The Fledge Effect (3 page)

Merlot was her preference. It never
failed to ease her mind. In front of Emily, rested
a stack of divorce papers. Country music blared
behind her, making the shrieks just faint wails
she passed off as screaming winds. The weather
didn’t call for any storms that night, but she always figured that is the only job someone can
get paid to lie and not be called out on it.

Her coffee table, filled with numerous
non-working pens, shrouded in unframed pictures of her and Hank. “Hmmm. Not the best
marriage I have had. But, still, not the worst,”
she cheered, tipping the wine glass to her lips.
She tried to call Nick, knowing the sound of his
voice would cheer her up. But he didn’t answer.

She attempted to refill her glass, but her
second bottle rang empty. Frowning, she left to
the kitchen to grab her last bottle. This time,
whiskey. It was Hank’s favorite type. She remembered when he would mimic the little guy
on the label. She giggled, and then began quietly
sobbing. “
Why am I so upset
?” She honestly had
no idea. In her gut, she felt he was unfaithful.
But, in actuality, she knew that couldn’t be true.

Her phone rang insistently. She looked
at the screen. It read MADDIE. She ended the
noise with a huff. “Not a good time, sis. Not. A.
Good. Time.”

The couch called to her. She felt sleepy,
but her hands shook with destructive curiosity.
She took three deep breaths, hoping it would
pass. However, those lousy breathing techniques, her therapist had taught her, did not
work. “That’s two-hundred dollars down the
freaking drain.”

She raised the bottle. “Now this, this
right here, is a cheaper version of therapy.” She
laughed at herself; sure, she should stop talking
to herself. Her neighbors may think she is crazy.

She could see the inside of her neighbors’ window.
Mayor Jeremiah Daly
, she
thought.
What a schmuck
. She never understood why she despised him so much. Just
something about him did not settle well with
her. As she likes to say what it feels like, after
being around him, “It feels like I just ate ten
pounds of rancid meat.”

The chemistry is off
, is what she
chalked it up to. As a scientist, it best fit her
preference of sayings. However, as a former detective, she felt it was better to say, “He is of suspect material.” He tried to lie, and failed, at
making people believe he was dying of cancer.
She knew it to not be true, but everyone in town
re-elected him out of pity. The People, however,
soon learned the truth.

“Shit,” she scoffed. “Cancer my ass. I
see
you
over there. All healthy and shit.”
She shot back a sip of the whiskey.

She placed the empty shot glass back on
the counter. “
Okay
, no more of that,” she said,
dumping the rest down her kitchen sink.
Only
ten more dollars down the drain,
she chuckled
at herself.

Her phone rang again. This time, it
read: WORK. She rolled her eyes.
Must be another monkey loose.
Emily wished she were joking, but it has happened on more than one occasion.

She set her alarm to go off in a few
hours. She wanted to at least present herself as
well rested, even if it were not true. She was paid
only by each successful experiment conducted.
So, missing a few hours of work didn’t bother
her any. Nor did it bother Dean of the University, Schmick, either.

•••
After getting home from a long at work, then
Group Therapy, Nick found comfort in his bed.
He tossed his phone on the bed, heading towards his shower. It rang. It wasn’t anyone he
wanted to deal with at the moment. She became
annoying, and he was starting to become fed up
with Lucy. He met her in one of his Drug Addicts Anonymous Groups. She refused to get the
help she needed, and kept sinking him even
closer to rock bottom.

Screw the crazy bitch.
He watched as it faded to black. The
screen lit up, signaling he had a voicemail. He
picked it back up, unlocking it. His background
picture was that of Emily. He sighed, deleting
the voicemail. But his gaze continued to linger
over her picture. A sadness burdened his heart.
Then anger swept over him. “Why do I even
care?
She left me for that Hank fellow.
” He
tossed it back down on his bed.
His mirror sweated condensation.
When he looked in it, he could see circles form
under his eyes. He dried off his face, kicking
back onto his bed. His phone buzzed. It was
Emily. But, before he could swipe the answer
button, it hung up.
He tossed his head back, rubbing his
eyes. He contemplated what good it would do if
he were to call her back. “None,” is what he concurred with his memories when he did call her
back. It was always something about Hank she
wanted to complain about. Never did she ever
have the balls to leave him. He told her to on
several occasions. “If you’re unhappy, leave
him. Don’t drag him along.” But that conversation only ended in fights.
She feared being
alone
. Nick could fully relate to how she felt
there.
He ran away from home at seventeen,
and been alone ever since then. His parents, nor
him, ever bothered with one another ever again.
Every once in a while he almost calls them. Then
he remembers what his father had told him:
“You leave here now; you never show your face
around here again! And don’t call!”
Nick, never disobeying his ex-military
father, followed through with what he was told.
Inside, he cried. But he never showed how he
truly felt. He kept a hardened gaze upon his face
when around people. Some have even thought
of him as ‘
disembodied
’ or ‘
scary
’. His favorite,
however, was when people would assume that
he looked a bit insane. That one always made
him chuckle.
It reminded him of his Funny Uncle
Larry. Nick thought he was funny, only because
when Nick was younger, right before Larry was
locked up, he would have serious arguments
with himself. Nick, at that time, thought Larry
did it as a joke. It wasn’t until later that Nick
learned his uncle suffered from a serious mental
illness. Still, however, Nick chuckled. His
twisted sense of humor tends to throw people
off. Emily, however, claimed to love that about
him. At least, that is what she told him while
they were married.
He checked the clock, realizing he had
to be up in less than six hours. He rolled over,
shutting his bedside lamp off. He threw his
towel on the floor. Sleeping naked made him
feel less constricted, and surprisingly underexposed, at night. The cool breeze from his open
bedroom window, felt nice against his bare
cheeks.
He found himself dazing off to the fond
memories of when Emily slept the same way as
him. He couldn’t help, but become aroused by
the sensation of his own imagination. He had
once held her face close enough to kiss, yet far
enough to not bump noses. He enjoyed remembering what her breasts once felt inside the
palm of his hand.
He wanted to forget it, but felt it too difficult to let go of the last time he had held her
thigh upon his hips as he felt a pleasure too good
to forget.
Knowing he was unable to feel the softness of her skin, compared to his calloused
hands, he slumbered off. He hoped sleeping
would make
it
pass.
•••
Calista found herself wandering down an empty
street. Nothing, besides the buzz of insects on
street lamps, sounded throughout the nighttime
air. Her steps glided silently down the pavement. The occasional stick, or pile of pebbles,
would crunch beneath her soft-soled shoe. Nevertheless, she knew she was alone.
A few cars passed by her. One stopped.
It was a man she never seen before. He rolled
down his window and spoke to her. “How
much?”
She hissed back. “What are you talking
about?”
“Look, I know what you are.”
“What am I?” she said, shaken.
“A young lady, out late at night,” he
said, raising his eyebrows.
She didn’t respond back.
“You’re a prostitute, no?”
“Hell no. Now go away.”
He sped off, cursing under his breath.
An intense hunger swept over her.
Thanks to Mayor Daly, however, the homeless
now have homes. But, that did not sit well with
her. She was starving. The type of starvation
that normal food would not satisfy. A craving
that intensified with each step.
She passed many of houses, trailers,
and homes. None of which, were left unlocked,
or accessible. “When did this damn town get so
secure all of a sudden?” She shook with irritation.
‘Where am I?’ she thought to herself, as
she walked up to an old apartment complex. An
open window, with its light shutting off, made it
clear to her that it was currently occupied.
The bricks were chipping away, and the
stairs were broken in half. A hazard, not one
smart person would risk.
The apartment complex has started to
settle. It amazed her, or anybody, that anyone
would willingly live there. But, the sounds of
snoring people echoed into her ears as she
neared the property.
She took her opportunity, as she noticed the access lock into the building was shattered. It appeared to be smashed in with some
sort of blunt object. However, she did not waste
any time trying to figure it out. Nor did she want
to waste time running up the flights of stairs.
She decided to scale the wall using only
her nails to dig into the wall with. Her throat
burned with tightness as the scent of another
prey blew out the window. By the mixed smell
of aftershave and cologne, she was able to determine a man resided just on the other side of that
window. The sill was missing, but she noticed
that it was not the
only
windowsill missing on
that building.
When she reached the opening, she
paused, taken by the sight of what she came
upon.
Hmmm
, she thought.
Now this I could
enjoy for a minute.
The moon beamed onto his supple skin.
Ripples of lean muscle drew down his biceps.
His shoulders moved with each breath he took.
Her gaze followed down his solid back.
When she took her first step in, the
floor creaked. He moved, rustling in his sheets
until he laid flat on his back. His chest had minimum tufts of hair. Not too much, not too little.
She couldn’t help but feel like another urge
started to control her need to feed once she realized the surprise he kept under his silken satin
sheets. The pointed bulge, made her want more
than just blood. The sheets throbbed in that
particular place.
What a waste,
she thought.
If her heart were beating, she could imagine it would be pounding hard by now. The
type of pounding she would most love to enjoy
at that moment. Then, she saw what snapped
her back to focus. The pulsating presence on his
neck, under his skin. She licked her lips, “
Oh
yeah.
”
Her whisper must have been louder
than she initially thought. He moved once more
between his sheets, hiding what she found most
attractive on a man.

Lifting her nose in the air she inhaled
the darkening aroma of his present liveliness.
Blood dripped from the corners of her lips, illuminated by the moonlight’s iridescent shine
coming from the window she had just entered.

With each diligent step, her senses
overcame her ability to fight the urge to take yet
another life. She kept thinking to herself,
is this
what I have become? Because, I love it.

Nick hugged his pillow closer, as the
cool breeze slapped his face. His eyes shot open,
at the sound of his floor squeaking. With only
her eyes visible through the masked hood she
wore, she stopped mid-step and stared at him
with glowing anticipation.

He gulped down air, heaving his chest.
He kept thinking to himself,
who is this person?
Am I dreaming?
The abyss of questions spiraled
down to his mouth. “Who are you?”

She giggled, toying with him. She
wrapped around her face guard, which normally
hid inside her hood. “Maybe,” she said with another school-girlish giggle.

A woman,
he thought to himself. This
time, he shouted, not believing his own sight.
“Who are you?” Only a figure of darkness moved
across his sight. He jumped, bouncing in his
bed. He reached for his bedside lamp, attempting to pull it free from its socket.

She moved towards the light, sending a
chill down his spine with a single smile. “
I’m
hungry
.”

A small growl freed itself from its residual place in her throat as she grasped his skin.
She hovered over his face, taking a whiff of his
lips. She pursed her lips, embracing his.
“Mmm.”

He jerked his face away, exposing to her
several throbs of the vain she hangered for.
Flexing every muscle in his body neglected him
the ability to break free.

Her lips grazed the lobe of his ear.
“
Shhh. Don’t worry. This will all be over soon
.”
Wrapping her mouth around the base
of his neck brought pleasures to her in ways she
didn’t expect. She started with slight pecks, tugging at his hair. She could feel his muscles relax
as he fell onto his back. When she couldn’t hold
back any longer, she widened her mouth, sucking on the nape of his neck before doing what
she came there to do;
eat
.
Piercing his artery, with her two white
fangs, she could feel her teeth puncture through
the layers of skin. The succulent taste of his
warmth engrossed her mouth, making her unable to hold back any sounds that escaped her
lips. She tugged at his hair as if begging for every
last drop to make its way inside her.
The grasp of her change held onto her
as if it were a life sentence without parole; its
hooks of reality pinned deep within her soul.
The change had become her.
Nick blinked as his sight hazed in and
out of clarity.
God, please do not let me die
. He
begged for mercy, as he pleaded out to his attacker. “Stop… Please… Stop!”
He wrapped his hand around her arm,
pulling back from the frozen temperature it had
become. He tried to convince himself it was all
a dream, but the pain from her bite lingered
throughout his scalp. The itch became unbearable, but his strength threatened abandonment.
She didn’t intend on killing him. No, if
anything, she wanted him to survive. She
hoped, at the very least, he would live. His scent
was intoxicating to her. She couldn’t tell if it
were his blood, she was drawn to, his cologne,
or the combination of both. Either way, she
wanted him.
Fully
.
•••
Jack Carlson relaxed in the chair next to Katie,
his daughter. Across from him, sat his wife,
Christine. Nothing could wipe away the grin on
his face. Despite his daughter’s health withering
away right in front of him, he was convinced she
would now have the opportunity to get better.
Christine blinked her big, blue, eyes.
“Honey?” she chuckled nervously. “What is it?”
He rubbed his hands together, trying to hide his
smile. “I have some big news.”
“What?” Christine questioned.
“You know that job, in Amherst?”
“Yes, what about it?”
“I got it! Apparently one of the agents
decided to take a year off to go to another country for vacation of some sort.”
“So, you would only work for a year?”
“That’s fine. It is all we need. We can
now afford Katie’s treatments.” The glee in his
voice woke her up.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” Her voice
sounded broken.
He held her face with both of his hands.
“Nothing, sweetie. Nothing else should be
wrong ever again.”
“Okay,” she smiled. Her arms lifted into
the air, wobbling with weakened strength. Jack
leaned in, hugging her close.
He whispered, “I love you, bug-a-boo.”
She giggled. “I love you too, dad.”
“Now get some rest,” Jack said. He
peered over to his wife, “Your mother and I have
some things to discuss.”
“Okay, dad. Will you read me a story after you talk with mom?”
He nodded. “Of course.” He kissed her forehead.
Christine and Jack walked out of her
bedroom, leaving her door cracked enough to
let in some of the hallway light.
They entered into the kitchen, snapping
on the light. Christine smiled at the good news.
But she knew what it entailed. “So when do you
start?”
“Tomorrow.”
Sadness filled her eyes. “Will you ever
be home?”
He rubbed her shoulders, attempting to
calm her down. “I will be as much as I can. I
promise. But, for now, this is what I have to do.”
“No, no it’s not,” she said, shaking her
head.
“What do you mean?” He held her
close. Her perfume lingered up his nose. The
smell of gardenia, and rose petals reminded him
of their wedding. He never wanted to forget
what it was like.
She had worn her mother’s dress. An
eggshell white, with laced sleeves. Her vail,
laced to match with red roses stitched at the
bottom. No one had objected. Even the in-laws
had supported their love for each other. It had
grown with each day since then.
She broke his drive down memory lane.
“I can work. I can get a job here. Then you can
get your old sheriff job back. It is, a
safer,
job
here as well.”
He shook his head. “No. You need to be
by Katie’s side at all times. An in-home nurse
would cost way too much, anyhow.”
“What can I do to make you stay?” she
pleaded, hoping there was something that she
could do.
“You know that if I had a choice, I
wouldn’t leave. Do you?”
She nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“Then, please. Do not make me feel
guiltier than I already do. I don’t want to have
to leave all the time. But it is what I have to do,”
he shrugged, “Besides; I think I’ll be plenty safe.
My new partner has been on the force for almost
a decade.”
“Yeah, but you were the sheriff here for
almost that length. What’s your point?’
“I’m saying, the most we would probably do is drug busts or something like arresting
robbers.”
Her gaze dropped to the ground. She
rubbed her forearm, scared. She twirled her
wedding band around her finger, as she tried to
think more positive. But, the crease lines in her
brows suggested to Jack that she feared the
worse. She feared his inevitable death with the
new job.
He lifted her chin. “I’ll be fine. I’ll take
care of myself. I promise.” He leaned in, planting a kiss on her lips. “
I promise
.”
Tears streamed down her face, reluctant to let him leave. She held tight onto his
shirt, breathing in the scent of his cologne. She
inhaled deep, holding her breath until she
couldn’t hold it anymore. She could feel his
arms tighten around her back. “Don’t… go.”
Jack patted her golden, brown, hair.
“Shhh,” he hushed. “I’m not going anywhere for
the rest of the night. I’ll be here until morning.
That is eight hours you have me for.”
“
Not long enough
.”
He rocked them both, side to side. He
chuckled. “You remember the first time we
danced?”
“Yeah,” she giggled. “It was our first
date. We were at our tailgate prom. You, heh,
danced like a fool. What was that dance you did,
called?”
He pulled away, placing his palms flat
in the air, one behind him, faced up, the other
in front of his face faced down. “The Egyptian.”
She laughed as he mimicked the moves.
“Oh, my!”
“Yeah, it was cool then.”
“It was never cool,” she laughed.
He grabbed her around the waist.
“Then what about the dance at our wedding?
Was that not cool?”
“No, that was very traditional.”
He grabbed her hand, swinging her
around in a circle until they reached the living
room. “Still, not as cool.”
He grinned as they danced to inaudible
music. Her head, on his chest, was warm against
him. He rested his cheek on the top of her scalp,
humming the Wedding Song tune that played
before his beautiful bride had taken her walk
down the aisle.
She stopped her feet. “What’s this new
partner like? Is he smart enough to not get you
shot?”
“Well, heh,
she
graduated top of her
class in college. So I imagine she is smart.”
“
A woman
?” Christine shook her head
in silence.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure she is like ugly or
something. Besides, I love you, and only you.”
“You don’t have to love someone to
want to bone them.”
“In my case, I do. If I don’t love someone, I don’t want to even think about touching
him or her. Okay?”
Christine grinned. “Okay, sweetie. I’m
sorry,” she said, looking away. “I’m just trying
to think of any reason to keep you here.”
He chuckled. “Even being a jealous
wife, huh? I know. But you know me too well to
ever believe I would sink that low as a man.”
She crossed her arms. “Yeah.” She
turned back around, grabbing his hand. She
guided him to their bedroom. “Come on.”
“Sleep? I thought you wanted to spend
more time with me.”
“Well, we will be doing a type of sleeping.”
“Oh.” He thought for a moment. “
Oh
!”
He realized what she was hinting at.
He pulled away, remembering his
promise. “Wait! Katie wanted me to read her a
story.”
Christine smiled. “Okay, but be prepared to
tell
her one. A mouse chewed up all the
books on the bookshelf.”
He followed her pointed finger to the
green, wooden, shelf. Shreds of papers filled
spots where full books were once sitting. “Crap.
Well, maybe she is already asleep.”
He crept up to her agape door. He
pushed it open. Katie sat up in her bed, with
wide eyes. She smiled when she noticed him
coming through.
“You have my favorite book?”
“No, sorry sweetie. But, I can try to tell
it from memory.”
“Okay.”
He sat beside her, leaning back. “Once
upon a time, there were, um, a cow and two
pigs? Then something to do with a princess being forced to eat too hot of porridge while
trapped in a castle. Right?”
“Dad.”
“What?”
“That’s not even close.”
“Then you tell me what it is.”
She propped herself up, holding her
hands together. She began telling the story as
she remembers it. Christine peaked in through
the door, she felt happier to see him spend his
last night with their daughter. She shut the
door, walking away as Katie’s voice faded behind her.
She walked back into the kitchen, sitting at the table. It was covered with late bills
from the hospital, Jack’s phone, and unusable
checks. She sighed, rubbing her throbbing head.
She reconsidered her notions to keep him
home.
Maybe this job will be better for all of us,
she thought.
Maybe
.
She turned her back to the pile of papers, looking out to the yard. In the sky, the
moon was full. She laid her eyes on the star next
to it, closing her eyes. “
I wish Katie would get
better soon. If I ever die before her, I would love
to see her healthy once again
.”
She knew it was a long shot. But, she
has tried everything. Prayer, medicine, and now
wishing. Anything would suffice in order for her
to feel some level of comfort. She would sell her
soul to the devil, if she knew it would help save
her daughter.
Jack’s phone rang. It read AGENT
JANE BRINKS.
Jane
, she thought.
Sounds fake.
She answered it. “Hello?”
The other end cracked. “Yes. This is
Agent Brinks. Is Agent Carlson there?”
Jack ran into the kitchen. “Yes he is
here.”
Jack looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Who is it?”
“Your new partner,” she said, handing
him the phone.
“Hello?” he said, walking into the living
room. “Uh-huh. Okay. Be there in thirty.”
“What?” Christine rubbed her hands on
his back.
“I have to go.”
“Oh,” she said, dropping her eyes to the
ground. “Is Katie asleep?”
“Sound,” he said, kissing her on the
cheek. “I love you. Call me anytime you need
me.”
“My phone is off. Remember?”
“Right. Well, I’m sure if it’s an emergency, the neighbors will let you use their
phone.”
“Maybe.”
•••
Agent Brinks sat her desk, talking on the phone
with her old partner, Agent Myers. “Yes. I have
tried to call Doctor Johnston. His phone just
gives me a busy tone.” He left for Japan. Another doctor caught his attention. One that
would not risk exposing them and their plan.
“The CBH virus is
not
to be tested just
yet. We covered up his last mistake.”
“Well, I’m not even sure if he has even
finished it yet.”
“Have you gotten ahold of Boss, yet?”
“Yes, and there appears to be a situation
in Middletown. I, also, just got done hiring your
replacement.”
“I’ll be back within a year.”
“Well, I need back up. And I prefer to
have someone completely oblivious to this situation. Almost everyone in this office wants a
piece of our plan.”
“Fine.”
His end clicked, signaling he ended the
call. She scoffed, placing her phone back on its
receiver.
Jack knocked on her door.
“Come in,” she said.
He opened the door, walking in. “Why
do you need me? I thought I didn’t start until
morning.”
“Well, this is the life you chose. Now
buck up. I hope you weren’t planning on sleeping tonight.”
“Why?”
“Agent Carlson, I request that you quit
with the insistent questioning, and begin working.”
“Okay,” he said, straightening his back.
To his amazement, she was anything but old.
She appeared young, almost too young to have
been doing this job for over a decade.
“I need you to sift through some paperwork, and determine if I filed them wrong.”
“So, I’m basically your secretary.”
“Snide comments won’t get you anywhere. I just want to test your knowledge.”
“Fine.”
“Use my desk; I have a meeting to go
to.”
“A meeting, at this hour?”
“Yes.”
He relaxed in her chair. The plush cushion of its red velvet eased the tension he felt between them. She left without informing him of
when she would be back. He rocked back into
the chair. “I’m sure she filed them right.”
In curiosity, he rifled through her drawers. One, however, was locked up tight. He
searched the underneath for a key. Her door
opened. He flung back into the chair, feeling his
temperature rise. Another agent looked in.
Agent Kay frowned. “Where is Brinks?”
“Um, not sure. She just left.”
“Damn. Okay.”
“Wait,” he said, raising his hand in the
air.
“What?”
“Where does she usually go at this
time? She didn’t tell me when she would be
back.”
“You’re new?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, you don’t know.”
“That is what I am trying to figure out.”
“No, I mean, nothing. Look, it’s best to
not dig in places you are unaware of.”
He was taken aback by the statement.
Nevertheless, he didn’t press on. “Okay.”
The other agent left the room.
He thought of calling his neighbors, to
let them know to keep an eye on Christine and
Katie. But the clock read one in the morning.
“I’ll call in the morning.”
•••
Boss put out his cigarette, as Brinks pulled her
car into the lot next to him. The park was empty,
which gave him the privacy needed for this conversation. She welcomed herself into his car. He
frowned, but knew it was better than having
someone drive by thinking it was a drug related
meeting.