By John Shane
I
was a lone shadow free from the night. A voluptuous, graceful shadow- my wet
lips quivering. I was shrouded within a sandstorm, which came off the horizon
where dusk had arrived. It even smelled faintly of hashish.
Dusk.
I
made it to the stable. I was thorough about making sure nobody would pull the
trap on me. But of coarse, nobody was going to. My tracks lay buried beneath
the sand. My robes kept slipping whenever I gained up speed, so I took them
off. Ever so often I would see villagers refilling their brules for bathes or a
mother removing her clothes from a hanger. I was silent past them- and
stealthy.
The
stable stood quietly near the Tumas stream, south of Bucharest. At dusk, not a
soul could be found here, normally. However this was all not normal. My
testicles hurt from all the running. I crossed a short, wooden bridge, which
lead to the side of the stable.
While
crossing, my big toe got stuck in one of the planks and a splinter wedged
underneath my toenail.
It
was so real.
I
came around the back, making sure Ghumghod was not waiting for me. He was
nowhere to be seen. Then again, it was just not his time yet. It began to grow
hot. The robes were still nestled under my arms but they were no longer of any
use to me.
I
approached the stable doors, which were slightly ajar. I heard a rustling
inside. Then, a moan. A high-pitched, female moan. The girls moan. I opened the
door. There was Ingrid, crouched down over the girlŐs naked body. Ingrid, of
coarse was wearing her lovely white dress. She was rubbing what looked to be
oil across the girlŐs thighs. Ash from IngridŐs cigarette kept dropping upon
the girlŐs tender, little stomach.
The
girl and I were both naked, like animals-we showed no lies. In that stable, I
stood tall with my eyes awake to the world of my dreams. Nothing could suppress
my desires, there.
I
came up to Ingrid from behind, while she was still applying the oil- Or
whatever it was she was applying. She jerked her head slightly to the side,
acknowledging my presence. The girl however, had no idea I had entered the
stable. Her blindfold prevented that and I did not make a sound.
I
placed my robes down next to IngridŐs bare feet. The hay was aggravating my
toe. It stank of animal dung. I ran my fingers through IngridŐs hair. By
accident, her cigarette dropped onto the girlŐs stomach and then rolled into
the hay. The girl wiggled in panic as the hay beneath her set ablaze. Ingrid
quickly grabbed my robes and put out the fire.
Just
like life, for something like that to happen.
Ingrid
shot me that annoyed expression of hers, just as the girl began screaming and
crying.
"
Shut up or I'll punish you with a torture so severe you won't even have a throat to scream with." Ingrid snapped.
" Did you hear me?" Ingrid kicked the girl in the face and continued
rubbing the oil onto the girlŐs breasts.
The
girlŐs hands were tied behind her back but her legs were free. I kneeled down
and began feeling the girlŐs soft, curvaceous legs. So young. So smoothed out
with the oil. The girl began nervously shifting around, feeling the second pair
of hands upon her bare flesh.
I
spread her gleaming legs apart and gazed wide-eyed sighed with content. She
looked just like Robin- the legs, the mouth- just perfect in everyway. But this
was not Robin. This was my girl completely. Robin was never completely mine.
She would've spit on me in those last months we were together.
Spit
on me.
Here-
never.
Ingrid
took out her blade and began slicing the girl's chest- Tiny incisions with a
subtle hand. The girl howled in pain and more tears ran down her scarlet
cheeks. Heavy breathing began to emanate from within her- Penetrating me-
Fueling my hunger. I began to stroke her inner thighs- Slowly, ever so slowly.
Doctor
Ramsies was so right in recommending this. Every time, I say that.
Ingrid
then put down the knife and began kissing her on the lips. She licked the
girlŐs upper lip and the tip of her nose, all in one stroke. All the while, I
just stared in between those legs. And finally when I felt it time, I pushed
myself in there hard as I could- the sound of our bodies slapping together.
Then,
finally, Ghumghod burst open the stable doors and waved his fist in the air. He
removed the sword from his sheath and began to charge at me. Ghumghod- the Arab
bastard, played to perfection. That home wrecker- I never thought I could look
at him again, but there he was about to kill me. Oh, it was amusing.
As
a matter of fact, I laughed at the precise moment before my pending
decapitation. Then Ingrid fired her gun. And I kept laughing and the girl kept
crying and the shot kept ringing and her hair kept waving and Ghumghod kept
bleeding and the gun kept falling and I finally finished. I stood up and walked over to Ghumghod.
Blood
rolled out from his forehead. I kneeled down to his body and removed the sword
from his iron tight fist. I came back over to the girl. Spit on her.
My
screens began to flicker.
I
sliced her head off and reached over toward Ingrid. We embraced and I kissed
her on the lips. I then proceeded to drive the sword through her stomach.
Ingrid dropped to the floor, a flicker and the program ended.
I
removed the virtual simulation mask.
The
light of the room hurt my eyes at first, but then my apartment came into clear focus. It was the best one yet I thought.
Maybe because it was the last one. I was enthralled by the fierce impact-
Nothing was ever so intense or so--
Robin
was so-- real. Exactly the way she looked when we were fourteen. So hot- the
air, the arms and legs. The blood. It was overwhelming. I felt like a new
person. Like I had been cleansed of all my hate- all my worries, washed clean
away over an electronic sink. The divorce with Robin affected me so much, that
she appeared in every simulation I had. She had eaten me alive. She kept doing
such dirty things- such atrocities, my heart felt like imploding.
I
just wanted to destroy her- Get her out of my life. She had no kisses for me.
She could never do it again. Not with me. Only with Ghumghod. They both tried
to destroy me. I was lucky that she left with him when she did-- Lucky the
divorce wasn't that life
shattering for me. Maybe that's a lie.
Thanks
to Doctor Ramsies I was able to pull my life back together again. He told me
that virtual therapy was beneficial and I eventually agreed with that opinion.
His keen eye led me to the Realitor program. For one month, everyday for one
hour, my salvation from her resided in that program.
I removed myself out of all the body
gear. I felt good. I got up and called Ingrid to confirm our dinner plans. She
told me to meet her at The Viper House at eight. I then telecalled Doctor
Ramsies and explained to him how the session went. I didn't tell him everything
but I felt he was quite pleased with the results of the session. He had his
papers and forms ready to be thermal-signed through the telenet. My therapy was
over and I felt cured.
I
showered, popped on my best suit and was out the door for the restaurant. On my
way to the restaurant, I began thinking of how wonderful life can be. Even
though the divorce was a mess I was now able to cope with any situation. All
that bad stuff was now far in the past. Ingrid marked the beacon of full
recovery and I felt like a million bucks
Driving
past Lincoln Ave, I saw all the male prostitutes aligned in front of the
Parkway Terrace. How ironic, I thought, Parkway Terrace being the wasp fortress
that it is. Such rich people living in such a bad neighborhood. Just as I was
thinking this, something very strange happened.
As
I drove by the next mansion, I thought I saw a hyena crossing the street.
Hyenas arenŐt exactly prevalent on the New York streets but then again most
animals arenŐt. Two seconds later, I saw the same hyena running along the
sidewalk only this time with a decapitated head. Blood spilled about in
bucket-sized quantities, all over the crowded, city sidewalk. But nobody seemed
to notice this.
I
blinked several times and it was gone. I hallucinated but I couldnŐt figure out
why. Of coarse I did not dwell on this because I was too wrapped up in
celebrating my recovery.
I
arrived at the Viper House. Tony, at the door blew me a kiss when I walked in.
He never did that kind of thing in all my years of going there. I was seated at
table five, next to the stage. Ingrid had not arrived yet so I sat and watched
the performance artist. I ordered a tall shot of ouzo. Things were so
wonderful.
Ingrid
finally arrived. She sat down and asked me how my therapy went. I told her it
went smoothly and that she was actually featured in the simulation. She said oh
yeah, in a sexy tone and ordered some vodka.
We
were in such a pleasant conversation when suddenly, as I glanced over to the
performer I saw trunk muscles of Amazon trees sprouting from the ground. They
seemed to move around in a rhythmic formation. They were slicing through the
waiters and through the customers and innocent people and blood began to splash
against the walls.
Suddenly
I began to see Robins face sitting across from me at the table. She was laughing like I was laughing in
the Realitor. I began to feel sick and scared. Then this person who looked like Robin stood up and lashed a
whip at me striking my lips.
I
stood up from the table- a voice began to seep in--
Are
you alright? WhatŐs the matter Rob?
You feeling okay?
I
closed my eyes for a second and then opened them to see Ingrid sitting in front
of me, again. All I was thinking was how much I wanted to continue the
treatment. I was cured but I wanted more. What if something like the divorce
happened again? Maybe with Ingrid? How could I handle it? I wouldnŐt, thatŐs
how. Without the mask it would be impossible. Doctor Ramsies didnŐt even now
how bad things were getting before we did the treatment.
I
told Ingrid I wanted to go home because I was getting dizzy.
We left my car at the Viper
House and she drove me back to her place. It was the first time IŐd ever gone
back to her place. The whole way there she was saying how it was probably food
poisoning by those rotten bastards at the restaurant.
Her
voice was so comforting- so tranquil. I trusted her but something was wrong.
Very wrong. Her palm verification system let us inside, as the automatic front
door locked behind us. We entered her apartment on the sixth floor. She told me
to make myself comfortable while she brewed us some tea. I laid down on her
leather couch and tried to put myself back together.
I
felt nervous and began to sweat severely. I kept seeing those trees again only
this time they had a metallic shine to them. Ingrid came back into the room,
just as I began to see the visions. My heart raced as Robin's liquid face
crawled out from different cracks in the walls. These liquids then enveloped
IngridŐs head and formed something new- It was Robin again.
She
began the laughter, only this time I would place the permanent muzzle. All I
ever wanted to do was stop the laughter. Then I began to see those images- my naked self; wanting to kill. Needing
to kill. Without the mask.