Group Hex Vol 1

by Andrew Robertson

The young woman bent over to pick up the necklace. That’s when the smell hit her- cold, damp, rotting. And the sound, eerie and unnatural. Before she could fully straighten up, something black, something icy, something putrid had grabbed her. She screamed and struggled as the bushes enveloped her.

  On that same night, a middle-aged woman walked with difficulty and slowly with her cane along a path in the park. She regularly walked the park at night. No barking dogs; no birds swooping down for sunflower seeds thrown on the ground; no pesky squirrels begging for peanut handouts.

  A glittering emerald necklace lay on the path between a group of high bushes. With her stiff knees, the middle-aged woman had difficulty bending over to pick up the necklace.

  A black, silk-clothed male Vampire jumped out of the bushes and grabbed her around the waist. With no response from the woman, the Vampire tugged and tugged at her with his long blonde hair bouncing. The woman felt a squeezing at her ample belly but she only thought it was gas. Bending from her waist, with the hook of her cane, the woman picked up the shimmering necklace.

  After more tugging with no response, the frustrated vampire, fangs gnashing, went back into the bushes. As a vampire he thought he had superhuman strength but the old woman was as solid as a statue made of rock.

  Pleased with herself, the woman tucked the necklace into her pocket and continued her walk. Now she was wary of any other glittering objects on the ground in case the jewel thieves had lost more.

  Under the same white full-faced moon, a burly, bearded man in brown corduroy pants and a red lumberjack shirt walked casually along a path in the park. A shimmering ruby necklace lay on the path between low bushes. The burly man bent over to pick up the necklace. Out of the bushes, two voluptuous female vampires jumped on either side of him, long pointed black nails bared. With no response from the man, the female vampires tugged and tugged at him, trying to reach his neck with their ivory fangs. The man picked up the necklace.

  As he lifted himself from a bent-over position, the man saw the two female vampires and at first glance was terrified. After hiding their fangs and smiling sweetly at the man while still hanging onto him, his terror turned to curiosity and hopeful pleasure. Their odour of rotting decay was earthy and sensual to him. He entered the bushes with one female vampire on each arm.

  His screams ripped the quiet of the night.

  That same dark night, two young trashy-looking women tug at the outside door of the inner city park’s women’s public washroom. The door was locked.

  “Oh, man. I really have to go,” said the shorter of the two.

  “Let’s try the men’s on the other side,” said the taller one. They ran around the corner and found the door was open.

  Under a dirty exposed lightbulb, the short woman rushed into the cubicle and peed loudly. The other woman took a red lipstick out of her handbag and applied it facing the cloudy mirror. Pouting her lips, she said, “Hurry up, the guys are waiting.”

  The peeing stopped. The sound of nails on the metal barrier reverberated. The short tart called out, “There’s no toilet paper! Can you get me some?”

  A swishing sound made the young woman at the mirror turn her head to look. She dropped her lipstick into the sink and screamed. The sink now had a red streak cutting across it.

  From the back of the men’s washroom, a tall figure with a long black cape approached the young woman at the sink. His white pointed fangs stood out against his black shiny skin.

  With another swishing sound, the short tart in the toilet’s banging stopped. Her body flopped on the floor with her feet sticking out from the cubicle.

  Chapter One: A New Venture

  One bright sunny day, the back warehouse door of a building in an industrial park opened and Aunty May Lars entered, gingerly followed by Dr. Moe Lars, Dr. Pierce Able and Hans Weiner. They walked up the few stairs and stopped at the top landing. Hans stood in front of the trio who followed him inside: Aunty May Lars – an elderly plump lady with a cane, Dr. Moe Lars – her tall and thin but clean-cut nephew and Dr. Pierce Able – a long-haired hippy type. Both young men had barely scraped through dental college and were now venturing out to start their own business.

  A bumble of chairs, wood and equipment were on the right. Hans walked past the trio and stood in front of them. In his heavy German accent, he grunted, “A great location. Just off the main highway. On the bus routes.”

  Frumpy Aunty May looked at the makeshift walls to the left.

  “It’s a bit more rustic than I expected,” Dr. Moe squeaked.

  “It looks a bit crowded with all this stuff,” Aunty May chimed in.

  Dr. Pierce rubbed his chin. “And the price again?”

  Hans stumbled up to him, whispered in his ear and thumped him on the chest with a big smile.

  “You can do your own decorating. No extra charge.”

  Dr. Moe exhaled, “What about all this old office furniture here?” Dr. Moe gave three sneezes in rapid succession, causing the dust to catapult like Chinese acrobats.

  Hans beamed, “Good stuff. No charge.” He batted the large dust particles. “I’ll wait outside while you look around.”

  After the door closed, Aunty May spoke. “After putting you through dental school, Moe, I can only lend you the first month’s rent.”

  “This is really a dump,” Dr. Pierce remarked while looking around. The cobwebs and dust sparkled in the sun’s rays cast from the windows at the top of the walls, nothing more than slits.

  Dr. Moe stood with hands on hips.

  “If your gambling habit didn’t get you such a bad credit rating, we may have gotten something better.”

  Dr. Pierce poked his finger into Dr. Moe’s chest. “And if you didn’t just pass by the skin of your teeth, we may have gotten into that new dental partnership.”

  Aunty May separated the two. “Boys, boys. Stop arguing and start making money to get out of debt and move up the dental bridge…or ladder.”

  She laughed at her own joke and looked around, planning the room’s configuration with her finger. The two men examined the various pieces of furniture. Hans re-entered the warehouse, stepped among them and lifted his arms up wide-eyed. He then looked at each man and shook his hand. Hans then put his hands on Aunty May and massaged her back as they all exited.

  With no sign, the warehouse entrance to the dental office was hidden. A badly scrawled number defaced the faded paint of the door. The warehouse door opened and a housewife with a teenage boy entered. They hesitantly walked up the stairs and looked around. Aunty May sat at an old metal school desk and greeted them.

  “Good morning. Do you have an appointment?”

  “The ad in the newspaper said ‘no appointment necessary’,” said the bugeyed woman, looking around.

  The teenage boy picked at his teeth with his nails but was oblivious of his surroundings.

  “No problem,” Aunty May said. “Or should I ask, what is the problem?”

  “My son may need braces,” the woman responded. “Do you have a dentist that can look at him?”

  The teenager snooped around the office. Dr. Lars, clad in a white lab coat stepped out from behind a ratty old shower curtain.

  “Good morning, I’m Dr. Moe Lars. He can come and sit right down.”

  Dr. Lars pulled the yellowed shower curtain aside and pointed to a folding deck chair. Dressed in a grey industrial coat, Dr. Able came out from behind a dusty and stained folding screen. “Hello, I’m Dr. Pierce Able. He can come into this area.”

  The two dentists pulled on either side of the teenager. Wide-mouthed, the teenager yelled, “Mom, look.”

  They all looked at a small table-saw with teeth and pliers on it. Dr. Lars waved his arm. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “I only do examinations on the first visit,” Dr. Able explained.

  The woman grabbed her son and started for the door.

  “Here’s a copy of our fee structure for when you come back,” Aunty May yelled. “First visit free!
”

  Aunty May got up from behind her desk and stood glaring at the two men. They waved their hands up to the ceiling and slinked into their respective cubicles.

  The next day, the warehouse door opened and two trashy hos entered. They slowly walked up the stairs and looked around. Bare concrete walls and floor; mismatched furniture.

  “Good morning,” said Aunty May putting on a big cheery smile. “Do you have an appointment?”

  With her frizzy red hair almost matched to her ruby lipstick, the first ho spoke. “The ad in the newspaper said ‘no appointment necessary’.”

  The other ho with a sparkly scarf around her hair looked around then lay down on the couch. Her short skirt hiked up to expose her tattered fishnet pull-up stockings.

  Aunty May’s voice had a condescending tone. “No problem. Or should I ask, what is her problem?” She pointed to the reclined gum popping tart.

  The first ho laughed. “Some of our ‘clients’ are complaining of her overbite.”

  The other ho pulled up her hose to reveal red unmentionables. Both dentists peeked around the corner. Dr. Moe strode confidently toward the hos.

  “Good morning, I’m Dr. Moe Lars. She can come and sit right down.”

  Dr. Able rushed out to the standing ho. “Hello, I’m Dr. Pierce Able. You can come into this area.”

  Each of the dentists went to a cubicle with a ho.

  The first ho stormed out.

  “Cash only. No barter!” She shouted.

  “That’s not possible at this time,” Dr. Moe blubbered.

  The other ho smiled mischievously as she walked out.

  “Sorry,” said Dr. Pierce, clearly annoyed. “I only do oral examinations on the first visit.”

  The first woman grabbed her companion and started for the door.

  “Here’s a copy of our fee structure for when you come back,” Aunty May croaked. “First visit free!”

  Aunty May stood up and put her hands on her ample hips. Her lips a straight line. The two dentists lifted their coat collars up past their ears and tiptoed into their respective cubicles.

  The warehouse door creaked open to bright sunlight and two fashionably dressed young women entered. Wide-eyed, they cautiously walked up the stairs littered with papers and grime and look around the empty room.

  “Good morning!” Aunty May exclaimed. “Do you have an appointment?”

  In a Boston accent, the first long-lashed young woman said, “The ad in the newspaper said ‘no appointment necessary’.”

  The other longhaired young woman looked around smiling then sat demurely on the couch. Aunty May smiled.

  “No problem. Or should I ask, what are your problems?”

  The first young woman fluttering her fake eyelashes said, ”We both want to get into acting and we need our teeth to sparkle.” Her teeth were white but needed that special extra.

  The other young woman pulled out a mirror from her purse and looked at herself. Both dentists peeked around the corner. Dr. Moe walked out upright.

  “Good morning, I’m Dr. Moe Lars. She can come and sit right down.”

  Dr. Pierce walked out towards the other young woman.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Pierce Able. You can come into this area.”

  The two dentists went to their own cubicle with a young woman. The first young woman stormed out red-faced.

  “You’re old enough to be my father!”

  Dr. Moe’s voice quavered.

  “That’s not possible. I’m only 28.”

  The other young woman dabbed at her eyes with a tissue as she walked out of the cubicle. Dr. Pierce’s voice rose.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean for my mirror to slip onto your lap.”

  The first young woman grabbed her companion and started for the door. Aunty May called after them.

  “Here’s a copy of our fee structure for when you come back. First visit free!”

  Aunty May got up from behind her desk and stood glaring at the two men.

  “That’s three incidents. Another and I am out.”

  The two dentists skulked into their respective cubicles.

  In the rundown industrial area, the steel warehouse door scraped open and stocky Hans Weiner entered in traditional German dress. Hans walked into the back storage area of one of the industrial units that he rented out.

  “A great location,” Hans spoke in his broken German accent. “You must be having a lot of traffic? Yah?” It was the end of the dental practice’s first week.

  Aunty May looked at the empty dirty couch. Dr. Moe Lars gazed at the junk piled in the room.

  “It’s a bit early for patients today,” Moe replied. It was almost three o’clock.

  Aunty May’s voice brightened, “But it will fill up shortly.”

  “And we have kept our prices low to start,” said Dr. Able, rubbing his stubble chin.

  Hans went to Able and thumped him on the chest with a big smile.

  “Price, price. Yah, you are a few days late with your deposit cheque.”

  Dr. Moe Lars gave a nervous laugh and looked at his aunt.

  “Didn’t you mail the rent deposit cheque last week, Aunty May?”

  Aunty May nervously smiled up to Hans.

  “I gave you good stuff, no charge,” Hans said as he spread out his arms around the room. “I come back Friday with mail.”

  Grumpy and swearing in German under his breathe, Hans walked past the trio. After the door closed, the trio looked around. Each descended down the tunnel of despair and uncertainty.

  “After putting you through dental school, Moe, I’ve already lent you the first month’s rent,” Aunty May said to her nephew.

  Dr. Able sat on the couch with the newspaper and beckoned the other two.

  “Here’s an ad in the local newspaper looking for local dentists to service welfare recipients.”

  Smiling now, Dr. Lars agreed, “At our slow startup speed, we better take on any extra work that we can.”

  Dr. Able said, “Great, we may get into a new dental partnership with the local government.”

  Aunty May said, “Boys, boys. Start making money and move up the dental bridge or ladder.” She croaked again at her little joke.

  The two men patted each other on the back and shook hands. They grabbed a pad of paper and conferred what to put in their application letter – truth or dare.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Kelley Armstrong

  kelleyarmstrong.com

  Kelley has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

  Rakshasi originally appeared in The Monster’s Corner, editing by Christopher Golden in 2011, and was reprinted in The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror edited by Paula Guran in 2012 and Led Astray by Kelley Armstrong published by Tachyon Press in 2015.

  Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

  feralmartian.com

  Stephanie is the author of more than thirty novels and novellas. She has been nominated for the Aurora Award five times and has also been an EPIC eBook Award finalist.

  Miles to Go was originally published in the 2001 World Fantasy Convention’s CD Collection and again by Feral Martian Publishing in 2012 and 2013.

  Crystal Bourque

  everythingstemporary.com

  Crystal is a Canadian, Dark & Urban Fantasy author. She is obsessed with all things fantastical, so much so that she has a recurring dream about being a princess with a sword. When she’s not busy writing, she loves trying out new recipes, plotting her next travel destination, and singing loudly (she also loves hearing from her readers and can be reached at: info@everythingstemporary.com).

  The Last Gardener was originally pri
nted in 2014 in a short story collection of the same name, The Last Gardener (...and other stories): Anthology Vol. 1.

  Suzanne Church

  suzannechurch.com

  Suzanne grew up in Toronto, moved to Waterloo to pursue mathematics, and never left town. Her award-winning short fiction has appeared in Cicada, Clarkesworld, several anthologies, and her 2014 collection Elements. Her favorite place to write is a lakefront cabin, but she’ll settle for any coffee shop with WiFi and an electrical outlet. Soul Larcenist, book one in the Dagger of Sacrados trilogy, is now available from The Ed Greenwood Group at OnderLibrum.com.

  Living Bargains first appeared in When the Hero Comes Home: 2 edited by Gabrielle Harbowy and Ed Greenwood from Dragon Moon Press in 2013.

  Brian F. H. Clement

  brianclement.com

  Brian was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. He took up independent film in the late 90’s, writing and directing 7 features in Victoria, BC, which were distributed by small labels around the world during the DVD boom of the early 2000s, and received screenings at film fests from Germany to Brazil, Australia to Argentina, as well as all over North America. One of these films, Dark Paradox, served as inspiration and background for his first novel, The Final Transmission. His most recent novel, Assimilation Protocol, is a sequel to The Final Transmission, and is coming soon from Damnation Books. Currently he writes for the web and print comic series Ghost Cats.

  Brian is the recipient of several film-related awards and currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he works in film and television distribution, and continues to write and direct when time allows.

  Assimilation Protocol is an excerpt from the upcoming novel of the same name (and the sequel to The Final Transmission) being published soon by Damnation Books, an imprint of Caliburn Press.

  Karen Dales

  karendales.com

  Karen is the award-winning author of The Chosen Chronicles. She is also the managing editor for Dark Dragon Publishing, when she is not writing further novels or doing freelance editing jobs.

  The written word is her passion, crochet and spinning yarn are her hobbies and her family (including five cats) is her joy. She is often found at conventions or at Michaels Arts and Craft stores when she’s not teaching Creative Writing for the City of Toronto.