Ramon stood near the entrance to the Blue Swan. He looked around him. It was a typical Friday night in Greenwich Village. It was full of life, with people from countless different backgrounds, each playing out their role; some as young couples, some as punk rock teenagers, and others as homeless. Ramon looked up into the clear night sky. The moon was large and full, glowing softly. Ramon swallowed hard. He looked at the blue canopy over the entrance to the small restaurant. He took a deep breath, descended the steps, and went inside.
The restaurant was dimly lit. There were quite a few people seated at tables, mostly couples. A bar stretched out along his right, and a few people were seated at it. One of the waitresses walked up to him.
“May I help you, sir?”
“Um, I-I’m meeting someone here.”
“Who, sir?”
Ramon looked at the different tables. Then he spotted Brianna, who rose to her feet. The brunette wore a tight-fitting violet dress and black high-heels. She smiled. Ramon pointed towards her.
“I-I’m meeting her.”
The waitress looked in Brianna’s direction, and nodded.
“Very good sir. Have a nice evening.”
Ramon forced a smile.
“Thank you.”
Ramon felt incredibly nervous. But he was going to see this through, to the end. He wanted to know what this woman was about. Ramon bit his lower lip, and walked over to Brianna’s table. The beautiful brunette smiled warmly.
“Right on time.” she said softly. “I knew you’d come.”
The two sat down. Another waitress came to the table.
“Would you like to order now?”
Brianna nodded.
“Yes. I’d like a Scotch on the rocks, please.”
“And you, sir?”
Ramon looked at his menu for a moment.
“Uh, yes-let me have a Molson Light.”
The waitress quickly jotted down the orders.
“Very good.”
She took the menus, turned and left. Brianna titled her dark head, her green eyes studying Ramon's face. Ramon made every effort to stay cool on the surface. Inside, he was very nervous. And there was something else...something that Ramon could not quite place. Something that felt odd about this situation...this woman. But again, she drew him back into her green pools. Ramon took a deep breath, and began the conversation.
“I-I’d like to thank you again for finding me and helping to save my life. My parents would have been devastated if anything happened to me. I’m their only child.”
Brianna’s lips curled in a warm smile.
“You’re quite welcome, Ramon. So-what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a security guard at the Museum of Natural History.”
Brianna nodded, her face full of interest.
"Wow! How long have you been one?"
"At this place-three months. I’ve been a guard for about a year and a half now."
"Do you like this job?"
"Well, it pays the bills."
"That's not what I asked." she said with a smile.
Ramon chuckled slightly. He lowered his head.
"I was never crazy about it. But like I said-it pays the bills. ”
"Why don't you get another job?"
"I've tried, but it's not easy. There's little out there. I have been thinking about possibly going to computer school, so I can get some training and find a job in that."
Brianna nodded slowly.
"Hmmm. I see. Well, it's always good to add skills to your resume."
She smiled warmly at Ramon. The inviting smile melted his heart. He felt his member stiffen.
Ay Dios, what am I doing?
He thought briefly about Alexa, and a pang of guilt raced through him. He was seriously thinking of cheating on his college sweetheart. And the worst thing was that, more and more, he didn't give a damn. Ramon licked his lips and spoke next.
"So! Where are you from?"
"Mexico, originally."
"Grew up there?"
"You could say that, yes. I traveled a lot when I was younger."
"How long have you been a nurse?"
"For about 5 years.”
The waitress walked over with their drinks, placing them in front of Brianna and Ramon. Brianna turned towards the waitress, and smiled.
“Thanks.”
The waitress smiled at both of them
“You’re welcome. Enjoy.”
She turned and left. Brianna took a pull on her Scotch. She licked her lips and continued.
“Where do you live, Ramon?”
“Jersey City.”
“Born there?”
“Actually, I was born in Hoboken. Saint Mary’s Hospital. And where do you live?”
“On Christopher Street.”
“Huh! Close by, eh?”
Brianna grinned.
“Yup. Where specifically in Jersey City do you live?”
“On Ocean Avenue, just south of Danforth Avenue. Greenville Section.”
“Hmmm! Okay…”
Ramon took a deep pull from his beer. He set the mug down and licked his lips, enjoying the taste of his beverage. Brianna gazed into her glass of Scotch. She spoke again.
“Actually, there’s a couple more reasons I invited you here.”
Ramon raised an eyebrow.
“They are…?”
“Well, there is something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“What?”
Brianna smiled.
“Actually, I’d prefer we discuss it at my place. That’s the second reason I invited you here. ”
A shiver of excitement and fear fired through Ramon. He swallowed hard.
“Y-Your place??”
Brianna raised an eyebrow, smiling seductively.
“Yes, my place! Problem?”
“N-No! None at all!!”
Brianna rose to her feet. Her dark violet dress wrapped around her tantalizing form. Ramon stared at her large breasts, which bounced ever so gently. He got up as well. Brianna moved over to him, grasping his hand.
“C’mon.”
Brianna led Ramon through the crowds of people, their laughter and banter echoing off the walls. The smells of alcohol and cigarettes permeated the air, but Ramon didn’t pay them much attention. All his attention was focused on the dark-haired beauty, leading him out of the Blue Swan. He knew what awaited him. And his heart beat fiercely in anticipation.
The kiss was a violent one.
Brianna clutched Ramon’s head, thrusting her tongue deep into his mouth. She pressed him back onto the bed. Ramon moaned into her mouth. She maneuvered her left leg between both of his. Ramon felt his gorged member pressing almost painfully into her thigh. He grabbed her buttocks and squeezed them with abandon.
The kiss was broken. Brianna drew back, her eyes hooded. She sat on Ramon, his member pressing against the inside of her left thigh. She raised herself up on her knees, then reached in and clutched his penis. Ramon moaned loudly in ecstasy. Brianna lowered herself back slowly, guiding Ramon into her. She growled with pleasure. Brianna then began to rock back and forth. Ramon reached up and grabbed her breasts. She placed her hands on his, pressing them into her chest. Ramon felt his member stiffen further inside her, filled with the overwhelming sensation of the oncoming climax. Ecstasy tore through him like a thunderous avalanche. He came violently inside her, letting out a scream of pleasure. He felt her legs tighten around his, and she cried out as well in the throes of orgasm.
Brianna lay upon Ramon, and they exchanged a slow, gentle kiss. Then she rolled off to his left and sat up. She looked down at him and smiled.
“Enjoy yourself?”
Ramon sat up, and returned the smile.
“Hell yeah.”
He got up, and walked to the bathroom. Ramon took off his condom and tossed it into the wastebasket. He heard feet padding towards him. Ramon turned around. Brianna stood at the door. She raised an eyebrow.
“You’re heading back to work soon?”
“In about a week’s time.”
“Hmmm.”
She crossed her arms and walked slowly to the bed, sitting down at the foot of it. Ramon walked out into the bedroom. Brianna crossed her legs, placing her hands on her knees.
“Well, then I’m going to need you to do something for me.”
“What’s that?”
“There’s a shipment of meteorites from upstate New York that will be arriving at the museum the last week in August. I need you to get me into the museum so I can get a close look at those meteorites.”
Ramon’s eyebrows rose straight to his hairline.
“W-What?? Why??”
“I’m looking for one that I need.”
Ramon stared at Brianna for a long moment. His eyes slowly narrowed.
“What in the world are you talking about??
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Ramon chuckled harshly. He looked down at the carpet, slowly shaking his head. He then looked back up at the raven-haired brunette.
“Okay…let me get this straight. You want me to get you inside the Museum of Natural History to take a look at some meteorites?! And possibly steal one?!”
Brianna nodded.
“If necessary.”
Ramon bit his lower lip. He crossed his arms, glaring at Brianna.
“All right. Just who the hell are you??”
In that instant, a sharp explosion of pain tore through the area where Ramon had been stabbed. His eyes bulged in agony. He let out a strangled cry, stumbling backwards and falling against the wall. Brianna gazed calmly at Ramon. She raised an eyebrow.
“That’s no way to talk to a lady.”
Another blast of pain ripped through his left side, into his chest. It was worse than the last one. Ramon cried out and fell onto his side. He stared at Brianna in terror.
“Call 9-1-1!! Call an ambulance!!”
Brianna did not move. She studied him quietly, her face filled with indifference. Ramon’s eyes widened in shock.
“What are you doing?! Do something!!”
Two more ferocious blasts of pain surged through his left side into his chest. Ramon twisted convulsively on the carpet, clutching his chest. He gasped, and let out a high-pitched squeal of agony. Brianna’s eyes grew cold.
“Do something? I’m doing it. I’m making you suffer.”
Ramon turned quickly towards Brianna, his face filled with anger and terror. Brianna slowly ran her tongue over her top lip. She spoke again.
“It hurts, doesn’t it, Ramon? The reason you’re alive is because of me.“
Another explosion of pain. Ramon arched backwards, his torso rising off the blue carpet. He screamed at the top of his lungs, collapsing back onto the carpet. He gasped heavily. Brianna rose to her feet, standing over Ramon. A frigid smile curled her lips.
“And the reason you’re in pain is because of me. I’m messing around with your insides right now.”
Ramon stared at her. Brianna chuckled.
“Don’t believe me? You’re going to feel four blasts of pain in your chest, right about now.”
They came out of nowhere. Four successive blasts of pain, each more savage than the last. It felt like an anvil had been dropped onto his chest. Ramon folded into a fetal position. He made a loud gurgling sound. He rolled to the bathroom entrance. Ramon began to cough violently. Blood sprayed from his mouth onto the pink tile. Ramon crawled into the bathroom, over to the toilet. He grabbed the sides and pulled himself up, twisting himself into a seated position. He stared at Brianna in soul searing terror. The dark-haired beauty chuckled.
“You counted, I hope? Four blasts of pain. No? Maybe you can’t count well. Let me add two more.”
White-hot eruptions of pain tore through Ramon’s left side and chest like a freight train. Blood sprayed out of his mouth once more, landing on the tile between his spread legs. He gasped heavily, leaning back against the toilet. His face was pale. Ramon’s eyes were wide open. Tears rushed down his cheeks in torrents. Brianna stood at the entrance to the bathroom, looking down at Ramon. Her eyes narrowed.
“You wanted me to save your life.” she said in an cold voice. “And I told you there was a condition involved. Remember?”
Ramon stared at her in confusion. Brianna bared her teeth in increasing anger.
“Think back.” she growled.
Ramon’s mind swam. He thought back to that night…
…and remembered. Ramon nodded erratically.
“Y-Yes…” he whispered.
“Then you also remember that I said your wound was bad, and that you weren’t going to make it. The fact is, you should have been in a grave for the last several weeks. Not here, with me. The only reason you’re alive is because I’m keeping you alive.”
Ramon swallowed hard. He spoke again.
“W-What are you?!” he gasped.
Brianna smiled.
“Your best friend, or your worst nightmare. Which one I’ll end up being is up to you.”
Ramon stared at her. Brianna’s smile turned into a snarl.
“Get up.” she hissed.
Ramon slowly got onto his knees. Clutching the doorknob, he pulled himself up to his feet. Ramon leaned against the wall, gasping. Brianna stepped up to him. He stared into her emerald eyes, which seemed to glow with a greenish fire. She raised an eyebrow and spoke.
“Remember this-you’re mine. No one else’s but mine. I come before everyone else. Your parents, your girlfriend…everyone. And you’d better remember that, if you want to live.”
“W-W-What is it that you want me to do?”
“I only need you to let me get access to those meteorites I’m talking about.”
“W-Why?”
Brianna’s right hand snapped forward, clutching Ramon’s face like a bear trap. He squealed slightly in pain. The brunette bared her teeth in rage.
“You’ll learn things on a need-to-know basis. Put on your clothes and get the hell out of my apartment.”
She released him. Ramon staggered over to the chair near the bed, where his clothes lay. He picked up his pants and sat on the edge of the bed, slipping them on. He stared at Brianna, who stood near the doorway. Her arms were crossed, and she glared at him with a cold malevolence.
What the hell did he get himself into here?!
This was a nightmare Ramon simply couldn’t wrap his brain around. Who was this woman? What was she?! Ramon mechanically reached for his blue T-shirt, slipping it over his head. He looked towards Brianna again.
“W-What did I do to deserve this??” he asked in a trembling voice. “W-What are you??”
Brianna chuckled, shaking her head. Her lips curled into a smirk.
“Fate placed you in my path, Ramon. As for what I am? Depends on whom you ask. Let’s just say that I’ve been around for a long time. People worshiped me once. They feared and respected me.”
She walked over to the edge of the bed. Her eyes narrowed.
“With your help, I’ll regain my former glory.”
Ramon proceeded to put on his socks and shoes. He rose to his feet. Brianna drew closer. A cold smile crossed her face.
“I’ll be in touch with you soon. Remember-you’re alive because I wish it. You should have died that night you were stabbed by that thief.”
Her smile curled into a snarl.
“You’re going to keep your part of the bargain. Otherwise-you’re worm food.”
Ramon stared at her in sheer terror. He bolted out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. He could hear Brianna’s laughter echo in the halls behind him.
Ramon sat in his blue Honda Accord. He absently bit into his hamburger. His eyes wandered over the parking lot, stopping at the newly built medical center on Grand Street. It was a beautiful day in downtown Jersey City. A cool breeze flowed through his car.
But Ramon barely noticed it. He wasn’t paying much attention to his hamburger either, or his surroundings.
All he could think about was what happened last night.
What the fuck did I get myself into here?!
Ramon ran through it, over and over in his head. He kept trying to process the following…
I am a dead man walking…
I’m being kept alive by this…woman…this…thing…
He swallowed the food in his mouth. The only reason that Ramon was eating at all was due to the fact that he couldn’t ignore his hunger any longer. Ramon had spent the entire night awake. He had wandered the streets of New York for a few hours, then returned to Jersey City. Arriving at his apartment, he got into his car and went for a long drive-to Fort Lee, Paramus, Westwood, then back south, down to Jersey City. He had parked here at the Grand Street parking lot at around eight-thirty in the morning, and had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion. It was a little after two-thirty in the afternoon when he woke up. He walked over to the fast food restaurant nearby and bought lunch and a beverage.
This all had to be some crazy nightmare… None of this could be real!
But it was.
The pain he felt last night was very real. The green glow in Brianna’s eyes was real. He could sense something about her…some power , some sort of energy that flowed into the air around her,which enveloped him and consumed him. And even now, Ramon felt it course through him. Ever since the stabbing and the hospital stay, Ramon had sensed something peculiar about the way he felt…as if something was not quite right, somehow. And he couldn’t quite describe what it was he felt. But after encountering Brianna last night, he knew what that sensation was.
It was Brianna herself. He could somehow feel her inside him. Ramon couldn’t explain it. He just knew it was her…
“Hey-how you’re doing!!”
Ramon looked up. A black, middle-aged homeless man stood in front of the Honda. He smiled a nearly toothless smile. The man wore a ragged red T-shirt, black pants and a black baseball cap. Ramon grimaced.
Oh, I ain’t in the mood for this shit…
The man wandered around to the driver’s side. Ramon’s window was almost fully up. He raised it completely and locked the door. The homeless man frowned deeply.
“Oh man, I ain’t gonna hurt ya!”
Ramon gazed at the man emotionlessly.
“What do you want?”
“Hey…I just need some money to buy food. You got a dollar for food?”
Ramon sighed. He turned to his right and pulled out some onion rings from his bag. Ramon lowered the window a tiny bit and stuck them outside.
“You want food? Here.”
The homeless man frowned again. He took the onion rings with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.
“Aw man, you ain’t gonna give me nothin…” he mumbled.
He walked off. Ramon sat back and sighed. He ran his hand down across his face.
What am I going to do?!
He didn’t have a clue. What would he do? Tell someone? Who the hell would believe such a story? Some raven-haired woman putting some sort of spell on him, holding his life in the balance? Holding his life at ransom, forcing him to do something?
He couldn’t believe these thoughts were running through his head. But they were.
Ramon felt as if he were on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.
But somehow, someway, he had to stay cool, had to keep focused. Ramon had to think about how he could get himself out of this situation. He was stumped, though.
This can’t be real, this can’t be real, this cannot be real!!
Ramon dug his right fist into the steering wheel. He couldn’t sit still any longer. Ramon placed the hamburger on the bag at his right. He started up the car, driving out of the lot. He continued up Grand Street, heading up the hill past Communipaw Avenue. He passed a small park and a large church on his left. Eventually, the road curved towards his left, and he was on Ocean Avenue. He headed up this street for a while, until he reached the corner of Warner Street and Ocean. A large apartment building stood at the corner. He pulled into a parking spot and shut off the motor. Ramon picked up the hamburger and got out of the car. He shut the door and walked onto the sidewalk, over to the door of the apartment building.
He got in and bounded up a flight of steps to the second floor. He slid his key into the lock of the door marked 2A. Opening it, Ramon stepped inside.
He was home.
Ramon closed the door and finished what remained of his hamburger. He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. A small bottle of orange juice sat there. He took it out, closed the refrigerator and walked out of the kitchen to the living room. He looked out the window down onto Ocean Avenue below.
My God…what do I do?!
He opened the bottle and downed the orange juice. Ramon smacked his lips and tongue.
He felt the exhaustion finally take hold of his body. Ramon placed the empty bottle on a nearby table and plopped down onto the sofa, stretching out on it.
Ramon was simply too tired to think any more about this situation. His body was screaming out for rest, and he had no choice but to obey. But Ramon knew he couldn’t get too comfortable. He had a bear of a problem to deal with, and he had to get a grip on it somehow, some way. His eyelids closed. As sleep slowly took over, Ramon’s last thoughts were about Brianna and her glowing green eyes…
Those eyes…
Those eyes that consumed him, filled him, owned him.
His last thoughts were about escaping those eyes, and about how laughable that idea seemed.
It was a bright, sunny Sunday morning. Ramon was at the supermarket a couple of blocks south of his apartment building. After he did his shopping, he would head down to Hoboken to visit his parents. Ramon wanted to take them into the Bronx to visit relatives there.
Ramon looked at his shopping list. He had already gotten his hands on detergent, bleach, and some bread. Now, it was time to get some ground meat. He rolled the shopping cart down the aisle, making a right at the end of it. Before him was the meat department. Standing in front of the counter was a tall, bulky man with long curly blond hair. He wore a purple T-shirt and denim shorts. Ramon walked over to his left side.
“Byron?”
The man turned to his left. He had lipstick and mascara on. A big smile crossed his lips.
“Hey Ramon! How are ya?”
Ramon returned the smile.
“I’m doing all right.”
“How’s Alexa? I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Oh, she’s busy. Real busy. It’s been tough for her to find free time.”
The tall man sighed, nodding.
“I hear that.”
“That’s the one thing I miss about being a kid-all that free time. You don’t have all those worries an adult has.”
Byron shrugged.
“I dunno…with some people, you trade one set of bad circumstances for another.”
Ramon smirked, nodding.
“Yep. You’re not kidding.”
The man behind the counter came over with meat in a clear plastic bag. He handed it out over the counter to Byron.
“Here you are, sir.”
Byron took the meat and nodded.
“Thank you.”
The man turned to Ramon.
“What would you like, sir?”
Ramon pointed to the meat he wanted.
“I’d like two and a half pounds of this, without all that extra fat. And I’d like it ground up, please.”
“Two pounds? All right.”
The man took out several pieces of the meat Ramon wanted. He got a piece of wrapping paper, placed it on the scale, and then put the meat on top of the paper. After checking the measurements, he put the meat in a clear plastic bag and walked into a room on his right. Byron turned to Ramon.
“How are you doing? How’s the wound healing up?”
Ramon nodded absently, gazing at the door the butcher went through.
“It’s getting better. It’s uncomfortable, sometimes.”
He turned to Byron.
“I go back to work next Monday.”
“Wow! Really? That’s pretty cool! So-you’ll be guarding dinosaur bones again, huh?”
Ramon chuckled a bit.
“Yep.”
“Ramon?’
The two men turned around. It was Brianna. She wore a dark blue T-shirt and jeans. The brunette walked down the aisle towards them. Ramon let out a sigh. His eyes narrowed. The raven-haired brunette walked up to him, smiling.
“How are you?”
She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Brianna lingered a bit longer than Ramon liked, and he pulled away. Byron raised an eyebrow.
“Who’s this?”
“I’m Brianna.”
She extended her hand out to Byron. He shook it.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Brianna responded.
She turned towards Ramon.
“Say Ramon, we need to talk.”
“I’m kind of busy here right now.”
“It’s important.”
Ramon bit his tongue, trying to control the rage building inside of him. Byron looked down at Brianna, and grinned.
“Well, I’ve got to go anyway.”
He turned to Ramon.
“Nice seeing you Ramon! Hope to see you again soon.”
Ramon forced a smile.
“Me too. Take care, Byron.”
The tall man turned and walked off, disappearing down another aisle. Darkness crossed Ramon’s features. He turned towards Brianna.
“I’m on a tight schedule here.” he hissed. “After this, I have to see my dad. He’s sick-“
“That’s not my problem.” answered Brianna in a cold tone. “And as I said, I come before everything else.”
“He’s a sick old man-“
“And you’re a dead man walking.”
Ramon bit his lower lip. He drew out a deep, ragged sigh.
“Please. Don’t do this to me. I’ll help you with what you need-but you have to cut me some slack. Please.”
Brianna’s expression remained impassive. She said nothing. Ramon drew closer. Anger and fear were on his face.
“I’m begging you here. He had major heart surgery last year and he’s a diabetic. He recently started dialysis. I have to go with him to his cardiologist tomorrow. We need to discuss what medicines and things he needs to bring over. His sight isn’t good and he needs help understanding some of the stuff the doctor talks about.”
“And what about your mother? Why can’t she help?”
“She has a tough time comprehending some of what the doctor talks about, and that role’s fallen on my shoulders. They need me. They’re expecting me.”
Brianna looked at Ramon for a long moment. Then she spoke in a quiet, harsh tone.
“Now you listen to me, and you listen to me very carefully. Your parents had better get their act together and start figuring out how not to depend so much on you. Like I said-you’re a dead man walking. I’m the one keeping you alive here. At any time, I can will your insides to fall apart like they should have. I was able to trick the doctors who operated on you into thinking you’re recovering. If it wasn’t because of my blood running through your veins, you’d be dead.”
At that moment, Brianna began to gag, then cough. It was a loud, hoarse cough. She doubled over a bit. Ramon stared at her. She stopped coughing, drawing a few deep, raspy breaths. After a long moment, Brianna stood erect. Ramon could see a tiny trickle of blood ooze down the right corner of her mouth.
“You’re bleeding.” he said.
Brianna’s eyes widened a bit. Ramon could see a hint of fear in them.
“Where?” was the terse reply.
Ramon pointed to the right corner of his mouth. Brianna reached for that spot on hers. She wiped the spot and looked at her hand. She bit her lip at seeing the blood. Then Brianna looked at Ramon.
“Tomorrow night.” she said quietly. “Six o’ clock. Your place. You had better not have any plans.”
Ramon swallowed hard. He stared at Brianna. A few moments passed.
“We need to make it five o’clock.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“What??” she growled.
“Five o’ clock I can do. I-I can’t do six.”
Her lips pulled back in a snarl. She drew closer.
“Are you fucking with me Ramon?!”
“Please. Hear me out. I have to meet with my mother at six tomorrow evening to go shopping.”
“And why can’t this be done earlier?!"
"M-My mom is at her sister’s."
"And why can’t you go with your father?!”
“B-Because he’s been feeling really weak lately. He’s been throwing up a lot. He’s not up to going out. My aunt suffered a bad fall and broke her wrist. So, my mom’s been helping her around the house. We made arrangements to meet at six.”
Brianna clutched Ramon’s shirt, tugging him close. Her eyes met his.
“I’m letting this go Ramon…for now. It won’t happen again. I’m not going to rearrange my schedule to fit yours. You don’t want to piss me off. You know what I can do.”
Brianna drove her forefinger into Ramon’s chest. She dug it in. Ramon winced in pain.
“Five.”
Poke.
“O.”
Poke.
“Clock.”
Brianna bared her teeth.
“Keep the appointment. Not keeping it could prove bad for your health.”
She turned around and walked off. Ramon stared at her. Rage, fear, and bewilderment coursed through him. He hated her. He hated being some meat puppet for some…creature whose motive he didn’t understand.
Most of all, Ramon hated himself for not being able to do a damn thing about it.
Part 3