by Ledger, John
It was a gunshot.
The music stopped seconds later, and as Angela stood up off of Jacob’s lap, he was able to see what had happened. The Manson look alike apparently shot himself, right there in his seat by the front of the stage. The rest of the gentlemen were gathered around him and Angela was now comforting the girl that had been onstage who had become quite hysterical. Jacob was more concerned about the fact that his feeling had not only been right, but it hadn’t gone away yet either. The police showed up moments later and questioned all of the witnesses as expected. After about an hour, Jacob was alone again, back out on the streets. As he got farther away from the strip club, his feelings subsided, and Jacob decided he would have to return to the scene of the crime tomorrow evening.
Here he thought the Manson look alike was bad news, and he was, but evidently, only to himself. Jacob’s mind was full of thoughts as he made his way to the apartment.
Something’s going on at that club. I need to be there for some reason to save somebody. I sure didn’t help old Charlie tonight, did I? What about Angela, if that’s even her real name? My God, she was hot. My clothes smell like her. She doesn’t smell like a stripper or some cheap whore. She smells good. I need to see her again. I need to touch her. I’ll bring more money tomorrow. What if she’s not there tomorrow? I should go back tonight. No, it’s too late. I have to get some sleep, plus, the police might still be there. I wish I understood what the fuck is going on with me. I need to get some sleep. Maybe I’ll dream about Angela tonight.
Jacob made it to his apartment where he got some sleep and he did indeed dream about Angela. It probably wasn’t the kind of dream he was hoping for, though. As a sleepwalker, Jacob’s power was to control things via his dreams. If he wasn’t in control of his dreams, then his power was pretty useless. Jacob definitely wasn’t in control of this one.
He was tied to a chair, naked, in a dark room, with his hands at his sides and his legs spread wide. The shorthaired brunette from the club with the tattoo came into the room. She was naked as well, carrying a candle with both hands out in front of her. Two more gorgeous nude women entered the room; it was the piercing junkie and the hot young blonde that Jacob had seen before. They were both carrying candles as well, and Jacob noticed these girls also had a tattoo of a star near their breast. The trio lined up in front of him, and that’s when he finally realized these girls didn’t have stars on them,; they were pentagrams. This was some kind of satanic cult or something.
“Hello, Jacob. You will be happy here with us. We are here to please you.” The girls spoke in unison. The blonde girl, Brandy, got down on her knees in front of him as Jacob struggled to keep her away, kicking at her face. She fell backwards, laughing, as the other two girls rushed him. One of them began choking him from behind, as the other held his legs apart. Brandy took her place in front of him once again. “Just relax, Jacob. This will feel good, I promise.” As much as he tried to resist, Jacob could only fight her talent for so long, before she got him to rise to the occasion. Jacob was practically in a trance by the time Angela had entered the room, blindfolded. He knew it was her; he would never forget her body. As she walked up close to him, he realized she was wearing only the red thong he’d seen her in before, when all of a sudden, one of the girls slit her throat from behind, as the blood splattered onto Jacob while Brandy continued sucking away on his member. Jacob’s screams were heard over top of the maniacal laughter of the girls. Jacob luckily woke up before Brandy was done with her deed.
II.
It was early evening when she came into the club. She explained to Wes (the guy with all the tattoos) that her father was the man who killed himself there last night and she proceeded to try and purchase a ticket for the club. Wes, of course, told her to go ahead on inside free of charge.
Tom Cromwell may have looked like Charles Manson or some kind of psychotic lunatic, but his daughter, Tanya, knew that he was simply a lonely soul that had given up on life. Tanya was all he had left after his wife, Vicki, died from cancer when Tanya was five years old. Here she was, seventeen years later, with no parents and no self-esteem, in a strip club, searching for some kind of answer.
Christina was the name of the girl on stage, the piercing junkie with the jet black hair. She dances like a cobra as she looks into the minds of her audience. Carlos is here again tonight because his girlfriend Vanessa is working. Christina knows that he fantasizes about fucking all of the girls at the club. He’s thinking about fucking her right now as she plays with her nipple rings and licks her lips for him. Then there’s old, black Freddie, he’s a regular at the club, but he’s not into Christina. She’s not his type and that’s just fine with her. Last but not least, big, friendly Joe. He’s an overweight, middle-aged, balding white man in a miserable marriage. Christina knows for a fact that she’s his favorite. She gives him a wink, letting him know that she’ll give him a private dance later on, as he smiles back at her uncomfortably.
Christina becomes aware of a newcomer in the crowd, a female in the room looking at her with extreme interest, but not in a sexual way. As soon as Christina hopped inside the girl’s head, she knew that it was Tom’s daughter. She also knew that the girl was very suspicious about something. This wasn’t good for the club. Christina cut her set short and rushed backstage to find Brandy and Cassidy.
Tanya found it a bit odd that the girl rushed off stage after making eye contact with her. The few gentleman that were in the club appeared to be confused as well. The music soon cued back up though, and Brandy made her way on stage. Tanya was immediately in awe of how gorgeous this young blonde was. She never had feelings about another woman before; Tanya definitely liked men, even though she’d yet to be successful in finding the right one. But there was something different about the way this girl looked, the way she moved and the way she was making Tanya feel. Brandy was in her birthday suit with her legs spread wide for Tanya to see it all as she stared into her eyes. Tanya realized she was horny as hell. What she didn’t realize was that Brandy’s power was seduction. She was irresistible to men and women. Tanya also couldn’t possibly realize that on top of that, she was being double teamed. Cassidy, who was giving Joe a lap dance at the time, also happened to be heavily influencing Tanya’s thoughts, as she possessed powers of her own.
After Brandy was done on stage she came directly over to Tanya and Cassidy joined her as well. Brandy was still nude and Cassidy was halfway there. Normally Tanya would’ve felt awkward under these circumstances, but not tonight. She was incredibly turned on and extremely wet. Tanya had come here to find out something about her father’s death but these girls had made her forget about that altogether. All Tanya could think about now was how much she wanted to touch this magnificent creature in front of her.
“My name is Brandy, and this is Cassidy.”
“I, uh, I’m Tanya. It’s nice to meet you.” She managed to mumble in response.
“We’re having an after-hours party tonight, Tanya. You should come and feel free to bring a guest.”
“Okay. Maybe I will.”
“Good. We hope to see you around two.” Brandy smiled as the girls walked away from Tanya leaving her craving to be satisfied. She was so nervous now that she had to leave the club, and on her way outside, she collided with a man who was entering the building.
“Tanya? Tanya Cromwell from Marinville High?”
“Jacob? Oh my God, hi, I’m so sorry I ran into you like that.”
Jacob knew immediately that something was wrong, and it was pretty embarrassing to run into a girl that he knew here, at the strip club, of all places. Tanya was friends with one of Jacob’s ex-girlfriends, so they’d spent some time around one another. Maybe she works here. It couldn’t hurt to ask.
“Really, it’s no problem so what are you doing here, if you don’t mind me asking? Do you, you know, work here?”
“No! I can’t believe you’d even ask me that.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right. I apologize. So,
what are you doing here then?”
“What are you doing here, asshole?” Tanya snapped back at him. Jacob obviously wasn’t going to tell her that he was here because he’s in love with a stripper, so he had to come up with a believable alibi.
“Well, to tell you the truth, I was here last night for the first time ever, and a man shot himself in the club. It was probably on the news so you might’ve heard, but anyway, that’s why I’m back tonight. It doesn’t make any sense, I know, I guess it’s my weird way of paying respect to the guy.” Jacob waited for a reply without having a clue that he gave her the best answer possible. Tanya wrapped her arms around him and began crying. Jacob was confused, but he held her tightly as she looked up at him.
“That man was my father.”
Jacob was shocked on the inside, but he remained calm for her sake. His only response to her was a kiss on the cheek, and he continued holding her in silence, as the rain beat down again. Tanya eventually calmed down and agreed to come back to his place where they ate some Chinese food. Jacob’s quest for Angela would have to wait, for he had come across another damsel in distress. Tanya was in a much better mood now, and he couldn’t believe how pretty she really was. Completely different than Angela, but not in a bad way, by any means. Angela was more exotic and Tanya was your girl next door type. Just when Jacob thought things couldn’t get any more interesting, Tanya told him about her experience at the club and her invitation to the after party. This alarmed Jacob immediately, considering his recent dreams.
“Are you going to go?” he asked her.
“I don’t know. Maybe. They told me I could bring a guest,” she replied with a grin.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, you wanna go?”
“Sure. Let’s have a few drinks and head out.”
“Sounds good.” Tanya smiled and Jacob knew that his crazy night had only just begun.
III.
As soon as they arrived at the club, Wes welcomed them in and told Fred and Joe that it was closing time. They both left without asking any questions, but Carlos and Vanessa were there, sitting at a table. Vanessa had just gotten off work and she was relaxing with her man while a Dead Kennedy’s song kicked on in the club and Cassidy took the stage. Wes remained in the room, which made Jacob nervous, as Brandy, once again in the nude, made her way over to Tanya. Jacob was in shock at what happened next.
Tanya immediately took Brandy into her arms and the two ladies began making out with each other. Before he could react, Jacob felt a hand on his crotch and turned around to find Christina in front of him, smiling as she gently massaged him.
Cassidy realized that Brandy was in complete control of Tanya so she concentrated her powers on Jacob. She made him want Christina. She made him believe she was the most beautiful woman in the world, as he unbuckled his belt and opened his jeans. Christina was on her knees in a second and working on Jacob with her mouth, putting him in a trance. He’d never noticed that Tanya had been knocked out by Wes and that Brandy had disappeared backstage along with the giant bald man. He didn’t notice anything until Christina finished her job and told him to turn around.
First, he saw Tanya laying in a booth, half naked with her eyes closed, and then he faced the stage just in time to see Angela bound and gagged with the other two girls and Wes behind her. “What the fuck is going on here?” Jacob approached the stage, as Wes pointed a gun at him, stopping him dead in his tracks.
“You stay right there, sleepwalker. That’s right, I know what you are. You’re just like these girls only you’re more dangerous. That’s why I want you to work for me.”
“You want me to be a stripper? I don’t think so, baldy.”
“Oh, that’s funny, Jacob. Yes, I know your name because Christina told me. She can read your mind. Brandy and Cassidy are special just like you as well. That’s right, you’re all born again. I don’t like the term zombies. And now, my dear boy, this young lady will be special as well.” Before Jacob could respond, Brandy slit Angela’s throat from behind.
“No!” Jacob screamed, and Carlos ran at the stage only to meet a bullet to the face. Wes laughed and pointed at Vanessa as he shot her repeatedly in the chest, until his gun was empty. Jacob took his shot and went after the giant Nazi Satanist, but he didn’t even get a hit in. Wes booted him in the nose and then pistol whipped him until he was unconscious, which was exactly what Jacob wanted.
Jacob was in his dream state but he was totally aware of what was going on. He was in control and they were in big trouble. He looked at the front door of the club and immediately knew that Tanya was in there. As he walked inside, there she was on stage. They had her nailed to a cross and she was upside down with her legs spread wide. Wes had his gun ready but Jacob merely glanced at him as it melted in his hand, burning the big man’s flesh. Wes dropped to his knees in pain as Brandy approached Jacob, attempting to seduce him. Jacob grabbed her tits and ripped them from her chest, tossing them aside as she screamed in agony and fell to the floor. Cassidy was next as Jacob snatched her up and snapped her neck with his bare hands while Christina was crying and begging him for mercy. Jacob showed none as he grabbed her piercing out from between her legs and stabbed her in the throat with it. After making sure they were all dead he freed Tanya from the cross and carried her out of the club. Jacob stared at the building until it finally burst into flames, and he smiled. Jacob walked away from the carnage with his damsel in distress over his shoulder, waiting to wake up.
Jacob woke up, and he was lying on the ground across the street from the club. He stood up and watched as the club burnt away before his eyes. He wondered where Tanya was, but before he could look for her, his question was answered. “She’s dead.”
Jacob turned around to find Wes, alive and well and glaring at him. “What?”
“Yeah, your little plan didn’t work out so well, did it? That’s right, I can read your mind, you junkie. Yeah, I know how you died too. Heroin overdose. Real classy. Well, I saved your life, so, guess what? You work for me now. Let’s go.” Wes walked away from him and Jacob realized he had no choice, as he followed him. He had indirectly made a deal with a devil. A devil that saved his life.
Final Review
John Ledger and Dawn Cano
Journal Entry 32
I always try to keep my entries happy and upbeat. Today, however, I bring something far darker and more negative to the pages of my little journal.
I released Blood Sins early last year, and it received rave reviews as it climbed to the Number 2 spot on the Amazon charts. People called it “exciting,” “original,” and “clever,” and it has more than one hundred 5-star reviews. Readers begged for more, and I wanted to ride on that success, so I immediately wrote the sequel, Blood Lust, which wasn't so well-received and averages a 3.8-star rating. I followed it up with the final book in the trilogy, Blood Promise, which I released in November of last year, and the reviews for that were even worse.
Oddly enough, my second and third stories were the ones I was most proud of until reviewers and readers started calling them, “boring,” “old news” and “unrealistic.” Needless to say, when the bad reviews started rolling in, I was heartbroken and more than a little angry, and the last thing I wanted was to become a one-hit wonder. I began doubting my writing ability and responding to the bad reviews, trying to make my case and make people understand why I wrote the things I did, but soon, those who read my books began arguing with me. I received messages like, “Quit while you're ahead,” and “Give it up.” I became discouraged and depressed, and one night last week, it became too much, so I discussed it with my boyfriend. I've written about Wade before. He's “unstable,” but he has my heart.
Wade is a gorgeous man, standing 6' 2”, with dark brown hair and beautiful green eyes. He's way too thin because he battles drug and alcohol addiction, and I have vowed to be there for him, whenever he needs me. He's been clean for almost two months, and I couldn't be more proud, but throughout his recovery, I've
noticed a change in his moods. I'm not sure how to describe it other than to say he's more brooding and his temper is far easier to ignite than it was when he was using and drinking every day. I've gotten good at knowing what might set him off, and he's never taken his anger out on me, but the conversation we had regarding my reviews and the seemingly imminent death of my career took a turn even I wasn't expecting. I began the conversation the way I usually do when I want to discuss something serious. He was sitting on the couch, watching some old comedy show when I asked, “Babe, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Wade stared at me, as if to decide if he wanted to get into a serious discussion, then muted the TV. “I guess. What's up?”
“Remember how I told you that my last two books were getting shitty reviews?”
“Yep, I remember, and I told you not to listen to them. Remember that? You shouldn't even be looking at those fucking reviews.”
He was already getting angry, so I tried to diffuse the situation. “I know I shouldn't, but sometimes I can't help it. Every writer likes feedback, you know? Anyway, the reviews are getting worse. People are saying things like my stories are unrealistic and boring. I'm thinking of pulling the books and rewriting them, maybe...”
Wade slammed his can of Coke down on the coffee table in front of him, obviously livid. “You will not rewrite those fucking books just because a few people don't know what the hell they're talking about. If they're stupid enough to think your stories are unrealistic, you'll just have to provide a little more realism, and I think I know just how to help you do that.”
I asked him what he meant, but he ignored my question and went to bed.
***
Wade woke up pissed off at the world. This was a feeling he’d become accustomed to over the past month or so, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could take it. His job at the Country Oven pissed him off daily, but he liked cooking, so he put up with all the bullshit. Plus, it wasn’t like he could afford not to work. Emma made a decent amount of money from her book royalties but not enough for them to live on, and Wade didn’t want to sponge off of her anyway.