Read Online The Beautiful Dead by Daryl Banner - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Daryl Banner
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surprised, that’s all,” I say. “Surprised
because—well, because I was given the strong impression that there were no
people left in the world.”
“It’ll do you
best to keep that impression,” he mutters.
“How many more
of you are there?—and where?”
“Nowhere.” He
returns his attention back to the basket, inspecting it for something else
edible. “It doesn’t concern you at all.”
“Yes it does!”
“Over my dead
body will I reveal where my brethren live, where fiends like you can take their
lives too.”
“I AM NOT A
FIEND!”
Knock, knock.
Both of us spin, watching the door as though it were a monster in the night
about to leap on us. We peer at each other, locking eyes. I’m not sure who is
more terrified, the one in the room with the racing pulse or the one without.
Knock, knock.
I motion for
him to go to my room. “ Under the bed, under the bed! ” I half-whisper,
half-mouth to him. He doesn’t hesitate a second to comply, scrambling to my
room and sliding under my bed like a stowed away trunk. Snatching the basket
and placing it on the table like a civilized person, I steadily move to the
door, take a relaxing breath—again, that illusion of being alive I need to let
go of—then calmly turn the handle to meet my fate.
Grimsky’s
anxious face meets mine in the doorway. “Hey there. You alright?”
“Just fine,
why?” I ask, then realize I sound too on edge. “Why do you ask?” I try, a bit
more evenly.
“I heard you
talking.” He chuckles, his face softening. “Like, through the walls. Are you
sure you’re okay?”
I frown.
“That’s not normal?—talking to yourself? I better get that checked out. Does
this town have any psychiatrists I can schedule an appointment with?”
“Actually it
does,” he says matter-of-factly. “There’s a few shamans that live downtown, and
a witch doctor. Oh, and have you met Collin, the surgeon with the gym-nut
brother? I’ll introduce you. Tomorrow, maybe?”
“I was
kidding,” I say, regretting making the joke.
“I wasn’t.” He
chuckles. “Can I come in?”
“Bad timing.”
I nearly begin to shut the door in his face, then stop. “It’s been a long day,
what with the strange incident at the tavern and the whole getting-impaled
thing …”
He studies me
for a while, dimples crushing either side of his face as he smiles endearingly.
“I can’t wait for you to grow into yourself. You are going to love the
possibilities that open up to you here in Trenton when you embrace your new
foreverness. Possibilities like never needing to sleep. Ever. Never needing to
rest, never tiring, never getting sick, or old, or—”
“Sounds
wonderful, Grim. Good night.” I try shutting the door again.
He playfully
puts his foot in the way. “I wanted to say one other thing. It’s really
super-duper important.”
I sigh, roll
my eyes. “What?”
“This.”
And he kisses
me.
His cool, soft
lips on that long mouth, that snarky mouth that curls. He kisses me. With those
lips that surely spun poetry a lifetime ago. He kisses me, lip to lip, cool
currents of electricity touching me somehow. The surprise of it, the
unexpectedness of it, the little bow tied to the end of a very curious day.
He kisses me
and then it’s over.
“Good night,”
he tells me, then steps off my porch and heads for his own, vanishing from
sight.
I close my
door, lean back on it and hold my chest. A smile finds my face. I have no idea
what just happened, but I want it to happen again straight away. I can’t stop
smiling.
“Seems
dashing,” the Human says, having emerged from my bedroom.
The moment
crashes to the floor like a chandelier. “Okay, listen,” I tell him. “If you’re
going to be staying here—and only for a little while—we need to lay down some
rules.”
“Not for long.
Soon as I’m 100%, I’m gone. There’s people depending on me back home.”
“Great,
fantastic. First rule,” I start, then realize I don’t have
because—well, because I was given the strong impression that there were no
people left in the world.”
“It’ll do you
best to keep that impression,” he mutters.
“How many more
of you are there?—and where?”
“Nowhere.” He
returns his attention back to the basket, inspecting it for something else
edible. “It doesn’t concern you at all.”
“Yes it does!”
“Over my dead
body will I reveal where my brethren live, where fiends like you can take their
lives too.”
“I AM NOT A
FIEND!”
Knock, knock.
Both of us spin, watching the door as though it were a monster in the night
about to leap on us. We peer at each other, locking eyes. I’m not sure who is
more terrified, the one in the room with the racing pulse or the one without.
Knock, knock.
I motion for
him to go to my room. “ Under the bed, under the bed! ” I half-whisper,
half-mouth to him. He doesn’t hesitate a second to comply, scrambling to my
room and sliding under my bed like a stowed away trunk. Snatching the basket
and placing it on the table like a civilized person, I steadily move to the
door, take a relaxing breath—again, that illusion of being alive I need to let
go of—then calmly turn the handle to meet my fate.
Grimsky’s
anxious face meets mine in the doorway. “Hey there. You alright?”
“Just fine,
why?” I ask, then realize I sound too on edge. “Why do you ask?” I try, a bit
more evenly.
“I heard you
talking.” He chuckles, his face softening. “Like, through the walls. Are you
sure you’re okay?”
I frown.
“That’s not normal?—talking to yourself? I better get that checked out. Does
this town have any psychiatrists I can schedule an appointment with?”
“Actually it
does,” he says matter-of-factly. “There’s a few shamans that live downtown, and
a witch doctor. Oh, and have you met Collin, the surgeon with the gym-nut
brother? I’ll introduce you. Tomorrow, maybe?”
“I was
kidding,” I say, regretting making the joke.
“I wasn’t.” He
chuckles. “Can I come in?”
“Bad timing.”
I nearly begin to shut the door in his face, then stop. “It’s been a long day,
what with the strange incident at the tavern and the whole getting-impaled
thing …”
He studies me
for a while, dimples crushing either side of his face as he smiles endearingly.
“I can’t wait for you to grow into yourself. You are going to love the
possibilities that open up to you here in Trenton when you embrace your new
foreverness. Possibilities like never needing to sleep. Ever. Never needing to
rest, never tiring, never getting sick, or old, or—”
“Sounds
wonderful, Grim. Good night.” I try shutting the door again.
He playfully
puts his foot in the way. “I wanted to say one other thing. It’s really
super-duper important.”
I sigh, roll
my eyes. “What?”
“This.”
And he kisses
me.
His cool, soft
lips on that long mouth, that snarky mouth that curls. He kisses me. With those
lips that surely spun poetry a lifetime ago. He kisses me, lip to lip, cool
currents of electricity touching me somehow. The surprise of it, the
unexpectedness of it, the little bow tied to the end of a very curious day.
He kisses me
and then it’s over.
“Good night,”
he tells me, then steps off my porch and heads for his own, vanishing from
sight.
I close my
door, lean back on it and hold my chest. A smile finds my face. I have no idea
what just happened, but I want it to happen again straight away. I can’t stop
smiling.
“Seems
dashing,” the Human says, having emerged from my bedroom.
The moment
crashes to the floor like a chandelier. “Okay, listen,” I tell him. “If you’re
going to be staying here—and only for a little while—we need to lay down some
rules.”
“Not for long.
Soon as I’m 100%, I’m gone. There’s people depending on me back home.”
“Great,
fantastic. First rule,” I start, then realize I don’t have
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