Slash (Novella I) (4 page)

Ford shoved her away. “Do not touch me.”

“
I didn’t do anything to you. Why are you catching an attitude with me?”

“
Mom, shut up. I’m done with you.” He stood up and brushed dirt from his pants. “We’re done.”

“
You’ll be fine.” She staggered to her feet and grabbed her bag. “We got my shit back, son.”

Ford stormed over to his car. He glanced back at her, “Why are you like this?”

“
Human?”

“
No, a mess of a mother.” He stalled to form his words, “I…I…just don’t understand.”

“
I’m free to be who I want.”

“
Fine, then stop calling me your son since you’d rather be a junky than a mom.”

“
Are you disowning me, Ford?”

Ford didn’t bother to respond. He entered his car and sped off, not knowing if his emerging headache was from stress or the punch he just received. He was glad to be rid of his of mother; she hadn’t been fulfilling her role properly since their arrival in Draper. She’d been rude, filthy, all the things that a mother should not be.

Ford arrived home, slammed his apartment door, rested his back against it, and sighed, ridding his body of today.

“
Is that a happy sigh?” Rubble questioned.

“
No.”

“
I could’ve guessed that.”

“
I had an interesting day. My other-mom lost a tooth and I disowned my mom.”

“
Peachy, I watched the news, all fucking day long. Why must you leave it on this channel, every single day?”

Ford joined Rubble on the couch and powered off the television. “Torture.”

“
You tore off my limbs. I think you’ve tortured me enough.”

Ford slouched down. “I feel like a horrible person.”

“
You should. As I may have mentioned, you sort of ripped off my arms and legs.”

“
You deserved it but my mom did not deserve to be treated the way I treated her today.”

“
You know what’s wrong with you? You feel too much. It’s not healthy. You’re a slasher, shut up and stab things.”

“
Awesome idea, I’ll just use you as a pin cushion,” Ford sarcastically said.

Rubble laughed. “You’re funny. Hell, you could be a comedian in your time off from being a slasher.”

“
Right, my audience can literally laugh to their deaths.”

“
I’m being serious; you can be more than just a slasher. I was.”

Ford stared down at Rubble, raising his brows. “You were a slasher?”

“
No, but a lover instead. I dated this girl, broke her heart, and she trapped my soul in a stuffed animal.”

“
That’s a horrible story, why haven’t you ever told me?”

“
Because I don’t like you.”

Ford laughed. “Oh yeah, I share the same feelings by the way.”

Rubble growled.

“
You can still model.” Ford smirked. “…In an antique toy catalog.”

“
I’ll think of a devastating comeback as I mourn the loss of three-quarters of my body.”

Ford lay down on the couch, crushing Rubble under his legs. “I need a nap.”

He set his phone alarm for an hour. It didn’t take long for him to drift off to sleep, even with Rubble nagging him to move his legs. He dreamt about his childhood, about the days before he had two mothers, and before the urge to slash had surfaced.

His mother’s singing faded in and out throughout his dreams. It was nice to hear pleasantry come from her mouth. He wished he could categorize this as a good dream, but it was a nightmare. A reminder of what was no more.

His phone alarm chimed, freeing him from his nightmare. Ford placed his left hand against his sore jaw and he let out a groan. Ford lounged for a few moments as he reflected on the confrontation with his mother.

“
I need to apologize.”

But until then a few pain pills would have to numb all his pain.

Chapter 3 – Finger Food

A simple smudge on the lens of Bravo’s glasses made it nearly impossible for him to enjoy his book. He grabbed a napkin from the holder placed on the café table and started to scrub at the smug on the right frame. It was a small victory as he checked his now spotless lens. Bravo put back on his thick rimmed glasses and resumed reading his book.

Ford returned to the table carrying two a latte for Bravo and soda for himself. “You owe me fifty cents.”

Bravo pointed down at his book. “I’m having an interesting read over here.”

“
I didn’t come here to watch you read.”

“
This book focuses on those out there who allows the madness to drive them to suicide.”

“
Fine, ignore me.” Ford sipped his soda.

“
Here’s the weird shit, the suicide always fails. They’re driven to death only to be yanked away at the last second.”

“
I got in a really nasty fight with my mom.”

Bravo looked up from his book. “Did you ask them to add a few cubes of ice to my latte?”

Ford furrowed his brows. “Eat me.”

“
Alright, that joke has run its course.”

“
Oh come on cannibal, its funny. Eat me, you get it?”

“
Is this my punishment for ignoring you,” Bravo asked. “Sorry, but you know how I get when I read.”

“
Well now that you’re listening, back to what I was saying. I got in a really nasty fight with my mom.”

“
Harriet or Valarie?”

“
Val, I disowned her for all her craziness but now I’m ready to go crawling back and apologize.”

Bravo sipped his latte. “Honestly man, be lucky your parents still even talk to you. I envy your relationship with them and many nights wished they were my parents. Don’t ditch your parents just because they aren’t picture perfect. I would find her and apologize.” He tapped his finger against his cup. “And they added the ice.”

Ford nodded. “You’re right. Anyways, how was Sidnee’s book tour?”

“
It was a lot of work and we still have more to do. Sidnee wants us to help her move into her new house.”

Ford raised his injured hand. “I’ll do my best to pitch in. She’s still having the Halloween party, right?”

“
Yup.”

“
Well, what are you doing tonight? I haven’t seen a good slasher flick in a while, we can rent one.”

Bravo shook his head. “No more slasher flicks with you. You only complain about how inaccurate they are.”

“
Be honest, the whole slowly stalking your victims thing is bullshit. I’ve had to chase many.”

“
Whatever you say, but no movie tonight, I’m using my night off from Pizza Shack to go to a bar.”

Ford glanced over to the bake goods by the café checkout counter. “Then you should eat something first.”

“
Why?”

“
Because the last thing I want you doing is going around a bunch of people on an empty stomach.”

“
I’m getting better at controlling my urges, I’ll be fine.”

Ford rolled his eyes. “That’s what you had said to me before you tried to eat my arm back in the tenth grade.”

It was a bitter sweet memory for Bravo. He had tried to eat his best friend, but the act also allowed Ford and him to open up about their mad sides. They were both supportive of each other, something Bravo had desperately needed in his life at the time. Plus as a duo, it had made it a lot easier to share their true selves with Sidnee.

To ease Ford’s worries, Bravo filled up on baked goods from the café.

After hanging out, he headed back to his apartment to get ready for tonight. On his delivery boy salary, Bravo could only afford a one room place down in the inner city that was located above a hairdresser. He changed into a tie-dyed t-shirt, dark jeans, styled his low sandy blonde hair and hit the downtown bar scene.

Bravo was ready to face the gay bar scene and visited the most popular club named ‘Topic’. Most of the men hung around on lavender love seats drinking, some were at the bar being entertained by the handsome bartender and others were on the dance floor. Bravo took a seat on one of the empty couches. He was expecting techno, strobes lights and half naked guys dancing in cages.

He barely could maintain eye contact with anybody who looked his way.

A tanned skinned guy joined him. “I like your glasses.”

“
Thanks.”

“
I’m Milo. What’s your name?”

“
Bravo.”

Milo formed a toothy smile. “I like that. It’s different. You look familiar, Bravo.”

I’ve lived in Draper all my life, so you probably just seen me around.”

Milo snapped his finger. “Pizza Shack! You drive the delivery van.”

Bravo rubbed the back of his neck. “I hate that van, but a paycheck is a paycheck.”

“
Is it hard finding all the addresses?”

“
Modern technology has made it sort of easy. GPS, you know.”

Milo laughed. “Of course. That was a dumb question.”

“
Nah, you’re fine. So, what do you do,” Bravo asked.

“
Well, I was a cop. I got discharged after I injured my shoulder last month. So, I’m just living it up now.”

“
I wish I could do that.”

Milo nodded at the bar. “I like you Bravo. I get good vibes from you. I’m going to buy you drink. Don’t move.”

“
I promise that I won’t.”

If he wasn’t around Ford or Sidnee, Bravo was usually a social train wreck. It was hard for the cannibal to be around others without wanting to take a bite of them sometimes. He was really enjoying Milo so far and the sight of the man. Milo had a bit of a Spanish accent that Bravo could listen to for the rest of his existence.

Milo looked over from the bar and winked at Bravo.

Bravo debated a response, before deciding to wave. “I should’ve smirked,” He mumbled.

The cannibal felt his stomach growl. He tried to ignore his stomach, but could not block out how the men around him looked more delicious than handsome, especially Milo. His meal of bake goods were starting to fade and no meal could quench his appetite better than human flesh. He promised Milo he wouldn’t move but decided breaking a promise would be a lot better than taking a bite out of the man.

The cannibal fled the bar and headed home to call his supplier about an order of fingers.

Chapter 4 – Home Sweet Home

Sidnee, with a carved pumpkin under each arm, stood proudly before her new home. At her side her two best friends stood marveling at the structure. After months of writing, editing, fighting writers block and rejection letters her horror novel was published and available to the world. A signing bonus for a sequel offered Sidnee many new opportunities at life, this home being one of the first.

“
Are you going to go in,” Ford asked as he struggled with a cardboard box of Sidnee’s belongings.

She nodded, still focused on the two-story home. “Yeah, but I want to admire it a bit more.”

“
I think my supplier is your neighbor,” Bravo said as he used his knee to stop his box from falling.

“
The mortician,” Sidnee panicked. “She’s not going to try to harvest my body or anything, right?”

“
Relax, all her products are the limbs of those sent to her to be cremated,” Bravo said. “Most morticians in the business just turn the head into ashes and sell everything off to us cannibals. She’s been my supplier for the last two years and is not in the business of selling fresh meat. You’ll be safe in your home.”

“
I feel so empowered standing here and looking at it. I’m a homeowner,” Sidnee said.

“
Imagine how great you’ll feel, once we get inside,” A struggling Ford hinted.

Sidnee made her way down the path that led to her home, rested the two pumpkins on the wooden porch stairs, unlocked the mahogany doors and entered her home. A staircase separated the kitchen and dining room area.

“
How many bedrooms,” Bravo asked.

“
I have four bedrooms. I’ll use two as guests’ rooms and one as an office.”

Sidnee headed into the apple green painted kitchen. Near the entry of the fully equipped room, was a pantry to her right and small laundry room to her left. Sidnee made sure all her appliances were stainless steel and energy efficient. Bravo and Ford went back to unloading the moving truck as she continued to tour her home.