Slash (Novella I) (8 page)

Bravo smirked at her and waved. “I need to put in an order.”

Bala pressed her fingers against her forehead. “Shit, I thought you were him.”

Bravo looked over his shoulder. “Him who?”

“
I have a couple coming by to discuss arrangements for their daughter’s body. I usually hire an actor to randomly stroll in and act as a client who’s come to thank me for suggesting cremation instead of the entire casket deal.” Bala checked her cellphone. “I’ve been calling him all morning and he has not showed yet. The couple will be here any second.”

“
I wish I could help.” Bravo tugged at his red Pizza Shack uniform shirt. “But I have to be at work.”

“
I’ll take half off the price of your order if you risk being late for work and help me out.”

Bravo nodded. “Fine, but after fifteen minutes I’m out of here.”

Bala spotted a grey town car pull up outside. “Luckily, the couple is here now.”

“
What do I need to do exactly?”

“
Take the back exit through the storage room, wait five minutes, then come back through the front. Just remember to say how much you were against cremation, you wanted to be more traditional but you had a change of heart and love having your mother or whoever sitting on your coffee table. Blah, blah, blah, it’s as if the deceased never left.” Bala shoved Bravo towards the storage room door. “Now go before they see you.”

Bravo sped walked into the storage room, came to a quick stop and inhaled the appetizing scents coming from the freezer drawers installed within the walls. He grabbed one of the drawer handles and licked his lips. The sound of Bala greeting her clients reminded him he had a task to complete. Bravo continued through the room, exited to a back alley and made his way back around front. He waited five minutes and reentered the lobby.

Bala raised her index finger to a grey haired couple who held on to each other. “Frank, Brenda, excuse me please.”

Frank nodded as he grabbed on tighter to his pouting wife. “It’s fine. We need time to think anyways.”

Bala approached Bravo. “James, it’s nice to see you again. Is everything ok?”

“
I just came here to thank you,” Bravo said loudly. “Cremating my wife was the right decision.”

Bala mouthed the words ‘hug me’.

Bravo hugged her. “I feel just as close to my wife as on the day I married her.”

Bala wrapped her arms around. “It’s so nice to hear that.”

Bravo stepped back. “I would’ve been foolish to put her in the ground, so far away from me.”

Bala gently touched Bravo’s chest. “Excuse me for a bit James.”

“
I don’t mind.”

Bala faced the elderly couple. “Frank, Brenda, how about you two head into my office for we can finish our talk?”

“
Alright, but first,” Frank glanced over to Bravo. “Sorry about your lost young man.”

Bravo struggled to keep eye contact with the couple. He looked to floor. “Yeah, the same.”

Bala pointed toward her office door. “Just head through the red door and take a seat.”

Bravo let out a heavy sigh once the couple left the lobby. “That last part caught me off guard. I feel bad.”

“
You deliver slices of poison and eat people, you’re not so innocent. Anyways, thanks and what are you ordering?”

Bravo raised two fingers. “The usual, two boxes of fingers.”

“
It’ll be here tomorrow for pick-up.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Now I have a work to do.”

“
Yeah, so do I. See you tomorrow.”

Bravo found himself in the kitchen of Pizza Shack tossing mozzarella cheese on pizza dough. The buffalo wings he snacked on would’ve been a lot more enjoyable if they were instead fingers drizzled in the spicy sauce. He broke away from the delicious fantasy and continued preparing the order. The cannibal glanced out of the kitchen service window to discover his plus-sized boss Clyde flirting with a woman dining with her child.

“
I swear if this fat asshole gets her number I’ll eat her alive for being an idiot.”

Clyde made his way into the kitchen. He wiped his hands on his dingy apron. “Bravo, I’m almost in there.”

“
In where,” Bravo asked as he shoved the pizza in the oven.

“
Her pants you prick.” Clyde snorted. “I’m going to give her some free cinnamon sticks. That’ll butter her up.”

Bravo grabbed the broom. “I’m going to sweep. Good luck playing the dating game.”

“
I told you all that cleaning shit come last, you have a delivery.”

Bravo wrinkled his nose as he surveyed the messy kitchen. “We should at least wipe up the pizza sauce stains.”

“
Don’t worry; I’ll hire some desperate teenager eventually to do so. You have a delivery.”

“
But I’m working kitchen tonight? Matt’s on delivery.”

Clyde took some cinnamon sticks from the freezer. “Matt is sick or some shit, so warm up the van.”

“
But-“

“
-I will cut your hours down to zero a week if you don’t listen. Van, now.”

Bravo slouched his shoulders and went to warm up the van. He pinched his nose; the vehicle smelling like the weed Clyde would smoke in the van on his lunch break. Bravo waited with all the windows down until Clyde brought out the pizza to him for delivery along with the address. The cannibal entered the address into his phone’s GPS, ‘Pelican Cove Apt. 7I’.

He arrived to the light blue painted door of the apartment, knocked and was greeted by a familiar face. “It’s you.”

A shirtless Milo smirked. “My master plan finally worked.”

“
Huh?” Milo’s defined abs left Milo a bit distracted.

“
I’m not really into pizza, but the delivery boy on the other hand is pretty cute.”

“
Oh, so you didn’t really want a pizza?”

Milo laughed. “It took me three nights of ordering to finally get you on my doorstep.”

“
Yeah, Clyde had me working kitchen and tonight Matt was…actually, you don’t care, huh?”

“
I owe you a drink.” Milo stepped aside. “I have wine in the refrigerator?”

Bravo’s stomach growled and tightened. He quenched his face as the tightening worsened. “I have to go.”

He shoved the pizza box into the arms of Milo and ran off gasping for air and clutching his stomach.

Chapter 9 - Speaker

Sidnee sat on her living room couch painting her toenails and watching television. Her cellphone rang and the display screen showed her brother’s name. She didn’t hesitate to decline his call. If it was important, he would leave a message she figured. There was a knock on her house door. She set her polish on the coffee table and went to answer the door.

Bala stood on her porch wearing a red dress and matching heels. “Hello neighbor.”

Sidnee rested against the doorway arch. “I bet you’re going out tonight.”

“
There’s a new bar in the middle of nowhere, it sounds dangerous.”

“
Then, I’m definitely not coming. My middle name is Elaine, not ‘Danger’.”

“
It’ll be fun,” Bala promised. “I’m positive that you won’t get mutilated or whatever you fear.”

Sidnee crossed her arms. “I won’t cave to peer-pressure.”

Bala pouted. “Are you really going to send me out into the mad world alone?”

“
Yes, have fun Bala.”

Bala groaned as she turned away.

Sidnee closed the door and returned to the couch. She changed away from her television show and started a movie. As she lay on the couch laughing she overheard a groan. Sidnee quickly sat up and ‘paused’ the television. The only major flaw about her home was the odd noises. A repairman claimed it was simply the old pipe system.

The moment the groaning stopped she hit ‘play’ and resumed her movie. She overheard laughter that sent a chill throughout her body and left the inside of her ears tickling. A collection of clinks and clattering came from the kitchen as if somebody was dropping utensils.

Sidnee once again hit ‘paused’. “Hello?”

Sidnee rose from her couch and cautiously headed towards the kitchen. The utensil drawer was opened. She headed over and started to push the drawer closed only to discover it was jammed. Sidnee struggled for a moment, but finally managed to shut the drawer. She rested her hands on her hips and softly exhaled.

The drawer shot back opened and knocked her in the stomach. Sidnee coughed and struggled to catch her breath as she clutched her stomach and rested against her kitchen island. The utensil drawer slowly closed on its own as if it was daring her to approach it once more.

A kitchen floorboard sprung upward and smacked Sidnee’s right thigh that was fully exposed in the sweat-shorts she wore. Another floorboard came up from the floor and Sidnee quickly climbed onto her kitchen-island to avoid its attack. Sidnee didn’t know if this was a nightmare or if the fumes from her toe polish were extremely strong.

“
Alright Sidnee, wake up,” She said as she heavily panted.

Sidnee peeked over the edge of the kitchen-island, the floorboards unmoving. She collected herself as she built up the courage to make move. Sidnee felt a tickle against her right arm and she brushed away the annoyance. She felt a similar tickle against her left arm that prompted her to glance upward. A red wire dangled near each of her arms. The wires wrapped themselves around her arms and Sidnee immediately started to chew at the wires.

The copper inside the wire hurt her teeth, but the pain wasn’t much compared to the tightening of the wires around her arms. She managed to chew herself free and accidentally slipped from the kitchen-island to the floor. It didn’t take long for the floorboards to become active again. Sidnee immediately stood and made a run for the front door.

Sidnee yanked the door opened and ran out into the night, bare feet. She started towards her car to only remember that she not only left her keys, but also her cell phone inside. Sidnee noticed somebody in the home across the street peeking from their living room window blinds. The stranger quickly hid away. Sidnee rushed over to the spying neighbor’s house and knocked.

An elderly woman in a gray robe answered, slightly opened door. “What do you want?”

“
My name is Sidnee and I live right across from you. I was wondering if I could use the phone.”

“
And what’s wrong with your phone?”

“
I don’t have a home phone and I misplaced my cellphone.”

The woman scoffed. “Do you have criminal record?”

Sidnee placed her hand against her chest and softened her voice. “No, ma’am, I promise.”

The woman unchained the lock on the door and let Sidnee inside her dimly lit home. “I’m Rose.”

Inside the place smelled like peppermint. A chocolate Labrador lay on the woman’s couch, lazily wagging its tail, not bothering to move from its spot. The majority of her furniture and electronics were outdated. Sidnee shut the door behind her. Rose vanished into the kitchen and returned with a cordless phone.

She handed the phone to Sidnee. “No long distance calls.”

Sidnee formed a phony smile as she grabbed the phone. “Yes ma’am.”

“
Stop calling me ‘ma’am’.”

“
It’s the southern girl in me. Yes ma’am, yes sir, manners are drilled into my mind.”

Rose grunted. “Are you going to use the phone or not?”

“
Of course.” Sidnee angled herself away from the woman and dialed.

After a few rings, Bravo answered. “Hello,” He groaned out.

Sidnee took a few steps away from Rose, but the woman followed. “Bravo, it’s me Sidnee.”

“
Did you get a new number?”

“
I’m on my neighbor’s phone.” She awkwardly glanced at Rose who watched her closely.

Bravo yawned. “It’s late.”

“
I know that but something is really wrong with my house.”

Sidnee tried to be as vague as possible, not wanting the old woman in her business.

“
Really wrong,” Bravo repeated.

Sidnee added extra emphasis as she repeated once more, “Really wrong. As in, I can write about it.”

“
Interesting.” She could hear Bravo on the other end moving around. “I’ll be there soon ok.”

“
I’ll be across the street at my neighbor’s house waiting.”

Sidnee ended the call and handed the phone back to Rose. “Is it okay-”

“
No,” The woman quickly answered. “I want to go to bed now. You have to leave.”

Sidnee raised her in hands in submission. “Alright, I’ll leave.”

Rose opened the door. “And next time I’m charging you.”