All Hallows' Eve
Oh, how they stared at her.
The men who had died inside or outside her apartment building. The men she'd shot. The men her mother had run over. The men who had died trying to kill her.
Now their ghosts were here.
'Twas the night before Halloween. Halloween. A day for all the ghosts and saints. A day for tricks and treats. A day for candy. A day for pumpkins. Every year 11,000 Americans injure themselves when trying out bizarre sexual positions. She wasn't that into bizarre sexual positions. Some days she woke up wanting to have children and get married. Some days she woke up not knowing what the Hell she really wanted. Some days she woke up, stared at the ceiling, and then rolled back to sleep. She loved the smell and taste of autumn. She loved Halloween. But now the ghosts of the dead men filled her heart with fear. Yes, she hated guns. And yes, she had killed.
No. It hadn't been her fault. But it didn't matter to the ghosts. C'est la mort. C'est la vie. Life's a bitch. Life's a feast. And she could no longer stand the way they stared at her. The cold dead eyes. The sad faint smiles. And the smell of blood of bullets. She jumped out of bed and grabbed Rex. She ran out of her apartment and all the way down the stairs. She started the black shining Porsche and floored the gas. She ran though a red light and thought of irrelevant things. She had a boyfriend named Joe Morelli and sometimes his feet smelled like cheese. Were they currently on? Or were they currently off? She wasn't sure and she didn't want to think about that right now. The ghosts from her past are still floating after her car. Well, it wasn't exactly her car. It was a borrowed. It didn't belong to her. When the time came she would have to put a smile on her face and wave bye-bye. Everything has to end. Nothing ever lasts. Love. Friendship. Or something deeper or shallower than that.
She parked the car at the usual spot.
A shiver ran over her as she opened the door to the 7th-floor apartment.
She kicked off her slippers and almost moaned as her feet stepped on the clean, soft, carpeted floor. She placed Rex on the kitchen counter. As usual, the state-of-the-art refrigerator didn't make a sound. The place was empty. She looked around. She felt awkward. She felt at home. She went to the vast bathroom and took a hot shower. She went in the walk-in closet and put on a large black t-shirt. She got into the king size bed, let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She was so tired, so, so tired. Life. Work. Family. Sex. And love. Slowly she fell asleep. In her dream roses of all colors climbed all over the building, blocking out the coldness, the sadness, the fear, and the despair. In her dream she couldn't hear the ghosts howling.
She was sound asleep when the tall dark man leaned against the door looking at her.
She was sound asleep when the tall dark man turned on the water to wash off his weariness.
She was sound asleep when the tall dark man got in the bed beside her.
She was sound asleep when he, too, fell asleep. And in her dream, she smiled as she melted into his darkness.