The Pleasures of an Eternal Nightmare

Chapter 11

Julie knocked on the door of the apartment and waited. The apartment complex was extremely run down and had moss growing in parts of the wall. Moisture from poor plumbing filled the air and the floor with every step, making Julie feel like she was walking through a swamp rather than an apartment complex. The door opened and the smell of alcohol filled Julie's nostrils. A tall and skinny man with pale skin and dull eyes slumped against the door frame with a bottle of beer in his left hand and an unlit cigarette in his right.

"Good morning, (hic) officer," the man greeted with a slur in his voice. "How may I help you~?"

"Are you John Wern?" Julie asked.

"Tha~t's me!" he shouted as he threw his arms outward. He collapsed to the floor and sluggishly picked himself up. "Ugh... I'm so f~ucking drunk right now! I'm gonna get a trrrble hung over when this is all over..."

"I need to ask you some questions. Do you have time?"

John giggled. "You're awful pretty for an officer," he said as he leaned toward her. "Why don't you come inside for a chat?"

Julie walked inside and the smell of vomit and drugs instantly filled her senses. She sat down on the couch and found a sock with sticky fluids inside. She picked it up and tossed it aside, disgusted by the strange smell coming from it.

"John, I want to talk to you about the recent string of suicides going on with the students of the local high school," Julie said as she pretended to cover her mouth for a cough. "Do you know anything about it?"

John adjusted his belt and sat down in the recliner across from her. "Why are you being so shy? Did you hear about my history or something?"

"John, I don't have time for this shit. Do you know anything or not?"

The man laid his head back on the head of the recliner and sighed. "Why do women always assume I'm out to kill them? I only killed my ex because of the bat crazy shit she was doing."

"What did she do?" Julie asked as she tried to cover her nose.

"The usual crazy ex stuff." John took a sip of his beer and looked inside the bottle, disappointed that all the alcohol was gone. He tossed the bottle away and moaned. "She started stalking me, begging to get back with me. Every time I spoke to a girl, she would threaten them to stay away from me. It was awful. One day, she tried to kill someone because they kissed me, so I fought her and accidentally killed her. To try and get away with it, I hung her up by a noose to make it look like a suicide. I would've gotten away with it if a patrol crew didn't see the whole set up through her window."

"What did you do to get out of jail?"

John shrugged. "I just did what I was told, talked friendly to the guards and other inmates... Hell, I even welcomed newcomers with a fresh meal and helped them out whenever they needed it. When they let me go, I was so excited... but then I couldn't get a job... so now I buy a ton of beer, take the bottles to the recycling plant... and use the money for more beer." He reached down beside his recliner and picked up a new bottle. He popped the bottle cap off of the beer bottle and took a quick swig. "When that wasn't enough, I started selling some basic drugs I grow in my bedroom and kids bought it like candy. Now I buy beer and buy plant care kits." He took another swig. "Since I can't get a girlfriend, I just jack off into my socks and wash them out every month."

Julie gagged and cleared her throat. "Thank you for your time," Julie said as she got up. "I've gotta go now."

"Aw, come on babe. Why not stay? We can have some fun in the room if you know what I mean?"

Julie opened the door and turned back. "I know what you mean and I don't want to do it."

John rushed out of his chair and forced the door shut. "Now listen here, little lady. I'm a lonely dude and you look pretty lonely yourself." He put his hand on her face and ran it down under her chin. "Why not just stay the night and take a ride on me? It'll be great."