ISSUE 18

Sins of the Father

            Vicky sat in a cab peering out of the window, frowning.

            "Are y'all sure this is it?" She asked, running a hand though her bleached blonde hair. She gawked at the decrepit shack that was in front of her, the front lawn all dirt and the windows boarded up.

            "Yep. This is 777," The cab driver responded. "Damn thing should be condemned if you ask me."

            "Thanks," Vicky said, nervously. She paid the cab driver and climbed out of the cab. Vicky hugged her purse as she walked up the sidewalk, heels clicking on the pavement, an eerie sound against the completely silent daylight. Nothing else seemed to emit a single peep, there was not even a bird to speak of.

            Vicky stepped up on the front stoop, took a shaky breath, and then pressed her finger against the door bell.

            BZZZAAACK!

            She quickly retracted her hand, unsettled by the noise. After a moment or so, she tried knocking on the door. No one answered. She stood for a tad longer looking around, her skin crawling from the eerie aura of the place. She then knocked again and getting tired of waiting, she tested the doorknob. It clicked and opened; Vicky stuck her head in tentatively.

            "Hello? Is anybody home? Johnny?" Vicky called. She took a step in and looked around, appalled by the filthiness of the house, what she could see at least. None of the lights were on and she could not see far in. "Sorry to just show up without callin' or anythin'…" She paused as she heard a rustle in the corner and stood stock still, waiting to see what it was. Once she was sure nothing was there, she took another deep breath and she stepped in. She knew he was there, she could feel him.

            "Haven't seen ya in a while. I thought maybe we could catch up on things…"

            No response. She took another step.

            "I saw Kit in the store the other day, that's how I got your address. She said she hasn' heard from ya in a while. She says 'hi' by the way."

            The air in the room was thick and heavy, like a wool blanket on a summer day, despite the cool fall air outside. Cold sweat made her clothes stick to her skin. Vicky gulped.

            "Remember that crazy uncle of ours? The workaholic on Dad's side? He and his family came to visit. Cousin Todd is just so adorable…"
            Vicky was starting to get jittery from the stifling silence, it was worse in here than it was outside, the impenetrable darkness of the house seeming to suck up any noise made much like a sponge, the light coming from the cracks not compensating well for the lack of lights.

            "Ok, I didn't come just to talk. I'm sorry Johnny for everything," Vicky started gushing. "I miss havin' you around. College certainly isn't what they make it out to be. I don't have very many friends…ok I don't really have a single one. It's kinda lonely…

            "Hey, the first concert of the semester is tonight. I…was hoping you would come…"

            Silence was all that answered her; she sighed.

            "Look, here's the ticket. All the information you should need is on it… I hope I see you there," Vicky set the ticket on the floor, took one last look around, and then hurried out, rushing to the cab.

            Johnny melted out of the darkness of the corner as the door creaked closed behind her, his black ensemble and practice making it quite easy for him to remain as a phantom until he chose. He could hear the cab door slam as she drove off.

            He almost hadn't recognized her…or remembered her, he wasn't exactly sure; his mind presided in a constant state of fuzziness. After a minute or two of her jarring southern accent he recalled who she was.

            Johnny circled the ticket slowly as an animal circles a foreign object.

            You should've killed her, Nny… P-boy taunted. Her voice was enough to make person leap off a building…

            "Shut up," Nny commanded sternly. "I can't kill my sister." He crouched down to pick up the ticket.

            How sentimental…

            Don't tell me you're actually thinking of going… Mr. Eff piped up.

            Ignore them, it would be good for you to go out… Nailbunny added.

            "Hmm…" Nny read the ticket. "I've always enjoyed classical music…"

~          ~          ~

            The concert was superb. Nny had never been present at a better performance. Of course, his seat was also right next to his father, who kept commenting during the entire thing. It didn't help that Johnny was quite underdressed for the occasion, his old, wrinkled shirt, jeans, and boots not fitting in at all with everyone else's grand clothing. Nearly everyone he passed eyed him as a rancid vegetable. It reminded him of why he hated society. This topic seemed to be his father's favorite point to remind him of. Nny dug his nails into the arms of the chair to keep himself from doing anything rash.

            The final song ended with a brass fanfare and a violin solo, which Vicky ended with a flourish. The conductor lowered his baton and the crowd responded with thunderous applause. The conductor bowed and then gestured to Vicky. She rose and bowed herself, in response to a standing ovation, roses landing at her feet.

            Nny stood up and gave his sister applause as well. Despite his father's nagging, the music was soothing. Well, for the most part anyway.

            "She's going to go all the way," His father said softly, though clear enough so Johnny heard. "You should take some pointers on work ethic from her, Jonathon."

            He could not take it anymore. Nny growled and hurried from the concert hall, not even waiting for the orchestra to leave the stage. If he hadn't, bad things would happen and even Johnny knew it would be impolite to go berserk at such a cultured event.

~          ~          ~

Vicky bowed again on the stage, grinning from ear to ear. She looked down at the front row and was even happier; Johnny had decided to come to her performance. She was hoping that maybe she could catch up on things with him now. Unfortunately, to her dismay, Johnny rushed from his seat and to the nearest exit as fast as he could without running, their father glaring after him. Vicky sighed. She should have known better.

            Vicky exited the stage quickly and put away her instrument. She then grabbed the case and her purse, and hurried out to where a reception was being held after the concert. She rushed in the room and was quickly congratulated by a large crowd of people. She nodded politely at them and looked around for her father. He, however, was nowhere to be found. After a few minutes or so, Vicky turned to one of her father's co-workers who had also attended the performance.

            "Have y'all seen my dad?" She asked.

            "Oh, he left fairly soon after your brother did, once you left the stage of course," The man replied. Something in the back of Vicky's head went off like a siren and she rushed out of the hall like a bat out of hell to her car.

~          ~          ~

            He pulled up behind the little grey car that appeared as though it was purchased from a yard sale. The pile of wood that presented itself as his deadbeat son's residence was appalling and he was frankly embarrassed by the thought of being associated by a person who wallowed in such refuse.

            Johnny's father stepped out of his car and hurried up the pathway to the front door. He didn't bother to ring the bell or even knock; he just burst through the front door.

            "JONATHON!" He bellowed. "Where are you?! Get out here this instant!"

            He didn't notice as the door behind him was slowly pushed shut until the lock clicked.

            "Oh why Father dearest, how good of you to visit," Johnny said as the door shut, voice dripping in sarcasm from his spot in the shadows by the door. His father spun around, only able to see the moonlight peaking in from the boarded up windows reflecting off his eyes. "I hope you found the place alright…"

            "Don't you dare take that tone with me, young man!" His father snapped. Johnny didn't move from his spot leaning against the wall.

            "You are a very rude guest, you know that? Not that you really are a guest, so much as a small minded egotistical man whose wasted his insignificant life."

            "Excuse me?"

            "Did you have a reason to follow me all the way here or was it just to irritate me?"

            "Look at yourself, I can't believe this!" His father turned to look around at the dimly lit 'living room'. "This is where your pig headedness got you!" He leaned over to turn on a very small lamp. When he turned around Johnny was breathing down his neck, causing his father to jump a tad.

            "My pig-headedness?"

            "You're a mess Jonathon…"

            "It's Johnny."

            "…This art garbage has landed you in a pit. You're pathetic. I had everything set up for you, but no! You had to have a rebel streak. If only you followed tradition…"

            "Followed tradition?! You pompous egomaniacal bastard!!"

            "Watch your language, boy!!!" His father commanded.

            "I'm not your 'boy' anymore!!! Why in God's name would I want to become a drunken, violent bastard like you?!"

            "JONATHON! YOU HAD BETTER WATCH THAT MOUTH OF YOURS BEFORE…"

            "Before what?! You'll beat me? Again? What a surprise!"

            "YOU ASKED FOR IT, JONATHON!!" He raised his hand to strike Johnny. The 'boy', however, caught his wrist in mid-swing.

            "No, Father, you asked for it." Nny growled. "And by the way, it's Johnny."

            Johnny backhanded him with his free arm, sending his father wheeling onto the floor.

            "Young man, you're going to pay for that…" His father said getting on to his hands and knees. Johnny kicked him in the face, a satisfying crunch signifying he had broken his nose as the body hit the floor again. Johnny stood over him, and leaned down, a dangerous grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

            "Heh, somehow, I think not," Johnny straightened and stalked around his father who cradled his bleeding nose. "All the times I've imagined this moment and now the chance finally arrives! But how to do it…hm…"

            Johnny stopped at a table he had prepared; having known his father was following him.

            "Knives would make it too quick…Drills can be fun…Of course there's always the prospect of poking out your eyes with a sewing needle first…"

            His father tried to get up but Nny, hearing the noise, spun around and threw a rather large ninja star at him, which sliced threw his shoulder, landing him back on the ground. Johnny sighed.

            "For some reason everyone wants to leave before the party starts…" Johnny sighed, turned back to the table. "Oooo…this could work…" Johnny picked up a large, rusty wrench.

            "P…please…"

            "Please what? Are you going to try to beg for your life? How sweet!" Johnny chuckled as he crouched over his father, a harsh sound that reminded one of thunder before the storm. "Ironic, isn't it? All the times we've done this before…"

            "D..don't do…"

            "…And now the tables are turned," Johnny grabbed his father's face roughly and looked right into his father's eyes. They were the eyes of a rabid dog about to attack.

            "Jonathon…"

            "For the last time…" Nny growled, foaming. "MY NAME IS JOHNNY!"

            *CRACK!*

~          ~          ~

            Vicky yelled at the cabbie as they raced to 777. They wove between traffic almost crashing quite a few times and running stop lights. Luckily, the cops weren't out tonight and Vicky made it to her brother's in record time.

            She slammed the car door shut, forgetting to pay the cab driver. She raced up to the door where she finally stopped. She could hear what sound like cleaver hacking at flesh over and over again. She burst through the door to stop her father.

            "DAD! WAI…" She halted mid-sentence, terrified by the scene laid out before her. Johnny hovered over what appeared to be their father, from the clothes anyway. Everything was covered in blood, especially Johnny who was poised with a wrench in mid air, little pieces of flesh dangling from it.

            Johnny was stunned by her entrance, the crazed look on his face made Vicky think he was about to attack her. His eyes did not recognize her, only showing pure, undiluted rage. After about a minute or so, his mind seemed to return to him somewhat and he lowered the wrench.

            "What are you doing here?" He rumbled.

            "I came to protect…well…you…" There was another awkward silence, neither party quite sure what to do. "Is he…"

            "No…not yet anyway…" He chuckled, insanity started creeping back into his voice.

            "Johnny…Are you…"

            "You should leave…" He cut her off.

            "But…"

            "Look, I don't trust myself around people anymore…This matter does not concern you. Justice must be served…" He looked back down at his father's body, eyes glistening. "Please go."

            "Johnny…"

            "I said LEAVE!" He yanked the star from his father's shoulder and chucked it at her in one smooth movement. Vicky ducked out the door, stood there for a moment, then raced back to the cab.