Influenced

Chapter 6 -- The Pothead's Paranoid Performance?

Jenner returned home with the weight of the night's events still heavy on his mind. He still hadn't decided what to do; Gloria was right that the cops would suspect him, but that poor woman must have had family somewhere that missed her. Trying hard not to think about it, he climbed the stairs into his apartment, only to be greeted by Duchess' screams of frustration.

"Whoa, Duch, what's happening?"

"I can't find my earrings, those dangly ones with the fake diamonds, you know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, but what's with the screaming? You never act like this."

Duchess tossed some magazines off the coffee table and stomped back down the hall to her bedroom. "I swear, that little bitch took them I bet! If I ever see her wearing them I'll tear her throat out!"

"You mean Matilda?" Jenner asked, trying to push aside the images of dead bodies with torn necks. "Where is she? Can't you just ask her?"

"She's at work, every damn night she's at work, probably getting my beautiful stuff all covered in crap and sweat. I swear Jenner if she takes one more thing from me!"

"Duchess, calm down --"

"Calm down? I am fucking calm Jen, this is what I'm like when I'm fucking calm about someone stealing my shit."

"I've known you your entire life Duch, I know that this isn't like you. You don't care about material things and you're NOT violent."

"Well you obviously don't know the REAL me then do you Jenner? Just leave me alone for fuck's sake, I'm so done with this bullshit!" Duchess slammed her bedroom door behind her and within moments Jenner could smell weed seeping out through the crack above the floor.

He took a deep breath and shook his head, Duchess had been strange lately and he didn't think he liked it. However, he had more pressing matters to deal with. Sitting at the desk in his room he pulled out his phone and scanned through his received calls. There it was, the mysterious number of his creepy fanatic, the man who warned Jenner of vampires and demons, the one he now figured might not be so crazy after all.

After a moment of internal debate, questioning his own sanity, he pressed the call button then promptly hung up. Was he really about to call the man back? Did he want to hear what he had to say? After another attempt to gather his emotional strength he called the man and listened to the other line ring.

"Hello?" The man sounded like he was just waking up. "Hello?" He asked again after a drawn out silence.

"You really believe in vampires?" Jenner finally asked.

"Mr. Costas? Is that you? I'm afraid I do not have caller ID."

"How many guys have you been warning about blood sucking demons?" The man made quiet sounds of contemplation before Jenner finally cut him off. "Never mind man, just tell me what you know."

"Well sir, that is quite the loaded question, I am afraid I could not answer it over the phone."

"Fine, then tell me why this is happening to me? Why do I keep finding these victims?"

"Victims?" The man said, sounding morbidly excited, "Have you discovered another?"

Jenner considered his options, did he trust this man enough to tell him about Gloria and the body in the woods? "Let's say I did find another one," he finally said, "Would that mean something?"

"Oh dear, that could mean a great number of things. It could be pure coincidence, which I do not believe in, or it could mean the beast is toying with you." The man stopped speaking abruptly, but Jenner knew he had something else to say. "Mr. Costas, I'm going to have to request that you meet with me."