“What do you mean?”
“Its like a telepathic thing, I know exactly where they are right at this moment.”
“Great,” Benny said excitedly, “I’ll go downstairs, grab my gun, and we’ll go take care of these rotten fucks right away.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy Benny. I can also sense that these guys are extremely dangerous, and your father probably knows why.”
“My father?”
“Yes, we should go see him, but first we’re going to need help. If you kill these six people many others will at-tempt to kill you.”
“Okay, we’ll go see Jack, and then we’ll go talk to Dad.”
They packed some extra clothes into an old army nap sack they had bought at a yard sale a few summers before and, after changing into a pair of cargo pants and an old Mudvayne shirt, Benny grabbed his gun, piled everything into the Mitsubishi, and they hit the road. As they drove, Benny thought about what Autumn had said; about her body being dead, and decomposition affecting it. Suddenly, the idea of getting intimate with her was becoming less, and less attractive.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, fine,” he had to think of something else. “So, what’s with the telepathy thing, can you read my mind and shit like that?”
“No, I can only read the location of the people who murdered me, and I also get a sense…I don’t know, their au-ra’s I guess. I can tell that something isn’t quite right with them.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s really hard to explain. Kind of like, their bad people but not necessarily evil. Does that make any sense at all?”
“Not to me,” Benny said in a grave tone.
The little truck pulled onto the long dirt driveway that led up to Jack Writemans farm house. A large garage to the left of the house held two hearses and sitting in front of the garage was Jack’s old Ford pickup. Benny parked his truck next to the Ford, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Autumn began to open her door as well, and then felt Benny’s hand on her arm.
“You had better wait here,” he said, “I want to try to ease him into this.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” she replied.
Benny walked up to the front door and knocked. Seconds later, Jack appeared at the screen door.
“Jesus! Where the fuck have you been, man?” Jack said in a relieved tone.
Benny held his hands up and started laughing, “Settle down, Jack, I’ve been at my house, right where I said I was going to be.”
“What’s so funny? I was worried about you, I thought you might have gone and offed yourself. I should knock that smile off your face.”
“Alright, first of all, offed is not a real word,” Benny said comically.
“So, you’re gone for a couple of hours and you come back a fucking grammar teacher?”
Benny laughed harder at this, “Just calm down a second, alright? Something big has happened and I’m going to need your help with it, if you’re willing to come along.”
“Come along where?”
“Well, first we have to go see Dad, after that I’m not sure.”
“I don’t understand, why do we have to see the Old Man?”
Benny took a deep breath, “Let me start at the begin-ning. I went home earlier this evening and walked into my kitchen and…had a peanut butter sandwich,” Benny didn’t want to tell him how close he was to putting a bullet in his head, “and then something really strange happened.”
“What?”
“You know, Jack, I think it would be better if I just showed you, but you have to stay calm and promise me you won’t freak out.”
“Benny, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything; just walk to my truck with me.”
Jack reluctantly started to walk with Benny, “You know, when you tell someone not to freak out, it’s most likely because whatever your about to show them is going to make them freak out. I don’t think I can promise you anything.”
“Fair enough,” Benny said as he opened the passen-ger side door of his truck.
When Autumn stepped out, Jack only stood frozen for a moment, then his eyes grew wide and his mouth began to open and close, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite find the words. Suddenly, a high pitched scream (a scream that Benny thought might come from a teenage girl in a bad horror movie) emitted from Jack’s oddly quivering mouth. He then began to back up quickly, turned and ran screaming, back into his house, locking the door behind him.
“That’s your idea of easing him into it?” Autumn said, giving Benny an amused look, “That went well, ’Hey, Jack, look, my dead wife has returned from the grave.’”
Benny only shrugged and the two of them walked to the front door.
“Let me handle this.” he said.
Autumn threw up her hands, “Sure, you‘ve done grand so far.”
As a mortician, one of Jack Writemans greatest fears was that a dead body would suddenly be re-animated as he was preparing it for a showing, climb off its slab and use his brain for an appetizer before turning his hunger on the rest of the town. Sometimes his vivid imagination even allowed him the privilege of hearing his skull being ripped open with a thick chunk sound, like watermelon being torn from its rind. Seeing his dead sister-in-law emerge from Benny’s truck was the most terrifying moment of his life.
Nearly thirty minutes went by, with Benny trying anything to get his brother to come out. Reasoning with him didn’t work, neither did a bribe (he probably knew Benny didn’t have any money, Benny never had any money), he couldn’t even get an answer.
“Do you mind if I try?” Autumn finally asked.
“Be my guest,” Benny replied, clearly frustrated with Jack by now.
“Jack, come on out, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m still the same old Autumn I used to be, just minus a pulse,” Autumn put her head against the door, “Jack, remem-ber that time we got pulled over for speeding in your truck and the cop let you go in exchange for that playboy you had on your dash.”
“Yeah,” Jack said sadly, “that was the issue with Tiffany in it. I was never able to track it down again.”
Benny had to suppress laughter at his brother’s re-morse for the missing artifact in his collection of famous nude women, which was his only real hobby.
“And remember the night we went to one of Sarah’s parties and I drank to much vodka. You stayed up all night with me, holding a cold wet rag on my forehead and cleaning me up every time I got sick.”
The locks on the door clicked and Jack peeked out, “Yeah, I remember that. It was the first time you ever got real-ly drunk.”
“That’s right. I never touched vodka again. I’m only back for a short amount of time and Benny and I are going to need your help.”
“You’re not going to try to eat my brain?”
“I swear I have no interest in eating your brain or any other part of your body.”
“Alright, what exactly do you need my help with?”
“Autumn can lead us to the men who killed her,” Benny interjected.
“Great, call the cops, have them arrested.”
“No, Jack,” Benny continued, “in order for Autumn’s soul to be at rest, and for me to join her when I die, she has to be avenged.”
Jack’s look of surprise was almost humorous, he sud-denly threw the door open (totally disregarding Autumn) and walked up to his brother, “You’re actually plotting to kill people. I got to say, that doesn’t sound like the liberal, anti-death penalty, tree hugging, vegetarian, all life is precious, Benny I know.”
“Jack,” Benny said seriously, “I don’t give a shit about any of that anymore. The only thing I care about is being with Autumn again. There are only six people I have to kill in order to accomplish that.”
“Only six?” Jack said, dumbfounded, “How can you be so nonchalant about taking someone’s life just so you could be with your girl in the hereafter, let alone six lives.”
>
“I don’t care if it’s a hundred lives,” shouted Benny, “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Okay,” Autumn interrupted, “Benny, why don’t you go calm down for a minute and let me talk to Jack.”
Benny turned and walked back to the truck. Jack looked slightly nervous at the idea of being left alone with Autumn.
“Jack, there’s something weird going on here, I have a feeling these aren’t ordinary people. Besides, Benny will be the one doing the killing. We really just want you there to watch his back.”
“I don’t know,” Jack said doubtfully.
“Look, Frank knows more about this then we do, why don’t you come with us to talk to him and you can make your decision then?”
“Why would Dad know anything about this?”
“It would be better if he explained that.”
“Fine I’ll go, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to help.”
“Understood.”
Jack ran inside, grabbed his jacket, and met Benny and Autumn at their truck.
“All three of us aren’t going to fit in that thing,” Jack said pointing to the Mitsubishi.
“Fine,” Benny replied, still a little pissed at his broth-er, “we’ll take your truck.”
“We can’t, its busted. We’ll have to take a hearse and I have the perfect one.” Jack walked over to the one door on the three car garage that was still closed and pulled it open. Inside sat 1979 Cadillac hearse that had been repainted in a pearl black, with the dark hood and fenders spreading back into purple flames. The alloy rims gleamed in the darkness, five point stars to finish off the modifications.
“Holy shit!” Benny exclaimed.
“You like it?” Jack asked.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s yours you know?”
Benny stared at his brother in shock. “Are you se-rious?”
“Yeah, I was going to save it for a Christmas present, but I guess we could use it now. I figured a pimped out hearse would be just your style.”
“Fit’s the situation,” Autumn stated.
Jack smiled, “Sorry, Autumn, dead chicks ride in the back.”
“That’s a horrible way to treat your dates” Autumn shot back. They all began to laugh.
“Benny, do you want to drive?” Jack asked.
“You go ahead, we need to get there fast and you have much less regard for the law than I do.”
“Said the man who’s plotting a murder.” Jack shot back as he climbed behind the wheel.
Jack hit the left turn signal and veered down Main St., cutting through the middle of downtown Triloville.
“Where are you going?” Benny asked, “the Old Man lives in the opposite direction.”
Jack gave him a disgusted look and said, “Dude, Dad hasn’t stayed at home since mom died. He’s been sleeping at his office, and he hasn‘t been sleeping very much.”
“I didn’t know that,” Benny stared out the window wondering how long it had been since he and his father had talked.
Really talked.
Frank Writeman had just finished a little late night work and was preparing to crash on his office couch, when there came a knock on his door. He walked to his desk, went to the third drawer, and pulled a 9mm pistol from a holster that lay within. Crossing the office to the door, he stashed the gun into the pocket of his robe. There was no use in asking the person, or perhaps people on the other side of the door who they were, he knew how talented his old friends could be, even when it came to voice impersonations.
With his right hand resting on the butt of his pistol, he opened the door.
“Hey, Dad,” Jack’s smiling face said from the other side of the hallway, “mind if we come in?”
Frank was about to ask who we was, but his question was answered when Benny came walking in behind his oldest boy.
“What are you two doing here?” Frank asked.
“I need to talk to you about what happened to Au-tumn,” Benny bluntly stated.
The Old Man knew there was no point in playing dumb anymore. Benny had somehow found out. “Let’s go for a walk, we’ll talk outside.”
Frank didn’t bother to change out of his pajamas and robe; instead he placed rubber soled slippers over his feet, and led his two sons to the elevator down the hall.
Down five floors and through the lobby, no one spoke a word until the three men stepped outside.
“Sorry, boys,” Frank said to them, “I don’t know how safe this building is from eves dropping.”
“Dad, do you know something about Autumn’s death?” Benny demanded.
Frank sighed deeply, “Yeah, I think I might. About seven years ago a group of businessmen from Europe came to me with a proposition. At the time I was desperate, I was on the verge of losing the savings and loan, and your mother and I had put almost everything we had into putting you boys through college.
“This group of people came to me with the idea of running their foreign currency through my bank. I don’t know exactly how they were doing it, but they would toy with the exchange rates and make major profits. As long as I kept it quiet I would enjoy large pay offs.”
“So you were laundering money?” Jack asked.
“Yes.”
Jack began to speak again when Benny waved him off, “That’s not important right now, Jack,” he turned back to his father, “What does this have to do with Autumn?”
Frank continued, “When I promoted Autumn to head of finances, she found the discrepancies almost immediately, and brought them to my attention. I told her not to worry about it, that it was something I always handled and if it came up again she should ignore it.
“The next month she came to me again saying she was concerned about these numbers. Once again I told her to ignore it, only a little more forcefully this time.
“Somehow the European Businessmen caught wind of her snooping around and they warned me that she had to stop, so I had to demote her for her own safety.”
“And they weren’t satisfied with that?” Benny asked.
“Actually, they were, however, Autumn continued to snoop around, and they must have found out about it again.”
“And you think these people are responsible for her death.”
“I do.”
They had reached the hearse and Benny stopped at the rear door, turned and looked his father in the eyes.
“Am I missing something?” Frank asked, after a few minutes of silence.
Benny’s voice was nearly a whisper when he spoke, “I’m going to kill them. Will you help me?”
Frank’s expression didn’t change, “If your serious about this, there is something else you should know.”
“What is it?”
“These people from Europe,” Frank paused.
“Go on,” Benny implored.
“They’re vampires.”
Jack let out a snort of the giggles, “Come on, Dad, quit fucking around.”
Benny looked at his brother with a smirk, “Jack, is that really so hard to believe after what you’ve seen tonight?”
Jack abruptly stopped laughing, “Point taken.”
“I don’t understand,” Frank said, confused, “What are you guys talking about?”
Benny reached out and pulled the back door of the hearse open.
Autumn looked up at her father in-law and waved.
“Hello, Autumn,” Frank said with a smile.
4. Odin Sway
During the summer of 96, Benny and Autumn where hanging out a lot and much to Benny’s pleasure he had found that this girl he was quickly falling for was going to attend IUPUI as well.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Benny responded when he heard this news, “what made you decide to go all the way to Indianapolis for school when IU is much closer?”
“I don’t know,” Autumn answered, “maybe I thought there was a guy up there who was going to art school because it’s supposed to be one of the premiere schools of art in the country, and he
wouldn’t mind a new girl shacking up with him.”
Benny smiled at her, “You’re going to go there just for me?”
“Of course, I’m majoring in accounting, which is pretty much the same where ever you go.”
He only stared at her, unable to find the words to express how he felt. Finally he leaned down and kissed her deeply.
They had not been intimate yet but Benny knew they were very close, so his next gesture wasn’t just an act of kindness but also an attempt to speed things up. “I got a little surprise for you too.”
“Cool, I love surprises.”
Benny reached into his jacket pocket and produced an envelope. He then opened it and pulled out two concert tickets.
Autumn read the headliners on the tickets and squealed, “Oh my God, you got Marilyn Manson tickets.”
“Yep, this Saturday at the State Fair grounds.”
She kissed him again and that night they made love for the first time. Then the second. And a third.
“So, if she was killed by a vampire, why cut her throat? Why didn’t they suck her blood?” Benny asked.
“They don’t work like that,” Frank explained, “their very secretive and they wouldn’t do anything to draw attention to themselves. They wanted to leave a message and that’s how they did it. Now tell me what’s going on with Autumn.”
Benny told his father everything Autumn had told him and when he finished he repeated the question he had previously asked.
“Will you help us, Dad?”
Frank pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, fished through it a little and removed an old, beat up business card.
“I’ve never trusted these people,” he said, “from the very first moment I met them. Go and see this guy, he’ll give us everything we need.”
“So you’re in?” Benny asked, grinning.
“Of course I am,” The Old Man said, returning the smile.
Benny hugged his father for the second time in one day, “Thanks, Dad.”
The two men stepped away from each other, both giving Jack an embarrassed look.
Avenging Autumn: Seasons Change Book 1 of 4 Page 3