Singing Blood

The Birthday

Somewhere in Tennessee, a dark skinned woman opened the door and walked out of the house, whistling.

"Rudy! Rudy. Come on! It's too hot to make me come looking for you."

She bent down to pick up a dog toy that was lying on the grass. When she got up again and turned around, a blond man was suddenly standing in front of her, startling her.

" I'm so sorry," he apologized in a British accent. "I didn't mean to scare you."

The woman looked at him suspiciously.
"Can I help you?"

He laughed nervously.

"Yeah, my car hmm, my car ran out of gas a couple of miles back. Eh I feel like I've been walking forever yours is the first house I come to so I was just hoping I could use your phone?"

The woman frowned.

"Don't you have a cell phone?"

" Huh, yeah..." He pulled a phone from his pocket and held it up. "Battery died. Look, I promise I'm not a serial killer I just wanna use your phone."

She continued to observe him suspiciously for a few more seconds before she sighed.
"Sure."

He looked at her, excitement gleaming in his blue-green eyes.

"Soo, I can come in?"

She shook her head.
"No, I'll get the phone and I'll bring it out to you."

Annoyance hushed over his face.

"I thought you country folks were supposed to be more trusting."

"I'm from Florida."

"Well, that explains it." He suddenly grabbed her by her throat and looked deep into her eyes, pupils dilating. "Now show me a little southern hospitality, sweet pea."

Inside the house, another woman was currently busy frying food.
"I bet you a hundred dollars that dog ran off to a house with air conditioning."

She turned around and watched with wide eyes as her companion entered the kitchen, or better was dragged in by a stranger who held her by the nape of her neck. Tears were streaming down her face.

"What's going on?"

"Please don't be alarmed," the man said. "I was told Ray Sutton lives here."

"He's almost never here," the woman from the kitchen replied. "He's on the road mostly."

The man frowned.

"But I expect he makes it home, once a month. That's what I thought. Where is he now?" She didn't answer. His face grew hard, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "If I have to make you tell me it's going to be infinitely more painful for you. Hmm." A wicked smile tucked on his lips.

The woman ran to the front door, trying to flee, but as she opened the door another man was standing in front of her. She screamed in fear. The blond man followed with the other woman still in his grasp.

"I love it when they run!" he said, still smiling.

"He's in Toll," the woman in his grasp said, voice and body shaking as she cried. "It's near the border. A bar called Southern Comfort. It's on Highway 41."

The man smiled at her and softly touched her hair.

"Thank you my love. Now, may my friend come in?"

"Yes."

The other man walked through the door and the woman's companion looked at him wide-eyed, utterly terrified. The blond man released his captive and pushed her into the other man's arms.