by Kim Faulks
"It's okay. I'm here now," she said, moving across the bare dirt until she reached the bars. Pink tongues slipped in and out of her outstretched hands from the ones that waited for her. She flicked the latch up and opened the gate, releasing them from their cage. Here was where her dogs ran over her, jumping and licking until she lay on the ground, rolling and smiling with them. These were the forgotten ones, the dogs and cats left behind when some human no longer cared for them now that they were no longer a puppy or a kitten. Cute and cuddly wore off quickly enough in this world, to be replaced by responsibility and dependence, and more often than not, they were cast aside. Kellah knew how that felt.
"Did you think I'd forgotten, huh?" she murmured, rubbing their ears and tickling the smooth speckled flesh of their stomach. She stood and raced around with them inside the yard, she always caught them, but it was fun to let them win, just the once. After they flopped down, panting with a grin that stretched across their face, she said, "Come on. It's time for me to play with the others."
She stood and called them, closing the gate behind them. She hated this part, saying goodbye, and she wished that she could stay here forever. That sounded almost perfect to her - no humans, no greed. But there was also no home, and she felt the pull of that greater than anything else she ever felt.
The cats were more suspicious of her visits, slinking out of their cage and watching her in the corner of their eyes. Eventually, curiosity won out and, with her, it never killed the cat. She held out her hand and eventually they approached, sniffing at it. One of them even hissed, swiping at her hand from the scent of the dogs. She waited patiently, running her hand carefully down their backs until they purred and moved closer.
She scooped them up, placing them back inside their cages, and made sure the locks were secure. The small office stood behind the kennels, and she pulled out the pick, slipping it into the lock and popping the button. The desk was littered with papers and it didn't take a genius to see the red final statement stamps all over them. If the shelter was closed down, most of the animals would be destroyed. There was a part of her that just couldn't allow that. It was the part of her that got her sent to this place the first time.
She pulled out the rolled up money and placed it inside the desk. She had been giving them the few dollars that she was able to get either from jobs or Gerry, but the heist was her big one, the one that would have saved the shelter for good.
She cursed herself for the fuck-up and knew she needed to get back to the Northside to get the bag. She only hoped that Jimmy and the boys would fence the shit.
She closed the door, making sure the lock held before she slipped back out of the gates. The whines of her only friends followed her out of the park as she made her way to the Police Headquarters to get Detective Hunter off her back.
Humans only understood threats and consequences, and it was lucky for her she was versed well in both. If there was anywhere in this forsaken place called Earth that felt even close to what back home felt like, it was here in Red Valley. She waited outside, leaning against the massive building and inhaling the scent of evil that was so thick she almost needed a private moment, shuddering in pleasure.
Shadowed eyes drilled her under the pretense that the blue uniform gave and walked to a car, hitting the siren and lights. She felt an instant attraction and knew that he felt it, too. You know what they say: like attracts like. A sense of evil, oh yes there was, but it was just that some hid it better than others.
She sighed, pulled herself together, and pushed her way through the glass swinging doors. Before the desk clerk looked up she had slipped through and started up the five floors of stairs to where the head honcho sat.
As far as evil went, Superintendent Harris wasn't one of the worst. No, not like the one who passed her downstairs. But, he was pliable to her needs and right now she needed Detective Hunter off her back.
His receptionist stood the moment she pushed through the door and instantly stared at the ink that covered her arms. Lots of people have tattoos now days, so it was unusual that they stared for any length of time - until she got close. Her cream colored blouse was tied in a bow around her neck and her thin skirt hung below her knees, and she smiled - she loved messing with these types most of all.
"Umm," the receptionist said, her voice trailing away as she stared at her arms.
She had designed the pictures to depict her home as closely as possible and it had taken six months to find a tattooist who would do it. The sleeve started with the flames of Hell, and then gave way to the demons who she called family, and others called abominations, screaming with their pain.
"Excuse me?" she said, remembering her duties, and looked down to where a book lay open on her desk. "Have you made an appointment?"
"Sure I have," Kellah said, smiling at the woman as she kept on walking past her towards the frosted glass doors.
"Stop! You can't go in there!" she yelled, stepping in front of her and holding her arms wide to bar her entrance into the room. She laughed and pushed the woman out of the way, not too hard, but she still flew halfway across the room, stumbling as her feet tried to keep up with her body.
The Superintendent reclined on his chair, gazing out of the window that he faced. Anyone who entered would think he was relaxing after a hard morning. He was hard alright, and the slurping and smacks of flesh filled the room. He jumped as she entered and heard the receptionist stumble to the door behind her. She closed the frosted glass door behind her as he stood, his penis sticking out between the open zipper on his royal blues. By the look of him he was almost done anyway, so she pulled out the chair and sat as the receptionist banged loudly on the door and yelled behind her. "Superintendent, is everything alright?"
"Yes, Margo, everything's fine, it's okay. Just go back to your duties," he said as he stared at her.
"By all means Superintendent, please finish. My problems can wait," Kellah said. She looked over to where the young woman knelt on the floor, and watched as her fingers snaked around the bright red muscle and gently eased him around so he faced back to her. He looked down at her and watched as her mouth replaced her fingers, the sucking sounds resuming inside the room.
His fingers wound through her blonde hair as his hips moved, counteracting the rhythm of her mouth so that he pushed inside her mouth deeper each time. He closed his eyes and Kellah couldn't help but be amused as she watched him take one step closer to soul damnation. Oh yes, Father would be proud.
She was wrong, he wasn't almost done. She waited as her amusement quickly turned into boredom before he shuddered, shoving deep into the blonde's mouth until she gagged and choked, her face turning a deep shade of red. He finally pulled out, the sheen of his cum and her saliva still coating the end of him, and adjusted himself, zipping up his pants and buckling his belt.
"That will be all, Renee," he said, his words cold and final. She watched the blonde as she gripped the desk and stood on shaking legs until the color returned to her face. She shot him a look that was filled with disgust and rage. Kellah made sure she placed this one's face away in her memory bank; she may just come in handy.
She stood faster than the humans could see and reached out to grab her as she stumbled. "There you go. You okay, honey?" she said, putting her best caring tone into her words.
"Yes, thank you," she muttered and straightened.
"Say, do you have a card, somewhere I can reach you if I need to?" Kellah asked.
She looked her up and down and muttered, "I don't do girls."
"Oh, it's not for me. It's for a friend of mine. He is after some new talent over at Paradise and I think you would fit in over there."
With the mention of a steady income, her eyes brightened. Even though the place was as seedy as you could get, it meant she wouldn't have to put up with jerks like Superintendent Harris here.
"Seriously?" she said as her eyebrows rose and a smile spread across her face.
"Yup, seriously. Gerry is a good friend of mine."
She pulled at a bag that was once white, and fumbled around until she pulled out a card that was creased and had something that stuck in a glob at the back. "Sorry," she muttered, cleaning it off on her skirt before she handed it back to her
"That's okay, Renee, and thanks for the card. I'll keep you in mind."
"Sure," she said and waited, unable to understand she had just been dismissed. Oh sometimes it was just too easy, one tiny smile and a spark of hope and someone was hers.
"I'll be in touch, okay?" Kellah said, jerking her head towards the door. The blonde looked towards the door and suddenly understood what she meant. She nodded and smiled at Kellah, gave the Superintendent one last glare, and walked out, now with little more dignity than she had before.
He waited for her, his mask of control now firmly in place. That was okay, she was used to pandering to human emotions and she allowed him to assert his dominance, making the first move.
"Detective Hunter is becoming a problem for me."
He waited, pretending to weigh her statement in his mind before asking, "How so?"
"He has spent the last twelve hours either camped outside my apartment or following me, and I'm pretty sure he's had a tracker placed on me, probably when I was bought here and interrogated for six hours for nothing."
"Really?"
"Yes, fucking really," she said, she was almost at the end of her patience, especially with the Superintendent. "I want something done about it."
"Well, what do you suggest I do?" he said, leaning towards her.
That was it, her patience had reached the end. She stood and moved over to the desk, towering over him faster than it took him to blink. She opened her mouth, showing him her row of razor teeth. It had been so long since she had the taste of flesh inside her mouth and, although she craved the saltiness and the screams, she had survived. That was the only word she had to describe the days of microwave meals and plates of what passed off as food around here. She licked her lips and imagined tearing off the Superintendent's face while his blood filled her mouth and his shrieks filled her ears.
He stared at her razor teeth, and she knew he saw the look of utter evil within her as his color turned to ash.The sound of him gulping air only incensed her further. "Stupid fucking humans."
"I'll...I'll pull him in and dismiss him from the force. I'll do it now," he said, stuttering.
Now, that was much better. See what a demon has to do to get some respect around here? She pondered his request and, although it was a quick action, it would probably cause more problems than she currently had. Detective Hunter didn't seem like the type who gave up easily. No, he would need to be handled delicately.
"No, don't do that. Keep him where he is, but I want his file. Now!"
His mouth opened and closed, though no words came out. "Speak, Superintendent! I can't read fucking lips."
"What ... are you going to do?" he spluttered, and if she thought he couldn't pale any further, she had been wrong.
"Oh, don't worry your poor, little, pathetic conscience. I'm not going to do anything to him. I just want to see just what he has on me. Now, get me the file."
He weighed the options carefully, and in the end he picked up the receiver and asked his receptionist to bring in Darrion Hunter's file. She smiled and sank back from him. It was only moments until she heard the knock on the glass. The superintendent rose and walked towards the door, opening it only wide enough to retrieve the file, closing it a more broken man than he had been only hours ago.
Chapter 10
The computer screen blurred before his eyes as Hunter scrolled through the pages and pages of files, searching for the man who he had seen with Kellah. Frustrated, he gave up after three hours and four coffees, finding no one who resembled the biker. He switched off the monitor and grabbed his jacket, trying his best to bypass the mountain of waiting files and reminder notices on his desk.
Putting Kellah behind bars had become his full-time obsession, leaving his other cases to either wait patiently, or be forgotten altogether. It didn't really matter, anyway. The days when he was given something substantial to investigate were long gone. Petty crimes and misdemeanors were all that filled his schedule. No wonder he didn't feel like he belonged here anymore.
A fluorescent pink post-it note was swept into the air from the updraft of his jacket and he watched as it floated towards him. Stephanie Morris called about a man in the park today - call her back. The scrawl of numbers was barely legible, but after a minute of deciphering, he reached over, dragging his desk phone towards him and punching in the numbers.
The tiny spark of hope inside of him wanted to ignite as he waited for the answer on the other end. He was almost ready to give up when a soft voice filtered through the line. "Hello?"
"Hello, this is Detective Hunter. Is this Stephanie Morris I am speaking to?"
"Ah yes, are you the Detective I spoke to earlier today?"
"Yes, that's me." Come-on, he quietly urged, begging for her to give him something he could use. "You called in relation to the man in the park today?"
"Yes, well ... I seem to vaguely remember him, and I ... I was wondering if you might be available to discuss this with me."
Yes! He cried inside, and that spark of hope ignited in a blaze. "I can come and see you now, if you like? I am available anytime."
"Well, I was hoping you were going to say something like that. How about we discuss this over dinner?"
Silence followed. Stunned silence where he had to find the words and get them to his mouth before she hung up.
"Hello ... Detective, are you still there?"
He cleared his throat, a little loudly in the mouthpiece, and heard her gasp. "Sorry. Sure, dinner sounds great."
"Oh, well, sure. I thought for a moment I'd overstepped the line."
"No, it's fine. It's just been a long time since I've been on one ... date that is."
She laughed, the high squeal made him pull the receiver away from his ear while he clenched his jaw. Don't stuff it up, he demanded.
"I can bring over some steaks and we can have them on the grill, if that's okay. Nothing too formal, or anything."
"Yeah, sure," he said, while mentally he tried to remember if he even had a grill. "I can text you my address, if you want?"
"That sounds wonderful, Detective. Should we say six-thirty?"
"Sounds great, six-thirty it is. So, I'll see you then," he said.
Even as he hung-up, he was telling himself that he didn't want this, didn't want her. There were too many reasons to name, Naomi and his miserable excuse for a life being the main ones. But there was only one that made him reach for his mobile, scroll through to his messages, slide his thumb across the screen typing out his address, and hit send. That reason was stronger than any other he had at the moment.
He wanted to wipe Kellah Slater from his mind, purge her from this irrational drive to ... to ... God, he didn't want to say the word ... to consume her. His mouth was a desert, and he licked his lips as he stared at the pink slip of paper in his hand. He was doing the right thing, the only thing, to make him whole once again, and a nice woman like Stephanie Morris was just what he needed.
He checked his watch and realized he had just a little over two hours before his first date in over fifteen years and his house was a mess. He pocketed the slip of paper and made for the door. Kellah Slater was all but forgotten in his attempt at something as close to normal as he deserved.
Chapter 11
Kellah took the file and walked from the office, not even bothering to hide the bright red sticker that was marked CONFIDENTIAL. She slipped quietly down the stairs and made her way out of the building. She had a plan. It wasn't a very good one, but considering her situation, it would have to do. Anyway, she was on her way to a ticket out of here. She was determined to find a way to get a message to her Father, but she wanted to finish her list of things to do before she had a chance to disappear.
First things first, she m
ade her way to Luca's Hardware Store. The salesman had a date with the devil, but because he was currently busy, she would have to do. She spied him and walked around filling a basket with what she needed for both jobs. "Can I help you, Ma'am?
It didn't matter who he was, or how he had come into her sights. A cheap, faulty lock, or someone that cut her off at the checkout, she was cruel and vindictive. It was how she worked just like humans who volunteered their time for good, she gave hers for evil. It was her civic fucking duty.
"Sure, can you tell me where you live?" she said, asking as casually as if she had just asked where the toilet brushes were kept.
"Sorry?" he asked as he stared at her, his eyes wandering over the tattoos. "Wait. Miss Tattoo's ... didn't I sell you a lock last month?"
"Yes ... Yes you did, and it works perfectly, thank you," she said with the utmost sincerity.
"Oh, well that's wonderful," he said, his eyes narrowing as he detected something strange about the way she focused on him.
"That's right," she whispered, pulling him into her gaze. She could feel the tiny orange flickers of flames hypnotizing him like a whispered lullaby. It was only moments after that she had him, caught like a fly in the web of her gaze and she was the spider.
"Now, tell me where you live."
"Five Katherine Crescent, off Headland Drive," he said, his voice taking on that far-away tone, as though it wasn't actually him that spoke.
"Thank you, and tell me, what type of television do you have?"
"A flat screen."
"Nice, and I'll be needing the keys to your car." She said, holding out her hand as he dug into his pocket. She grabbed the items from the basket and walked through the doors as she hit the button on the remote, watching for the flashing lights of the salesman's car.
She pulled out and made her way towards Headland Drive, her bad mood finally lifting. Why wouldn't she be happy? She was finally getting a new TV, and she was soon to be rid of this disgusting place once and for all. She had learnt her lesson - oh fuck, had she ever - and she would never, ever, break the rule again.