A Horror Anthology

That which is Dearly Bought - @Belitam

The door opened a bit after eight. Footsteps swallowed the mournful whine of the rusted old bell hung above the chipped frame. Two sets, one heavier, the other sharper. Both paused just beyond the threshold.

Fred Coleman looked up from the register. A man and a young woman stood at the top of the short staircase leading from the entrance down onto the main floor. The man was in a three-piece charcoal suit. The girl wore a dress of midnight-blue, high-necked, frills at the bottom. Fred's mouth thinned briefly before he forced it into a polite smile.

"Evening, folks."

The man bowed his head in greeting. The woman smiled at Fred. Her cheeks dimpled, blue eyes creasing in happy crescents. Fred suddenly didn't mind the unexpected visit as much. He walked from behind the front desk, hands twisting in the apron hanging at his waist out of habit.

"Can I help you with anything?"

The man in the suit turned his attention from the pig carcasses hung at the back freezer. Laughter lines framed his mouth and eyes. Fred placed him somewhere in his fifties, despite the headfull of thick, black hair. Fred scowled; his own skull rose in a naked dome amid curls of rusted brown.

"Perhaps," the gentleman allowed at length.

Fred's smile wobbled beneath a wave of ire. "What kind of meat are you looking for? Beef? Chicken?"

"Pig."

The young woman in the blue dress descended the stairs. She gave Fred another quick smile before veering toward a nearby cooler. A few strips of meat were still on display. The woman studied them, blue eyes glowing green with the fluorescent lights of the cooler.

"Yes," the older gentleman agreed. Fred looked away from the woman's lovely profile to focus on the man who'd likely be footing the bill. "Pig will do just fine."

"Right. Um, we've got a couple all cut up." Fred made an aborted gesture toward the back of the store. "Or do you want a whole one? Those are fresher."

The man hummed. "What do you want, darling?"

"Whole," the woman called back. She had lost interest in the meat and was now fiddling with something on Fred's desk. Spoiled thing, Fred thought with a mixture of disgust and covetous hunger, thinks the world's hers.

"Haven't you had enough for one night?" The gentleman scolded gently. To Fred, he said, "We are coming from a party, you see. A dear friend's birthday. It was quite the feast."

Fred nodded, muttering a low, "Sure, sure." He didn't give a damn where the old bastard and his - daughter? mistress? There was a gold band on the man's right hand, but not on the woman's. Whatever the case, Fred did not much care where the two had come from. All he needed to know was if they were buying, or wasting his time.

"So, a whole pig...?" he trailed off hopefully.

"I do not believe we have enough space in the freezer," the gentleman said to his companion. The woman shrugged.

"So we finish it all tonight."

"It will be only the two of us, my dear."

The young woman paused her study of the various instruments left by the cutting board on the meat counter. Her pretty face tightened with disappointment.

"Is Annabelle not due home tonight?"

"I am afraid not."

"You didn't tell me."

"I wanted you to enjoy yourself tonight." The woman pursued her lips. The man's face softened, tone turning apologetic. "She called to say she will be a few days yet. The deal went sour. She promised to bring you something nice."