Shining among Darkness

Chapter 47. Good Friends

Shining among Darkness

By
WingzemonX

Chapter 47.
Good Friends

Jeremy, the guy who agreed to do the little favor for Esther, left the bar a few minutes after the girls pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the hotel. He had come in mostly to invite a few people at the bar a round and celebrate the lucrative and strange business he had made. After finishing his drink, he paid the bill, said goodbye to his new unnamed friends, and headed for the exit.

He stepped into the parking lot with his cell phone to his ear. Before leaving, and still with the live music in the background, he made a very special call to Sheila, his favorite prostitute and the most expensive. Jeremy apparently hadn't planned to stop his celebration yet.

"You won't believe how I got these bills," he muttered enthusiastically as he walked to his vehicle. "It was the strangest thing. As soon as I arrive, I'll tell you. But whatever, prepare those nice legs; I've enough green to keep them open all night. And I'm hard as stone, mommy. But shave them a little for me, will you?"

After a little more flirtation on the phone, Jeremy hung up and continued walking with his chest held high towards his vehicle. He couldn't think of a better way to spend that surprise money than stay the whole night with Sheila. Perhaps the next day, he would regret it a bit, but nobody would take it away from him.

An old van was parked next to his Corolla, but he didn't notice much of it. Passing right behind it, he threw his keys into the air in an act of triumph. He saw them rise, turn, begin to descend... and then he saw nothing. The keys kept going but passed Jeremy's hand without touching his fingers. The man had been completely paralyzed, his eyes raised to the last point on him where he had seen his keys, even though they were no longer there. His face no longer reflected emotion but pure and utter emptiness.

The van's back door swung open, and James's big, strong hands grabbed Jeremy's jacket and quickly pulled him inside. The doors closed behind him, and then that little backspace became the entire universe, in which only James and Jeremy existed. The black man slammed him down hard on the truck's floor and leaned on the top of him. James pressed his left hand hard against his mouth and nose, while with the other, he held a long, sharp military knife, pressing its blade against his neck. Then James released him and let him be aware of where he was for just an instant before sliding the blade from side to side with a quick pull, opening his throat in a deep horizontal cut like a second mouth, which spat out a stream of blood, staining James's clothes and face. He remained undeterred.

Jeremy shuddered, staring at the towering figure above him in confusion and terror. He couldn't scream or breathe from the heavy hand placed on his face. He could only feel his own blood pooling in his throat, unable to even cough it up to somewhat release the pressure. His hands moved of their own accord, struggling and trying to push his unknown attacker off of him, but it was useless. The oxygen left his body as fast as his own blood, and little by little, those struggles became less.

James watched him intently, admiring all the despair, fear, and pain that lit up his eyes throughout the process. From the desperate and futile effort to do something to the inevitable seizures, the shock, and then nothing...

James took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs with even the slightest trace of what could spring from that monstrosity. Indeed, it was little... too little.

It hadn't been worth the risk, but in the end, it hadn't been for that. He had to clean up any mess that woman left behind as if he were her personal babysitter. And Jeremy was a lazy mouth. By sheer luck, he hadn't told anyone inside the bar what happened, but it wouldn't take long to do it, of that James was sure. But now, he wouldn't say anything to anyone.