff stepped across the threshold. The trailer was nice. Double wide with wood trim over everything. The living room was furnished with leather furniture and a massive flat screen TV hung on the wall. Some reality show with an MTV logo at the corner of the screen was playing. There were five men sitting around a dining room table on the other side of the living room. They had drinks around them and cards on the table. One of them was smoking a fat cigar.

Tom Crying Hawk sat at the head of the table shirtless. He was a well built man. All his muscles bulged even as he sat with cards in his hand. His hair was pulled back in a long braid. “What do you need man?” He said with a smile.

“I have a few questions about Kelley Molson and Cody Reynolds.”

“I know them.” He stood up, “What about it?”

“They turned up dead today and,” He cleared his throat, “someone blamed you.”

The smile fell away from his face. “Who did that?”

“I can’t say. Not until the case is closed.”

He stepped from behind the table, “I got a right to face my accuser. You should tell me and save us both a lot of trouble.”

“I can’t do that.” Jeff felt a quiver in his voice and took a step back.

Crying Hawk had an elaborate skull tattoo on his chest the eyes of the skull were stuffed with roses and a Red snake was trailing out from the mouth and circled around his shoulder. He also sported a black tear under his left eye. His face lost all trace of civility. Jeff felt his heart in his throat and wanted to run, but that would only throw the army out front into a frenzy and he would never see his home again. He was close enough that Jeff could smell the Scotch on his breath. “I say you can white man!”

Instead of a response Jeff unclipped his gun holster.

“Where do you think you are?” His eyes darted to the gun and back to Jeff’s face. He could hear people behind him. They came in from the bonfire to see the show. “Who the fuck said this shit about me. You can walk away, juts tell me his name.”

Jeff opened his mouth, Richard’s name was on his tongue, but the moment it escaped from his mouth Jeff knew that would be the end of Richard. Crying Hawk’s eyes bore into him with unrelenting ferocity. “I…” The crowd behind him was close. “I can’t.” He let it fall from his mouth. The hands behind claimed him.

Outside the mob was laying into him with hands and feet. He felt a belt lash his back. He reached for his gun, but a stray boot intercepted him before he could reach it. He heard Crying Hawk order, “Get his gun!” This was his last chance if they got to his firearm his life was over.

One of the men kicked him over and others moved in to pin him down. Jeff threw a punch that caught flesh and managed to get his hand to the grip of his gun. Her clicked the safety and fired. The shot went into the ground, but the sound was enough to give him a moments space. He pushed off the ground and held his gun out in front of him. “Back the fuck off!” They could rush him and he’d be fucked, but no one wanted to be the first to take a bullet.

Jeff blasted for his truck. He heard the cage unlatch and the snarling sound of wolves. He swiveled on his feet. A wolf jumped for him its teeth bared. He fired a shot that caught the wolf full in the chest. It whimpered for a moment before falling lifeless on the ground.

The other two had gotten to his hood and were barking at the windshield. He got the door shut and started the car. They weren’t pursuing him any further. The wolves jumped off the hood as he pulled around hitting cars as he clumsily maneuvered away from Crying Hawk’s place.

The investigation wasn’t over. Richard was his only link to Crying Hawk’s potential involvement and it was only a matter of time before Crying Hawk came knocking on Richard’s door. He was weary, but the bruises on his ribs put revenge in his mind. He was going to find something on Crying Hawk. His city, his place was changing all around him and nothing was going to bring back the home of his youth, but he could sure as Hell get even. Heidi’s door was closed when he arrived. She greeted him with a smile this time. “I have a few more questions for Richard.”

“Sure, he’s in the bedroom.” She let him in. Heidi touched his shoulder as he walked in. Jeff turned to her. “You look tired.” She said.

“Very.” The iguanas were off the coffee table and lounging on a rock in the corner with a heat lamp beating down on them.

“Let me help.” She pressed her fingers gently into his shoulders and Jeff’s eyes reflexively closed. “Sit.”

“I shouldn’t.” His protests were futile, she guided him to the couch and worked his back more.

He lost track of time and found she had snaked herself around into front of him. “I was happy to see you.” She said with her half curled smile.

He didn’t say anything. She leaned in and kissed his mouth. Her tongue darted between his lips and he didn’t fight it. He kissed her back. Fireworks went off in his brain and he was enraptured by her moist lips and the incense smell of her place. His hands clumsily groped at her breasts and she moaned softly as she pressed herself closer to him. He was lost in heat, but a sound from the back broke the spell. He pulled himself away. “I can’t.” He said and willed himself off the couch.

“Don’t worry about Richard.” She jeered. “He’s useless.”

Jeff shook the fog from his brain and headed for the back. Richard was dead on her bed. Blood had welled up on his chest from what looked like multiple stab wounds. Jeff’s mouth dropped open and he felt a needle in his neck. He thrashed back, but whatever was in the needle was already working its way into his bloodstream and his arms felt like liquid. He stumbled onto the ground Heidi stood over him smiling. “There’s a storm coming Jeff. I’m sorry that you won’t get to see it, but there is a plan and I’m so sorry you had to get caught up in it. I really was happy to see you.” She kissed him on the forehead and knelt next to him as his eyes closed. Her pretty half smile was the last thing Jeff Lowe saw.

This is my Body, This is my Blood

As I’ve gotten older I’ve been finding inspiration in new places. When I was younger and playing a lot more roleplaying games than was probably healthy I would flip through the phone book for character names. The names are often all I needed to craft a fully realized background.

In recent years, I find someone in the bar or restaurant I’m at and I make up a little story about them. Whether or not the story matches closely to their actual life is irrelevant. It was just a thought experiment to help me write better. I had a hard time pulling those ideas out when I sat down at home to write and that brings us to what I’ve been doing lately.  Last week I pulled a series of phrases and crafted a short story out of those phrases. It’s not exactly cut up style, but I have found recently that when I’m stuck with where to go I can look at a phrase within the context of the story I’m writing and give it a new meaning. I have found it to be incredibly helpful.

Below is a new piece of flash fiction I wrote using a few phrases I lifted from twitter. It is an original piece apart from the handful of words I used for inspiration.

Enjoy.

Criminal turned actor, people called him Jack. Criminal turned actor read well on paper like maybe he turned his life around. “That’s the sound of Thunder.” He said as he lit the blunt.

We were standing next to a bench next to a large gothic church. There were people nearby, all of them focused on their own strangeness. This is where the refuse sleeps, out on these benches. During the day, it is teeming with performers and fortune tellers, but the night was for the unwashed stinking reprobates. My tribe as much as I hated it.

The criminal turned actor said, “Smoke of this blunt for it is my body, drink of this forty for it is my blood.” Jack’s face cracked into a smile, “Is it raining or just moisting?” He looked at the sky in a wistful way. I shrugged unsure of the answer. I hadn’t felt any rain, but the rain came and went with mysterious stealth in this part of the world. He extended the blunt to me. The joint cherry cracked gently as its blazing core decimated the paper. I focused on the smoke rising from it, took the joint and pulled it to my lips. I inhaled deeply and remembered I shouldn’t take such large hits, but it was an old habit.

Jack kept smiled, I couldn’t look at him when I was high. I turned to the others. A homeless man mumbled to himself as I drew in the sweet smoke, “I been here for forty years! Right here! I got them dirty motherfuckers. I got them dirty motherfuckers and I’ll kick your ass! You fucker. I been her forty years. I’ll be here after your gone. You don’t know shit, motherfucker.” The bum’s name was Kermit, like the frog. I knew him. He was my future. I could see it in his wrinkled dry apple face.

“Drink of this forty.” He smiled again.

I finished the phrase, “It is your blood.” He nodded. “I’m going to go.”

He nodded as I tipped the bottle back. The sick sweet beer was warm. I coughed as it washed the back of my throat. “Do you want company?” Jack looked interested in personal time. I told him before I wasn’t interested, but he still tried when we were together.

“Sure.” I responded.

We walked to the river’s edge and stood on the beach passing the bottle between us. The joint was already finished and the effects were starting to fully present themselves. I felt the plush sensation of THC hitting my nerve endings and I felt my face smiling.

There was  a snap in the distance as if a firecracker were set off somewhere. “That’s a gun.” Said Jack. He turned to the bank and ran up.

I followed. “Why are we running towards the gunshots?” I asked still grinning.

“Could be something worth seeing.” His eyes sparkled. They were mostly balls of shadow, but there was the tiniest reflection running along the rim of his iris.

I smiled back, couldn’t help myself and for an endless moment I reconsidered his intentions. Another crack broke the spell of darkness and another. “We should get out of here.” I said.

“Okay.” He nodded and we turned back to the lower ground of the beach. I shifted and fell in the loose sand. I felt Jack’s posture change next to me. I picked myself up and saw his back was to me. I was about to speak, but the forty fell from his hand and his body shifted uneasily and he fell forward just to his knees. I moved closer unsure and unwilling to believe what I knew was happening. I stood for a moment and then reached to him. My hand grabbed his shoulder. I couldn’t get any closer.

Another firecracker and I dropped to the ground. Jack still knelt beside me, hadn’t moved. I got to my knees and grabbed at his shoulders, “Stop it.” He said, almost too quiet. He turned to me and I could see what had happened, what I knew had happened. In the yellow sodium light, I was spared the grisly details, but I knew his right eye was gone.

The story ends abruptly because I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to continue it or not. I kind of like ending things this way even if  I never pick it up again.

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to submit stories I would love to post more.

Kristopher Bishop