The Outside

Section XI

 "Yer that killer!" The fat man's eyes pop open as the words fall from his slack jawed mouth. I stay silent, electing instead to just stare into his eyes.

The gangly one pipes up, "There's a bounty on yer 'ead." He glances over at his large friend. Marion joins us, standing in the doorway of the dark corridor.

"If you leave now and tell no one, I will spare your lives." I say matter-of-factly.

The skinny one leans over and whispers something in the fat one's ear. A smile stretches out from ear to ear on the fat one's face. He says, "I'm thinkin' we take another path."

"And what path would that be?"

"As my frien' 'ere said, there's a boun'y on yer 'ead."

"As one might expect there to be."

"I'm thinkin' we, how ya say it, cap'tilize."

"And how would you suppose you go about capitilizing?"

The fat man licks his lips like a wolf staring at a fledgeling hare. The gangly one says, "I figger me an' Mark 'ere could take you."

"Mark and I."

"Wha'?"

"You said 'me and Mark', the correct grammar would be' Mark and I'."

' The fat one cracks his knuckles, "Af'er we turn you in, we won' need good grammar."

I look over at Marion, "Marion, take the axe and wait for me in the bedroom."

The two jump as they realize Marion standing behind them. The fat one goes, "Oh shit, tha's right. You got yer girl that follows you around. An accomplice, they sayin'."

I tap my toe on the wooden floor, regaining the pair's attention, "She's well aware of my line of work. She doesn't partake though. She's not ready for it."

The gangly one guffaws, "Ready fer it?! Fer killin'? Wha' she ready fer?"

"There are other parties involved. Other parties not happy to see interlopers."

The fat one cocks his head to the side, "There's other killers?"

"Other's who watch the killing and more who watch."

The gangly one slaps the other's shoulder, "There's a whole ring of 'em."

The fat one smiles, "Tha' means he can' even kill one person on his own. The two of us gottim easy."

"I would suggest against taking this path."

The gangly one laughs, "Why? You scared er somethin'?"

"Yes. I fear for your lives."

The fat one laughs, stepping forward, "No need ta worry 'bout that."

I take off my vest and shirt, draping it over the chair.

The fat one takes a step back, "Wha' the hell you doin'?"

"I wouldn't want to mess my shirt with your blood, would I?"

Marion backs out of the room slowly, taking the axe with her. The pair approaches slowly, like creeping beasts. I draw my nail along my wrist, opening a deep gash lengthwise. The blood flows out as I lift my hand up in the air. The two watch confused. I lower my hand to point at the pair. I turn my hand over and motion for them to come. The gangly one jumps at me. I step to the side and push him at the wall behind me. The fat one stumbles forward clumsily. I slide underneath his arm and plant a knee in his groin. He curls over, groaning. I bring my elbow down to the spot where his spine meets his skull. He crumples to the floor. THe gangly one peels himself from the wall again. He jumps at me again. I grab him by the throat and rguide is flight path down on the wooden chair to my right. It shatters underneath him. A piece of wood stands straight out of his stomach, dripping crimson blood. He mewls as he paws at the stick.

I clamp my lips over the gash on my arm and suck the blood into my mouth. I spit it out into the gangly man's face. He hacks up blood of his own in response. I turn the fat one over on his back as well. I take another mouthful of blood from my wrist and spit it onto his unconscious face. I take a napkin from my back pocket dab at the wound on my arm. I pull the napkin away and the two sides of the cut pull together, leaving normal skin in the gash's place. I look up again. The shadow creature stares back at me. It blows a puff of freezing air in my face. I catch my breath in my throat. It throws me to the side and descends upon the two men. I scramble through my shirt and vest. The gangly man screams. I pull my pocket watch out of my vest. I dive back onto the gangly man. The shadow twists the gangly man's guts around over my head like the strings of a marionnette. I open the watch and wave it in the gangly man's face. The color drains from his skin quickly. I flick off my glasses and stare at him with both of my eyes.

"IT'S YOUR TIME, CHILD!" I scream hoarsely.

"DO YOU HEAR ME? IT'S YOUR TIME!"

He groans in response. The shadow gurgles above me. I lunge at the gangly man's throat and tear it out with my teeth. I swallow his blood in a big gulp. The shadow drops his guts down on my head and shoots over to the fat man's body.

"NO!" I scream, scrambling on my hands and knees over to him.

I leave a trail of intermingling black and crimson behind me. The creature makes a clicking sound overhead as I straddle the fat man. I press a finger to his neck. There's a pulse. The creature hears my thoughts. He swirls around him like a vulture around a carcass. I slap at the man's face angrily. Desperately.

His eyelids flutter open, he moans out, "Wha---"

"IT'S YOUR TIME, CHILD!" I scream, cutting him off.

"Wha---"

"IT'S YOUR TIME! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

The man blinks quickly, "Ye---"

The shadow lunges in at him. I jolt in too. I tear his throat out and swallow. The creature slams into me and throws me back against the wall. I hit the wall with a thud. The creature shoots towards me. I hold my watch out in front of me. The creature stops an inch from my face. I can smell the death on his cold breath.

I lean in, "I still have time, mother fucker."

The creature smiles at me and sucks out of the room through the broken, flapping door. I breathe again and collapse to my side.