The next day went by in a blur for Mark. His mood swung from high to low at random bursts. At one point he found himself hyperventilating over the dingy sink of the gun store bathroom and an hour later he gave away a .308 hunting rifle to a father and son, purely on a whim. It was hard to care about turning a profit, or making sure the books were balanced. It was hard to care about anything anymore.
Mark closed early and took the phone off the line to prepare for tonight. He checked the thirty round magazines of his 9mm sub machine guns, and the two spare magazines he had for each gun. He loaded and unloaded the hand gun rounds into the magazines, more out of compulsion then any logical purpose, anything to keep his mind in the here and now. He had made up his mind last night, he wouldnt let fear rob him of his decision.
He gave a sideways glance at the backpack where he kept his rubber mask as his fingers worked dexterously. While he longed to put his old face back on, to become the inner animal lurking inside the fat pussy he was on the surface, he couldnt help but feel a wave of dread just at the sight of it. The next time he put on that mask, would be the last time. It would be one of the last things he would ever do. His fingers slipped, and the 9mm round slid from the spring loaded magazine and bounced onto the ground. "Get a hold of yourself Mark." He said to himself. "Not like you had a whole lot to lose, anyway..."
Mark looked up at the clock on the wall. It wasnt even four, and he was already losing his mind. He cursed under his breath and tapped his fingers against the glass counter anxiously. He was starting to wish he hadnt closed early for the night. At least the customers would have given him something to preoccupy his mind. More importantly, it would stop his imagination from predicting what his mangled corpse would look like.
He looked at the phone next to the cash register. A picture of his unit, the Ghost Wolves, all lined up, side by side, in rows, was taped to his side of the counter. He smiled gently at the still image, at Corey and him standing side by side. Corey had a small open mouth smile that almost hid the deep seated sadness that always seemed to be dwelling behind her eyes. He stood by her side, hand clamped gregariously on her shoulder, squeezing her against himself with a big jolly smile across his face. He was proud of himself, he was afraid, he was anxious of what the commies would throw at them, but he was confident. He had a mission, a purpose. He missed that feeling. He had been going through the motions ever since without drive, without purpose.
He ran his finger over Corey's image longingly. "Well, better late then never..." Mark grumbled to himself bitterly as he picked up the phone. He dialed Corey's number quickly and waited with the phone to his ear. His heart sped up rapidly in his chest, anxiety turning his blood into acid. The phone rang, and rang, and rang.
"Hey Its Corey." Her automated voice said followed by a beep of the answering machine. Mark said nothing. He waited for a brief moment as he thought of something to say, before hanging up. "What is there to say?" Mark thought grimly. "Hey, you wont get this in time, but Ill probably be dead when you do, yours truly, Mark..." Mark chuckled darkly at himself, before pushing the phone away in disgust.
Mark checked the clock again. It was thirteen past six, he would have be on his way home by now, if the Russians had their way. A serene calm fell over him as he sat at the counter silently. Already his body and mind were slowly accepting his disturbing reality. A knock on the door awoke him from his quite reflection. He strained his vision to see who the hell couldnt read the CLOSED sign at the front.
A small, chrome-dome headed figure was peering through the glass with a hand over his brow like a visor. It was Ash. "What the hell is Ash doing here?" Mark mumbled to himself. He was dumbfounded. Of all the times to pop in unannounced to catch up, he chose now? He knew Ash back from the war, but he wouldnt necessarily consider him a friend. He would pick up the phone if he knew he was calling, but he wouldnt go out of his way to help the man move a couch either.
He slowly walked to the door, racking his brain for what he would say to the man. Ash smiled brightly through the glass store door, as Mark reached to unlock it for him. Ash quickly pushed his way inside. "Hey Mark, long time no see. Did you know your phone is off the hook? Kept getting a busy signal." Ash said, looking around the place. Mark just nodded with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. "Yea, I was doing inventory and didnt want to be disturbed..." Mark said, hoping Ash would catch the hint. Ash nodded with what Mark knew in his gut to be insincere sympathy. "Yea I know how that goes, sometimes you just need to be in the zone when you work. I swear, my boss at the repair shop was such an asshole. Kept looking over my shoulder, telling me like he knew my business better then me... the worst."
Mark sighed. Ash clearly wanted something, and Mark wasnt exactly in the mood to be hospitable. "Yea, I should really get back to doing inventory though... I want to catch up, Its been to long and all..." Mark said passively. Ash nodded, pretending to be oblivious. "Oh yea, it has been. Hey Ill just follow you back and keep you company then, win win." Ash smiled pleasantly. Mark was more then sure Ash knew he was trying to dodge him, but he also knew Mark was easily influenced.
Mark sighed. He lacked the energy to fight. "Alright, just for a few minutes though, then I really need you out of here." Ash nodded eagerly. "Sounds good to me big guy." Mark walked to the back room and swung the door of the storeroom open. He looked around slowly, trying to think of something to appear busy with while Ash peddled whatever it was he was selling to him. The gun case where he kept his personal beauties caught his eye. "Actually, I'm about done. I was just going to check my new purchase, wanna see?" Mark said, glancing over at Ash behind his shoulder.
Ash shrugged and gave him a smile. "Sure, what did you get this time, a mini gun?" Mark snorted at that and dropped to his knees, popping open the case. Ash stepped into the room and let out a whistle. "Nice... which one is for me?" Ash said with a smirk. Mark grunted and pulled both of the guns from the case. Two brand new Mp5's, a weapon Mark had always wanted. When he served in the war, he looked upon the special forces who used such weapons with envy, even though he was using a large belt felt hog.
"Nice try, these are both for me..." Ash chuckled at that. "Akimbo MP5s? Your a mad man, I like it." Mark smirked and thrust each gun foreword, tilting it to the side for effect. "Took um to the range just a week ago. You go through sixty rounds in seconds." Mark said smugly. Ash nodded. "Sounds like its a rush." "You have no idea..." Mark confirmed.
Ash fidgeted with his hands for a few seconds, before he finally got to the reason he came to the shop to begin with. "So I lost my job recently..." Ash said carefully. Mark figured it was something like that, he also found it oddly humorous he chose today of all days to swing by and ask.
He put the two sub machine guns back in their foam lined case as Ash continued. "...and I was thinking, since I did such a great job setting up your security system..." Mark made a mental note to remember to change the tapes for tonight. Wouldnt want to go out without an audience.
"...you could find me something to do around here, put in a good word for me with Ron." Ash said, hiding his desperation with a charming smile. Mark smiled back smugly. "Yea, Ron doesnt own the place anymore, I bought him out." Mark said. Hope flashed behind Ash's eyes. "Oh yea, no more partner for you?" Mark shook his head. "No more partner, Im the big man around here, more then just my gut." Mark gave his stomach a sharp slap. Ash smirked at that. "I wasnt going to say anything..." Ash said. "Uh huh, but about that job... why dont you give me your number, where I can reach you, and I'll get back to you?" Mark said.
He felt a pang of guilt in his chest. "Well what else could I say? It's not like I really own the place..." While it was true, he was a co owner, the IRS would eventually come looking for the real owner.
A look of surprise, then disappointed washed over Ash's face. He nodded before answering. "Yea sure, here... I have it on my card." Ash reached into his wallet and pulled out the card of the electronics repair shop he used to work. Mark took it from him and scanned it quickly, before flipping it over. Ash had written his name and number on the back in blue pen. "Nice card..." Mark said, holding it up between his finger and thumb, before running it back and forth across his palm, making a ripping sound as the card flexed against his leathery mits. Ash just shrugged, as Mark fished out his wallet and slid the card inside.
Ash looked around, the look of uncertainty, and vague rejection lingered. He clearly sensed Mark was dodging him. His eyes fell onto the black pack back to the side of the gun case where Mark stored his MP5s. "Whats in the bag? Going back to college, big guy?" Mark felt a burst of panic. His"other self" was waiting impatiently inside the school back pack. Mark slowly realized he had nothing to be afraid of.
"Its where I keep my Miami Animal mask. Every day I think about putting it on, taking those two MP5s and cleaning the streets of all the shit, like a grind house film action hero." Mark said with a straight face. Ash's eyes widened, he looked back at Mark, frozen. Mark kept his face calm, knowing the truth was so preposterous that he would never believe him.
The look on Ash's face confused Mark. He looked startled, frightened even, as if he was the one with the blood soaked fantasy within arms reach. Ash's eyes searched Mark's carefully, scanning his face for clues, as if trying to read his mind. Finally, Mark smiled and let out a jolly laugh. "I'm joking, retard." Relief flushed over Ash's face like a tidal wave, before he too laughed and smiled back. "I know! Like you would ever actually do anything like that..." Mark shrugged, an amused smirk still on his face. "You never know..."
Ash blinked, the suspicion creeping once again into his eyes for a brief moment, before he hid it behind a nervous laugh. "Yea, you never know..." Mark looked at his wrist watch. "Well, its been fun but..." Ash nodded quickly. "Yea I hear you. Give me a call though later Mark, I mean it..." Ash said. Mark shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course."
He followed Ash to the front of the store, and Ash let himself out. He stopped on the sidewalk, before turning back around. Mark gave him a wave and waited awkwardly as the young man lingered. Ash eventually nodded back, before retreating down the sidewalk.
Mark narrowed his eyes. Ash was acting weird. Hell, everyone was acting weird today, but he didnt have the time or energy to worry about it anymore. Whatever issues Ash was dealing with, they had nothing to do with him.
# # #
Ash was in deep thought the entire drive back to his sisters place. Mark was always a passive, pliable man. He could always rely on the big man to bend to his influence... except this time, he did not bend. It didnt take Ash long to realize the big guy was hiding something. And then there was the bit about the mask... It was at that moment, he stopped being pliable. He stood firm and didnt budge. It was as if he saw him, the real Mark, for the first time. Ash's mind bubbled with the possibilities, with what it all could mean.
As he turned the keys to the apartment he and his sister owned, he thought about how he would bring this up to Alex. He opened the door, and no sooner then he stepped inside, he could smell the haze of weed coming from his sisters room.
He walked passed the kitchen, and stopped at the door before giving it a knock. "Its open..." Alex said, from the tone of her voice, Ash could tell she was baked out of her mind already. Alex pushed open the door. What he saw on the other side of it twisted his guts into knights. "Jesus... will you give it a rest already?" Ash said.
Alex was sitting on her bed, wearing only her panties and a white t-shirt. Craddled between her legs, she held a small chain saw, squeezed between her knees, the blade pointing up towards the ceiling. She wore her rubber swan mask over half of her face, slid up on her head so her mouth could reach her bong unimpeded.
"When are we going to do it?" Alex said in response. Even through the haze of ganja, the grave weight behind her words was unmistakable. It sent a small shiver of fear down Ash's spine. "Soon... I promise." Ash said, knowing very well it wouldnt be enough to placate his blood thirsty sister. "Words... just words. Its not about words Ash, its about action... violence." Ash winced. "Please, dont go fucking crazy on me Alex..." Alex turned her head to Ash for the first time since he entered her room. She raised her mask even more to let her piercing green eyes gaze into his. Even stoned out of her mind, her blood shot eyes managed to burrow into his. "I know you feel it too. We're the same you and me..."
They say that twins have a special connection, that even other siblings can't imagine. That they can feel and sense things in one another that border on extra sensory perception. Ash whole heartedly believed in such things. He and his sister could communicate non verbally, with simple body gestures and looks. They would sometimes spend entire days without saying a single word, like some kind of game. So when Alex told Ash that he felt it too, the craving, the bloodthirst, he knew she was right. He couldnt lie to her anymore then he could lie to himself.
"I know... we just have to be careful about it. We cant lose control." Alex leaned her head back against the head board of her bed. He could tell by her body language she was disappointed, mildly disgusted with Ash's response. "Its not about control... its about losing control." Alex said, matter of fact.
Ash felt a surge of frustration well inside his chest. "Fuck Alex, tell me I'm not going to come home one night and find some homeless guy in here you chopped to pieces!" Alex turned to him, her mouth partly open in disbelief before her eyes narrowed with indignant rage. "How could you say that?" She slid her mask fully down over her face before placing a finger firmly to her and the masks forehead, pressing it against her skull firmly. A dark purple, number one, was sloppily painted there. "I would never do that, never! I am killer swan number one... you are killer swan number two. We are a team. We are together in this."
Ash sometimes imagined it was his sisters influence that was solely to blame. That when he was apart from his dear sister, the bloodthirst, the fantasies and other dark urges subsided. He wanted that to be the truth but he knew it wasnt. Alex was right, they were a team, they always were, and always will be. They were more then just together in this, they were one. That was their shared fantasy, to be one. Two bodies, one entity with one purpose.
"Say it..." Alex insisted. "I'm killer number two." Ash whispered. "More..." Alex persisted. "I want to put my glock to someones head and pull the trigger." Though he couldnt see it, he could feel his sister beaming at him through her mask. "Yes, more!" "I want to see their brains splat against the wall. I want to taste the red mist and gunpowder in the air."
Alex laughed gleefully, her hands twitching as if involuntarily as they reached for her saw. She gripped the plastic handle of the starter cord and pulled it twice before the engine revved to life. Alex cackled gleefully and pressed down on the throttle, spinning the toothy chain of the saw through the air as she lifted it up.
This snapped Ash out of his momentary loss of control. "Hey shut that shit off!" Ash screamed through clenched teeth. Alex released the throttle but let the engine continue to sputter and whir. "You're no fun..." Alex pouted. "They wont have to work very hard to catch us, if our neighbors can hear the chainsaw running, will they?" Alex sighed and let the engine die, sinking back down into a sitting position and lolling back against her head board. "Fine... what is it you came in here to talk about?" Alex asked knowingly. Ash chose his words very deliberately. "I think there may be a killer number three out there..." Alex's body stiffened. She slid the mask up over her head, casting Ash a longing gaze. "Tell me everything."