A Night on the Town
A Twisted Short Story for the Upcoming Morbid Ink Issue
“I didn’t order this,” the man scowled at the waitress.
The bar echoed with drunken loudness and too loud music that sucked. Jess Howard was about to shove away from his barstool when the overweight woman appeared with another beer. She placed in front of him, the stale smell of her cheap perfume and cigarette breath struck him.
“Lady over there bought it for you,” the waitress nodded toward a booth across the room before she walked away.
Jess looked over to see a thin, pale woman moving her body to the heavy beats of the music as she sat alone at the table. He stared at her for a moment, and she slyly glanced in his direction. Jess picked up his beer and acknowledged her look with a nod. She smiled and glanced away.
Cute!
After taking a swig, he made up his mind and slid off the barstool. The woman tried to remain aloof as he approached her table. He grinned as he took a seat across from her.
“My name’s Jess.”
She frowned when she turned to him.
“I don’t think I invited you to join me,” she said.
“Didn’t you? A pretty girl buying a man a drink tells me otherwise.” He leaned back in the chair and smiled.
“You shouldn’t get the wrong idea. I noticed your ring.” She glanced down at the man’s left hand.
“Well, you should see the black band. We have an open marriage.” Jess held out his hand for her to inspect the ring.
“I’m not sure what that even means,” she replied.
The woman looked confused at his comment. Then she shook her head and crossed her arms.
“Anyway, your spouse giving you permission does not overrule God’s Law.”
The woman’s sudden change amused him. He laughed at her and continued to stare at her. After a moment, she looked away.
“Say beautiful, you don’t need to keep up this act. You wanted me over here and I’m here. So, what’s your name?”
Instantly, the woman’s hard gaze returned. After apparently thinking it over, she gradually nodded, then grinned. He liked it, even if her expression didn’t quite match. It reminded him of the uncanny valley feeling he got from looking at the animatronic figures at theme parks. Still, her low-cut blouse showed him the possibilities for the evening.
“Violet.”
“Nice name.” He commented before taking another drink.
“Your name means a gift of God,” she stated with a trace of sarcasm. “I’ll bet your parents intended you to become a great person when you grew up.”
“Well, you know we can never live up to our parents’ dreams,” he replied with a light chuckle. “Besides, your name is truly fitting. You’re as beautiful as a flower.”
Her lips turned upward at his words.
“You surprise me, a nice face along with wit and intellect. I thought you might be rather boring. You know, a typical married man looking for a one-night fling.”
“Who says I’m not? You’re lonely and my wife will not get rid of me. She’s an mhb.”
Violet looked confused at the term.
“You don’t get out much.” Jess leaned forward with a grin. “It means she’s a money hungry bitch.”
The woman cocked her head.
“That’s rather—rude. Are you saying she’s a gold digger?”
Jess shrugged his shoulders and took another swig from the bottle.
“My old man had oil wells. She started after me when he got cancer. I call ‘em as I see ‘em! Anyway, you don’t want to focus on a failed marriage, do you? Let’s go find a quieter place.”
He saw her eyes narrow, and he sneered.
“Well, unless you’re afraid of me.”
“Hardly! I’ll follow your lead.” Her thin smile at his statement made Jess chuckle as he rose from the table.
As the couple walked to his Lexus, he noticed the sound of his footsteps as he looked her over. Dirty blonde shoulder length hair and slim, trim shape accentuated by her red blouse and blue jeans with wide leg bottoms. She held a gray coat over her shoulders, seemingly unaffected by the chill in the air.
“You’re into retro fashion!” he commented as he felt the light buzz from the alcohol in his belly.
“What do you mean? Don’t I look alright?” Her face paled as they stepped into the moonlight.
“Nah, you look great!” Jess told her. “The wife’s into fashion. Spends a fortune on vintage clothing, so I recognized the look. I’m just surprised your heels don’t make a little noise.”
She looked down and a slight smile played around the corners of her mouth.
“I have a light step,” she said.
“That you do,” he agreed, then opened the passenger side door. “You’ll like Le Glamour.”
She slid into the car and looked up at him. Violet’s green eyes held him for a moment.
“I’ve never been there. What’s it like?”
“Just like me,” he grinned and closed the car door.
The couple arrived at the private club, nestled on the outskirts of town. Inside, they found secluded booths, shaded lights, and excellent drinks amid the décor more fitting for Arabian Nights’ tales. Jess considered it appropriate, given the clientele. He and his friends frequented the swinger’s club and Jess found more than a few lonely hearts there. He noticed the ring on Violet’s finger at the bar, so he considered her occasional coldness came from her nerves.
After knocking back a few more beers, he found her drawing closer as they talked about various things. Mostly, Jess did the talking. Violet nodded and occasionally laughed at his corny jokes, but she slowly drew closer. After a while, her scent and closeness led him to more physical pursuits. He pressed his lips against hers and immediately noticed the chill of her lips. But she responded to his kiss.
“My god, you must be freezing!” he told her.
“Yes, it’s cool inside here.” Violet said tonelessly.
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“You’ve had too much to drink. Let’s call a taxi when we leave.”
Jess frowned at her statement.
Damn, she’s turning into a pain!
Still, his thoughts went back to pleasure as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah, you’re right about a cab. I don’t need a cop hassling me tonight.”
She smiled and ordered him another beer. Violet remained quiet as he talked about his life. Her perfume tantalized his nose, and he rubbed his hand down her chilly arm. Jess noticed she drank a little. Her first cocktail remained untouched.
“Let’s go to my place and warm up,” she suddenly told him.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Jess smirked before kissing her cheek.
In the cab, he crawled into the back seat and instantly hugged her tight. She struggled silently, then pushed him away.
“Wait,” she gasped. “Not here! It’s not far.”
“You’re cold, I’m warming you up,” he grinned as he kissed her.
Jess heard the smirk coming from the cab driver, and he noticed the man looking into the rearview mirror.
“Yeah, we’ll wait. Don’t need an audience,” he grumbled.
They pulled up to a dark gray two-story house on a shadowy street. Jess looked around, swaying to the effects of his drinks. Most of the old homes were gone, their empty lots the only memorials to their existence.
“Say, you sure about this street?” Jess said. “It’s pretty rough at night.”
“I live here,” Violet informed him as she got out. “Pay the driver.”
The man pulled out his cash and handed it to the driver. The cabbie winked at him before he drove off.
Well, she’s probably broke. Maybe she’s a prostitute.
Jess followed the woman across the street and up a flight of dark, dusty stairs. She unlocked the front door, and he followed her inside. A damp odor struck him as she closed the door. The only light came from the street.
“Turn on the lights,” he ordered.
“I can’t,” she said.
“Why not?”
She ignored him and walked to the stairs, partially hidden in the shadows. Paying him no attention, she went up. Her attitude angered him for a second. He double checked the door, and he realized she had left it unlocked.
Well, it’s not a setup to trap him here.
“Here I got this!” Jess announced and pulled out his smartphone. “Wait up!”
Instantly, the beam of light which revealed her feet half-way up to the next floor. She looked down at him while he staggered up the stairs. The musty smell grew, and he noticed water stains on the old wallpaper. He reached over, but the wall remained dry but dusty.
“Seriously, is anyone really living here?”
“I do!” Violet said as she unlocked the outside bolt that secured the door on the second floor.
When he got there, the room remained dark. The light of his phone showed him a furnished apartment. She shut the door behind him. His focus on the strangely messy bed in one corner caused him to disregard the snap of the lock. He shined his light on the wall next to the door. When he flipped the switch, the room remained dark.
“What the hell? Didn’t you pay the electric bill?” Jess grumbled as he turned back to the woman.
“Violet?”
Dusty bedclothes showed plainly on the bed, and Jess stepped over closer. The clothing had holes in them, and the damp smell overpowered him. Shining the beam of light on the ceiling, he saw the missing plaster and water stains. He followed the stains down to the side of the bed and froze.
A mummy!
Jess shook his head. The mummified skeleton wore blue jeans and a t-shirt. He backed away to the door. Feeling for the handle, Jess noticed a strange sense of suffocation that was coming over him.
“Violet,” he growled. “Where are you?”
“Come on, there’s a body in here. Let me out.”
He looked down at the place on the door, but it was missing the handle. Then he remembered the click of the security bolt outside the door.
How? She never left the room.
Closet!
As he staggered to the closet, he found a picture. The woman in the frame was Violet. He opened the door to the closet and stepped back in drunken terror.
Inside, he saw two more mummified remains curled up inside.
“Christ! Help!” he cried out.
Then he started choking. There was no sound in the room, only a faint hissing noise.
“Violet—stop th—is,” he croaked to the empty.
Rage filled him and he staggered toward the door. As Jess pounded on the wood, he noticed the smell of rotten eggs. It reminded him of something, but it took a while for his frantic brain to put the hissing sound together with the smell.
“Fuck, that’s gas!”
As he slammed his fist at the solid door, he heard a woman’s giggling fill the air. Another weak strike against the wood, then Jess sagged to the floor.
His muscles refused to work correctly. He was too drunk to get up again. At that moment, the man recognized he was dying. The gas fumes filled the room. He toppled over.
Jess heard Violet’s whisper next to him, and he turned his head.
“You’ll join me here.” Her face no longer looked beautiful. Instead, the woman’s insane expression sent chills down his spine.
“Who—ar—you?” He gasped out the words.
She leaned back against the wall, and he noticed her transparent body.
“Mrs. Violet Dumas,” she said with a grin. “I married to a cheating bastard like you. I committed a great sin because of it, and I hung myself right there. Certainly, I can’t forget the day after Christmas in 1974.”
She pointed to the closet door. Then she waved her arm like a conductor.
“Those bodies in here are the others who needed punishment. It’s too bad the house won’t last much longer. I guess I’ll need to find another place to go.”
Her cackling laugh rang in his ears as Jess forced his eyes to remain open.
“I didn’t—hurt,” he whispered.
“No, you deserve the punishment!” she dismissed his plea in an eerie and distant voice. “I enjoy helping sinners receive their eternal damnation. It just feels right, you know what I mean?”
Her indistinct form faded away in a whirling blackness that engulfed Jess when he closed his eyes. He heard her voice one last time.
“Catch you on the flip side!”
FINIS