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Order this writing in the collection book Revealing All Your Dirty Little Secrets available for only $1995 |
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This appears in a pre-2010 issue
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This Isn’t the Roxbury
Kimberly Jean Erickson
I sat impatiently upon my stool sipping on the gin and juice I had reluctantly ordered, as I watched my dear old friend, newly divorced, on the dance floor with some old geyser almost twice her age. She saw me watching them, with a half cocked drunken smile, threw her hand up high in the air and waved vigorously at me, as if she had scored big by catching some old fat pervert, dressed in an Italian made suit. No doubt, he had probably left work late, left the wifie and if any kiddies at home worrying about his whereabouts, and decided to go out seeking some friendly action. Actions he probably hadn’t received from wifie on a regular basis in years.
My friend, freshly divorced at age thirty-five, had maintained her girlish college figure throughout the six years of her marriage. A marriage that ended bitterly, shortly after numerous doctors had told her she would never be able to conceive a child from results of years of an unknown curable STD, she had contracted in her early years, which then resulted in her husband having an affair with one of his co-workers. Now my dear old college buddy was out of control, hooking up with any and every man she possibly could. Deep down, I think she is thinking, she is getting her revenge back on her cheating husband, whose recent girlfriend is about to give birth to his child. The gift she couldn’t give him.
“Why do I let her drag me out to these god forsaken places?” I asked myself. But deep down, I knew the reason why. “She was lonely, depressed, and very angry. I am her only friend and she was mine, friends since our freshman year in college, where she studied law and I studied literature.”
Subtly I tried to adjust the under wire, in my new bra, without anyone in the crowded smoke filled room noticing. The garment was new and the black lace was very stiff and itchy. I took another sip of my drink, swearing after I finished my limit of one, I would go home, trash my bra, and work on my novel. A dark fantasy type novel of many, with only one last chapter to finish.
“I have always had a passion for anything relating the mystery of evilness, heck, I even took classes on the occult, paganism, and dabbled in some witchcraft in college. So I decided a long time ago to write about what I love, which afterwards produced nine best sellers, I was doing pretty well for myself.”
“Unlike my friend on the dance floor, I had floated through a couple of short term relationships, but I had always adored my freedom and the splendor of solitude. I felt comfortable being an independent and modern day woman that doesn’t feel the need to cling on to a man, such as her.”
My dear friend, Tabitha, came running over, her long blonde highlights of hair billowing out behind her, twisting her ankle over slightly from the combination of alcohol and her too high heeled shoes. The man she had been dancing with caught her as she almost stumbled over. She then giggled sounding like an adolescent school girl.
She reached out and grabbed my arm, breathing heavily from her exertions on the dance floor, she gave that half cocked smile again, along with rosy blood-shot eyes, “This is Russell... Russell, this is my dearest friend in the whole world, Carla.”
I reached out and accepted his hand shake.
With slurring speech, she stammered, “Russell says he knows where this really wild club is. A club like no others.”
“It is very unusual. I think you girls would like it” he added.
I sighed heavily, purposely showing my disinterest, “I really need to get home, I have work to do.”
Tabitha whined like a child, “Oh, Please! Let’s just go check it out! We don’t have to stay long!”
After considering it for a moment, I thought that Tabitha would get drunk and pass out, so I could then take her home with me, instead of her ending up at some sleazy motel with this idiot, I sat my half full drink down upon the bar, “So where is this place at?”
Russell smiled, ever too pleasingly for my taste, “Just down the block...I can even drive us there.”
“No! Thanks, we will follow you.”
Russell laughed, “Oh! I understand. You don’t feel comfortable to ride with a stranger.”
I smiled at him mockingly, “Yeah! Something like that.”
He held both hands in a surrendering manner and took a step backwards, “Hey! I perfectly understand where you’re coming from.”
Tabitha giggled again in that girlish tone, “Let’s go! I can hardly wait to see it. It’s about time they opened up some new places to hang out around here.”
Her speech was becoming more and more slurred by the minute. She then picked up my gin and juice and downed the rest of it.
With a sarcastic tone, I mumbled, “Yeah! About time we had another singles bar, never can have enough of them.”
Tabitha grabbed a hold of my arm, as I stepped down from my stool, “Stop being such a grouch!” she demanded.
I laughed as I grabbed both our hand bags from the counter, “Well, you would think something were wrong with me if I did otherwise.”
Slurring somewhat, she mumbled, “You just need to get laid.”
Russell squeezed in between the two of them placing one arm around each of their shoulders and hugging them tightly, “Well, ladies, I think I can help the both of you out with that problem.”
I pulled swiftly away from beneath his arm, turned, and glared at him, “I don’t think so Mr. Studly! Put your hands on me again, I promise you, you will regret it!”
Russell threw his hands up in the air once again in a surrendering stature, “Just kidding! I was just kidding!”
“Well, I’m not, try me!”
Tabitha maneuvered around us and slipped her arms inside and around ours, “Come on, you two. Stop all this bitchin’ and let’s go party!”
Once outside the club, I noticed it had rained while we were inside. The night air was so fresh and cool, such a relief from the clouds of smoke that had hung so heavily around our heads inside.
I asked, “Only a block, ugh?”
“Yes, it’s not far.”
“Let’s just walk then.”
Tabitha staggered a bit, “Sounds good to me.”
The three of them headed down the wet, mirror like sidewalk.
“Yeah, I think you need the fresh air most of all.” I chided in.
“I don’t know, I kind of like a tipsy woman.” Russell added.
I gave him a hateful gaze, “Yeah! I just bet you do!”
“Carla, I can tell you don’t like me.”
“Oh! Really! I would never give that impression to a complete stranger that I know is only trying to get in my best friend’s pants!”
Tabitha laughed hysterically, “I have a skirt on...no pants!”
“Shut up, Tabitha! You’re drunk!” I yelled.
Russell then pointed across the street to a tall dark red brick building, “That’s the place.”
I glared at him, “This has to be some kind of joke...where’s the signs...where’s all the people....this place is abandoned...Are you some kind of serial killer or something?”
“No! No! It’s a private club...invitation only!” He then pulled a yellow envelope with a broken red wax seal from his pocket.
I snatched it out of his hand, “Give me that!”
All that was on the card was some weird looking kind of bar code; I tossed the card back to him.
I stared at him, daringly, “If this is some kind of trick, you will regret it!” I then reached inside my handbag and gripped the container of pepper spray tightly in my grasp.
“Come I will show you.”
The three of them walked up to the double doors made of steel. Russell swiped his barcode under a steel mount of green light. Several echoing, like clicking sounds rumbled throughout the massive sized door. The green light turned to an almost blinding red tone and the doors sung inward.
Tabitha gasped, “Now, that’s something original!”
Russell stepped inside first, into a small corridor with an eerie reddish glow about it. Two very tanned large muscular men stood statuesque in black leather loin cloths beside another set of double steel doors.
With excitement Tabitha grabbed my hand and yanked me inside. Once I was in, off the street, the outside double doors slammed shut. The two men with expressions like carved stone upon their faces jerked our purses from our hands.
“Just wait a damn minute.” I yelled.
“You will get them back once we leave...I promise!” Russell added, as he handed his car keys and wallet over to the two.
Once their items were discarded into a dark cubby hole, and their persons scanned with a metal detector, the men opened up the next set of double doors.
The room inside was so dark that they had to stand stone still until their eyes adjusted to the dimness of only a few candles burning throughout the room.
Russell quickly took off over to what appeared to be the bar where only a few sat stone still on open stools. A band of men dressed in ragged clothing, with long hair that obscured their faces played music of chill pump raising quality of music she had never heard before.
Tabitha leaned into me and whispered, “This is not the Roxbury.”
“No, not at all.” I whispered back to her.
The two of them walked over to the bar beside Russell, their eyes trying desperately to scan over the sparseness of the room. People were sitting around tables with their heads hanging low.
I leaned close to Russell, whispering softly, “I think we need to go.”
“No! No! Not yet! This is a fabulous place, Carla! You will see!”
A man stepped out of the shadows from behind Russell, wearing black trousers and a black silk vest, his chest and stomach rippled with perfection, as if evolving from out of nowhere. He was tall, had long dark hair, and eyes so dark they appeared as endless pools of black onyx.
I found myself mesmerized, unable to keep my eyes off him. He possessed a familiar masculine beauty that was too rare for any man to have.
“Welcome.” He spoke, his voice was warm and smooth as aged old brandy. He reached out and drew my hand into his lightly, placing his lips of perfection against the back of my hand, his eyes delved deep within mine, piercing my very soul as he did so.
I felt so tongue tied, all I could muster was a very weak and cracking voice of, “Thank you.” even though the words had seemed so foreign to me, as if they had not come out of my own mouth. I whispered, “Do I know you?”
He smiled, slowly, so deliberately, so sensuous, “No, not officially...not until this moment.”
“You just seem so familiar to me.”
“Come, come dance with me...do me the honor of dancing with the owner.”
Ah! The owner?”
“Yes, it would please me if such a beautiful young woman would honor me with such grace that I know she possesses.”
Tabitha then pushed me in the back, “Go ahead, Carla...dance with the man. He is so fine, in everyway.”
Still holding my hand in his, he led me out to the deserted dance floor. The music became very loud almost in a violent nature, yet he embraced me tightly and danced a slow lover’s step.
I suddenly heard Tabitha call out to me. I could hear fear, quivering in her voice. I tried to turn but his arms of steel kept me imprisoned in his embrace.
He began to laugh, a laugh of sheer eeriness, something utterly unnatural about his tone, “Your friend is alright. Russell will take very good care of her, just as I will for you.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Russell embracing Tabitha, their bodies melting into the darkness of the shadows, as I heard her horrific cries.
“Where is he taking her?”
“For a bit of privacy. That’s what she really desires, to be wanted, to be needed, now she is getting all she dreams of from a man.”
“I need to go check on her!”
“But, we have not finished our dance, yet.”
I tried to pull free, his strength was immeasurable.
I turned my head from side to side and cried out for some one to help. The people sitting at the tables, I suddenly noticed were not moving. I glared harder at them through the dimness of the light. The flesh on their hands seemed paper thin and ripped. Fleshy strands of skin and flesh were dangling from their darkened bones. Eyeballs were suspended by oozy red stringy tendons. Noses of green and yellow had decayed and dropped off and now lay on the table tops in front of their soured decaying bodies.
I screamed with all the breath in my lungs. Hoping someone would come to help.
His mouth came crushing down upon mine. His tongue, so cold, so slithery, bringing to mind of a serpent or a snake-like creature which spiraled and flicked with my own. I gagged with revulsion.
His mouth broke free of mine, as he threw back his head and bellowed out with laughter, so evilly, so demonic. He glared down at me with all the hatred from Hell beaming from his eyes, “For so many years now, you have written books. Molding, creating, and desiring this kind of environment...Now that I show you first hand of your creations...you are terrified...this is your kind of world, Carla!”
His eyes turned from pits of black oil to dancing flames of fiery embers, his breath reeked of rotting flesh, and his once pale flawless skin now seemed thin, translucent, and taunt over his bones. His once perfect smile now was replaced with yellowish pointy teeth that had extended in to elongated fangs. Fangs for devouring flesh.
“I know who you are...” I cried out.
He laughed manically, “Yes, I know, you know who I am!”
“All these years you have prospered nicely, I have been your slave, your creature, the monster you have conjured up from your imagination, to do the most heinous of your thoughts.” He reached down and tore my dress down to my waist exposing my bare breasts for his viewing as he licked his parched lips lustfully with his serpent like tongue. “Now the tables are turned! Now I will mold you, as you have done me in the past...I will control you, forever.
I felt his fangs sink deep into my shoulder, the pain of his forceful invasion exploded all the way to the top of my head. As he fed from me, I could feel the warmth of my own blood oozing down my back and down the front of my chilled breasts. Terror engulfed me as the bazaar actions became stone cold reality for me. As my mortal body lay in his arms gradually slipping to the world of the dead, I am still not sure how my imaginary world and my real world entwined. Somehow his hatred for me had manifested it to happen. As my mortal death gripped me like a vise, I fought for every last death rattling breath, trying to hold on. I knew I was doomed as he cut his wrist and fed me the immortal poison of his own blood. I knew when I would awake, that I would be forever lost in his world, under his rule, in a world that we now would both share. I would be forever lost to the abilities to write my way out of my own imagination and escape back to my real mortal world....an eternity of my own imaginary slavery... waits....
