by Nathan Jay
"Shit! You stupid jerk! Leave me alone!" the angry woman yelled. As she bent to retrieve her groceries from the ground, both Ben and Norman eyed her backside.
"Damn!" Norman yelled. The woman ignored him and continued gathering her scattered groceries from the ground. Norman kneeled beside her.
"Can I help you with that, baby?"
The woman didn't even look at him.
"Leave me the fuck alone before I call my husband."
"Hey, I'm just trying to help."
The woman stopped gathering her groceries and smiled at Norman. She ran her soft fingertips along his cheek and whispered to him.
"You want to help?" she asked sexually. Norman smiled and licked his lips.
"Of course. Anything you want. How can I help you, sexy?"
Suddenly the woman's face turned serious.
"If you want to help, then get the fuck away from me!" she yelled. Norman stood and angrily kicked the side of the woman's red Mustang convertible.
"Fuck you, bitch! Dyke!"
After the woman climbed into her car and started the engine, she accelerated and raised her middle finger as she drove away.
Ben began laughing at his friend.
"I told you, man. Women around Jupiter Point are arrogant bitches. I have to find a way to get out of here," Norman growled.
As Norman walked back to join his friend, he noticed a few items lying on the street.
"Hey! She left some beers and a pack of cigarettes."
Ben's eyes widened.
"Where?"
He quickly ran to the corner and picked up the can of beer before his friend could get to it.
"Dude, we're splitting those cigarettes," Ben said as he searched the street for more items. Finally, his eyes fell upon a small black wallet.
"Holy shit!" he yelled. Ben sprinted to the wallet and picked it up. Norman saw what Ben was holding in his hands and dropped his beers on the ground. Trying to avoid Norman's quick hands, Ben turned away from him and put his body between his friend and the small bag.
"Back up, dude. I found it," he complained. Norman continued crowding him.
"Hurry up and open it! Shit!"
Ben opened the bag and looked inside. There were four credit cards, an old lottery ticket, lip gloss, a condom, and $400 in cash.
"Fuck! We hit the jackpot!" Ben said incredulously. After he had finished going through the purse, Ben dropped it on the street.
"Did you check everything?" asked Norman as he rushed to retrieve the discarded purse. Ben walked to the sidewalk and watched as Norman stood in the middle of the road rifling through the woman's bag. Several cars blew their horns at him as he ripped apart the pockets on the purse.
"Fuck you, asshole!" Norman yelled to one impatient driver. Motivated by the foul language, the driver nearly hit Norman as he sped past him.
"I ought to put a bullet in your fucking head, you prick!" yelled Norman as he pulled a handgun from his waist. Ben nervously looked around for any sign of the police. After the car turned on a side street and sped away, Ben breathed a sigh of relief. Still angry, Norman tucked the gun back into the waste of his jeans. Although the car was long gone, he hurled the empty purse in the car's direction.
"Fucking pussy," he mumbled as he walked back towards Ben.
"Man, are you crazy? Pulling a gun out in broad daylight?"
"Aw man, stop being such a pussy. Sometimes I swear your last name must be Tampax."
Before Norman reached the sidewalk, he already had his hand extended.
"Where's my cut? I saw $400 in there, right?"
Ben reluctantly pulled two $100 bills out of his pocket.
"Why don't you let me hang on to the cash, and you take the credit cards? You know I've got a pregnant girlfriend."
Norman frowned at the suggestion.
"What the fuck does your bitch have to do with me? That's your problem."
Insulted by the statement about his girlfriend, Ben allowed the money to fall to the ground. Norman could be disrespectful sometimes. After picking up the bills from the sidewalk, Norman stuck his hand out again.
"I get two of those cards, right?"
Ben reached into his pockets and pulled out the remaining items: 4 credit cards, a wrinkled lottery ticket, lip gloss, and a condom. Ben handed two of the credit cards to Norman and put the other items back into his pocket except for the lip gloss. He tossed that into a garbage can.
"You're welcome to it if you want it, little bitch," Ben said and burst into laughter. It wasn't a good idea to be around a guy like Norman with an attitude. Guys like that walked around carrying illegal weapons for a reason. Misunderstandings were bound to happen.
"Oh shit! The beer!" Norman exclaimed as he ran back into the street to retrieve the two beers he'd dropped.
"You see? That bitch was trying to act all arrogant. She's frowning down on us and acting like her shit doesn't stink. Meanwhile, she's walking around with a condom in her purse," complained Norman.
"Maybe she just didn't like your ugly ass."
"Or maybe you scared her off with your dog looks."
The two men popped open their beers and walked off.
Chapter 12: The Soul of Benjamin Pt. 2
Ben walked into the house and tossed the armful of bags on the table. His live-in girlfriend, Vanessa, walked into the room from the kitchen.
"What the hell is all this?" she asked as she rubbed her pregnant belly.
"You'll never guess what happened to us today. Norman and I were walking down the street, and…"
Vanessa looked annoyed.
"That creep? I told you to stay away from that sick idiot. One day he's going to get you into a lot of trouble."
Ben walked up to Vanessa and kissed her on the lips.
"Yeah, he might get me into a lot of trouble. But not today!"
He grabbed the bag and began pouring all of the items out onto the table. There were designer shoes, jewelry, expensive clothes, food, and video games.
"My God!" Vanessa exclaimed. "This stuff is so expensive! How did you get it?"
"We found a wallet today. It was full of credit cards and…"
"Credit cards?! Ben, you've got to take this back! What about the cops?"
"Don't worry. I tossed the cards after I used three-thousand on each one."
Vanessa's face turned white.
"Three-thousand? Dollars? On each card? How many cards did you have?"
"I had two, and I gave two to Norman."
"That's six-thousand dollars, Ben. The cops are going to search for it, for sure."
"Would you stop worrying? I told you I destroyed the cards. Don't worry about it, okay?"
Vanessa relaxed a little. She walked over to the living room sofa and sat down.
"Well, …you should've gotten us something we could use. All of this stuff is junk that I can't wear. This baby will be here soon. What are we going to do about getting baby clothes and stuff?"
Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out the two-hundred in cash.
"Here you go, baby. Use it to buy a few things."
A smile came across Vanessa's face.
"Dinner's on. I'm making meatloaf again."
Ben smiled as he gathered the items on the table.
"That's cool with me, baby. Cool with me."
Chapter 13: The Soul of Benjamin Pt.3
Ben snatched the sheets off his body and sat up in bed. His shirtless chest was sweaty. Although he could hear the deluge of rain slamming against the house, the thumping of his heartbeat was much louder in his ears. Quickly, he searched the room, looking for the source of his anxiety. Nothing was there. Lightning flashes from the rainstorm made shadows dance on the walls like carousels. Ben had an uneasy feeling that something was wrong. He could feel it all around the room. Although he heard the strong winds bending the trees and shaking the leaves outside his window, he knew there was something else.
Ben looked over at Vanessa, sleeping soundly. Her large bell
y rose and fell as she slept peacefully, unaffected by the storm outside. As he climbed out of bed and walked to the window, he felt an icy chill crawl down his spine like a cube of ice dropped down his shirt. Although the windows were closed, there was a breeze pushing at the curtains ever so slightly. Ben didn't know why, but he was terrified of what was behind them.
"We see you," a voice whispered. Startled, Ben looked around. There was no one else in the room. He moved closer to the window. He was afraid yet curious, like a child seeing the snow falling from the sky for the first time. Was his imagination being fueled by the storm? Had he heard someone speaking to him?
Slowly, Ben placed both hands on the curtains. Although he wanted to pull his hands away and retreat, something was pulling him closer to the window, like a magnet pulling a paperclip, coaxing him; making him want to satisfy his curiosity; his fear.
Suddenly Ben yanked open the curtains. Standing in front of the window was a row of ghostly figures. They were all dressed in the same attire: Fedora hats and trench coats. The entities seemed to be floating in the air, their bodies swaying whenever the wind moved them. Their oily pale faces stared at Ben like he was food; their giant mouths agape; thick, clear liquid dripping from their long animal-like fangs. The figures' eyes terrified Ben; they were big almond-shaped eyes that glowed, bathing the room in an eerie green light. The light made Ben feel weak. Although he wanted to run, the green light seemed to sap his energy.
Slowly, Ben took a step away from the window. Then another step, and then another. As Ben backed away, one of the creature's eyes widened as if it sensed Ben's attempted escape. The being let out a scream that smashed all of the windows. As the glass shot into Ben's face, he turned away and shielded his face with one of his hands. Suddenly one of the creature's long arm reached through the open window and grabbed Ben by the throat. Ben tried screaming, but nothing came out. Soon all of the monsters had their hands all over him. He could feel the creatures slapping at his face, pulling at his neck. Their long knifelike fingernails ripped at the skin on his bare chest.
"We see you!" they all said in unison. "We are coming for you!"
Ben sat up suddenly in his bed and screamed.
"Aaaaaah!"
He looked nervously at the window; the curtains were open, and he could see out into the rain; there was no one there. Slowly, Ben relaxed. It had all been a dream. Still, he was terrified by what he had seen.
Vanessa pulled him close to her.
"Hey. It's okay. Shhhh…" Vanessa consoled. Ben was grateful that the whole thing had only been a dream. But he wasn't convinced everything was okay, and his eyes continued to comb the room. First the windows; then the shadowy corners; then the open closet. Although he couldn't see anything out of place, Ben knew something had entered their lives. He could feel that everything was not okay. He'd had several dreams of the same men, and each one was more intense than the last. The objective of the strangers was always the same. In each of the nightmares, the men's cold hands pulled Ben into the darkness. No, this was not just a little nightmare. Ben felt hunted. Something wanted him. Something had crept into their worlds and wouldn't leave until he was dead.
"It's okay, baby. It was just a dream. I'm here," said Vanessa as she continued to try to soothe Ben, but he all but ignored Vanessa's consoling. He was – affected.
"But…it was so real."
"The same as before?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe you need to see someone about it. It's not going away."
After a while, Ben's breathing calmed. He swung his legs off the bed and stood.
"I'm going to the sofa."
"You sure, baby?"
"Yeah. You and the baby need your sleep. You don't need to be hearing this mess."
Ben kissed his girlfriend and rubbed her tummy before walking out into the darkness of the house. After shutting the bedroom door, he walked downstairs and poured himself a glass of water. Ben looked out of the kitchen window into the rain. The intense storm had blown over the garbage cans on the side of the house.
"Great," he mumbled as he took a sip from the cup. Ben took a deep breath.
"Maybe this stress is being caused by the pregnancy," he whispered. Ben hadn't realized how stressed he was until now. He was barely sleeping at night anymore. It had been six months since he got laid off from his job. If he didn't find something soon, he and Vanessa would lose the house.
"Shit. I've got to find something soon," Ben whispered. Vanessa's mom and dad already hated his guts. After they'd discovered that he knocked up their college-bound daughter, they'd begrudgingly allowed them to live together until they were married.
"Well, at least you're not a complete deadbeat," her father had told him when he discovered that Ben owned a home. But homeownership hadn't been enough to keep the man from disapproving of their predicament.
"Anyone that gets a girl knocked up without being married first is irresponsible," the old man had told them as they sat nervously on her family's sofa. Vanessa's father was a hard lot through and through. He was a military veteran who'd worked days as a steelworker until he cracked his back on the job. Permanently hobbled and using a wheelchair, the older man's hardships made him excessively hard. It didn't help that Vanessa was Mexican, and Ben was White. Vanessa's father saw the world through an immigrant's eyes and realized the world would also judge his daughter through that same lens. He wanted the best for Vanessa. The man that would be with his daughter needed to be tough beyond the physical. He would have to be a man that loved his daughter enough to be continually striving for excellence. Any man that wasn't out there reaching for the best was a piece of shit in his eyes. Vanessa's father had made his feelings known from the beginning, and if they were to lose the house, there would be hell to pay.
Ben left the kitchen and walked to the living room. After lying down on the couch, he stared at the photo of him and Vanessa. The two were laughing and making faces as they crammed into a photo booth at the amusement park. It was the place they first met. Ben smiled as he remembered seeing Vanessa for the first time. Her long black hair seemed to dance on her shoulders with every step she took. Like a fool, Ben had run up to Vanessa and tapped her on the shoulder. He was determined to get her phone number. When she turned around, he was speechless. Her beauty snatched his tongue and caused him to stand there like a fool. Vanessa looked at the frozen man and caused further paralysis by flashing a dimpled smile, a smile so radiant Ben felt warm inside. He knew at that moment that he wanted to be with her forever.
Ben fumbled around under the sofa until he found the pack of cigarettes he'd hidden from Vanessa. He'd told her he would quit, but with all of the madness swirling around in his head, he needed some sort of release. Ben lit a cigarette and blew a puff of smoke towards the ceiling. The dreams hadn't started until a few weeks back. It was around the same time he met Norman.
One day Ben had gone to the community unemployment building to see about placing some resumes. The meatpacking company he'd been working for had gone bankrupt, and he needed to find a new job. Ben had met Norman as they stood in line, waiting to go in. When Ben first saw Norman, he hadn't looked like much. He was 5'3 with a shaved head and a face tattoo of a small dolphin on his jawbone. The man wasn't clean and smelled like he'd been working in someone's yard for most of the day. When Norman had said hello to him, Ben could smell gin on his breath. Not really thinking much of it, Ben had assumed Norman was just like him – a man down on hard times looking for a break. It wasn't until a few days later that Ben found out what he was.
After consuming more than their share of drinks at the local pub, Ben had bid Norman goodnight and left the bar to walk home alone. As he turned to walk up Madison Street, a red Mercedes came roaring around the corner from behind him and screeched to a halt. The window rolled down, and Norman leaned out.
"Hey! Want a ride?" he asked. Aware that Norman was drunk, Ben passed on the invitation. Visibly angry by Ben's rejection, Norman displayed his aggressive
nature for the first time.
"Suit yourself, you goddamned pussy!" he snapped and pulled a handgun out of his jacket. Ben had been so surprised that he stumbled back and tripped over the sidewalk, landing flat on his face. Satisfied with Ben's comic relief, Norman burst into laughter.
"Damn, dude. Pull the panties out of your ass," Norman said as he laughed. Suddenly, he stepped on the gas. He accelerated and fired the weapon twice into the air.
"Woo-hoo!" he yelled as he sped up the street. Finally, the red Mercedes screeched around a corner and disappeared into the night. Ben had dusted off his pants and went home, determined to never see the man again.
Two days later, Ben saw a report on the news that shook him to his core. Michael Trent, a successful car dealership owner, had been found murdered - shot at point-blank range in the back of his head. The police had found his body in the trunk of his red Mercedes on the side of the road. When the photos of the Mercedes flashed on the television, Ben got scared – it was the same car Norman had been driving on the night they'd been out drinking!
Ben had considered going to the police to tell them what he knew, but Norman showed up at his house one day out of nowhere. Ben was terrified. How did Norman know the location of his home? He racked his brain, trying to think of the conversations the two had shared at the bar. Ben couldn't recall telling him anything about his personal life. Nervously, Ben invited Norman into his home and introduced him to Vanessa.
Upon being introduced to Vanessa, Norman immediately started talking about her ass and how delicious her breast milk would be in a few months. Startled by the disrespect, Vanessa left the room and never came back. Although he was sure Norman had a gun, Ben had asked Norman to get out of his house.
A few weeks later, he bumped into Norman at a fast-food restaurant. Behaving as if the two were old friends, Norman sat down at his booth to eat his cheeseburger like they were old friends. Cautiously, Ben ate his burger and tried to learn a little bit more about Norman. He discovered that Norman had been in prison for eight years for armed robbery and assault. Ben attempted to end their conversation several times, but Norman kept divulging information like an overflowing toilet. Before Ben could walk out of the restaurant, Norman had confessed to him that he'd murdered someone – a young kid back when Norman was a teenager. The tale had been so unsettling that Ben promptly stood up and left the restaurant. Thinking it would be the last time he saw Norman, Ben went back to his job searching at the unemployment office. But like clockwork, Norman continued to show up there. Frustrated, Ben stopped searching for jobs there. But it wasn't long before Norman started finding new places to show up. Ben happened upon Norman in the grocery store next to the mall, and then the gas station. Soon Norman was showing up to his house unannounced, wanting to go hang out. To keep the lunatic away from Vanessa, Ben started hanging out with Ben far away from his home. They started doing questionable things that Ben would never do otherwise. He'd gone with Norman to break into several houses. Ben always told himself that he wouldn't hang with Norman anymore, but Norman would placate him with cash he'd gotten from pawning the stolen items. They just kept hooking up.