Hellrider

by JG Faherty

  >R U OK? Lots of sirens in town.

  She’s thinking Eddie’s causing trouble again.

  That made him wonder if their relationship would continue after they solved the problem of Eddie. Without the drama and excitement, would she still be interested in him?

  She didn’t have to text you at all, idiot. She could have just told you everything in school tomorrow. Plus, she asked if you’re okay. That must mean she cares, right?

  Unsure how he should be feeling, he responded back.

  >I’m ok. Thanks. Just studying.

  >OK. Looked up séances. Wanna talk about it?

  >Yes. But not 2nite. In case…u know who is around.

  >Right. ;)

  A ghost emoji followed, and then a scared face.

  Carson smiled as he typed.

  >TTY, ok? :)

  Her answer was just as brief.

  >K. C U tomorrow. XX :)

  Carson’s heart did a double-beat and that by-now-familiar tingling started up in his stomach. He found himself smiling as he read the last line again.

  Kisses and smiley face! I—

  Sudden thunder shook the trailer. Carson gasped and dropped his phone. He jumped out of his chair and looked outside, positive it was Eddie’s motorcycle rattling the windows. A second crash followed, only this one was dimmer, higher up in the sky. Flickering heat lightning accompanied the rumbling. Embarrassed by his reaction he sat down again, waiting for his heart to resume a normal pace.

  Get hold of yourself. It was one thing to believe in a ghost or demon, another to think that a motorcycle could come back from the dead as well.

  Oh yeah? What about the strange thunder in town lately, and the broken windows? That all started happening the same time as Eddie’s return.

  With no logical answer forthcoming from his brain, Carson found himself unable to concentrate on his studies, thanks to a jittery feeling in his chest that slowly grew stronger as the night wore on.

  * * *

  Eddie stormed across the skies in a fury. He’d gone home to see how his mom and Carson were doing. They were his only links to his old life, and a piece of him didn’t want to let that go, wanted to still feel some connection to his family. To be human. Even if it was just in spirit.

  Instead, he’d arrived just in time to see Carson reading a text message from Chief Jones’s hot piece of ass daughter. It hadn’t said much, but he’d seen enough to have a good idea of what they were planning, considering the stuff they’d been searching on the computer the last time.

  A séance. They’re planning a fucking séance. To contact me, for sure. And why would they want to do that?

  Because they want to stop me. To get rid of me for good.

  The thought of it made his blood boil – or would have, if he’d had blood. Who the hell were they to cock-block his only chance for revenge? Especially Carson. He should know better, should realize that Eddie was doing it partly for him and Mom, so that no one would ever bother them again.

  Can they really stop me?

  Sudden fear dampened his fiery rage. He slowed Diablo to a coast. What if they did call him into the real world? The fact that they believed in his existence at all, were looking for ways to destroy him, was bad enough. Could they trap him somehow? Send him somewhere else, cast him away forever? If anyone could do it, he’d bet on Carson. The kid was too damn smart for his own good. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed they’d find a way.

  I need to find out more.

  Except he couldn’t go back to Carson’s room – he’d already seen that Carson was playing it smart, not committing any of the details to paper or even to his phone.

  Is that because he knows I might be watching him?

  Another frightening possibility. Not only were they aware of him coming and going, but they knew, or at least suspected, he could take over peoples’ bodies. Including Carson’s.

  If someone did that to me, I’d sure as hell want them dead and gone.

  This is different, thought. I have a job to do. For them. For what they did to me. And I can’t let anyone stop me, not even him.

  With watching Carson out of the question, there was only one other choice left.

  It was time to pay Kellie Jones a visit.

  * * *

  Kellie was asleep when Eddie arrived at her window, her still form visible in the ghostly blue light of her laptop’s screensaver. He kept Diablo’s throttle to a low growl, not even loud enough to rattle the glass. The thought of entering a sleeping person made him hesitate a moment; he didn’t want to be stuck inside her until she woke up.

  Shit. Gotta try. I need to know what they’re up to.

  Sliding off Diablo, he passed through the window and into Kellie’s still form softly as a summer breeze. There was a moment of pure blackness, and then he opened his eyes and saw the ceiling above him in the dark room.

  Eddie sat up, marveling at the strangeness of her body. His skin prickled with goosebumps and every sense seemed amped to the max. The flowery smells of perfume and shampoo filled his nose and the sheets were cool against his flesh. He felt filled to the brim with energy, like a cat ready pounce. Even more than when he’d been inside Carson, this body felt ready to leap into the air, do somersaults and handsprings.

  He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. You’re in control. He repeated the words several times. The last thing he needed was to get distracted and have Kellie’s body react the wrong way, at the wrong time.

  He swung his legs out of bed and sat up. Every muscle seemed to vibrate, ached to move. Other sensations appeared, a weird anxious feeling in his chest and lower belly. Even his nipples were tingling.

  Speaking of which...

  He walked over to the mirror and lifted up Kellie’s shirt. Ran one hand across her breasts, wondering if Carson had felt them yet. Or if anyone had.

  How far have you gone with my little brother? Has he done this? He squeezed one breast harder, was rewarded with an electric jolt of pleasure that ran down to between his legs.

  You like that? Maybe I should do more. Take this body out for a test drive? Pay Carson a visit and see what—

  An image of Carson’s face rose up in his mind, splashing cold water on the sudden lust coursing through him.

  Christ! What the hell are you thinking? That’s your brother!

  Eddie let the shirt fall back down and moved away from the mirror. Not what you came here for, dude. First things first. Find out what this bitch knows.

  There’ll be time later for fun and games.

  He got up and went to her desk, where he shuffled through the papers and notebooks until he eventually found what he was looking for tucked between her math and chemistry textbooks. A cold rage took hold of him when he saw what she had hidden.

  Printouts that explained how to conduct a séance. Detailed descriptions of ghosts and spirits and even demons. Worst of all, a list of things that could be used to bind and control supernatural beings.

  “Goddammit!” Eddie threw the papers on the bed. Even his own brother was turning against him now, just like everyone else. All his life, people had looked down on him. Told him he wasn’t worth shit. Told him what to do, how to dress. Threatened to lock him away if he didn’t get his act together.

  And now they were trying to control him in death, too.

  “Ain’t gonna happen, bitches.” Eddie picked the papers up. He was ready to burn them right there, but what good would that do, except tip the little shits off that he knew what was going on. Besides, they probably had everything saved in their computers or on their phones. Better they think he didn’t know he’d found out their stupid plans.

  That way he could really surprise the hell out of them.

  He sat down at Kellie’s desk and read through the printouts again, doing his best
to memorize the unfamiliar terms. Then he put the papers in order as best he could remember and tucked them back in place.

  Kellie’s cell phone chose that moment to give a soft chime and he jumped, knocking a couple of school books to the floor. Cursing under his breath, he quickly put the books back on the desk, grabbed the phone, and hurried to her bed. A few heartbeats later his caution was rewarded when Chief Jones’s sleepy voice called out.

  “Kellie? You still awake?” Floorboards creaked and the bedroom door opened partway. Eddie bit his cheek to keep from laughing as Johnny Ray looked in, said his daughter’s name once more, and then softly closed the door and returned to his own bed.

  Eddie counted to fifty before sitting up and checking the phone. Maybe it was Carson, with more information about their plans to bind him.

  It wasn’t. Instead, it turned out to be a picture message from one of Kellie’s girlfriends, showing her at a party in someone’s house. He recognized her face; she’d been the bitchy one at Rosie’s, the one who’d been looking down her nose at Carson just for grabbing a few gator nuggets. Like her shit didn’t stink. Beneath the picture it said ‘U should be here’.

  “Fuck you.” Same old crap, different person. I’ll bet no one invited Carson to the party. Just like I never got invited to anything when I was a kid. Can’t have trailer trash like the Ryders at your house. Eddie tossed the phone onto the bed and prepared to leave Kellie’s body. Then a thought hit him.

  Wait. It’s only a little past midnight. Jones had his chance to party. Why not let his daughter break some rules?

  He picked up the phone and typed in a message.

  >Where r u?

  * * *

  The party was in full swing when Eddie arrived. He’d grabbed a t-shirt off the floor in Kellie’s room and then tip-toed out of the house. From there it was just a fifteen-minute walk to the party, which was happening at the house of a senior whose parents were away.

  Hip-hop music blasted from the open windows and a few teenagers stood outside, smoking or pissing or both. Eddie noticed a couple of guys eyeing him as he passed, and he wondered if it was because he hadn’t bothered putting on a bra or because no one expected to see the Chief’s daughter at a party.

  Inside, he barely had time to grab a bottle of beer before a dusky-skinned girl with beads strung in her dark hair ran up to him, her eyes glazed over and a red plastic cup in her hand.

  “Kellie!” the girl squealed. He recognized her as Melanie Parris, the same girl who’d texted Kellie earlier. “You came! Ohmygod, I can’t believe it! Kellie Jones at her first after-hours party!”

  “Yeah.” Eddie swigged some beer and burped. “Why not? You only live once, right?”

  “You know it! C’mon, let’s dance!” Melanie tugged at his arm, spilling her own drink, something red and fruity, in the process. It joined dozens of other stains on the living room carpet. Eddie laughed to himself.

  Ooh, someone’s parents are going to be mighty pissed when they get home.

  “No dancing for me. This music sucks.” He pulled his arm away.

  “What?” Melanie managed to look hurt and befuddled all at once. It was a look he’d seen on many girls at many parties. The kind of look where he knew he could get her into a bedroom or bathroom easy as pie, and have her pants off with just a few sweet whispered words.

  She was hammered.

  It made Eddie want to grab her and kiss her.

  Not yet. Keep it in your pants for a while.

  “This hip-hop is bullshit. I wanna hear some real music.” Eddie headed for the sound system, which was a satellite radio connected wirelessly to speakers throughout the house. He hit the menu button and scrolled through until he came to the classic metal channel, aptly named Graveyard. He punched Enter and was rewarded with the burning guitar solo from Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’.

  “Now this is the shit,” he said to nobody in particular. Melanie had already wandered off and the only people standing nearby were two jock types wearing the orange and blue jackets of the high school football team.

  “Hey, what happened to the music?” someone called out. A chorus of groans and shouted obscenities followed. Eddie turned and saw a bunch of kids staring at him with angry looks.

  “You can hear that dance crap anytime,” Eddie said to them, raising his voice over the thundering chords. “This is real party music. C’mon, let’s drink!” He raised his beer to the crowd and chugged the whole thing down. Kellie’s stomach, unused to alcohol of any kind, immediately started gurgling and churning, which made Eddie laugh out loud. He wondered how she’d like waking up in her own puke later.

  “Change it back, bitch!” an older girl yelled, stepping forward. One of her friends immediately pulled her to the side and told her to shut up. Eddie couldn’t hear what they said after that, but he imagined she was being warned not to start trouble with the police chief’s daughter.

  This is too fucking cool. I’ve got a free pass to do anything I want.

  His first thought was to start a fight; just walk right up to the biggest, baddest girl at the party and slug her in the face. Maybe bust a few of Kellie-bitch’s knuckles in the process. Then he saw a couple making out in the kitchen and a better idea came to him.

  Maybe if I can do something to break Carson and Kellie up, they’ll be too upset to worry about me. All I have to do is make him think his girl cheated on him.

  Changing direction, Eddie headed back to where the two football jocks were filling up their beers from a keg. Pushing in between them, he took a beer from the taller one’s hand and chugged it. This time getting the whole glass down was harder. His stomach sloshed like an over-inflated water balloon. But he didn’t stop until he finished it. Then he wrapped Kellie’s arms around the boy’s waist, leaned up, and kissed him. The jock froze for a moment, and then jammed his tongue into Eddie’s mouth.

  For a brief second, Eddie thought he might puke at the idea of kissing another guy. It was like having your mouth invaded by a giant slug, and he wondered if he’d kissed that badly when he’d been alive. It didn’t help that the jock’s breath tasted of beer and cigars.

  Then Kellie’s body responded to the physical sensations and the grossness of the situation faded away. A tingling feeling ignited between her legs and a series of shivers ran up her back as the jock pulled her closer and placed a strong hand on her ass.

  Eddie let himself give in to his new body’s desires, felt himself getting lost in them. The sensations were almost overwhelming, threatening to cast all conscious thought aside.

  Damn. It’s not so bad being a girl. I should have done this sooner.

  Pain and pleasure blossomed in Eddie’s left breast as the jock’s fingers squeezed and pinched it through the thin cotton of the t-shirt. When he realized Eddie had no bra on, jock-boy smiled and slid his hand under the material. The moment his fingers touched Kellie’s nipple, Eddie found himself moaning.

  “C’mon, let’s find a room.” The jock took Eddie by the hand and led him through the crowd. Several guys whistled and cheered. Eddie let himself be led, still dizzy from his lust. They ended up in a small bedroom with plain white furniture and a twin bed in one corner. A guest room, Eddie figured, as the jock guided him into a sitting position on the bed.

  As if by magic, the jock’s pants and underwear were suddenly on the floor and he was tugging Eddie’s jeans down. Eddie helped, wriggling out of them and then pulling his shirt off so he was only in his panties. The guy climbed onto the bed with her and started kissing her again, his hands roaming all over her body.

  The bedroom door flew open, flooding the room with bright light and dance music.

  “Oh, my God! Kellie! What are you doing?”

  Eddie looked up and saw Melanie standing in the doorway, her eyes as wide as if she’d seen a ghost.

  If you only knew, Eddie thought, and then decid
ed to really start some trouble.

  “He tried to rape me!” Eddie pointed at the jock. “He made me take my clothes off and then he was all over me.”

  “What? She came on to me. She wanted it.”

  “Bullshit.” Eddie grabbed Kellie’s jeans and pulled them on. “All I did was kiss him. That doesn’t mean I wanted to fuck you.”

  “No! She’s lying!” The jock looked back and forth between the two girls. Belatedly, he realized Kellie was fully dressed and he was standing with his pants around his ankles. “I swear. It wasn’t me. It was her.”

  “Perv!” Melanie pushed him out of the way and grabbed Kellie’s shirt. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

  As Eddie went past the still protesting jock, he flipped up his middle finger. “Fuck you, douchebag. Next time keep your hands to yourself.”

  Then they were past him and back into the party, which was still going strong.

  “Hey, everybody!” Eddie yelled, pointing towards the bedroom. “There’s a guy in there jerking off!”

  Dozens of faces turned in time to see the poor jock belatedly trying to find his pants. People crowded around the door, attracted to the misery of a peer the way sharks are drawn to blood. A few took out cell phones and started taking pictures.

  He’ll be on YouTube before he gets his zipper up. Eddie laughed and two of the speakers blew out in a squeal of feedback.

  Melanie led the way to the back door. Eddie followed in her wake, pausing just long enough to grab a bottle of white wine off the kitchen counter.

  “I can’t believe that asshole,” Melanie said, once they were in the relative quiet of the back lawn and heading for the road. “Fucking football players think they own the whole world.”

  “Forget him.” Eddie held up the wine. “We can have our own little party.”

  “Kellie, what’s gotten into you? I love it!” Melanie took the bottle and drank a long mouthful, then handed it back to Eddie, who chugged several gulps, the cheap wine turning into a burning river of acid as it went down his throat.

  “Can’t a girl cut loose once in a while?” Before Melanie could answer, Eddie grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hard kiss. There was a moment where the other girl tried to push away, and then it was gone as she crushed her soft lips against Eddie’s and their tongues started a wild dance together. Unlike the jock’s, Melanie’s tongue was smooth as silk and flavored with wine and strawberry. It was a kiss that might have gone on forever if Eddie hadn’t slipped his hand between them to squeeze a plump breast.