American Red

Devil in the Dark

"Nothing?" Dash lets the words fall as a sheet does drifting onto a bed.

Roadie tries to intervene but before he can utter a syllable, Dash flicks his half-smoked cigarette across the dark room against Roadie's torso. The explosion of sparks cascades into his lap as he tries to pat them out. In the same movement, Dash is out of his chair and straddling Veronica's lap. One of his hands is cupped behind her neck as if preparing to draw her forehead into his own; his other hand has produced a small razor blade, like those from a utility knife, which is held to the side of Errol's neck.

"We all know I can't kill you three, but I can make it very difficult for Errol to talk for a few days," Dash says. "And honestly, I'd rather he stay silent while I speak with you. This insures he AND his brother stay still and quiet." Dash pushes the tip of the blade barely against the skin, breaking it and causing Errol to hiss in a breath.

"Okay," Veronica whispers. "We can talk."

"Oh, well thank you for your approval," Dash mocks. "Now, go back to how you want me to do something for nothing. Surely you know I work for a fee."

"I," Veronica starts, "we, wanted to make sure you'd be willing to help before we discussed anything more." She holds her tone evenly despite Dash's wrenching grip on the nape of her neck and hovering the blade close to Errol's throat.

Dash brings his face forward close enough to allow Veronica the chance to see his features in the dark. The wrinkles on his face are furrowed into a path running vertically up his forehead. Scraggly, long eyebrows curl up in varying directions and his once thick black hairline is receded back and now a silvery white. His breath comes out in warm toxic vapors of cigarette smoke and something metallic.

"Well, let's dispense with the bullshit and say what's what here. You need me to help find someone. I want my fee. You know my fee and came anyway. I will slice this boy's throat open and bite off your nose before the other boy realizes I've lost my patience." Dash makes a clacking chomp with his teeth causing Veronica to flinch. "Then I will work on him before you can make yourself see straight. In all, I will leave you here to bleed and mend as I move on and continue to wait as I have been for years."

Veronica clenched her teeth together, but they still tried to chatter. The fear and adrenaline pushing along inside her body is making her muscles want something to do instead of remaining perfectly still. Errol keeps his eyes closed and Roadie is the only one who wants to take his chances and rip into the demon wearing an old man like a Halloween outfit.

"We'll get you your fee," Veronica says causing Errol to open his eyes widely and squirm just a little before the blade steadies him. "I swear."

And on that note, Dash pulls back the blade from Errol. "Good," he smiles. "Good, good, good. Well, there we have it." In a quick half jump, Dash leaps back and gracefully into his seat as if he wasn't just poised like an elderly ninja on the edge of the furniture a second ago.

Dash fishes into the front pocket of his shirt, produces the thin cardboard box and shuffles out another cigarette. As he pinches it between his teeth, he reaches back for something near the corner of the porch.

Errol has slid as far over and away as he can patting at the spot the knife was at moments before seeing if there is a lot of blood. Going off of the wetness of his hand and not what he can visibly tell, it seems to be a nick. Veronica is leaning forward, hands propped on her knees as though ready to leave.

"Don't go," Dash says. "Sit and tell me who I'm looking for."

"I thought you'd like your fee?" Veronica says with skepticism. "Time is relative here and I need to find—"