by Devin Morgan
“Bob, I’ve got a client coming in a few minutes. Thanks for keeping me updated.”
They said their goodbyes. She sat quietly. Thoughts of Aris filled her mind. Refusing to accept them, she stood, crossed to the door and opened it.
“Maggie, let’s go to lunch.”
#
The sound of men snoring echoed through the concrete cell block. Carlos entered unseen and unheard, his newly acquired otherworldly powers silencing the minds and closing the eyes of any who might have stopped him. He made his way down the long corridor until he reached his destination. Gazing at the sleeping man behind the bars, he smiled.
“Manu.” His voice was clear yet soft spoken so as not to wake those sleeping around him. “Manu.”
Sleepy eyed, the man inside the cell swung his legs over the side of the cot and sat up. In the dim light of night, he didn’t recognize the figure outside the bars. Suddenly his eyes grew wide as he made out the features of his visitor. He leaped to his feet as if to move toward the bars, then held back. “Carlos?”
“Yes, Manu, it’s Carlos.”
The prisoner’s eyes darted furtively from side to side. “What are you doing here, man? I thought you were, I mean, how’d you get in here?”
“I found a way in and I’m going to get you out of here for good.”
A smile spread over the convict’s face. “Yeah?” He moved slowly toward the wall made of bars that separated the two men. “Brothers to the end.” He stopped inches away from the bars peering through at his would be savior.
“Brothers to the end.” Carlos grinned. Just as their eyes locked, his arm darted between the bars, his fingers locking around Manu’s throat. Manu struggled for only a moment, then hung limply from the hand of his killer. “And this, my brother, is the end.”
He laughed softly as he tossed the dead man on the floor. Turning, he walked away.
#
“I honestly don’t know how it happened.” The three friends sat around the dinner table as Bob refreshed Sarah’s glass of wine. “It’s uncanny. They found him dead in his cell with his neck broken. There’s no explanation for it. No one heard or saw anything. At least that’s what they’re all saying.
“The same night, Manu’s two seconds in command were found dead, side by side, next to a dumpster in back of a bar. Same thing, both with broken necks. It must have scared the gang because they’re all scattered. We can’t find any of them.”
Sarah shivered, “I can’t say I’m sorry. At least now Carlos and his family are safe.”
“Yeah, well, at first we thought someone in prison got to Manu and maybe that’s how it went down. But, the two outside? It couldn’t have been the same person. Weird, in all three cases, there was no sign of struggle. It’s as if someone just walked up to them, said hello and snapped their necks. It’s the damnedest thing.”
Colleen began to clear the table. “Carlos came into the office yesterday. He didn’t seem too surprised, but he’s been acting removed from everything ever since he got out of the hospital. He didn’t even mention you, Sarah, and that’s pretty strange.”
Sarah avoided her friend’s eyes as she stood to help with the clean-up. “I’ve only heard from him once, but he’s been through more than any human should go through. I’m sure he just needs time to adjust to his new life.
#
Her last thought as she fell asleep was of Carlos. His avoidance of her only made her more sure of her theory. The single time he had seen her since his release from the hospital had been unfulfilling. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. He hadn’t been friendly to either Colleen or to her, just answering the questions that needed to be answered to maintain his parole. Would they ever be able to speak openly with one another again? She wasn’t sure it was possible. With her mind full of turmoil, she fell into a troubled sleep.
Just before dawn, a shadow covered the window to her bedroom. The screen was lifted silently and placed on the floor beneath the casing as the figure climbed soundlessly into her room. He moved to stand next to her bed. As he watched her, she stirred softly, then settled beneath the covers into a deep and timeless sleep. He had been by her bed every night for months. He had watched her sleep, invaded her dreams, longed for her so deeply he could barely control his desire. He licked his soft, full lips and moaned. At long last, he had found his beloved, but would she want to be his?
THE END