Blood Moon 3 Read online

  He stared at all the people headed to the same destination on the same airline as him. It seemed strange that so many people from so many walks of life would board the same plane with the simple goal of visiting another country. He tried to imagine. He tried to put himself in their shoes.

  The family from India. The father was well dressed and the family seemed super excited. A career change perhaps. The greasy looking mechanic. Maybe he too struggled to communicate with the real world and found love abroad.

  It didn’t take too long for Jayson to relax completely and slip deep into thought. A loud static voice woke him from his slumber. A slow smooth talking pilot announces the planes decent and a seatbelt sign gently beeps and glows.

  This was it. One more leg of the trip. Jayson bit his lip and exhaled. In twenty minutes the only thing separating him from his beloved Anna would be a Customs Agent.

  “A long line and a bunch of silly questions and she would be mine!”

  *~*~*

  He more slammed than placed his large luggage onto the conveyor belt. He watched it stroll slowly down the metal rollers and bump into the large briefcase ahead of it. He almost didn’t hear the barely audible whirring sound emanating from his suitcase. The gentlemen in front of him was speaking loudly in a language Jayson couldn’t understand. This intrigued him. Languages always have.

  Two officers brought him back to reality. Well that is not entirely true. The panic in their voice and the hard yank on his arm did. He could hear the quiet whirring and his face immediately turned crimson.

  “What’s in the suitcase son?” came a stern voice

  Jayson’s face continued to burn with embarrassment, his cheeks flushed and his voice squeaked. He could not believe this could happen to him.

  “A s-sex toy” he whispered

  “A what? Speak up son!”

  “It’s a sex toy.”

  He bit his bottom lip until little grooves appeared on the pink flesh. He watched as one particularly attractive security agent ransacked his belongings. His cologne, his razor, and now his underwear was out for the public to scrutinize.

  She was almost to the very bottom of the case, her slender painted fingers wiggling closer and closer to the silver vibrating dildo. He felt his body being forcefully spread apart. With his legs beyond the width of his shoulders and his digits interlocked with one another, Jayson was scanned with a large metal paddle.

  In his mind, he could see a crowd of people gathering. Every single one of them pointing at him, laughing, making comments that will scar his already fragile self -esteem from now until the end of time.

  From behind him came a sweet sultry voice. One of which you could easily match to the person without the gift of sight. Jayson knew. He knew immediately that the voice came from the busty blonde haired blue eyed knock out of a security agent. All he could do is close his eyes and remind himself to breathe. This would all be over soon.

  “I think I found something.” Said the sweet voice.

  “It’s nothing more than a…”

  He wasn’t sure what happened next. A loud menacing boom and ringing in his ears. He felt his feet leave the safety of the earth and buckle underneath him. A hardy thud to the back of his head created tiny red dots before his eyes. In his eardrums he could hear the distorted sounds of chaos.

  Many screams of horror and sobs of agony. He remembered sirens blaring and a sick wet crumpling sound. The voice of an unknown man shouting orders and he could recall the smell of smoke and the crackling of fire. White. His vision failed him.

  White? Jayson blinked again, attempting to clear his foggy eyesight. He felt his body lay upon a firm stretcher.

  “Hang in there kid, we’re almost there!”

  White. White uniforms. The terrifying sound of an ambulance making haste to save lives.

  He tried to inhale but failed. All that came out was a small ‘whoosh’. His throat hurt. His throat and his nose tasted of man-made chemicals. Over his face was a breathing apparatus.

  Jayson closed his eyes once more. He felt as if time and space had suddenly slowed. It slowed to the gently trudge of a hungry caterpillar upon a large succulent leaf. When he opened his eyes again he saw blue. A shiny blue. The type of shiny blue that comes with a handful of police allowing the florescent lighting to gleam off of their badges in some sort of rugged display of power and authority.

  What followed was a whole slew of bizarre and unfortunate events. Several questions that had the razor sharp tone of accusation in them.

  “Let’s go over this again shall we?” stated the annoyed officer.

  “What was in your bag?”

  “I TOLD YOU. A SEX TOY! A DILDO! A FUCKING VIBRATOR!”

  “Let me get this straight, you were pulled aside and searched because of large ticking object and moments later a bomb went off killing forty three people and you expect me to believe it was a dildo?”

  “Vibrating”

  Jayson could feel his blood pressure rising.

  “Excuse me?”

  “It was vibrating NOT ticking. You believe whatever you wish but I am telling the truth.”

  “Then you will have no problems in court will you?”

  The officer slowly arched his thick hairy eyebrow, staring deep into his own reflection in Jayson’s pupil. The two shared a magical moment of silence before he was escorted away in handcuffs.

  The time served was slow and agonizing. The same routine for an entire week. In the morning he was allowed to exercise in the “yard”. This was nothing more than a large area made of concrete. There was no view of the outside world, just a whole lot of razor-wire dancing in the wind upon the top of the brick wall.

  He played checkers with his cellmate Henry in the evenings and dreamed of Sweet Anna at night. He KNEW Anna thinks he never showed up. That was worse than the time served in prison. After nine days he finally had his court date and was set free.

  It turned out that the two gentlemen in front of him were suicide bombers and he was a victim of circumstance. What Jayson couldn’t understand was why they didn’t find the detonating device from the start. He secretly believed it was a conspiracy, that he was an escape goat used to give answers and closure to the families and loved ones of the poor doomed souls. Maybe there would have been panic and riots if they never caught the terrorist behind such an atrocity.

  Jayson thought about all of this, in detail, all the way home and finally decided he didn’t really care. It was over. His soul focus now was Anna.

  She would believe me. She knows I didn’t purposely stand her up! That was his motivation, that was what he brought himself to believe. Jayson could feel his hand’s shake involuntarily as he flipped open his laptop and waited for it to load. He could hear the many beeps of skype message’s invade his screen. As he read them his stomach dropped and tears immediately streamed down his cheek in small heated rivers.

  Anna_Bananasplit: Jayson? Are you here?

  Anna_Bananasplit: Jayson? This is Anna’s brother Todd

  Anna_Bananasplit: When you get this please respond. I have something to tell you

  Anna_Bananasplit: It has been three days and you still haven’t responded. I am so sorry. Anna showed up at the airport to pick you up but there was a bombing…

  Anna_Bananasplit: She is dead Jayson.

  Anna_Bananasplit: They caught the culprit. I hope he burns in hell

  Anna_Bananasplit: I JUST SAW YOUR PICTURE YOU TWISTED FUCKER! I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL FOR WHAT YOU DID. YOU STOLE ANNA FROM US.

  Anna_Bananasplit: If you ever get out of prison and see these messages, I want you to know something. Anna had an insurance policy and I was the beneficiary. I spent every single cent hiring a hitman. He will be watching your house. I know it will probably never be you that gets what you deserve, but his instructions were to kill ANYONE who enters. I hope he chops your mother’s head off and you have to hear about it in prison.

  Jayson lay in his bed, his laptop still glowing ha
teful messages upon his computer desk. In the background he heard the sound of glass raining down onto the tiles in the kitchen. He knew what was going to happen. He could hear the footsteps coming closer. Closer still.

  The long silencer that stretched from the barrel of the forty five caliber pistol remained steady over his forehead. Jayson didn’t budge one bit. Staring directly into the eyes of the man dressed in black, he whispered.

  “What took you so long?”

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  *~*~*

  Welcome to the Dollhouse

  Another terribly embarrassing tantrum was inevitable as Josef watched his thirteen year old daughter scrunch up her face, ball her hands into fists and stomp her tiny feet. He utterly adored Cassandra though, and would do absolutely anything for her. She knew this and took advantage of it as often as possible. She was after all, Daddy’s little girl.

  This time she had seen a new party frock. It wasn’t that she wanted it for herself, oh no, it was for one of her new life size dolls. Cassandra loved dolls, and so, Josef had built her a dollhouse in their backyard. Big enough for her to actually play in with all her dolls and even some fancy furniture he himself had made with his own two hands. He couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. He had spent a fortune on decorating the dollhouse with everything she had desired. He even went as far as taking a second job in order to afford it all. Anything to make his little girl happy. He loved how her eyes would light up each time he got her something new. He loved how her voice would get excited and high pitched when she thanked him over and over. Making her happy, was like a drug to him.

  “Daddy! I want it! I want it now!”

  “Do you really need it Cass? All your dollies are so pretty and you’ve done a wonderful job dressing them, I’m sure you don’t need another dress dear.”

  Cassandra looked up pleadingly at her dad, shut her eyes as tightly as she could, and started crying. Big crocodile tears rolled down her bright pink cheeks.

  “Please daddy...”

  Her chest was heaving as heavy sobs escaped her. Josef knew out of experience if he didn’t agree quickly, her little scene would soon turn into a full blown tantrum. He watched her for a few more seconds before giving a quick nod in agreement, he couldn’t help the corners of his mouth twitching up as he looked down at his daughter.

  A wide smile spread over her face and she jumped around and laughed, a bubbly kind of laugh that started from deep within.

  “Oh thank you daddy. It’s perfect. Becky will look just wonderful at the tea party. Thank you daddy, I love you.”

  Back home after their little shopping spree, Cassandra was bursting with excitement as she rummaged through the bags looking for her dolls new dress. She couldn’t wait for her Becky doll to try it on. Her dad would have to help of course, Becky was one of her favorite life-sized dolls, with her long curly red hair and bright green eyes. With her new outfit, she would be perfect.

  *~*~*

  The dim streetlight was barely lit in front of her as Sydney walked down the road. It was a good thing she knew the path so well, else she would have gotten lost long ago already. After a long evening, standing the entire time behind the bar, serving beer to mostly drunk and rude men, this walk home seemed like somewhat of a blessing. It was 2am and there was hardly a soul to be seen. The odd car would speed by, sending beams of light over the tarred road. She saw a homeless man curled up under a pile on newspapers and wondered how anybody could survive on the street in this day and age. Sydney felt truly sorry for the old man, she slipped her hand into the pocket of her coat, and withdrew a handful of coins, which she then laid next to the sleeping man before continuing down the road. She enjoyed the quietness and solitude, as her ears were still buzzing with the loud music that she had to endure during her shift.

  She let out a soft giggle and blushed slightly as she remembered the handsome man that had made his way into the bar that night. He wasn’t drunk like the rest, and they had struck up a fairly decent conversation over the blaring music. He had told her that his name was Josef, that he was an inventor and doll-maker. He was thirty-four years old and lived in the neighborhood. They had exchanged numbers and he had promised to call her the next day in order to make plans for a coffee date. She was surprised as to why a handsome, smart fellow like him would even consider spending time with her, she was after all nothing but a mere barmaid in a sleazy bar. Well, she wasn’t one to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

  The flickering of the streetlight behind her, brought her thoughts back to reality. Further down the road, more lights were flickering before they all suddenly at once went out. She was lost in total darkness. Panic filled her. Something was wrong. She could hear someone humming the theme song of Jaws not too far off in the distance, footsteps were drawing nearer, and all the while Sydney just stood there, too afraid to move.

  “Hello? Who’s there?”

  Her voice was trembling and came out in nothing more than a mere whisper. Ahead of her she could see only the darkened silhouette of the stranger. The footsteps echoing in the darkness. The Jaws tune was carried towards her by a soft wind blowing.

  Sydney feared for her life, she clenched her eyes shut and prayed, she willed her legs to move but they felt heavy, as if they had been cemented to the pavement. A sudden sharp pain in her abdomen had her bent over in agony, her head was spinning. Desperately, she tried to remember whether she had eaten or perhaps drank something.

  The footsteps were now only an arm’s length or two away. Yet she still could not move. She was too dizzy to focus. She had partaken in a glass of wine while she had been deep in conversation with Josef during her smoke break.

  “There there.”

  A man’s voice, a voice she almost recognized.

  “Josef?”

  She felt strong hands wrap around her frame and a second later she lost consciousness.

  *~*~*

  “Quiet Quin! You’ll wake her.”

  Sydney’s head felt foggy and ached. The sound of whispering had awoken her from her drug induced slumber.

  “WH-where am I?”

  She blinked a few times, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light. Beside her on a frilly decorated bed, sat a young girl, about the same age as her. The girl was dressed in a yellow frock and her hair was tied in pigtails, held in place by bright yellow ribbons. On a sofa, matching the decor, sat a young man, about nineteen years of age. Only a few years younger than herself.

  The girl looked at her with a soft sweet smile on her painted lips.

  “I told Quin to be quiet, I’m sorry if we woke you. I’m Becky, and that over there is Quin. How are you feeling?”

  Becky’s voice was nothing more than a whisper, yet she seemed sincere. Quin seemed frightened and didn’t dare look at Sydney, she watched him for a few seconds as he chewed on his nails before she started asking questions.

  “Where am I? What is this place?”

  “It’s... Well... It’s home. For now at least.”

  A single tear slid down Becky’s cheek.

  “How did I get here? Why did you bring me here? I was certain I had heard Josef...”

  Becky merely nodded, then slid off the bed. She walked up to the door and placed her ear against it, listening intensely for any sounds from beyond the door. She looked back at Sydney and gave a thumbs up before taking her place on the bed beside her again.

  “I too was brought here by Josef, so was Quin. This is a dollhouse, and I know this might sound absolutely crazy, but we are the dolls. You see, Josef, he’s a very twisted man. What’s worse, his daughter is even crazier than him.”

  Sydney could only stare.

  “We were brought here to be his daughter’s playthings. She buys us clothes and feeds us, we have tea parties, but she also keeps us locked in a dollhouse Josef had built for her. Small piece of advice though, don’t try to escape. We’ve tried. There is no way out, and... Believe me when I say, you don’t want to be punished.”

  Beck
y’s eyes darted towards Quin before she softly continued.

  “Last week he tried to get away. He was whipped and locked in an empty room for three days without food or water.”

  She shook her head sadly.

  “There is no way out. This is our life now, so you better get used to it.”

  Once more she slid off the bed and stood at the foot of it, smiled at Sydney and gave a quick twirl and curtsied.

  “Welcome to the Dollhouse.”

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  *~*~*

  Jimmy

  Sometimes, Somethings are only known by a single individual. Those things then become the sole burden of said person. That is the ultimate truth. So let’s talk about truth. Is that the opposite of a lie? I believe truth is merely the perception that something is not false, yet something is only false if you can prove it is not true. That single conundrum is the sole basis of our imperfect justice system. That conundrum is also the very reason Tedd Valentine is currently spending the rest of his life being served terrible food from a tray while watching the world pass him by through the obstructed view of the metal bars of his prison cell.

  So now you know Tedd’s awful fate. What you don’t know is that his fate was sealed by a single moment in time. A moment with his twelve year old nephew Jimmy.

  *~*~*

  Jimmy seemed to be a perfect child. He was raised by a middle class Christian family in heaven sent suburbia Middle- America. He said his prayers before bed and sat as a family talking about his day at school while his loving mother served him mashed potatoes and passed a gravy boat during dinner time. This seemed to be the definition of a great childhood.

  Jane Holstead worked downtown as a Real Estate agent. No! THE Real Estate agent. Her pretty face was splashed all over park benches and her houses had eggshell white cardboard advertisements showing for whom had the privilege of selling a newly married couple their very first home. Jim Holstead had no excuse. He simply enjoyed living his middle class life. Every Tuesday and every Thursday, like clockwork, He could be found downtown with his buddies bowling and dreaming of bringing home that shiny gold trophy proving he was a top condition athlete. Of course, anyone who knew Jim (A.K.A. Big Jim) knew he was simply trying to prove he was not a victim of age or weight. He was just as wonderful as he was in his early twenties, if not more so.