Forever 51

by Pamela Skjolsvik

  Veronica’s heart felt as if it had shot up into her throat as Randy pulled up to the pump, hopped off his bike and began to fuel his tank. The screen of her muted phone lit up.

  Shameus is here!!! Where r u?

  Veronica crouched behind the dumpster, weighing her limited options. There was no way she could take the ride with Randy. He would never transport her to Kevin, and if they put two and two together, Jenny would be dumped in a landfill before dawn. She clutched the backpack to her chest and looked around the empty lot for a car to steal or a lone passenger to hijack. Not even the cashier drove a car to his shithole job. As Randy mounted his bike, she reached inside the backpack and withdrew the loaded gun.

  “Excuse me, sir?” Her voice quivered.

  Without looking in her direction, Randy reached into his leather jacket’s pocket. “I don’t have any fucking change. Get lost.” He waved at Jess across the street. “Where the fuck is she?”

  “Behind you!” Jess yelled back.

  As Randy turned to look, Veronica raised the gun and emptied the chamber. Without a word, his body crumpled onto the blackened concrete. Inside the Kwiki Mart, the cashier bolted the door and scrambled behind the counter.

  Veronica rushed to Randy’s bloodied body. “Where’s your phone?”

  “It’s you, you fucking bitch,” he said with his final breath.

  “Damn right it’s me.” She palpated his neck, wishing she’d killed him years ago when it would have made more sense.

  Jess bolted from across the street. “What the hell, woman! Are you crazy? You killed him!” Winded, he stammered. “And now they’re going to fucking kill me—right after they kill you.” He ran his skinny fingers through his oily hair. “We need to get out of here. Now!” He paced around the bike.

  Veronica patted down Randy’s jacket and removed his phone and keys. Inside his boot, she pulled a large bowie knife from its sheath. “Do you know how to drive that thing?” Her voice remained calm as she raised the gun at Jess. “I asked you a question. Do you know how to drive this thing?”

  He nodded and winced at the sight of Randy’s battered body. “We are so fucking dead.”

  Sirens wailed in the distance. Jess straddled the bike as Veronica hopped on the back. “Go!”

  Without the headlamp on, they whipped through the empty streets. With one arm clutched around Jess’s slender waist, Veronica attempted to check her phone. Her arm still shook from the kickback of the gun. The screen remained black. There were no more texts. Nothing. According to Randy’s phone, they were still twelve miles away from “Home”—312 Park Street—and Veronica couldn’t afford to think about what would happen when they got there.

  51

  Veronica hopped off the bike at the end of Kevin’s block. Jess’s face looked even more pale and gaunt than before. Two streaks of tears tunneled through the grime on his cheeks.

  “Ditch the bike and run, Jess. I can’t guarantee that they won’t come for you once they find out about Randy. Here.” She handed him the gun. “The chamber’s empty, but you’re a smart fellow.” She tightened the straps of Jenny’s backpack. “I don’t need it anymore.”

  “If you’re going in that house, you’re damn sure going to need it.” He held it out to her. “They’re going to kill you.”

  “Yeah, I imagine they will, but that gun won’t stop them.” She pushed his arm down. “Listen to me. You need to get as far away from this place as you possibly can. I’ve gotta go save my daughter.”

  Jess gunned the engine and peeled down the street, motion sensor lights from the ramshackle houses flaring as he passed.

  As Veronica crunched across the dead grass of 312 Park’s lawn, she knew that someone was going to die tonight, and it would more than likely be her. Seamus was already there. Shit was hitting the fan. Did he bring Ingrid? Betty? Before opening the screen door, she prayed that they’d have the moral courtesy to leave Jenny out of it. She was of no use to either of them, dead or alive.

  Expecting to find the entryway to Fort Knox, Veronica was surprised and relieved to find the front door slightly ajar. To steady her rattled nerves, she squeezed the cold handle of the knife reassuringly in her palm with the blade resting against her forearm. From her experience with Desmond, she knew she had to remove the heart from the body and destroy it. But with Seamus and Kevin in the same room, it would be logistically impossible to take them both out. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Silently she crept through the darkened entryway and padded towards the door haloed in light. From the depths of the basement, the two men’s voices echoed above the pounding of her own heart.

  “I know a lot of people. I’ve been watching you for a long time, Mr. Black. A loooooooong time. But, I wouldn’t let that worry you. I’m not here to question you about the legality of your little business venture. In fact, I admire what you’ve been able to accomplish. But by the looks of your 1970s rec-room accommodations, it doesn’t appear that things are going so well for you.” Seamus’s juvenile voice cracked. “Aren’t you bored with bartering blood from junkies? It’s rather pathetic, if you ask me.”

  Veronica closed her eyes and attempted a quiet prayer. A quivering “Help me,” escaped her lips as she nudged the door open with her shoulder.

  Kevin’s voice boomed from below. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but you need to get the fuck out of here! Now!”

  Veronica flinched, tightened her grip on the knife and clomped onto the first wooden stair.

  “Well, look who finally decided to show up.” Seamus stood near the head of Jenny’s gurney, ravenously eyeing the tubes running from each of her skinny arms. He grinned up at Veronica as she slowly descended the staircase.

  “I think your little friend here is done,” Seamus caressed Jenny’s drawn face. “Are you intending to drain her dry, Mr. Black?”

  Four men in black SWAT gear inched behind Veronica as she rushed to Jenny’s side. Large glistening knives hung from their utility belts.

  “Remember me?” Seamus smiled down at Jenny’s delirious face.

  “Yeah, I remember you,” she slurred. “I need something to drink before I pass out.” Her eyes strained to focus as she licked her parched lips. “Hey V, you made…”

  “Too late.” He gently pinched the tip of her nose as her eyes closed.

  “Oh, now I get it. You know her?” Kevin asked, backing into the wall.

  “I think the million-dollar question, Mr. Black, is do you know her?” He pointed at Veronica, his expression giddy with anticipation. Kevin casually glanced in Veronica’s direction as if she were nothing more than a bothersome waitress. He expertly removed one of the IVs from Jenny’s arm and placed the bag of her blood in a cooler. “She’s done. Yeah, I know her. She’s all yours. Now where the hell are my men?”

  “They’ve been detained.” Seamus placed his hands on the gurney and sniffed Jenny’s neck. “She smells divine. Would you mind if I…”? He held out his hand towards the cooler and snapped his fingers. Returning to Jenny, he rifled through her hoody pocket and snatched her phone. “Did you know that your little friend here is the daughter of the man who will more than likely be our next president?” He wiped the screen on his pant leg, then swiped at the screen. “The Secret Service is going to have their work cut out for them with this one.”

  “She’s not my friend.” Kevin’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you and that bitch want from me?”

  Veronica couldn’t believe that she was nothing but an irksome bitch in his eyes.

  “Well, for starters, I’d love a taste of this young lady’s blood, if you wouldn’t mind. It’s been weeks since I’ve had anything fresh.” Seamus loosened his tie.

  “I don’t think so.” Kevin reached into his shirt pocket and retrieved his phone.

  “Uh, uh, uh. I’ll be taking that.” The men moved forward, hands on their weapons. Seamus reached for the phone and swiped it out of Kevin’s hands.

  “I just need to call my driver.”

&n
bsp; “Patience, Mr. Black. Your driver has been permanently removed from this world by your ex.” He nodded at Veronica.

  “Something I probably should have done years ago after he shot me.”

  “Now about that drink,” Seamus interjected.

  After cold silence and darting glances, Seamus sipped Jenny’s warm blood from a red plastic cup.

  “Now what?” Kevin crossed his arms, unfazed by Veronica’s presence.

  “You’ll join forces with us. We could use someone like you.” Seamus offered Kevin his business card.

  “I’m not interested. I know all about you and your operation. The name Eddie ring a bell?” He removed the second IV from Jenny’s arm and tossed the bag in the cooler.

  “I wouldn’t come to such a rash decision, Mr. Black. These men can end this, and you, right now.”

  The men drew their knives.

  “Oh, you think you can kill me? Hundreds of men, all much tougher than these fucking pansies, have tried to end my life and they’ve all failed.” Kevin walked out from behind the gurney. “I’m the fucking energizer bunny, you little twat. No matter what you do, I keep coming back.”

  “Yes, I can understand how you might feel that way, Mr. Black. But those tough men that you speak of? They weren’t trained specifically to kill someone of your kind.” Seamus smiled, revealing his yellowed fangs.

  “And how is that? I’ve had my head blown off. I’ve been strangled. I’ve been tossed from a ten-story building and yet here I am.” Kevin lifted his arms in a V, smiling a half-cocked grin.

  “I asked you to get me something to drink.” Jenny struggled to loosen herself from the straps.

  “Oh, dear. You look absolutely dreadful.” Seamus pushed her body back towards the gurney. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he whispered. “Be a good host, Mr. Black, and provide this young lady with a beverage.”

  Kevin sprinted to the fridge behind the bar. “I’ve got Coors, Pabst, Bud and some Corona.”

  Jenny raised her groggy head, then let it drop back down. “Pabst!”

  Kevin leaned over behind the bar, then rose clutching a 9mm. He pointed it at Seamus. “One move from any of you and…”

  “And what? You’ll shoot us?” Seamus laughed. He set the red cup down on top of a Penthouse magazine on top of the coffee table. “Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Black. Why don’t you have a seat?” He motioned to Veronica. “You too, slowpoke.”

  The four armed men led Kevin to a tattered recliner. He glared as Veronica took a seat next to Seamus.

  “There, there. Now isn’t this better? A little civilized discourse is good for the soul. Speaking of spirits, shall we have a drink? There’s plenty left.” He turned to Veronica. “Your companion is quite tasty. It’s no wonder you’ve kept her around.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose to get a better look at her face. “What happened?”

  “Spray tan.” She wiped the skin of her face with the back of her hand, as if it were smudged. “And I don’t plan on drinking her blood ever again.”

  “Good luck with that. If I were you, I wouldn’t be going back to that tanning place anytime soon.” He scooted from her as if she were contagious.

  “Can you stop this stupid bullshit and tell me what it is you two want from me?” Kevin clutched the arms of the chair, his knuckles whitening. Long, white fangs pierced his bottom lip.

  “I’m done talking, but I believe Ms. Bouchard, this clever and might I add extremely resourceful gal, has a few things she’d like to say to you.” He rested his hand underneath his chin, flashing a devilish side eye at Veronica. “Go on, dear. He’s clueless.”

  “Hello?” Jenny’s hoarse voice cut through the quiet room. “I need something to drink. Douchey McDoucherson over there took two pints. And that’s not fucking cool. Is anybody listening to me?”

  “And those pints were delicious, young lady!” Seamus took another sip and snapped his fingers at the armed men. “Get the young lady something to drink. Pronto!”

  One of the men stormed over to the fridge, swung open the door and noisily rummaged through its contents. “It’s all beer, Mr. Sansbury.”

  “That’s perfect.” Jenny shouted.

  Veronica braced herself against the back of the couch. She wanted to divert her eyes from Kevin’s indifference. His betrayal stung as if it happened yesterday. So much for forgiveness. In her stony silence, she surveyed his cold expression, hoping he would express just the tiniest bit of remorse for what he’d done that night, but he acted as if they’d never met. Anger was a source of fuel, but it was now imperative to let that go.

  From this moment forward, she wouldn’t be the one to drink the poison and expect him to die. They’d share a cup. She cleared her throat and he turned to look at her. “What I’m about to say to you, Kevin, is going to injure you and possibly others. Especially now that he decided to show up.” Veronica waved a trembling arm at Seamus. “But I have no control over that. Nor do you. Here’s what I do have control over. Are you ready?” Her eyes widened.

  He sank back in his chair. “Nothing that ever came out of your mouth mattered more than what I stuck in it, including Randy’s gun.”

  Veronica battled to compose herself. If she reacted to his ugly words, he would win. She had to simply respond and cut the cord of resentment that tied them together. She leaned forward and directed her gaze to Kevin’s ice blue eyes. “I’ve realized some things about myself over the last forty-five years and I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I am no better than you or anyone else. In fact, I’m equally as selfish and self-centered as you are. But, I’m tired of this way of life. I’m ready to go home, whether that’s Texas or the great hereafter.”

  “You done?” Kevin smirked. “Because…”

  “Actually, I’m not done. What you did to me, or rather what you had Randy do to me, killed me. Not literally, of course, but on a deeper level. Call me stupid, naïve or whatever, but I thought you were in love with me. I was wrong. Dead wrong. And on that night when both of our lives changed, my biggest mistake was that I loved you enough to not want to see you die. I made a very bad decision to turn you, but that decision was made because I wanted to hurt you just as much as you’d hurt me. And because I forced my will on you and your life, I am truly sorry.”

  Veronica exhaled, and a lightness overtook her. As Kevin’s soul exited her body, she felt as if she’d been given a shot of adrenaline. Relieved at the relative ease of the transition, she ran her tongue across the bottoms of her teeth. Her fangs were gone.

  “This is going to be good, fellas. Wait for it. Wait… for… it.” Seamus teased, raising his phone. He swiped the screen with his pointer finger. Click. “Nope.” Click. “Not yet.”

  Kevin grimaced and tore at his flannel shirt. “Holy shit! I think I’m going to be sick.” He ran a trembling hand across his stomach, then stared down at its unblemished flesh.

  “There it is.” Seamus admired the photo on his phone and held it out for Kevin to see. “Look. Recognize that charming man?”

  Kevin flinched at his own reflection in the phone’s screen. “How is that possible?” Kevin demanded.

  “You got your soul back.” Jenny attempted to sit up and took a sloppy swig from the can of Pabst. “Can we go now? I don’t feel so good,” she slurred.

  “Yes,” Veronica grabbed the arm of the couch to lift herself from its cushy clutches. “I take it we’re free to go,” she said to Seamus. “Is Ingrid here?” Her gaze darted around the cluttered room.

  “No. She’s right where you left her in California at the funeral home. As a mortal, I have no use for her, even as a bargaining chip.” Seamus stood and extended his hand. “No hard feelings.”

  Kevin leapt for Jenny, burying his fangs into her neck as she struggled against him.

  “Stop him!” Veronica screamed. One of the men grabbed her from behind and held her tight in his grasp. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do at th
is point, Ms. Bouchard. We like to see a little ruthlessness in our new recruits. It shows they have spirit.” Seamus patted her on the cheek. “Now that you’re mortal, you may want to get those little lines between your brows fixed. They make you look angry.” He turned to the armored men. “Will you please show Ms. Bouchard the door? She is free to go.”

  Veronica kicked and punched at the man pulling her backwards up the stairs. “You can’t just let him kill her!”

  “I don’t think that’s what he intends to do.”

  Kevin lifted his bloodied face from Jenny’s neck and smiled up at Veronica. “Wait. I want her to see the best part.” He tore the flesh from his wrist and shoved it against Jenny’s open mouth.

  “No!” Veronica wailed. She struggled free from the man’s grasp, tumbling back down the stairs. Her bones crackled and popped from the force of her landing.

  Seamus stood above her as she lay frozen and helpless on the floor.

  “My back,” she whimpered, imploring him to help.

  “Oh, dear. You’ve fallen and you can’t get up. Poor girl. You need to stay exactly where you are as things are about to get rather messy.” He waved at the men. “Take care of Mr. Black.”

  Veronica turned to look at Kevin, afraid that he’d turn her, too, but the four men surrounded him with their long knives raised. With the speed and precision of synchronized sushi chefs, they dissected his body before he had time to protest.

  Horrified, Veronica struggled to raise herself off the floor, but the pain was too intense.

  “What about the girl?” One of them asked, a helmet muffling his words. He held Kevin’s heart at the tip of his knife.

  Seamus removed a handkerchief from his breast pocket and gingerly placed it around the bloody organ and dropped it in a metal container. “I’m afraid we’re going to need that if Jenny Ann Pearson ever wants her soul back. My dear Veronica, your friend is coming with us.” Seamus grinned down at her. “It’s for the best.”