A Crossbow Aimed at the Heart

Chapter 2: Encounter and Dinner...

Jeremy took one last glance at the street map as he pulled up to an intersection, and then placed it down on the passenger seat. He made a point not to have to drive into Manhattan too often, but thankfully he still felt somewhat familiar with the neighborhood which surrounded him.

He rubbed his eyes — he wasn't particularly looking forward to arriving at his destination. His previous conversation with Gomez, which laid the premise for the day's visit, had left Jeremy with the same pit in his stomach as every other set-up date gone wrong that he'd ever been on.

He brushed the thought aside — Gomez' absurd secondary instruction was obviously not the reason he'd decided to come down here. In fact, this would be the only Addams property remaining that he hadn't yet seen in his time working for them.

One more turn.

Jeremy let out a short breath in amusement as he pulled into the street — the building he was looking for was unmistakable. Nestled among a row of tall, conjoined townhomes was one appearing at least twenty shades darker in its stone construction, as though it swallowed all light from its surroundings.

'Boy, they must love the Halloween crowds...' he thought to himself, observing the distinctly gothic building as he parked on the street in front of it.

He buttoned up his coat as a chilling breeze belted through the otherwise quiet Gramercy street, observing a single dead tree rooted in a tiny front yard as he strolled over to the stairs leading up to the entry.

The front door itself was, like the rest of the exterior, black, and several sizes larger than seemed necessary, as if to intimidate unwanted visitors.

Jeremy hadn't forgotten the key Gomez had given him, but felt the need to knock anyway; he felt much less intrusive being invited into a stranger's home than by barging in without notice.

Without an answer, he tried the chunky iron door knocker instead.

No response. He sighed, and unlocked it with his key.

As he pushed the creaky, wooden door open, the light from outside streamed into what looked like complete blackness inside the house. Jeremy half-wondered to himself whether he would in fact find any living beings inside the place at all.

As he closed the door behind him, his eyes adjusted to the much darker environment in which he now found himself.

The interior was, much like the manor at which Jeremy had just been a day ago, gothic and ornate despite looking well-worn, and yet somehow felt even less homely — the walls showed dusty outlines where paintings had clearly been taken down, the blood-red rugs almost melded with the dark, oakwood floors they lay upon, and every window he could see was covered by blackout blinds. Even a large, tall window at the top of the tall staircase leading up to the second floor allowed no daylight into the house — the only light in the building emanated from the number of chandeliers and candelabras decorating the decrepit space. He felt out of place, standing there with his messenger bag under his arm.

He took a few tentative steps forward, poking his head into the open doorways on either side.

"Hello? Anyone home?" he asked the silent foyer.

No reply.

He checked the time. 6:30.

'Maybe evening starts later for these people...' he thought.

At that moment he heard a grunt come from somewhere deeper in the house. He turned his head toward the sound, and slowly began toward it. It took him through a large, antiquated, black-tile kitchen, with an open pantry which looked to contain mostly onions, garlic, sprout-covered potatoes, and wine bottles.