Blood Red

Chapter 15

There are only a few days until Halloween, and I couldn’t care less about a costume. How sad is that? The thought crept into Ben’s head while he was supposed to be working on more homework.

Damned near everything was depressing him tonight. What wasn’t depressing him was leaving him agitated and annoyed. It was one of those days; he was restless and he was lonely and he wanted to have a life beyond his apartment.

A part of it was frustration. A big part. Sometimes being a decent human being sucked raw eggs. There was no way in hell that he would ever take advantage of an unconscious woman, but the reptilian part of his brain was kicking the crap out of his morals and had been since the early morning when he answered the door to find Maggie outside.

He was not a big man and accepted that he never would be, but carrying Maggie into his apartment had been easy enough. She couldn’t weigh much more than a hundred and fifteen tops. He was guessing, of course, because he had no clue about how much a girl her height should weigh. At any rate, he’d managed to get her inside without killing himself or even straining any muscles.

Maggie put her arms around his neck and held on to him when he carried her back to his bedroom. Her pulse was fast and her skin was pale enough that she looked like porcelain. He set her down on his bed and fretted, unsure about whether or not he should call for an ambulance.

“Maggie? Should I call someone? A doctor maybe?”

“No. No, I just need to rest.” She had barely even moved her lips. He nodded, looking at her closed eyes and knowing that she couldn’t see the gesture. Somehow it failed to register. Common sense had flown out the window and didn’t seem inclined to come back home.

He watched her fall into a deep sleep, and caught himself looking at her body as she lay prone on his bed.

For just a minute, he gave serious thought to taking advantage of the situation.

He left the room before he could act on any impulses.

Then he went outside to gather her purse and her shoes. He spotted her car keys halfway across the courtyard and got those, too.

Her possessions were almost worse than seeing her on his bed. That obnoxious little voice kept telling him it was okay to look through her personal possessions, that she wouldn’t mind at all. It told him that there might be indications of a medical condition, or possibly signs that she had taken something illegal that she was having a bad reaction to. It whispered a hundred different reasons why it would be perfectly fine with Maggie if he violated her privacy.

Just to distract himself, he went back to check on her in his bed. She did not sleep peacefully. She moaned from time to time and she whined, and damned near every sound that came out of her mouth could have been taken as something sexual.

And damned near every thought that went through his head involved taking advantage of the situation.

When he couldn’t take it anymore, he left his own apartment and paced out in the courtyard for close to two hours. He kept himself busy until physical exhaustion finally got the better of him and then he went back inside and dropped on the couch. The next thing he knew, Maggie was waking him up.

That had been torture. She was smiling and he wanted so much just to kiss her, to touch her. Any contact at all. So she made it worse by sitting next to him.

After she’d left his apartment, he went back to his bedroom and passed out on the covers, surrounded by her scent. When he woke up, the sun was on its way down for the night. His entire body seemed ready to explode.

So, yes, part of his dilemma was frustration; he’d had what could have potentially been a perfect situation for taking advantage of her, and had let it slip away.

Fifteen minutes of fun would never ease the guilt. That was what it came down to. She was more than a physical desire. She was someone he wanted to know and be friends with. She was someone he loved to see and to talk to, when his fucking emotions weren’t going into overdrive.

So he’d done the right thing and that was how he would always look at it. But there was something else, too. Something about the situation he’d been in had triggered a response in him that had nothing to do with love, or sex, or even wanting to be her friend.

Deep inside his chest there was a burning, gnawing dread growing: something was going to happen to Maggie, and there was nothing at all he could do about it.

Shit, what could I do? I don’t even know her cell phone number.

So instead of worrying about Maggie, a process that would surely drive him half insane if he let it, he thought about his childhood and how much he’d enjoyed Halloween as a kid.

Everything was simpler back then: his mother and father were still in the picture when he was still young enough to trick or treat. It wasn’t until later that his family had fallen to pieces. He hadn’t had to worry about anyone but himself, and even that burden had been shouldered by his parents.

Ben got off his couch and went back to his room and dressed himself in presentable clothes. He had no idea where he planned to go; only that he had to get there.

Something bad was going to happen. He could feel it. The thing that mattered to him was making sure that whatever happened, Maggie was still safe.

Ben left the apartment at ten minutes before eight. The sun had already set and the world seemed darker as a result of the heavy fog.

Ben started walking, trusting his instincts to tell him where he needed to be.

The girls were in the back of his van, all nice and cozy. Just thinking about what they were in for made Tom feel good about life. He wished he could stay around and film it, but there just wasn’t enough time in the day.

Lenny had finally called him back, and it was time to get down to business. First though, he had a delivery to make.

He pulled up in front of the fraternity house and shut off the van. Doug Clark was waiting with a few other guys. They were practically dancing from foot to foot.

“Boys… nice night for a party, isn’t it?” Tom climbed out of his seat and smiled at them. It was always best to smile for the paying customers. Especially when he considered what they were paying.

Clark handed him a heavy wad of cash. There is polite and then there is stupid: Tom decided to be rude and count it in front of the boys. “Looks like everything’s here.” He smiled at Doug. “I want to go over the ground rules.”

“There are rules?” He sounded disappointed.

“Oh, yes. Definitely. Follow them, and I won’t have to get all nasty about anything.” He stepped closer to Doug and the college boy got a little nervous. It was best to make certain points in advance. “They’re simple rules and they won’t stop your fun. But obey them.”

“First rule: Condoms. Use them. They’re for your own safety.” He looked at the gathered guys. “You all know where your buddies have been dipping their wicks. Do you really want to catch what they’ve probably got?” A few of them laughed. “That rule is so-so. If you break it, I’ll forgive you.”

“Next rule: Do not break the merchandise. Have fun, guys, but remember these girls belong to me. If I can’t use them when you’re done, I’m going to have to find new girls. I don’t like finding new girls. So no cutting, no beatings, no hot wax or nipple clamps.”

“That all?” Doug seemed okay with the rules.

Tom opened the back door of the van and urged the girls out. They were still in a stupor. “Almost. This is the last rule and don’t think I’m kidding when I say this, because I’m not. Top quality is what I promised and top quality is what I deliver.” He paused as Lizzie, Maggie, and one of his new girls, easily recognized by the boys in the frat house, stepped out and stared wherever their heads were turned.

Doug stepped forward and whispered in his ear, “Dude, these girls are hot, but they’re all fucked up.”

“Relax, it’ll wear off soon. Just wanted to make sure they were in the mood to play.”

“They won’t call the cops or anything, will they?”

“No. Now shut up and let me finish my speech.” Tom spoke louder when Doug nodded. “You probably know every one of these fine ladies.” The boys were nodding and very, very pleased. “You get to have your fun tonight. They’re yours. You guys want to talk about this later, that’s great.” Some of them looked like they wanted to go tell a few tall tales about what they’d done when it was all over; most looked like they’d already started having second thoughts. They’d still go through with it, they were guys and they wanted what the girls had to offer, but they weren’t ever going to tell anyone about what happened tonight; shame would stop the majority of them. He made sure he looked at the ones who wanted to sing in the choir when he finished his speech. “I have a few snitches just about everywhere, guys. They’re paid well to keep me informed of what’s going on. If I ever hear that any one of you has ever mentioned what happens here tonight and used the names of one of my girls in the same sentence, I’ll kill you.” He spoke calmly, but clearly and if he had to guess, he was getting his message across. The one who looked like he was still having troubles with the idea was the one he focused on next. He walked over to the kid. He was skinny as a rail and looked like the only way he was ever going to get laid was by paying for it. “I’ll do it slow, too. My girls have to go to this school, too, and you never talk about what happens here and you never mention their names. That’s part of the deal I made with them.” He jabbed his finger into the kid’s sternum and watched him wince. “You never even look at them funny in class. You want to talk to them, you’re as polite as you would be in church. You like what you get tonight and want to do it again, you call me and we make arrangements.”

The kid was flinching a bit, and that was good, but he still wasn’t quite scared enough, so Tom got in his face. He was close enough that he could count the eyelashes on his reflection in the kid’s eyes. “You understand me?” His voice was an arctic breeze when he spoke again.

“Yeah. I mean, yes sir.” Now he believed the kid would follow the rules.

“Good. They’re all yours. I’ll be back around one in the morning to pick them up. Make sure they have all of their clothes.”

Tom climbed back into the van and started the engine as Doug took Maggie by the arm and started leading her toward the house. “Oh, and Doug?”

“Yeah?” The man looked back at him, a little worried.

“Have a good time. Don’t worry if they scream, just turn the music a little louder.” He smiled and Doug smiled back.

Then Tom was driving away. Oh yes, they would learn their lessons. It had been easily three years since he’d worked out a frat party like this one, but the girls came back with a lot less attitude and worked just fine when it was all said and done.

Except for Sarah. Sarah had been a little too roughed up by the time the boys were done with her. Not physically, because the frat had played by the rules. Emotionally. Something about her fiancé being one of the frat brothers had just ruined her.

She’d killed herself a few days later. When they found her, she’d been sitting in a dried pool of her own blood. She’d written the word WHORE across her chest with a razor and then slit both wrists.

Sometimes he still missed her. She was feisty and liked to try to slap back when he started in on her.

He wondered idly if one of the girls from this party would crack that badly. “Maybe Liz. She’s close to burning out anyway.”

He turned on the radio and drove on autopilot. He had to get home. Lenny was supposed to be waiting for him. So was Lenny’s little girl.

Danny had just climbed into bed when the phone rang. “Better be good,” he answered as he lifted the receiver. The digital alarm clock reminded him in bright, cheery letters that it was just after nine P.M.

“It’s better than good.”

“Jesus, Richie, I was actually gonna sleep tonight.”

“Not anymore. Get your ass out of bed.”

“Are you serious?”

“Danny, you’re whining. You sound like a baby when you do that.”

“You sound too happy. What happened?” He sat up in the bed and reached for his pants. They were already dirty, but he didn’t care.

“My buddy made a mistake.” Oh yes, Boyd was sounding far too happy.

“Who? Tommy?”

“Who else? Get dressed. We’re gonna go bust his ass.”

“You’re lucky. I’ve been wanting a good reason to slap him around. He is gonna resist, right?”

“Hell yes, he’s gonna resist. Danny Boy, I can bet he’ll resist all over the place.”

“Good, ’cause as much as I love you like a brother, I ain’t getting dressed if he isn’t resisting.”

“You can arrest him just as good in your pajamas.”

“Joke’s on you. I don’t wear pajamas.”

“Please tell me you wear something.”

“I could, but I’d be lying.” He slipped the pants over his bare skin. He didn’t have time for underwear.

“Next time, lie to me.”

“You say the sweetest things.”

“Fuck you. Get dressed. I’m at your door in ten minutes, Danny.”

Boyd hung up on him.

Danny met him outside seven minutes later. Boyd had brought coffee. Lots of coffee.

“So what’s the scoop?”

“You ready for this?” Boyd was smiling a lot. It was a smile of pure piss and vinegar joy.

“Yeah, shoot.”

“So I get home, take care of the esses.” Esses was Boydese for shit, shower, and shave; along with sleep and sex, he figured they were all Boyd needed for true happiness. The sex part and the sleep part were rarities. “And I get a phone call from Newton over at the precinct. He knows I’ve got a hard-on for Pardue.”

“Richie, everyone knows you’ve got it bad for Pardue.”

“Whatever. Shut up and let me finish. Okay, so he calls me up and tells me he’s got some interesting stuff for me. Seems our buddy went looking to find out about who might have stolen all of his money.”

“Getouttatown.” Danny’s face split into a gigantic grin. “Somebody stole his money?”

“Not just somebody, Danny Boy.” Boyd was nodding his head like a bobble head Taco Bell mascot. “Seems somebody with a few computer tricks hacked into all of his accounts and made his life savings go away.”

Danny slapped the dashboard as he laughed, narrowly missing spilling hot caffeine all over his lap. “Oh, that little fucker. I gotta send him roses.”

“Yeah, you know he was pissed the other day. I guess he got his revenge. And roses? Screw roses, I’m gonna buy him a night with your sister.”

“He did look like he needed to get laid.”

“Yeah. Anyway, there’s a college boy named Ryan Harper. Seems he’s done stuff for Pardue in the past.”

“Yeah, I know the name. Small change, trying to keep his nose clean since he did six months.”

“Yeah, that one. Whatever he did for Tommy, it was the sort of thing that made Pardue figure he might have stolen from him or know how to get in contact with the thief. So Pardue threatened him and his girlfriend.”

“And?”

“He carried out his threats. Pardue didn’t think he’d go to the cops, what with him being involved in criminal activities himself. I guess he doesn’t get that some things are more important than being outside a jail cell.”

“Pardue wouldn’t.” Danny shook his head. “How bad is the girlfriend?”

“Bad enough, but she’ll recover.” The smile had left Richie’s face. He took poorly to people getting hurt. “Anyway, Harper pressed charges and so did the girl.”

“And we get to make the bust?”

“Oh yeah, baby. We’re the ones.”

“I’m glad you woke me up after all. Now I’m all tingly and excited.”

“Don’t go there. I don’t need to think about you that way.”

“My sister’s number is area code—”

“Shut up. Dickhead.”

“Oh, now you’re just being bitchy.”

The boys were beyond excited. They were also discreet. There was a party going on and a lot of girls had already been invited to attend, but tonight was a special occasion, because Ray Lima, one of their own, was twenty-one today. Ray was the pet bookworm; he was also a confirmed virgin and needed to be placated from time to time. So it was party time and they decided to send Ray off in a big way. Three women, all class, and as a bonus, they got to have fun when he was done with his business. In the meantime, there were girls downstairs to talk to and enough booze to make even the ugly ones seem interesting for a few hours.

Doug Clark was done setting everything up. Three rooms had been prepared and each of them had little but a bed in it. They were normally guest rooms for when the partying got too rough. Tonight, anyone passing out had to stay elsewhere.

Tom Pardue was a god. He wanted to be just like the supplier when he got older, only not so ugly. The erection he was sporting felt like it might go away sometime next week and he wanted to score hard with all three of the girls. Hell, he’d tried to score with each of them in the past and had been shot down. Now he would get his wish and that was just gravy.

But Ray got to go first. That was the rule. After tonight, Ray would be a little less awkward around the girls.

He slapped Ray on the shoulder and smiled. “Go get some, Ray.”

The way the kid was acting, you’d think he’d asked him to suck off a shotgun. “Dude, it’s all good. They’re paid and they’re yours. Go have fun and no one will ever hear about it. Okay?”

“You sure, Doug?”

“Yeah, man. Go have fun.”

He walked to the first room like a condemned man, while several of the guys made sure no one came up and ruined the surprise.

Ray spent a good fifteen minutes in the room with Liz Montclair. When he came out he was grinning like a baboon. Doug winked to him while several of the guys made comments and cheered him on. Next up was Maggie Preston. The original ice queen and now he knew why she was always so distant.

The second Ray entered Maggie’s room, Doug went for Liz’s. He made it first and closed the door. Liz was looking a little sleepy, but she was willing and he was definitely able.

He took his time and went for the trifecta. When he was done, he’d forgiven Liz for dissing him all those times.

Lloyd Tanner was after him and left the door open. Lloyd liked to put on a show; before much time had passed, half the guys were in there with him and they probably weren’t waiting.

Someone was moaning long and loud in Maggie’s room, and it sounded like it was Ray.

He was just starting to grin at the thought of what she was probably doing to him when the screams started.

Maggie came to full consciousness with a complete stranger groping her left breast and trying to shove his hand into her panties. Whoever he was, he’d already rolled her jeans down to her mid-thigh level.

“What the hell?” She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her underwear. He flinched as if he’d been slapped, but his other hand was still kneading away at her breast.

“Get away from me!” She slapped his other paw aside and started pulling her jeans back up.

Then the pain hit. Deep, dark pain that started in her skull and ran through her entire body. It wasn’t incapacitating, just annoying.

So was the guy standing in front of her with his mouth open and his pants around his ankles.

“You, you’re bought and paid for. I can do what I want to do.”

“You come near me and I’ll hurt you. I shit you not.”

He wasn’t looking like all of the circuits in his head were working. The erection in front of him had probably taken too much of his blood. He came for her again and tried to cop a feel.

There was no thought in the action, merely reflex. Maggie backhanded him and watched in shock as he spun a half circle and fell down on the ground.

The pain flared again, growing in strength. With each wave of rising discomfort, her anger grew as well.

Monkey Boy had done this. Tom had gone too far. The twerp got back up and stared, shocked at her. “You hit me.” His eyes were wide and outraged and she could tell he was on something. Every time some asshole around her decided to start frying brain cells, he seemed to want to come after her.

“I told you to stay away.”

“Fuck you. You’re my birthday present.” He seemed to think that made everything all right. What he didn’t understand was that she wasn’t in the mood for him or anyone else to touch her. The pain was annoying now and getting worse.

“You stay away from me and we’ll get along fine. You can go get a refund, loser.”

“No. I want you.”

“I. Don’t. Care.”

He didn’t listen and came for her again. The anger bloomed inside of her, dwarfing the pain that gnawed at her. Her hand reached out and caught him by the neck, blocking his attempts. He slapped her across the face in an attempt to make her let go.

Maggie saw red; deep, dark red that washed the rest of the colors from her vision. Perhaps it was whatever Tom had slipped her, or maybe it was something else, but whatever it was, it felt good.

The kid slapped at her again, and she caught the hand, squeezing until she felt his fingers snap like twigs under her grip. He let out a moan of pain, and Maggie smiled.

“Never touch me again.” She leaned in close and whispered the words in his ear. He smelled of sex and lust and sweat and fear.

The pain inside her reacted to the smell, surging and driving the rage to an even higher level.

The kid tried to break away and she squeezed hard, his neck almost collapsing and his hand shattering under the pressure. This time, the sound he made was a scream of pure agony.

She liked it.

The red took over then. The red became everything. The door to the room opened and she saw faces looking in. She knew them. They went to school with her. They were faces in the crowd, men who had tried and failed to woo her in the past. Men who, in the long run, wanted only what the broken boy she was holding wanted.

Blood ran from the boy’s ruined hand and she caught the scent of it. The pain became a gnawing thing that devoured nerve endings and ripped across her mind and body alike.

She acted without thought and licked at the stain of deepest, richest red in her field of vision. That taste, so like what she had tasted the night before on the body of Jason Soulis, entered her mouth and invigorated her.

The trickle from her boy’s hand wasn’t enough: it didn’t whet her appetite as much as ignite it.

She bit his throat and felt his skin break, felt the hot flow of ecstasy run into her mouth and across her chest and face. The others were looking at her and screaming now, making noises that she hated, that distracted her from her pleasures.

There was a part of her that watched all of what happened with complete detachment. It observed on a nearly clinical level as she dropped the skinny boy and moved toward the door.

She was really much faster than she should have been. The people around her moved like they were suspended in amber, trying to swim through solid matter to get away from her.

Doug Clark was the first one. He had always looked at her as if she was nothing but an object, always talking nice and smooth while staring at her chest.

Yes, she knew his kind. “You want something, Doug?”

He backed away, his eyes wide and horrified. She knew she must be a mess; the blood that covered her face and front was probably leaving a trail down to the floor.

Doug looked at her hard, his expression a blend of terror, lust, and confusion. She pulled him close and kissed him, smearing the remains of his friend over his face as well as her own. Damnedest thing, she could tell he was terrified, but she could feel his erection pressing against her. On a whim, she reached down and gave him a squeeze. Something wet and red happened in his pants.

She kissed harder as he pushed against her, beating at her shoulders and chest with closed fists. Maggie bit into his face, ripping through flesh and tongue, knocking teeth aside as she drew the blood into her mouth.

That detached part of her was horrified by the carnage, but it kept watching. It saw her drop Doug Clark’s remains on the ground and turned with her as she eyed the rest of the boys standing around.

Maggie grinned and moved; the taste of red filling her and driving her on harder. She had a sense of urgency, a certainty that things needed to happen faster.

She also had an appointment to keep with Monkey Boy. Even as she cut through the people around her, even as the boys ran from her and tried to escape, she knew she had to leave soon.

Five naked men came out of the room on her right. She could see a girl in there curled up on the bed and crying softly. Liz. Her name was Liz. She was one of Tom’s girls, too. The rage grew hotter, the world grew redder.

They backed up and tried to stop her by slamming the door in her face. She pushed the door aside with ease and knocked three of them across the room with the same push of her arm.

Liz screamed.

The boys in the room screamed.

Maggie screamed too, but hers was a bellow of hatred.

The screams went on inside the fraternity house for quite some time, masked by the sound of a loud stereo blaring.

Several people got out of the house and tried to reach safety.

Jason Soulis, waiting in the darkness, made sure that none of them got away.

Her sounds were a symphony to him. She walked through the building in a wave of blood and fury, leaving bodies wherever she went.

So many bodies.

Young and fresh and his now.

Maggie came out of the fraternity house drenched in crimson stains. Her chest heaved in great gasping breaths and her eyes were nearly insane.

She did not see him. She had eyes only for one man, one purpose at the moment.

She hissed the name like a curse and moved away from the charnel house she’d created. “Tom…”

She was perfect, a creature of pure instinct. He guided her, letting her see what she could do with simple mental pushes. Maggie took four steps forward, from a run to a walk, and lifted into the night air. She was gone in moments, leaving Soulis behind in the shadows. He worked quickly, gathering the bodies and moving them to a safe spot.