UNTOUCHABLE: By Lori Titus
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011The Marradith Ryder Series, Bonus Story
Chicago, Illinois, 1978
Paul stands in the shadow of the L-Train, rattling above him like a cavalry of chained ghosts. It is night, summertime, but the heat still rises, trapped in the pavement, in between the ragged spirits of buildings, holding its breath in the stagnant air.
Clutching a paper bag to his chest, the bottle of liquor is the only thing that feels real. He closes his eyes, runs his tongue over his dry lips. The liquor does something to take the edge of his need away. But it is not enough.
Soon, he will need to feed again.
Taking the flesh of junkies and homeless men- other homeless men, as he now is– only makes his dreams worse, more vivid. With the feeding of their flesh he takes on their pains, their phobias, the twisted memories. Some of those visions have remained in his head for so long that he could no longer be sure where the line between his own nightmares end and the reality of these other hungry, vacuous lives began.
The clanging of the train dies away, and except for the traffic, the street is nearly silent.
Paul has been traveling from town to town for months now. His Grandfather had been hard to deal with, but every now and again he thought of going back. Despite beatings and arguments, Leighton was blood. He would provide a safe home, meals without question, all the little luxuries that were lost to him now.
But if he went back, at what price? The old man would demand more from him now. And it already seemed there was so little of him left…
Paul had no fear of others. He’d heard the stories about the city, the anonymous deaths, the people that kill as easilly as speaking. But he was the predator.
Walking, still wearing a trenchcoat despite the weather, he found an all night diner and slipped inside. He asked for a cup of coffee. The waitress, weary and slow after a long shift, did not even ask him for money. She poured him a mug and retreated to the furthest corner of the room, sticking her nose in a book of crossword puzzles.
Paul was almost finished his coffee when the bell above the door chimed. Another customer.
A man in a suit and tie walked in. And he sat down in the booth across from Paul.
“I don’t know you,” Paul said, “what do you want.”
The man’s lips twisted in a lopsided smile. “My name is Rafael Castillo,” he said in a low, rumbling voice. “I have been looking for you, Mr. Ryder.”
“If Leighton sent you,” he replied. “Tell him I’m not going back.”
“Quite the contrary,” the man replied. “I have no desire to bring you back to your Grandfather. I’m looking for men like you to stand against him, and his kind.”
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©2011 Lori Titus
Lori has just completed the first draft of a Ryder related book. Meanwhile, she awaits the release of her novella, Hailey’s Shadow.
