It was mid-afternoon when Melvin pulled the car off into the grassy shoulder of the long winding dirt road. “We have arrived, my lady.”
Cassy looked out the window into the wooded mountainside. Thedark depression beckoned them into its midst with seemingly insidious intent. “Is this it?” she asked, nerves present in her voice.
“C’mon, babe, we have a hike ahead of us,” he retorted, ignoring the hesitance. She’d always had a timidity when nature was involved.
‘Babe?’
When was the last time he called her babe? She couldn’t recall. Had he ever called her babe?
‘I’m being paranoid.’
Melvin loaded the bulging pack onto his back while
Cassy grabbed the small pup tent and lantern. “Did you get enough food?”
‘When did you find time to pack all of this?’
“Food?” He patted the thirty-eight holstered on his hip, “That’s why I brought this.”
“You brought the gun?”
Melvin chuckled heartily, “I brought plenty to get us through this.” He did his best to defuse her concerns knowing that his wife, being a city girl, needed as much care as a child when enduring the outdoors – a reason they’d only camped once before. Anxiety could kill even the most mystical experiences.
‘She could ruin a wet dream. She has on more than one occasion.’
‘Through THIS? What does that mean?’
She mused on these words as they plunged into the oceanic darkness ahead.
The uphill climb was murder on Cassy’s legs. She’d mastered the terrain of supermarkets, but the ascent burned her calves and thighs mercilessly. The deeper they ventured beneath the canopy of trees, the cooler the air became, and a cold pool of sweat had formed between her voluptuous breasts. She watched Melvin’s every step, sure to plant her steps in the precise location his feet had tread moments before. She was amazed at his conditioning as he scaled the incline with ease. He followed a worn path, maybe the path he’d traveled several times with Eugene… perhaps given how instinctual he seemed to follow its direction without pause or examination. Limbs of thorns tugged at her long-sleeve-tee as he strolled along unscathed.
‘Always master of his domain.’
“How much further?” she huffed. The thin air stole her breath unapologetically, and its temperature had robbed her lungs of any warmth she may have utilized. She imagined her words faltering, being frozen just beyond her lips, failing to reach his ears, and shattering into pieces as they fell to the ground hard and cold.
“Just across that stream, doll.”
‘Doll?’
She could hear the smile in his voice, but she couldn’t place the tenderness and pet names he’d been using for her as of late.
‘Who are you, and what did you do with my husband?’
The thought struck her as funny, but instead of a humored smile, a cold chill ran up her spine. She quickly marked this up to the ever-cooling environment of the higher elevation.
The calming sound of rippling water signaled the couple’s arrival. They crossed a narrow bend. The water was clear, fit to drink – Cassy made a note.
‘At least there’s clean water. Now if I can find a Starbucks...’
“Aaaaaahh,” Melvin sighed with a deep audible breath. “I love the smell of this place.”
“Wow,” Cassy breathed, taking in the sweet, piney fragrance. They entered a cove of bright green grass, where the sun was no longer obstructed by the trees, and warmth ran through her body. She struggled for sight in the bright white light before seeing the clearing properly. “Beautiful,” she commented.
“Looks like someone else uses this spot,” he stated, pointing at an extinguished campfire.
“Do you think they’re still here?” She looked around nervously.
“No.” Melvin touched the ash. “It’s cold, but there’s some logs we can use to start our fire. Since they’ve been charred, they should start pretty quick.”
“That’s good.” She couldn’t imagine the cold the night might bring.
Melvin erected the tent near the remnants of the campfire while his wife drank water and relaxed. She needed to rest her tired legs. A structure in the woods caught her sight. She crossed the clearing cautiously keeping her eyes fixed on the mysterious abode.
“Interesting,” her husband commented as he came up behind her.
“What is it?”
“Just an old abandoned cabin.” He chuckled slightly thinking back, “One night, Eugene went in there to hide. He thought he was going to scare me, but he forgot to watch his step and he fell through the floor.” He was laughing harder now. She couldn’t help but laugh along at the mental image. “He kept yelling, ‘Help! Help! A ghost got me! HELP!!’ I had to go save him from the man-eating house.”
“Oh my god!!” Cassy snorted, bent over at the waist with tears flowing, hot and hysterical. The mental image of big tough Eugene screaming like a schoolgirl was enough to finish her.
“We’ll go check it out later if you’re feeling adventurous.”
“Just don’t let it eat me,” she bellowed. Her abdomen was aching from the excessive work of laughing so hard. “I can see him now...” Another fit of laughter overwhelmed her.
Melvin watched her carefully. His laughter had died down, and he felt an attraction to his wife he hadn’t felt in many years.
‘It’s going to be a good night.’
5
Sampson locked the doors of CC’s Grocery after a ten-hour shift. He didn’t usually close, but Samantha, the manager, had left early to pick up her daughter from work. He gladly agreed to close up for her. She’d always been fair, and he was the only scheduled checker that had the tenure and experience to close up. Plus, the bank was on his way home, and it wouldn’t be an inconvenience for him to drop the night deposit. Recently he’d been offered the assistant manager position, which required him to fulfill these duties every other day, but he wasn’t interested in taking on the additional responsibility. Between the wedding and college, he was already stretched thin.
His phone rang. “Hello, sexy.”
“Hey babe,” Justin greeted with his unique breathless desperation. “You on your way?”
Smiling, Sampson answered, “Yeah, just gotta make a quick stop at the bank.” He knew marrying Justin was the right decision every time they spoke.
“At this time of night?”
Sampson giggled, “Darlin, do you think anybody is gonna mess with a big black fag like me this time of night?”
Justin laughed along, though not convinced. “I guess you can be pretty scary, Denzel.”
“Denzel?? Bitch, please!! That motha-fucka ain’t got shit on me!”
“Are you at least in the car yet, nigga?” Sampson could always ease Justin’s mind with humor, and Justin loved that. He was a bottle of nerves, an anxiety that began when he became aware of his own sexuality at the age of thirteen. His father was a Baptist preacher and intolerant of any ‘taboo’ subjects. He lost his faith when Justin came out of the closet, and they hadn’t spoken since. That rejection plagued Justin’s life, and until meeting Sampson he’d felt like a pariah.
Sampson slammed the door loud so his man could hear it. “Yessir. I’m on the way. You cook?”
“Zanzibar,”he sang, laughing.
“Nom nom, Indian. Love you.”
“Love you.”
Sampson hung up and the driver’s side window exploded in his face.
~
Lying to Cassy about work had never bothered Melvin. Sometimes he just needed time away from her, and, if he were to be honest, she hadn’t fulfilled him sexually in many years. He had an insatiable lust for unusual experiences and pain. He’d found over the years that prostitutes were better partners for his appetites. If someone got hurt you throw them another hundred dollars and all was good – no medical bills, no police.
“You leaving?”
“Yeah, about time.” He looked at his watch. “The earlier I get there, the earlier I get back.”
“Are you going to be back in time tomorrow?” She was oddly excited about the camping trip. It was a link to a part of Eugene she’d never experienced, and she was desperate to find out. “If not...”
“If I leave now, I should be back in the morning, and we’ll get on the road.” He grabbed his luggage, kissed his wife, and started out the door. “I’ll be back early, I promise.”
Melvin pulled up in front of CC’s Grocery at fifteen minutes to eight in the morning. They had already opened. He watched the slow movements of morning inside, and from his perspective he concluded that Sampson hadn’t arrived yet.
‘Hope he works today.’
He parked near the main entrance, crossed the lot to the 7-11, bought coffee, and returned to his car.
It was eleven-thirty, three cups of coffee and two bathroom breaks later, when he spotted the beautiful man pull into the lot in an early model red and rust compact car. He watched his object of obsession enter the grocery store, checked the clock, and decided lunch would be a good idea.
After eating he returned to his car and fell asleep. It was hours of dosing in and out, waking to noises in attempt to keep aware of his surroundings and his mind operating in full focus of his intended agenda.
‘This is going to be a long day.’
Eventually he fell into a deep sleep.
“Shit!”he shouted, waking up after dark. He quickly checked the time – nine o’clock – then found Sampson’s hatchback still parked a few rows away. “Oh, good,”he breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I need more coffee.’
A little over an hour passed before he spotted Sampson crossing the parking lot to his car. He was on the phone oblivious to his surroundings – he never saw Melvin approaching. Once the gorgeous man was in his car, he hung up. His stalker swung a large, heavy MAGlight into the driver’s side window, smashing the glass into small shards of shrapnel blinding the victim momentarily. A scream escaped the man’s lips, and when he looked up, he found himself staring down the barrel of a thirty-eight special.
“Get out!!”
6
Darkness overtook the forest like the flip of a switch. The couple sat at the tent’s entrance facing the fire. The sounds of nature – owls in the treetops, coyotes in the distance, and an assortment of scurrying creatures – surrounded the campsite.
“I’m going to have to get more wood,” he stated as he placed the last log on the fire.
“Out there?” Cassy scanned the darkness.
“Where else?” He stood.
She watched through the dancing flames until he’d entered the forest and was out of sight. The coals caught her gaze. Red hot, they glowed a multitude of colors. Blues, purples, and oranges licked the logs remaining in the heat source before her.
Melvin stopped once he entered the shadows of the tree line. He stared at his wife for a long moment and was struck with a revelation.
‘She’s beautiful.’
He scaled the incline and entered the cabin with a wide smile plastered on his face.
THUMP
Cassy was startled from her state of meditation by the noise.
‘What was that? A door?’
She crossed the clearing, glancing at the fire once.
‘Where’s Melvin?’
“Hello,” she called into the abyss. “Melvin?” Her voice sounded louder than expected. She looked over her shoulder cautiously again – only the fire crackling and dimming near the tent. Piney smoke entered her lungs in calming fashion, but she couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that she was being watched. “MELVIN!!!” She took two steps in the thicket.
~
Sampson squirmed on the dusty floor. His wrists were bound to his ankles. The more he struggled against his bindings, the tighter they got. He tried to shout through the gag in his mouth, but only a muffled grunt was possible.
“Shut up,” Melvin said as he kicked his captive. Sampson fell still and quiet on demand. “She’ll be here soon.” He lit three candles, placing one on the sill of a window and on each side of the door.
~
Cassy scanned the forest for life – left to right, right to left. Despite the sounds of creatures far and near, the emptiness swallowed her sight without betraying any sign of life. She rested on the nearest pine and stepped further into the pitch. Up the hill she glimpsed a soft glow flickering.
‘The cabin? Is there someone in there?’
“Melvin,” her voice faltered, betraying her nerves.
“She’s coming. She can’t resist. She’s terrified.”
Cassy moved inch by inch toward the illumination. Her fear had forced tears to her eyes. Twice more, she attempted to call out, but a cackling croak was all she could manage.
‘Where are you?’
Each step she took brought the wet sound of damp earth and decaying leaves. She kept her eyes glued on the glow ahead. She could now make out the outline of the cabin. As suspected, the light originated from a window of the abode.
‘What if it’s not Melvin?’
She froze suddenly, terrified beyond belief.
Melvin observed the density of the night as Cassy came into view. At first the darkness moved slowly, rippling like waves breaking on a rock face to reveal another world, but as his wife approached, the outer dimension became shape and form he recognized. Finally, about ten yards from the shelter he could make out details – her face contorted cruelly as her chin trembled with mild spasms.
‘Is she crying?’
She stopped and immediately turned to stone as if she’d come face to face with Medusa.
‘SHIT!!’
~
Eugene took another shot of vodka. He’d smoked, injected, snorted, and drank more in the last three hours than he normally would in a week, but fuck it, he and Melvin were alone for the first time in over a year. There was nothing that would ruin their time – collapsed tent, extinguished fire, and rain included – and they had plenty of reason to celebrate. They simply moved the party up the hill to the shanty that sat abandoned, made love on the floor – splinters no match for their lust – and continued intoxicating themselves into a state of oblivion.
“I’m glad we did this,” Melvin slurred. He’d been closely monitoring his intake so not to lose focus and coordination, but he couldn’t let on to his level of sobriety.
“Me too. I miss our girl, but I’m glad she went to her mom’s.”
“Yeah, it’s just a shame it’s under these circumstances,”he blushed as he recognized the fact that while Cassy was mourning the death of her father he and Eugene were partying, but he knew the ends justified the means.
‘One day she’ll thank me.’
“I gotta piss,”Eugene tried to stand but quickly found he was far too intoxicated and fell backwards, slamming his head on the wood-planked floor.
“Whoa.” They both laughed. “Let me help you.”
“Too late.” He laughed harder as urine shot out from between his bare legs into the air.
“Shit, man.”Melvin jumped back.
‘Is this what you want, Cassy? You want this disgusting display as your lover?’
He was angrier now than he’d been in planning the death of their lover. Now he knew he was doing the right thing for Cassy and himself. He was just sorrowful that he had to sacrifice her father without giving her the opportunity to say goodbye.
‘I am truly sorry, but one day you will understand.’
“You! Can’t! Have! Her!”Melvin shouted. As he lunged forward, the blade of the knife sunk to the hilt opening the first wound in Eugene’s chest.
~
He burst through the door into the dark wilderness.
His wife had reacted much worse to the environment and her terror than he’d ever expected. She was pasty and drenched in cold sweat. He slowed his advance, cautious to identify himself so not to frighten her further.
“Cassy. Baby, it’s me.”
She seemed to have crossed the threshold of being reached.
When Cassy saw the figure burst from the door of the cabin her first instinct was to run, but her legs had taken root like concrete columns rising from the ground. She couldn’t move. She tried to scream. Her voice was still unavailable. She tried to swallow hard to clear her throat of the lump of fear that strangled her to no avail.
“Cassy, honey...”
The figure was close, almost within reach. Its arm extended in her direction. She had no choice but to fight in hopes of landing a blow fatal enough to give her escape from her nearing captor. Her fear pulsated in her head, hot and painful, and her ears rang with deafening intensity.
“Cassy.” Melvin stopped his advance. His hand touched her shoulder tenderly. “It’s okay. Let’s go inside, sweetheart.” Her breathing was labored, and her eyes were fixed on a point behind Melvin. He knew she didn’t recognize him, or possibly even see him. He’d never seen her so terrified.
‘NOW!!!’
Her body reacted on command. She lunged forward gnashing her teeth and wielding her claws in bestial rage. She was being informed by her lizard brain, there were no friends, only enemies. She was fighting for survival, blinded by darkness, fear, and the will to live. If she were ever to see Melvin again, she’d embrace him and all his character flaws. At least they’d be alive. She’d never talk about Eugene again.
He tried to sidestep the onslaught reflexively. His sudden movement, uncalculated, put him directly in harm’s way. Her left thumb sunk to the knuckle into the mushy socket of his right eye while her right hand clawed the flesh of his face giving rise to bloody welts and open wounds.Melvin let out a loud cry. Fluid flowed from his eye, and he could feel the hot crimson seeping from his face as his flesh was ripped away. He jerked away. The sudden move caused his wife to drive her thumb deeper into his skull with excruciating force. Pain seared his body from within, traveling his spine like streaks of electricity. His knees went weak, and he began to feel faint – wobbling to-and-fro. Desperate, he lifted his right arm over his head and brought down a hammer-like fist to the side of her neck with as much force as he could muster. Cassy staggered. Her body went limp briefly. The moment of stagnation allowed Melvin to grab her wrists.
‘She’s going to kill me.’
He tightened his grip.
‘My gun...’
“Cassy, please,” he plead. His voice was slurred from the expansion of his mouth – the corner of his lip was now ripped to the lobe of his ear. His flesh was torn, and his tongue was swollen. He must have bitten it in the struggle.
Cassy’s expression softened. Recognition seemed to take hold deep within the pools of her eyes. Her hands relaxed. Her thumb eased from its tomb slightly. Melvin released her wrists. His hand moved to his pistol. Sudden fury flashed across the planes of her beauty. She lunged at his throat. Her teeth sunk into his flesh with violence. The coppery taste of blood coated her palate intimately.
BOOM
The projectile flew from the barrel of the gun into Cassy’s gut and exited an inch from her spine. Her incisors clamped down puncturing her assailant’s windpipe. A low gargle roiled in his throat, a high-pitched whistle sounded between her teeth, he felt faint, and then his body went limp dragging both to the ground.
Blood soaked her clothing. She could feel the pain in her torso, but it came to her like a distant memory. She cringed at the thought, imagining its torture and found the effectiveness of the thought was more paralyzing than the wound itself. She struggled beneath her heavy assailant to free herself. Once free, she slowly made her way to her feet and spared a hateful glance towards her attacker.
‘You bastard.’
She gripped her wounded stomach and limped toward the candlelight in the cabin. Having escaped the attack alive, she had to find Melvin. “Melvin?” Her voice felt heavy and empty. “Melvin?!” She stumbled, hit a knee, and willed herself back to her feet.
‘Why isn’t he answering?’
Her body went numb. She’d lost a lot of blood. She fell forward against the outer walls of the bohemian cabana after a deep breath and a short rest that led to her sliding down to a sitting position.
“Help! Hello?” Sampson had worked the gag from his mouth. He’d long given up struggling against his bindings that had worn his wrists to the bone as they constricted with every movement.
The sound of the voice inside energized Cassy. She pushed herself into the doorway. “Melvin?” she rasped.
“Can you help me?” he beckoned. He didn’t want to identify himself as a stranger in hope that she’d be more likely to use the last of her energy helping someone she knew. “I’m tied up.” He did his best to disguise his voice.
She crawled desperately. She had to get to her husband. She needed medical attention. The low light restricted her already hazy vision. “M...”
‘Help me, Melvin!’
She reached the figure on the floor. Her sight was failing. Darkness was closing in from the corners of the room beginning to engulf everything. Her head spun erratically.
She felt high and removed from her own body.
“Untie me!” Sampson demanded. Her face was close to his.
Death danced in her eyes with victorious vigor. She studied the man’s features – his chocolate eyes, caramel skin, and plush lips.
‘My angel!!’
Recognition radiated in her smile, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Eugene,” she breathed as darkness blinded her eternally.
~
Melvin lay dying on the damp earth as blood soaked into his bed of leaves. The sound of his last breath whistled from the maw of his throat. Pain had subsided to shock, and the numbing of his limbs spread throughout his body until he felt removed from himself. Just before he stared into the abyss of death, a light gleamed before him. He shielded his eyes at first, then he looked deep into its warmth. There, smiling wide, was a face he recognized.
‘Eugene?’
“Welcome home, my love.” His voice was just as cool and calming as Melvin had remembered, though it held a slight echo as if carried from a distance.
‘Where’s Cassy?’
“She’s here. We’re waiting for you.”
The thought of Cassy and Eugene together and alone sent a murderous rage screaming through his soul.
‘YOU!! CAN’T!! HAVE!! HER!!’