when the door leading into the theatre shot open. The three naked women stormed in, but this time, wings sprouted from their backs made of black leather. Reptilian skin was born, the soft supple flesh morphing into rough scales. The woman who was screaming suddenly turned into one of the vampires.
Penny was squeezed by the neck. It felt like the slightest shift of the womanâs hand could break Pennyâs neck. The vampires surrounded her. No escape.
âDecoys work every time,â one of the vampire women spoke in a demonâs rasp. âWhat shall we do with you? Drink from your arteries? Lick you where it tastes good? Pike you from the anus to the mouth? No, no, no, thatâd be a precious waste of blood. The blood of the living on my lips gives me shudders. It brings me such climaxes. I get too excited just thinking about the many ways to kill you.â
Penny squirmed on the inside as a forked tongue ran up her neck and tickled her ear lobe. The vampire-reptile woman whispered to her, âIâd cut you wide open and make love to you, but the cemetery tramps have other things to keep them busy at the moment. The final showing is underway. The Final Flesh . And as it turns out, there are two seats left. We canât have empty seats for the big show. It looks like you lucked out.â
Sniffing like a wild boar, the vampire smelled Pennyâs hair and skin. âLooks like your boyfriend hasnât touched you in a long time. I say after a woman hasnât had sex in a long time, itâs like they become a virgin again. Iâll return for you, my sweet smelling flower, after the show. Your blood shall run down my lips.â In a sharp declaration, âTake her to the theatre.â
As Penny passed the tables stocked with bloody reels, she noticed the snippets covered in blood and hunks of flesh began to fuse together. The slightest sounds of screams, though projected at a whisperâs strength, emanated from the tangles of reels that began to connect and become one big reel. Then Penny was out of the room, shoved onward. What she witnessed on the way to Theatre 4 chilled her to her very marrow and threatened to shatter her sanity.
Chapter Eight
Ushered toward the concession stands by the vampires, Penny could smell cooking meat mingling with the sickly sweet smell of death. She briefly caught the popcorn machine filled with crispy looking eyeballs; hundreds, maybe thousands of torn out eyes being stuffed into popcorn tubs. Bodies without eyes were heaped like cordwood in the lobby corner. A man in a lumberjackâs outfit and the largest axe Penny had ever seen in her life would prop a corpse on a wooden mount and split them. He kept grumbling, âSPLIT YOU IN TWO!â There were other happenings that kept the theatre hopping, but she was shoved toward Theatre 4 before she could mentally register the festivities.
The marquee sign over the theatre read: Lunatic Receptionist .
The ticket taker was a pimply faced teenager with eyes that belonged to a praying mantis. His red elevator boy outfit was about to bust at the shoulders as if bug feelers were about to grow out of his back. The boy handed them a paper bag that said in large letters âBARF BAG. WARNING: CONTENTS VERY HOT.â
The vampire holding Penny squeezed her neck and hissed, âTake the bag. Be polite. Youâre getting a free show. You donât realize how lucky you are.â
âAnd what a show it is!â The kid said in a puberty squeak. âYouâre in store for a real treat. Movie marathon madness! The horror-o-thon started five minutes ago. The rule of thumb, if you feel the need to scream, one of the usherâs will come by to cut out your vocal cords. If you fall asleep, no need to worry, one of the ushers will keep your eyes peeled. If you feel the need to throw up, please use the bags provided. Then one of the ushers will take it for you. Letâs not waste perfectly good
Anita Amirrezvani
J.B. Garner
Sydney Logan
Jeffrey Shapiro
Mary Alice Monroe
Charlotte Anne
K. P. Hilton
Scarlet Hyacinth
Philip K. Dick
SJD Peterson, S.A. McAuley