She cried silently while her most tender parts were violated. She cried and she wanted to go home, where she swore to God, she would never be a ‘headstrong bitch’ again.
She survived the night and crawled out into a waiting cab, which took her to the hospital. She received stitches on her face, and down – below, and a very stern lecture from the attending nurse. The next morning she left for Michigan. Her face was a black and blue mess when she walked up to the door of her family’s home.
The sound of the phone ringing woke Alice from her restless slumber. She opened her eyes to the bright Florida sun, never more thankful to be so far from her past. She had been crying in her sleep, and swiftly wiped away the tiny tears rolling down her face.
*****
The ribs split apart as Francis slammed the large blade into them, leaving shavings of deep red meat on the counter. He picked up one half of the large beef rack and brought the knife down again. The finely honed steel blade broke through the flesh just as it always did. He repeated this process with the other half of the ribs. He slid the finished racks to the side. He would wrap them later. Francis walked to another counter several feet away where a large pile of mostly frozen cow flesh was waiting for him to butcher. Every step he took hurt just a little.
It had been five years and four months since the artillery shell had burned most of the skin from the left side of his body. Where there was once handsome tanned skin, there was only twisted ugly meat. He was hideous. His mouth always seemed to be pulled up into a nasty sneer no matter what he was saying or whom he was speaking to.
He had at one time heard the children in town calling him the monster butcher.
The prosthetic he wore on his left leg caused a pronounced limp, which only added to his odd appearance. That is what hurt him now. Even though the wound was healed, the stump of his thigh still ached every time he stepped down on the prosthetic. Every step was a reminder of the life he would never have again. Each streak of pain that raced through him brought back memories of the war and of the fire crawling all over his mangled body. When he stood for too long, the throbbing pain in his leg became unbearable and he was reminded of those first few months he spent in the hospital. It reminded him of his former fiancée, his Delia.
She was meant to be his, she was supposed to be his and she had promised herself to him. He had been forced to lie for weeks in horrendous pain in the hospital and watch as she flaunted her infidelity every chance she got. It was disgusting then and now it burned deep inside him, a fire that raged on and forced him to keep moving, to drive him toward the goal he knew he would someday reach.
Revenge.
He would take back what was his. At first he only wanted to destroy them both, but he had come to realize that he needed Delia back in his life. She would love him again; he would make sure of that. He may have to dispatch the other, and that was fine with him. Francis ran the heavy knife over the skin of his forearm. In contrast to his heavy, matte black KA-BAR, this knife was polished steel and reflected the light from the sodium lights above him. Then the reflection of his own face appeared in the blade and Francis stopped. He sneered at the mangled man.
“We will get what is ours,” he said to the reflection in the blade. “We will take back what is ours.”
Francis had not found Delia yet. He knew she was not in town and thought she might not even be in Michigan. His heart, however, told him he would find her. He knew he would have her again. He had faith that God would not allow this injustice to go unpunished and He would allow Francis to be the punisher.
The grizzled reflection smiled back at him.
“We will just have to be patient.”
He did not have to wait long. A knock sounded from outside the room. Francis walked out to see who it was. He greeted the man with a large, gruesome smile. Of course. I ask, and now I shall receive.
“Hello young man, how are you?”
“I’m fine sir, just fine.”
“The business been treating you well, since your father’s passing?”
“I’m staying busy, quite busy. And your veterinary practice?”
“Oh, it’s well. Though I’m starting to feel my age. Don’t think I’ll keep it up much longer.”
Francis nodded to Delia’s uncle Don. “That a meat order you have there?”
“It is,” Don said, and handed him a small piece of paper.
“I’ll get on it for you shortly. Give me a day or two.”
“All right son, thank you so much.” Don turned and walked away.
Francis watched his big frame walk away and then glanced down at his meat order. Bacon, a lot of it. Francis knew what he was going to do now, he knew how to get Delia to come back to him. The patch of Hemlock still grows out by the pond. Yes, Don’s bacon would have some very special seasonings in it this time. Francis was chucking on the inside. Soon he would be reunited with his Delia once more.
*****
The call that Uncle Don had died was devastating. Aunt Deb was a wreck on the phone. As upset as Deb was, Delia was hit even harder. She hung up the phone with her chest heaving. I never went back to see them. She struggled to settle her churning stomach as she had just eaten and the food felt like it might try to make a reappearance. It took a few minutes of deep breathing before she went in search of Alice.
Delia wandered out behind the cottage where Alice sat lounging in a chair at the edge of their small lake.
“Ali, hon.”
Alice recognized the change in Delia’s demeanor immediately.
“What is it honey?” she asked, beckoning Delia to come over to her. Delia sat sidesaddle on Alice’s lap.
“My Uncle Don has died.”
“Oh baby, I’m so sorry.”
Little acid emotions were welling up in the corners of Delia’s eyes.
“Were you two very close?”
Delia nodded meekly and let the tears roll down her cheeks. It was then that Delia realized just how little she had spoken to Alice about her past. The fact that Alice didn’t even know about Uncle Don and Aunt Deb filled Delia with even more guilt and regret for not going back to visit her childhood home.
“Uncle Don and Aunt Deb raised me after my mother and father died.” Then she added curiously, “You never ask about my parents.”
Alice shrugged. “You avoid them in conversation, Dee, I figured you didn’t want to talk about them.” Alice pulled off her glasses so that Delia could see into her eyes. “I am always happy to listen though.”
“Okay,” was all she answered. She didn’t want to talk about it now, but soon.
“Do you want me to get us a flight up to Michigan?”
“I don’t know. That will be expensive.”
“It will. Nevertheless I think it’s worth the expense, don’t you? Is your aunt still living?”
Delia nodded.
“Then we will go. You should be there for your family, and perhaps you will see your sister Lilly as well?”
The thought of seeing Lilly again lightened the darkness that was settling over Delia. “Yes, she will be there of course. Okay, let’s go back to Michigan.” Delia hugged Alice hard. “Thank you for understanding, Ali.”
“No problem. Have a seat and drink some of this lemonade for me please. I’ll call the airline right now.”
Alice pecked her on the cheek as she walked by. Delia stopped her and pulled her in for another hug. The smell of her skin was calming. Delia released her and kissed her lightly on the mouth. Alice smiled her perfect smile, and Delia was reminded again why she loved her so much. Alice was one of the beautiful things of the world, and her beauty seeped into everything around her.
Delia sat on the wooden lounge chair and sipped Alice’s vodka-soaked lemonade. She stared out over the small lake that butted up to their backyard. There were only a few cottages on this lake. In fact, there were far more alligators than people in this area. Alice said it made her feel primal and adventurous. Delia told her it was just crazy. She soo
n learned that the prehistoric reptiles were not the bloodthirsty beasts she’d imagined when she was a child. The alligators stayed away from their house, and spent most of their time basking in the warm sun and mud along the shores of the lake.
The gators did make swimming in this body of water a no-no, but they were only a few short miles from the beach, so when the hot summer sun was beating too fiercely on their little blue home, they packed a picnic and spent the day on the beach and in the cool ocean surf. The plant life was in full bloom right now, so the lake was full of weeds, as was their yard. Once a week, their neighbor from across the pond would come over and mow their lawn for them. He told them it was because he liked helping so much. Delia believed it was because Alice had “accidentally” let him catch her sunbathing topless one time and he was hoping for a repeat.
Uncle Don. He was a very good man. Don had taken her in and treated her just like another daughter. He had saved her life. Delia’s head was filled with the past. Memories swirled around aimlessly. Uncle Don had given her many of the skills she used as a nurse. He taught her a deep appreciation of and respect for animal life. The way the other men at church looked up to him, and the way they seemed to stand in line to shake his hand spoke volumes about how well-liked he was.
He wasn’t a very talkative man with Delia, but when she was young, Delia was not one to ramble much anyway. She had spent most of her young adult life quietly contemplating her future, and thinking about what her role in society might be. She had been so concerned with where she was going in life that she had neglected the fun things that other young people were doing.
Still, most of the other young people in her community weren’t the orphaned daughters of the local maniac, who had killed his wife and then tried to kill his daughter. Even with all of her baggage, Delia managed to do some normal things. She had had a boyfriend, Francis. They had spent a lot of time together, and were occasionally intimate. She played with her sister Lilly and she completed necessary duties around their house.
Those things seemed normal and right to Delia. But what about now? What was her place now? What would Uncle Don think about where she was now? What would her father think about her life now? She shook away the thoughts. Delia didn’t feel like she would live out her days just sitting here on the chair by the lake, she didn’t think that was her plan. Whatever happened, she knew it would be her choices that led her, not forced decisions.
“All right!” Alice called to her from the house.
Delia got up and walked over to her.
“The first flight available is tomorrow morning.”
“Wow, that’s soon.” She was happy and nervous at the same time. Flying had never been her favorite means of travel, but she shook her discomfort away and gave Alice a warm smile. “Thank you Ali, that’s great.”
“It is, but it’s pretty early, the flight will leave at eight in the morning.”
“Oh.” They had become accustomed to sleeping late into the morning. “I guess I’m going to have to take you to bed early tonight, won’t I?” Delia said with a grin, trying to shrug off her sadness.
“Nope. Tonight, I’m taking you!” Alice gave her a playful smile and took Delia’s long-fingered hand. “Are you okay?”
“I am. I’ve just been away for so long. I always meant to go back sooner - it would have been nice to say goodbye.”
Alice pulled her close. “Come on, let’s get packing. We are going to make a grand entrance back into your home state.”
Delia followed her into the cozy cottage. They only had one bedroom, but there was a large sitting area, and the kitchen was spectacular. A huge ceiling fan circulated the air around the cottage, so they stayed quite comfortable on most days. When it grew too hot at night they would sleep naked on top of the covers, letting the breeze from the fan waft over them. That always felt naughty to Delia, like she should at least be a little covered. That naughty feeling often led to a little kissing on her part, and the kissing usually led to some touching.
Sex with Alice was amazing. The way their bodies moved with one another was as if they were made to be together. The sexual stimulation was deep, hot and fiery even after five years. Alice said their passion was more real and more satisfying because when they made love they held nothing back. They never said no, and if there was some new avenue of satisfaction one of them wanted to explore, they did.
It was more than just stimulation though. It was more than hot skin on skin or mouths against flesh. It was fun too. Alice made her laugh in bed. It was silly and at first Delia didn’t know how to react, but then she let herself go and realized how satisfying it was. They didn’t only kiss and touch and feel. They talked to each other about how things felt. They laughed about funny incidents during their days, all while wrapped up inside each other’s arms. Delia hadn’t had many lovers, only two in fact, but she knew that she and Alice were lucky. She never heard their neighbors scream out in passion like they did. She would not want it any other way.
“Hey,” Alice said, and gave her a little shove.
Delia focused again. She had been standing in the hallway, daydreaming. “I want you to take me to bed now, Ali.”
Alice grinned. She held her hand out and pulled Delia into their bedroom.
Chapter Sixteen
“What is your aunt going to say when she sees me?” Alice asked Delia quietly as she sat next to her in the taxi. It was a long and bumpy ride heading out to farm country.
“Well, I’ve been wondering that myself,” Delia replied. She glanced over at Alice, who looked worried. Even with apprehension on her face and after a frightening six-hour plane ride, Alice still looked beautiful. Her nervous lips were full and soft and pink. Delia smiled at her and said, “Does it matter?”
“Nothing will change how I feel about you; I guess I was just hoping for a heads-up on what I might be walking in to. I don’t want to get attacked by farmers out here.” Alice took her hand and squeezed gently.
Delia hoped they would be received well by Aunt Deb, but really had no idea. Lilly will understand though, she always understood me. She watched out the window as houses went by in a blur. There were so many more of them now than when she was here last. She had left home and spent two years in nursing school. Then she spent almost a year overseas. After that, she and Alice had enjoyed a fabulous five years in Florida.
Eight years since she had been home. She hadn’t realized it had been so long. She felt a brief pang of guilt for not making an effort to come back sooner.
“Hey,” Alice was shaking her just a little, “are you okay?”
“I’m just a little nervous too. I’m really happy that you are going to be able to meet Lilly.”
“Me too. I wish that flight had had cocktails, though.”
Delia had noticed the slightly distressed look on her face. That makes sense now. Though she didn’t like to talk about it, Alice had a definite drinking habit. Delia’s thoughts started to drift back to the dreaded “dinner of ‘48” and she quickly shut the memories down. That was the night Delia had met Alice’s very large, affluent family. That was also the night that Delia first realized that Alice’s drinking was out of hand. The evening had started out well but went downhill fast.
Delia shuddered at the memory of Alice screaming at her father, “It’s my life and I can sleep with women if I want!” Well, they hadn’t seen Alice’s family since, just a letter or two from her mother, and now Delia would not allow Alice to drink when they left the house. Delia squeezed her hand. This will be good for her.
At least it was a beautiful time to visit Michigan. Fall had always been what Delia considered the prettiest of the seasons. The trees they passed were rich with yellow, red and rust colored leaves. It was a good turn this year, Delia thought. She remembered some years when there was hardly a fall color change at all, due to heavy winds and rains that would sometimes blow the leaves from the trees before anyone was able to enjoy their beauty. Delia was happy she was able to see it toda
y.
“Did you have a fall color change when you were young?” she asked Alice.
“Are you kidding?” she replied with a wide smile. “I grew up in Grand Rapids, silly, I thought you knew that! We used to play in great big piles of musty leaves every year after we raked them up. Those were some of the best times for my family.” Alice paused, remembering. “Before my father was elected to the senate, when things were a little simpler, the whole family would go out into the yard and we would rake the leaves into a great big pile. Father always let us play in them for most of the afternoon.”
Delia’s heart warmed seeing the happy memories cross over Alice’s face.
“Then when dusk came, father would light the pile and we would have a fantastic bonfire!”
“S’mores?”
“S’mores, of course.” Alice trailed off a little. “Of course we had s’mores.” She looked over to Delia. “I love you, Dee.”
Delia leaned her head onto Alice’s shoulder. “I love you too, Ali.”
Delia was looking forward to being home again. She missed her sister, and she missed her aunt. Still, as the car rumbled on past the paved roads, a quiet rushing started to emerge in her mind. Tiny whispers were telling her to beware. Something dark was getting closer.
Delia pushed her worries aside for the time being. She hadn’t been very in-tune with her gift in quite some time. During their life in Florida, the two women didn’t run into very much trouble of the human kind. One or two run-ins with animals had rattled Alice pretty good, and Delia chuckled to herself as she remembered the incident with the dragon.
*****
It was a warm morning three years ago when it happened. Well, every morning was warm, some were just plain hot. That morning was the perfect kind where Alice could walk out of the house in a pair of shorts and a bikini top and be perfectly comfortable. Delia was in the shower when she heard Alice scream.
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