The Necromancer

One

4 Months Later

The strap of my duffle bag bit into my shoulder as I got out of my beat up, old, '72 Chevy pickup. It was a light, cotton candy blue—not the color I would have chosen, but since money was very limited I wasn't picky.

The wind whipped back and forth violently, ripping my hood off my head. My honey blonde hair beat around my face like a tornado. Typical for September. It was a pretty nice day—seventy-two degrees. I pulled my jacket tighter. Although this was considered the perfect temperature for Kansas, I'd just spent two weeks in Masada, Israel with temperatures well over one hundred degrees. Compared to one hundred, this felt like Antarctica.

When I walked into Glenn's, the sudden warmth made me shiver. Glenn was leaning on the counter, watching The Goonies on his little T.V. The little, gold bell jingled as the door closed behind me.

Glenn glanced up, then eyes returned to the screen. Suddenly his neck wrenched up faster than a bullet, eyes wide. Ouch. That could not be good for the vertebrates.

A bright smile lit up his face. "Girl, it has been too long since I've seen your gorgeous face," he said, getting up and jumping over the counter to hug me.

I hugged him back, laughing as his baby beard tickled my neck. "Well hot damn. How've you been, Milk Chocolate?"

He tried to look offended but a smile creeped upon his face anyway and he failed. "Same old, same old. Let's not talk about me. How was your trip?"

"Long," I admitted. "I haven't even been home yet. As soon as I got into town I came straight here."

"I'm honored," he said, walking back around the counter to sit in his chair. "Your being gone the last six months has saved me a lot of money."

"Speaking of." I looked up at the white board with the markered on movie quote. "'I have been stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted, and burned.'"

Glenn looked at me expectantly.

"You gotta do better than that." I shook my head. "Groundhog Day."

"Damn girl," he said. "You are good. So, you got anything for me?"

I nodded and pulled open my duffle bag. "Crash." I pulled the DVD out and set it in front of him, starting my pile. "Deliverance." I stacked the second DVD on the first. "And last, but not least, Thelma and Louise."

Glenn separated the disks, staring down at them. He scratched his chin. "Hm. I can take Crash and Deliverance, but not Thelma and Louise."

"What? Thelma and Louise would be very disappointed in you. They're a classic!" I argued.

"I agree. They are a classic. But they're a classic I have three copies of. It just doesn't sell anymore."

"Fine," I mock grumbled. "So what'll you give me for them?"

"That'll be either five dollars in cash or seven-fifty in store credit."

"Don't forget I guessed the movie quote."

"I was hoping you wouldn't remember," mumbled Glenn. "Fine, that'll be six dollars cash or nine dollars store credit. Take your pick."

I was a little hungry and six bucks would get me a smorgasbord at Taco Bell. My mouth watered in anticipation. "I guess I'll take the cash."

Glenn opened the register, pulled out six bucks and handed it over. "You're going to put me out of business one day."