For the time being, this post has been rated M for mature (sex, language, and violence, in that order of depravity.) Please proceed with caution.
Characters:
- Jack Riel: College-aged. Music Major at Pittsbury State. Plans to pursue a career in film scoring, but currently fronts the cover band, Refinery. Unaware Son of Eve. Adopted son of state-level politician Ward Riel and community college art-history lecturer Laura Riel. Named for John Kennedy.
- Melody Lilly: Riel’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. Business major at Pittsbury, counter-girl at Tattoo Stoodio. Met Riel at one of his bar concerts when they were both under-aged. Rebellious, disrespectful, and not a favorite of Riel’s parents, who don’t want to see their relationship get any more serious, but don’t want to be the stereotypical political parents who treat their children like accessories.
- Carmen, Zoe, Diana – Melody’s roommates. Gloria.
- Jane, Molly, Christine, Dalia.
- Gus Severson – keyboards/manager, Tim Thorn – bass, Tim Barrons – Drums, Angel(a) Cleary – Second Guitar
- Greta
Act I. How Riel learns that he is not alone.
Note: Find/Replace: Riel’s “Oh my God” has a capital G, whereas Melody’s is with a lower-case g
Scene
(Scene opening – invitation to a Halloween party)
Riel is on the freeway, only slightly reckless on his motorcycle. He cuts between cars that have stopped – traffic is at a standstill because of trick-or-treating. It’s Halloween night. Beneath Jack’s leather jacket and jeans is a “Hero of Ohio” costume, complete with prosthetic pecs and six-pack.
Cut to Melody’s townhouse apartment. She’s upstairs, dying her hair “Bethani Jones red”, and cursing about how late she is. Her Tiggrr costume is unzipped and slumped around her hips.
Downstairs in the living room, her spiky-haired room-mate Diana is laying in front of the TV, guiding a motorcycle through traffic in a console game. She’s wearing most of a French Maid’s costume. Zoe, clothed in a black dress, is laying on the couch, earbud wires trailing from the side of a head, a biology textbook held at arms length above her. The doorbell rings. Zoe doesn’t hear it. Diana doesn’t acknowledge it. Upstairs, Melody hears it and goes back to scrubbing in the red. The doorbell rings again. Diana: “Zoe. Door.” Zoe doesn’t hear that, either. Melody sighs. The doorbell rings again, and Melody comes down the stairs, towel over her shoulders. She opens the door wide.
The fourth roommate, Carmen, pushes her back from the door as she leads in a friend and closes the door. Tonight she was a nun, and her friend was a schoolgirl. “Mel! God, you’re in a bra!” “So?” “What if I’d been a perv?” “Then you’d get a free look, and anything else would cost you your balls. Who’s the pretty girl?” Carmen’s friend smiled and dimpled. “Gloria from work, remember?” called Diana from the living room. “Oh, now you can hear!” “I was in a hard part!” “Work coffee or work the warehouse?” “The warehouse,” Gloria answered for herself. “I know Di and Carmen both from there.” “Yeah – all the guys at the warehouse stare at her, so we figured we’d bring her tonight and pick up her scraps. I told her to dress like a slut, but…” “But you took the costume first?” “Shut up!” Carmen dodged the flying pillow.
Carmen clapped her hand to her mouth. “Oh my god! Did you already hear what Di did today?” Melody shook her head. “Curly – you know, the foreman at the warehouse? During the all-hands this morning he was talking about all the guys spitting on the stockfloor. It’s really gross. So he said the next person who spit, he was going to make lick it up. So, during break she walks over to Mario – this new guy-” “Who is very cute” “Yes, he’s cute, but she spit on his ear! And then she told him she had to lick it out.” Gloria: “She was very thorough.” Diana was standing by them now. “Oh my god, he was so embarrassed. It was great.” “Well?” “Well what?” “Did he pant all over you or ask you out or something?” “Sort of. I told him later that it was a free sample, and next time would cost him dinner at Friday’s. I gave him your cell-phone number so you could screen him in case he turns out to be a dork.” “Great. Thanks.” Diana went back over to the living room and pulled out Zoe’s earbuds. “Zoe!” “Studying!” She reached for her earbuds again. “Company!” Zoe glanced up at Gloria. “Oh, sorry! I’m Zoe.” “Gloria.” “Carmen’s friend from work?” “And Di’s.”
Zoe looked at the clock. “Hey, is it time to go?” In her mouth were plaster vampire fangs. “No – we’re waiting for Melody, still.” “Don’t wait for me… I still have to rinse this out. Besides, I’m going with Jack on his bike, and there isn’t room in your car anyway. Go ahead and we’ll meet you there.” “I don’t want to go before it’s dark.” “I want to go before the beer runs out!” “God, Zoe – there will be plenty of beer. Don’t you need to study, anyway?” “I can’t concentrate with these things in. I keep biting my cheek. Oh, hey – Mel – yours are in the bag on your bureau.” “Thanks!” “Anyway, I want to get pictures of everyone before we go, and I want to get you and Jack together. What is he? Some comic book character, too?” “Jack’s always late. He’s late to being late.” “God, Zoe! I’ll buy you beer, okay?” “Well, I’m going back up to wash this out. Just let me know if you leave, okay?” Melody goes back upstairs, the girls sit down, and Diana goes back to playing her game.
Cut back to Riel, now stuck in traffic in the streets. He can’t cut between cars when they’re stopped crossing lanes. Trick-or-treaters cross the crosswalk in front of him. He glances at his watch. “Shit!”
Back again at the townhouse, the doorbell rings again. Carmen calls out, “Jack’s here – finally!” as she goes to get the door. She opens the door, and outside are 4 girls in Vicky-style dresses and capes – obviously dressed as vampires. “Oh. Hey.” “Hey, sorry to bother you. Were you expecting someone?” “No, it’s okay. I mean, we were, but it’s alright. Can I help you?” “This is going to sound funny, but can we borrow a cup of sugar? Or a bag of sugar, really?” “Trick-or-treat?” The vampire girl laughed politely. “No – we’re suppose to be baking some cookies for this party over in 302, but we forgot the sugar. Someone said they thought one of you cooked?” “Oh. Not really. But we probably have some sugar, if it’s okay if it’s old.” “No, that’s great.” “Do you need anything else? Come on in and I’ll show you what we have.” “Thanks!” The dark-haired vampiress flowed in through the doorway, tugging on her wide skirts so they wouldn’t catch, and her three friends followed her in. The last held a digital video camera and turned it around the room. “Oh, sorry – Molly’s in journalism. She films everything. Is that okay? That’s Dalia, and Christine. I’m just Jane.” “I’m Carmen, Gloria’s the schoolgirl, Diana’s the slut, and Zoe’s the vampire like you.” “I’m a Buffy vampire.” “Whatever.”
Jane followed Carmen into the kitchen, Christine wandered over by Diana and Gloria, and Dalia sat by Zoe. “Where’d you get your fangs?” “One of the dental school guys does it for the the theater department for real cheap. How about you?” “Oh, we’ve had them for awhile. We’re vampires every year.” “Doesn’t that get boring?” “Not really.” Molly, who was standing by the door and filming, began to draw the shades across the windows. “Oh, do you mind? I’m getting a harsh light from the sun. The overhead light is so much better.”
Jane led Carmen back out of the kitchen, a sugar bag in hand. “You should really come to our party tonight. All four of you.” “Well, we already made plans.” “Come to ours first, just for a few minutes?” “I don’t know. We could do that, I guess.” “And your friend – just leave a note for him on the door telling him you’ll meet him there. If you go straight from our place, you’ll probably get to your party the same time as him.” “Yeah…” agreed Carmen. She stopped to scratch out a note on the top of the post-it stack. “Let me just-” “I’ll take that.” Jane caught Carmen’s wrist and plucked the post-it free. She handed it to Molly, who quickly reached out to pin it on the nail, then shut and locked the door behind her.
“Hey!” Jane clapped a gloved hand over Carmen’s mouth and pulled her into a tight clasp. “Shhh, now!”. By then, Dalia was already wrapped around Zoe, and Christine had caught both Gloria and Di. Di was fighting, until Christine squeezed and there was the sound of a crack and pained yelp from Di. While Jane pulled Carmen over to the couch to sit her next to Zoe, Molly pulled a table over to the other side of the room, and set the camera up on a small tripod to face the other seven women. She then turned the volume up on the TV, set down the remote, found the controls for the Stereo and turned that on as well. She then checked the camera again, crossed the room to take Gloria from Christine, and sat on the floor.
Jane, with her glove still covering Carmen’s mouth, smiled condescendingly at their four captives. Carmen and Gloria were crying. Zoe was blanched and shivering. Di was crying, but her eyes were squinting in anger. Jane looked at Christine. “These are the four? The right names?” “The right hair – you can’t expect me to remember their names. Definitely the right address.” “Okay.” Jane turned back to the four. “I’m sure you’re all very frightened and wondering what’s happening and what we want with you. Let me just assure you all now – tonight you are going to die.” There was a whimpering gasp beneath her hand. “We are serial killers; and very good at it. So you will die, that is very certain – but how painful it is depends on what you do.” All of the girls were weeping openly now. Dalia turned up Zoe’s face and dabbed her tongue against the corner of her eye. “It’s okay to cry, my dears – it’s okay to weep, to sniffle, to whimper. If you’re particularly dramatic, please cry right here into our cleavage – the microphones are in our bodices, and we do so want to hear you again and again later. It’s okay to beg and plead for your life, as long as you don’t whine. It’s not okay to scream, or bawl, or try to break anything. If you do, we hurt you. Please feel free to squirm and struggle, but try not to strain yourselves too much, as it’s utterly pointless, other than to turn me on. So, there you are – you may play along with us, and your deaths will be lovely and pleasant and gentle, like the petals falling from a rose in their season. Or you may disobey and we will… Let’s demonstrate.”
“You, Dear – the French Maid. Will you give me a good scream? Just one, now.” Diana shook her head vigorously. “Come now. Well, then – Christine?” The blonde gave Diana a firm squeeze under arm, and there were several loud cracks. Diana’s scream was hoarse, then carried up loud and clear, like a bell, before Christine had her hand back over her mouth. “Yes. That’s the one scream for tonight. Now, dear, I know it’s not fair because I made you scream, but I’ve never made a practice of being fair to dinner. Chris? The blonde flexed her fingers, and the tips sprang into sharp points, like claws, through her gloves, then dug into Diana’s side. “Ooh… I think that was your kidney. You won’t be needing it after tonight anyway.” Diana was shaking, and her eyes streamed. “Now Chris, show her a little Mercy.” Without moving her other hand from over Diana’s mouth, the blonde laid her down and closed her lips over the flowing wound she had just made. Her cheeks tensed and sagged as her teeth and tongue worked through the black satin and the torn flesh, and Diana’s shuddering subsided, soon becoming a slow writhe. Chris’s hand slipped down from her mouth and found her breast. “How does that feel, dear?” “It doesn’t hurt anymore.. It’s – it’s like having sex in my hip.” “Oh, lovely. Christine, I think she wants more!” The blond lifted her head, and not even her makeup was smeared. She pulled down the cups on Diana’s bodice and closed her mouth over one of the nipples. “Oooh!… But I don’t want to die!” “Tell it to Christine, Sweetie – she’s the one that’s eating you.”
Upstairs, Melody hadn’t been interested at the new voices – none of them were Jack, had paused for a moment when the music blared up over Diana’s game, and stopped utterly still when Diana’s scream pierced the floor.
Melody grabs an aluminum bat and creeps down the stairs. Christine has made a Diana mess on the floor, and Jane, pausing a moment from Carmen’s neck, chastises her sister and sends her into the kitchen for supplies to clean it up. They don’t want to leave a mess. Christine is glutted and foggy headed; she doesn’t notice Melody but to turn and see the bat smack into her head. While Christine is reeling, Melody grabs the chef’s knife and thrusts it into Christine’s chest. Feeling that she is still living, she ends up straddling her and stabbing again and again until her chest is minced. She looks up to see the three bloody-lipped women standing at the edge of the kitchen. “What a waste…”
Melody holds the knife out toward them and tells them she will leave now. She will just walk away and not come back. “You’d just leave your friends? They’re not dead yet, you know. Well, most of them, anyway.” “I’ll just walk away. The nearest payphone is a block away, so the cops won’t be here for a few minutes. Get me? A Deal…” “Honey, no-one’s leaving here alive tonight.” Melody grabs the phone behind her and has barely hit one when Jane grabs the phone from her hand and crushes it. Melody turns and plants the knife in Jane’s belly. Jane winces, and Melody turns the knife. “I’m not the only one who’s going to die, then.” Jane grabs Melody’s wrist as she pulls the knife from her stomach. It clatters to the ground. Jane pulls Melody’s hand to her breast. “What do you feel, huh? Cold flesh. No pulse – there – I just made my heart beat. I’m already dead.” She nod’s toward Christine’s body; “So was she, but you fucked up her corpse pretty good.”
Jane looks back to Melody. “Look, girlie, I’ll make you a Deal. I told you you were going to die tonight- that’s not changing.” “Fuck you!” “Be quiet and listen. Don’t piss me off. You’ll be dead, but if you want it bad enough, you’ll walk out with the three of us. You can fill the vacancy you created.” “What do I have to do?” “Eat her flesh, drink her blood (Christine)”. Melody shudders. “Trust me, honey – by the end of the night, you won’t be able to stop yourself.” “I’ll do it now.” Jane smiles. “Gooood. But it’s easy enough when it’s dead flesh.” They look back to the living room where Carmen is sprawled out on the couch, pale and still, but her eyes are alive and fixed on Melody. “What about her?”
Outside the townhouse, Riel pulls his motorcycle up the curb and to the front door. Without getting off his bike, he rings the doorbell. And waits. He rings it again. And waits. He flips up the face of his helmet and squints at the note on the door. Tired of waiting – Gone on ahead. Meet us there. He hears the music, so he knocks and rings the doorbell again, but there is no response. He rolls the bike back to the window. He cups his hands over the glass, but can’t see through the cracks in the curtains. He shakes his head, snatches the note from the door, and jumps the curb to roar off toward the party.
At the party, he takes off all of his stuff and starts moving around. He nods at a few people and gets a cup of beer, and has a few brief words, but he keeps moving as he looks for Melody or her friends. Someone says, “Nice costume, dude. Where’s Tiggrr?” “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Back at the townhouse, Melody is being drained, with Jane at her neck, and Dalia and Molly each at a wrist. She is pale and limp, and gritting her teeth as they dig into her wounds and make no effort to mask their feeding with pleasure. Jane murmurs to her between suckling. “Feel your heart beat. Feel the blood rushing in your head. Feel them. Focus on them. Remember them. That’s what you need to remember.” Melody’s eyes go wide, and she shudders, and the three lay her flat on her back. Jane stands above her. “You’re dead, honey. Feels weird, doesn’t it? But sort of familiar, like deja vu or something? Now, this is the hard part. You’re going to need to hold onto your body, no matter how alien it feels. I remember it felt like wet clothes to me – once you get it off, it’s just not the kind of thing you want to climb back into. But you have to, honey, or else you’ll be dead, got it? Hold on.”
Jane clips her forefinger between her fangs and as a drop of blood forms on the surface, she sticks her finger in Melody’s mouth. Her sisters do likewise. “Drink it, baby. This is your life. The blood is the life. You can feel it on your tongue, can’t you? And your throat? That’s right – you can feel it! Can you make your tongue move? Can you swallow? Gooood… keep trying. Try hard now, before your body gets cold. Try HARD! Good… good! No, no – keep swallowing. I know it burns. Dolly – can you bring Christina over? I think she might be ready for solid food.”
At the party, Riel’s asking around about Melody and her friends, but no-one’s seen them. “Did you call their phone?” “Yeah… it went to message.” “What about her cell?” “Straight to message, but she usually forgets to turn it on after work, anyway.” “Did you try Zoe’s cell?” “No – I don’t have her number.” “I think I got it. Hold on. Hold on. It’s ringing. It’s her Message. Hey, Zoe – it’s Katy. Give me a call tonight, okay? Don’t worry about it, Jack. They probably just went to another party on the way here. Or maybe Carmen got another ticket and they’re all in jail. Jeez, I’m just kidding. Give them another hour. They’ll show up.”
At the townhouse, Melody is kneeling precariously over Christina’s destroyed body. Her face, hands, and costume are smeared with blood – she looks something like a real tiger. Jane is behind her, keeping her stable, and Dalia and Molly are back in the living room drinking their girls. Carmen is still alone on the couch. Jane: “Okay, honey – can you stand? It’s kind of strange learning to walk again, isn’t it? But this time you remember how it should feel. I’ve got you. Let’s come over here and get some real live blood into you, okay? You’re going to realize in just a few minutes what a big gift it is I’m giving you, by letting you have her life. And your first one a nun! But don’t worry – I don’t think she’s really a virgin.”
As they arrive at Carmen, she lets out a hoarse whisper. “Melody…. Please!” “Oh, Melody! What a pretty name. I hope you’re not too attached to it, though – we’re going to have to give you a new one. But it will work for tonight. So, Melody, how do you feel about your friend begging you for her life?” “Hungry.”
At the Party, Riel is digging in the jacket room for his outerwear, and tugging it back on while Katy and her date stand in the doorway. (he (a member of’s Moses, she’s The Statue of Liberty. They got a bulk deal on stone tablets.) “Do you want us to come with you, Jack?” “No, no – I’m on the bike, anyway.” “Well, call us when you get there, okay? We’re getting worried.”
Riel rides off on his bike.
At the Townhouse, the downstairs has been mostly cleaned up, and the four bodies of the girls aren’t to be seen. Jane is holding three heavy black trashbags; Melody is doing well to hold herself up. Jane is saying to Melody, “Everything stays here with your name – address books, cell phones, love letters, favorite bra. You can’t take it with you. But don’t worry. By this time next week, you’ll have a better wardrobe than you ever had before. And even more delicious friends.” Molly says as she and Dalia come down the stairs, “We should have about 10 minutes before the candles start the lines, and then about 2 minutes until the place is a flash. The one called Zoe had her passwords saved, so I emailed the suicide note to her whole address book.” Dalia adds, “The furnace is wide open. Did you get the stove?” Jane says, “Can’t you smell it? It’s been pretty clear outside the last few times I checked, so one last glance and to the car? Come on, Tiger.” “Is that her name?” “Why, do you like it?”
Riel sees the light from the fire even before he gets to the complex. He leaves the bike and pushes his way through the spectators as the firemen hose down the inferno coming from two rows of townhouses.
Scene
(scene opening – the newspaper clipping on the fire – news of the services)
The funeral is pretty sparse, even though it is for all four girls – Riel and his friends/bandmates, his parents, a couple of the girls friends, and scattered members of their families. Melody is mourned by her estranged mother, half-sister, and brat half-nephew and niece. Riel doesn’t recognize everyone, including some pale raven-haired girl who he keeps thinking is staring at him, even though she’s wearing black sunglasses and crying. He remembers the saying about funerals and weddings, and wonders how much of an asshole it makes him to think of starting a conversation with her at his girlfriend’s burial.
None of the girls had close family; Carmen was a foster kid, Zoe was a state’s ward, Diana had spent several of her formative years in juvenile hall, and Melody had been out of the house since she 14. They had been their own family since freshman year, and no-one came forward to question the suicide. Zoe was a Wiccan and a lesbian, after all – she was certainly capable of having planned their group suicide. That’s what the fire marshall ruled, and there had been an investigation – there had to be for insurance purposes.
Riel’s parents, being rich, and leaders of the community, had paid for the funeral and were hosting the wake. They spoke about how sad it was to see such promising lives end so suddenly, and Riel thinks about how they were never that excited to see her with him, anyway. But they were very good parents, and they didn’t pressure him about it, and wouldn’t even if it came up in his father’s campaign. Strange that Riel, an orphan as well (but adopted), had become part of his girlfriend’s parentless family.
Riel retreats to his room to play his guitar, and two of his bandmates find him up there. They know it’s a bit crass to discuss it now, but the keyboardist/manager Gus tells him that he booked a show for them in Philly next weekend. And that tour manager is going to be there this time, he promises. They’re really serious about that Mid-Atlantic/Tri-state tour. They can front the Willoughbys – who are supposed to show a top-40’s on Monday. This is good news. “Beside, wouldn’t Melody want him to continue on with the band? That was kind of their thing, since she met him at their first show. Their relationship was kind of the mascot for the band, but she wouldn’t want them to stop.” “She wouldn’t give a damn, really. She’d be pretty pissed off about being dead, is what she’d be. But she wouldn’t really care if the band went on or not. Whatever made me happy.” “Well, it’s your band. Your decision. But the rest of us really think that if someone’s willing to give a cover band a tour deal, that they should take it.” “Yeah. Yeah, they should. Hey, did you see that girl at the funeral – the one with the black hair? And the bobby-beats-me sunglasses? Do you know who she was?” “No, Katy was asking me the same thing.” “Did you see her downstairs?” “No… I don’t think she followed everyone out of the cemetary.”
In another part of town, in a darkened loft apartment, the raven-haired girl walks in the door. Jane and Molly are sitting on the couch, legs mingling, and reading a book and magazine respectively. “How was it, Tiger?” “Pretty boring, actually. Not surreal or anything, like I was expecting.” “I told you not to go.” “I should have listened.” “You should be spanked. I was serious when I told you not to go. Someone might have recognized you – your eyes, your voice, something. Or worse yet, you might have started talking to one of your old friends and wanted to fall back into your old life. That would be dangerous for all of us. If I trusted you even a mote less, you’d be ended right now for your disobedience.” Melody’s reply is somewhat stilted – she’s only now getting used to showing deference. “Thank you for your trust, Mother Jane. Rest assured that there was no-one there I wouldn’t have eaten.” “Good. Because if you ever find yourself in the situation, that’s exactly what I’d expect you to do, without a thought.” “My stomach’s growling already.”
Scene
(scene opening – a snippet from the interview article with Refinery. Interviewer asks Riel if they’re improving songs, and he says that they look for ways to take good lyrics and tunes and add to them – they’re not improving or fixing them. But they would never cover a song they didn’t like their version better than the original – they’d just let the original stand. Songs they wouldn’t cover? Most anything by Nirvana, or Rage against the Machine – those need the original voices. But they’d do bluegrass or gamelan, if they found the right song. Reviewer asks him what his favorite song is, and he says, Ever heard of Mellowdrone? Good band – look them up. This was an early song, when it was a him instead of a them – “Fall on your knees.”)
Riel is on the road with Refinery. The tour ended before his senior semester started at U Pittsbury, but Refinery has a contract offer to record a full-length of their covers, based on the sales of the EP. If Riel has written a song by then, it will be the bonus track on the CD. He has a continuance from the University, and the encouragement of his advisor. He just got off a 2-hour call with his father, who was cautiously encouraging, and had him build a table of pros and cons. Riel smiled as he thought that he might be able to write a song if he just had some angst in his life, but his parents made sure he knew he was loved. Of course, there was still the death of Melody. There’d been a few girls since then, but none for more than a few days, because she still lived in the back of his mind. A lot of the songs they covered were about death, anyway – he should be able to come up with a few lines on the topic. And “Melody” was the perfect name for a song.
The mini-tour they were on now – shared billing with Argue in Silence – was taking them back to Pittsbury next week with a one-day break. He’d stop by Melody’s grave and put her to rest then.
At the show that night (his parents were in the audience, which was kind of embarrassing), he saw that raven-haired girl again. This time he knew she was watching him. Very intently. He tried to catch her after the show, but by the time he’d thanked his parents for coming, and started looking, she was gone.
He dreamt about Melody that night.
When he went to Melody’s grave (he told Gus to wait in the car), she was there, behind the stone. They kiss. “You taste like… like Melody.” (He thinks at first that maybe it is another of Melody’s half sisters). “You taste delicious.” (She sounds a little like Melody, too.) “I could just eat you up. But it would be too messy here, in the grass. Maybe if you ever come to L.A.. I live there, now.” “We’re going there next month to record.” “Well, good. I’ll save an appetite. My friends call me Tiger.” “My friends call me Riel.” “I know.”
Scene
(Scene opening – “Thanks” section for the album. Includes Thanks to Melody for the use of her name. “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”)
Riel give his full attention to recording the record, but in his off time, he looks for Tiger. He had no idea that LA was so big. Of course, he’d heard about it, but it’s different to see it in person when you’re flying in on the airplane (open scene with him on the plane, descending over Riverside, etc, and asking how he’ll ever find Tiger).
He visits clubs, bars, etc., describing Tiger and asking if anyone knows her. Of course, it is a fruitless venture. He’s not desperate about it, but he is persistant, and he turns off more than a few girls who are interested in him by asking about her. He plays shows, and now that he’s written a song, more come, though slowly. They cut another single and EP of songs not on the album almost immediately, and they continue the tradition of songs he writes being hidden tracks or b-sides on the singles.
Scene
(opening – “Girls Girls Girls type add outside pussycats (all live nude girls! – what, no partially-live girls?), along with other billboardy/neon advertisements)
On the last weekend of their LA trip (before they leave for a week in Pittsbury and another Mini-tour in the Northern mid-west and Canada (they’re big in Saskatchewan), they guys want to take him to a strip club – “Pussycats”. He wants to spend the last night looking for Tiger, but they convince him that he’d really like to go with him.
At the club: Riel ” How’s this for a line? Why is my love always like Snow White set to a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack?” Gus – “That’s both deep and moronic.” “So, perfect for our band, you’re saying.” “Yeah.”
And at the club, of course, one of the dancers is Tiger. She does a show, and sees him but doesn’t acknowledge him until she comes back out later, pushes her boot up between his legs and onto the chair between his thighs, and asks if he’d like a private show. He agrees. On the way back to the room, Tiger asks the DJ to give them the “loud stuff” in her room. She winks and slips him a 20.
In the room, Melody clearly thumbs through Riel’s wallet and takes out a bundle of twenties and sets it on top of a table, where the camera in the corner can see it. She then begins a dance for Riel while she talks to him, always facing away from the camera. (as she strips, she rubs warming oil on herself – “I like the way it feels”) “You know, I’m flattered that you’re interested and all, but could you be a little more discrete? Half of the valley knows that you’re looking for me. I’m going to have to be in a video of yours or something just to give you a reason for your Holmesing.” “Sorry.” “I mean, what is it you want? I can give you the best blowjob you’ve had for $100. Or 50/50 for 175.” “That’s … not what I was hoping for.” “Well, you came to my work, Riel – I have to do business.” “You’re pretty hard to find outside of work.” “You’re looking in all the wrong places.” She’s sitting in his lap now, and pulls his head down into her bare cleavage for a tussel. She then lifts his chin for a long kiss. “The kiss is free – it’s a loss leader. But I’ve got quotas to meet, ya know? $80 for the BJ. I already have the money out of your wallet. Which would you really rather have – a fantasy for the rest of your life, or a couple of CD’s?” Riel hesitates, and she smiles.
When she leads him back out of the room, she tells him that he should stay and enjoy the other dancers as well. He’s walking almost bow-legged, and is a bit faint. “That must have been some show she put on for you!” Gus’s Katy says. Riel wants to leave, and they all offer to get up with him. He tells them he really needs some food, so they go across the street to a sandwich shop and sit around for an hour or so until they all have dinner in them. Then Riel tells them he’s going to go back and wait to talk to her after hours, when she isn’t on the job. “There’s something special about her; I’ve just got to talk to her again. Who knows – there might even be a song that comes out of it.” They offer to stay with him, but he’d rather wait by himself – who knows how long he’ll be.
After they leave, he starts to head back toward the club doors, but he thinks better of it. He didn’t know if he’d be able to leave with her if he’s a patron – she probably leaves through the back doors. So he goes around to the back doors. Beside, it would probably be cheaper to be mugged in an alley than to spend another 3 hours in there. The back door does open after he’s been back there for half an hour, and the girl who comes out is very concerned and cautious, and she tells him in no uncertain terms that he can’t be there, and she’s going back in to get a bouncer, and he would regret still being back there when the bouncer gets here.
Riel is no fool, but he is persistant. He finds a metal staircase up to a fire-escape balcony a hundred feet down the alley, and he unscrews the light at the top. In his black leather jacket and dark jeans, he becomes invisible. At least the, bouncer doesn’t see him when he comes out a few minutes later. The bouncer walks with the girl down the alley, almost underneath him, and past him to a waiting sedan, which takes her away.
Riel’s new perch is better, anyway, as he can see over the tops of some of the buildings. There’s actually a church of some kind the next street over – probably a Catholic church since he could see the top half of a statue of Mary. (His parents were attending Catholics – more for the tradition and politics than the theology), but he hadn’t been since high school.) He can see billboards, the D in the Hollywood sign, and even some stars. People said they couldn’t see stars in LA, but there they were.
An hour or so later, the door opened again, but again it wasn’t Tiger. It was one of the girls with her John. As far away as they were, Riel could hear them clearly. “It seems dangerous out here.” “Whatsa matter, baby, you scared? There’s no-one else out here. The only one you have to be scared of is me.” “This is LA. Isn’t there somewhere inside?” “I told you, all of the rooms are busy. I’m giving you a discount, remember?” “Well, make it fast.” “Tell me how fast you want it after I start, huh, baby?” She unzipped his pants as she crouched, reach inside and went to work. The man shuddered, and his knees went limp. “You like that, baby? Nice and slow, right?” Riel chuckled. That guy looked how he felt – they must have some secret Kama Sutra technique. The weird thing was, her head was barely moving – it was like she was barely doing anything.
“What are you looking at, my son?” Riel’s skin jumped. Mary was standing next to him. Yes, that Mary – the one from the statue. In fact, the pedestal of the statue was empty. Riel crossed himself, but otherwise attempted to remain calm – if you’re going to hallucinate, the best thing you can do is not get crazy about it. Mary looked past him toward the back door of the club. “That’s an evil thing you see there, my son.” “Evil, Mother? Maybe a little sinful, but…” Mary smiles graciously. “That’s not what I was referring to – not exactly. That’s just a crude pleasure, like a child’s toy. Look closer.” Riel turned back to the scene, and saw that she was no longer crouching, but pressed up against her john, probably outside him from the way she moved, her face buried in his neck. The man’s painfully blissful smile looked dangerously close to lockjaw. “More closely, my son.”
Riel sighed and stared. They were a hundred feet away, in bad lighting, but… She seemed flushed, where she had been pale before, and he had her old color. She was – fleshier, where he was drawn, like the shrunken husk of boiled corn. And she was chewing on his neck. “He has no chance of knowing his God in heaven, for she has stolen his soul, and damned it to an eternity of slow digestion. She is the Devil, my son.” “Well…? I – can you save him?” “No – he is lost forever. But you can make sure that he is the last she condemns to torment. You must kill her.” “What? How do I do that?” Mary was gone – gone from the balcony, and still gone from her pedestal. “How do I do that?’ Nothing. “I can’t just go up and kill someone.” “When something must be done, it can be done.”
Riel creeped down the stairs as quietly as possible. Of course, it had also crossed his mind that if he went slowly, she might be gone by the time he got there. She was still there. He looked around. Maybe there would be a piece of pipe or something. Hey – it was LA – maybe there would be a gun. He wasn’t that lucky. What he did fine was stacks and stacks of cracked and warped wooden pallets. Maybe.. He found a broken piece, about as long as his arm, and jagged on one side. Almost like a stake. He pulled it loose very quietly, and held it like a sword as he sidestepped toward his enemy. His heart raced.
She was on the otherside of a dumpster from him; he was planning how to attack. Then the dumpster lid was thrown open, and she was at the front of the dumpster, slinging in the body of the man like it was a light load of laundry. He was in full view of her now; he froze. He had no plan. “Follow your instincts.” “What are you doing?” She had see him – or heard his heart beating, as loud as it was. “You think I couldn’t smell you from 20 yards? Is that a stake? How droll!” Riel crossed himself again with the stake while the stripper waited with her hands on her hips. He took a deep breath. He really needed a plan.
Too late! She was on the move. Everything was so slow, like he was trying to move at the bottom of a pool – everything but her. She knocked the stake from his hand and batted him back against the brick wall. “I just might have room for seconds after all.” He winced as he pushed himself back to his feet; his shoulders had hit hard. She moved again, and again everything slowed but her. But she was making mistakes – leaving openings – telegraphing her moves; the kind of things anyone who had watched enough Bruce Li movies would notice. He ducked and spun, as quickly as he could move (very slowly), and got behind her. She seemed surprised when her hand hit the wall, and he wasn’t there. “You’re a wiley one!” she said while she shook out her hand. Riel groped behind him, not taking his eyes off her, and found his broken board. If he could just get her to run herself onto the stake. It was the oldest trick in the book, but she didn’t seem to have read the book. Then she was on him again, but again he wasn’t there; he kept the stake between them and, bracing the butt of the stake against his chest, lunged toward her as she turned back toward him.
It didn’t go in smoothly. He had to keep pushing, but her struggles actually helped. After what seemed like minutes, but was certainly less, she fell to the ground, on her back, with the stake sticking straight up.
“You have the right idea with the stake.” Riel glanced back over his shoulder. Mary was standing there, her hands clasped together insider her sleeves. She cast a look of compassionate grace down on the staked woman. “But you have bad aim – that is not where her heart is.” “Is that why she’s still gurgling?” “Yes. She will be very angry in a few moments.” “What do I do?” “Destroy her head. Use this to crush her.” She motioned toward the dumpster. “That’s disgusting! And too heavy to lift.” “I will lend you strength, my son.” Riel shook his head, but found handholds at the closest corner of the dumpster. Mary stood behind him, with her hands beneath his elbows and spoke in his ear. “You should not look if you do not have to. It is bad for your soul to become calloused to destruction.” Riel nodded and closed his eyes as he lifted. The dumpster was incredibly heavy, but at the very limits of his strenghth, the side he was under came clear from the ground. He drug it a few feet, until he was standing over the body, and let it back to the ground. He didn’t hear anything, so he opened his eyes, and saw only darkness. Then the hand came away from his eyes and turned him around, so he was facing Mary. “You did not need my strength, but you must value your innocence, so I covered your ears and eyes, beloved son. You have done enough for tonight – I will see to this body. You must flee. Yes, this way. Go, child.”
Then Riel was running back down the alley. He didn’t remember that he was waiting for Tiger until the cab had him halfway back to hotel.
Scene
(scene opening: brides quote from Dracula?)
Riel and his band fly back to Pittsbury, where Riel spends some time with his parents (who are proud of his success in the band, but are concerned with his moods and his future). He tells him he’s thinking of going back on the anti-psychotics (sertindole) again. Really, why (worried)? Same reasons as before. Their home is a bit of a mansion, and his room is very seperated from his parents’ – it was a nursery before, and only the nannies were visitors that way. It’s been so long and so infrequent that his parents went down that way that they never do now – when his Mom comes the one time to talk to him, she looks around like seeing it for the first time, and says she feels like she’s intruding.
Riel is no idiot, and he knows that Tiger is what that woman he killed (exterminated, destroyed? not murdered?) was – a vampire. But if she’s a vampire – undead, that means she could be Melody. She didn’t look like Melody, but the way she talked. And she knew his name. And there was something in her eyes.
Riel spends the week, and the better part of his next tour obsessing about vampires. He reads Dracula, watches dracula, reads Anne Rice novels, and reads the Bible. Of course, he still does research on the songs he will cover, but while he’s browsing through an alternative bookstore for good obscure music, he finds Montegue Summers. His band jokes that Halloween is another 9 months away, but he says death and sex are good topics for a metal band. And beside, he’s actually written songs, a few of which are even good.
He is having dreams, too, the same one or something like it, over and over again. He dreams of Mary standing at the foot of the cross. Blood is dripping to the ground around the cross. Mary takes the cross from the ground, and it is a sword, which she hands to Riel. As he holds the sword, it becomes his arm. Sometimes, it’s just bits and pieces of the dream, or it goes different directions. In at least one dream, there are figures at the foot of the cross, lapping up the blood. Riel starts wearing a cross pendant.
After their northern tour, Refinery is back in Pittsbury to develop the next album. They play odd shows in the local scene, where they’ve developed a bit of a following. It’s at one of these shows that Tiger appears. She catches him at the merch table after their gig and takes him back to her hotel. Riel wonders how she found him, but he has a website she can track him on, of course – through his band. (But he never told Tiger he was in a band – Melody would have known.) She tells him the band has gotten pretty good. She found one of his albums in LA, and she likes it. She’s been thinking about him since L.A. – she would have come sooner, but she needed an excuse. And now there’s a convention in New York, so she rented a car and he’s here – the pieces fell together. When she sits beside him on the bed, he tenses, and she tells him she’s off the clock, so he should relax. As they begin to kiss, Riel’s eyes close, and he sees Mary’s face. He opens and sees Tiger, closes and sees Mary. The differences between their faces is striking – Mary’s is graceful, loving, trusting, while Tiger’s is shallow – a black mask just behind her hungry eyes. Riel turns off the light. “Don’t you like what you see?” “You’re beautiful – like someone I used to know. I just want to feel right now.” A while after they’re done, Tiger turns on the light but lays sprawled in bed. “God, I… usually after sex I feel energized, but I feel like I’ve just eaten Thanksgiving dinner. I could lay here all night. I can’t believe I have to be back in New York by the morning. And back here again tomorrow night; I’m not done with you yet, kiddo. I’m not settling for one night every few months.” Melody used to call him ‘Kiddo’. He has another show tomorrow – Can he come to the hotel after his show? She’ll meet him here. What’s his cell phone number, just in case?
The next day, to the chagrin of his bandmates, he does leave them after the show again. They tell him that if all he’s after is a booty call – he’s in a band, for goodness sake. He’s charming. But someone’s got him tied around their finger. Riel drives over to the hotel in his jeep, and on the way, he passes his parent’s Church. He notices that the statue of Mary seems off – she’s missing from it. That’s because she’s sitting in the seat beside him. “I did not raise my sons to be fools.” Riel immediately pulls over into the parking lot of a drugstore. “What are you talking about?” “You know full well what she is, but you return to her arms. ‘Like a dog to its vomit…’” “Look, have you ever lost your girlfriend?” “No…” “This wasn’t a breakup – this was death. But it’s like now she’s back.” “That isn’t your girlfriend.” “Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck.” “As you said, you’re girlfriend died. Ask her who she is.” “I will, when I see her tonight.” “And you’ll give her a taste of your soul!” “What do you want?” “Destroy her!” “I’d rather try to save her.” “She is beyond saving – she is what she is by her choice.” “How do you know?” “If you cannot bring yourself to end her leechcraft, at least use her, as she is using you. She will lead you back to more like her.” Riel stares ahead. He doesn’t know how to respond. “I love all my children, but you have a special place in my heart of your own, Jack Riel. That is why I worry for you. I’ve seen too many of my champions fall into that abyss. You do not yet see the precipice you walk.” “I’ll be careful, Holy Mother. But I have to see her.” (Of course, Mary is not worried that he will be killed, and find himself in her arms; she is worried that he will be eaten and find himself a dynamo for some vampire.) Mary kisses him on the forehead. “Bless you, my child.” Riel waits until he sees her back on her pedestal before he pulls back into traffic.At the hotel, Tiger has been waiting for him in the room. He calls up to the room, and she has him wait 15 minutes. When he goes up, Tiger has the room scattered with candles and is wearing lingerie. Riel says he should have taken a shower, but she’s glad he didn’t – she likes him to smell like himself.
Later, they’re laying in bed with the covers strewn about, and Riel says, with as much off-hand casualness as he can muster, “I missed you, Melody.” “If I wasn’t used to guys calling me all kinds of things, I might be angry. I told you, my name is Tiger.” “Tiger Lilly.” “Just Tiger. Jack – Melody is dead.” “Are you related to her, then? I thought you might be when I saw you at the funeral.” “Why would you think that?” “You just have so many things in common. I mean, your nose and lips are different, but the eyes. The voice. That way you lean on doorway when you walk through. And you have those same three moles inside your thigh, Melody.” “Never call me that again, or I will be angry. Especially never outside this room. Melody is dead forever. Look, just take this for what it appears – your old girlfriend is dead, and you met a new girl who is better in every way, including sex. Especially sex. And she has an interest in you.” She kisses him. “Why that interest?” “Why ask? Isn’t it enough that it is? Stop asking these stupid questions. If you believe that I am your re-incarnated dead girlfriend, that’s kind of cute, but don’t go telling anyone else your crazy ideas.”
That’s the first night Riel can actually feel her biting him. She bites him again and again throughout the night, while she thinks he’s sleeping.
He does eventually fall asleep, and when he wakes up in the morning, he is pale and tired, and Melody has left him a note thanking him for paying for the hotel. All of her stuff is gone. Melody always used to do that.
Notes:
does this sound like you?
- Experience intense emotions and sensory experiences including vibrancy of colors?
- See ghosts or UFOs?
- Have religious visions?
If this sounds familiar then you might unknowingly suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy which is characterized by recurrent seizures arising from one or both temporal lobes of the brain. The symptoms can be so mild, unlike the typical epilepsy we are familiar with, you wouldn’t even know you have it.
Some great artists, including Lewis Carroll, Edgar Allen Poe, and Dostoevsky, and a great many very religious people have temporal lobe epilepsy. They would probably be surprised to learn physical differences in their brain so deeply shaped their personalities.
Scene
(Scene opening: The words of the Virgin of Guadalupe:
“Know and understand well, you the most humble of my son, that I am the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. I wish … to exhibit and give all my love, compassion, help, and protection, because I am your merciful mother, to you, and to all the inhabitants on this land and all the rest who love me, invoke and confide in me; listen there to their lamentations, and remedy all their miseries, afflictions and sorrows.”
“Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.”
“[K]now, my little dear, that I will reward your solicitude and effort and fatigue spent of my behalf. Lo! go now. I will await you here tomorrow.”
)
Riel is distracted for the next week with thoughts of Mary and Melody. His bandmates sense it and try to get him to spill the beans. He’s been trying to write his song for Melody, he tells them, and he keeps thinking about her. And that girl he’s been seeing – the one from LA – he sees a lot of Melody in her. The band is sending off samples of their reworked songs to the producer in LA, but what they’ve been coming up with is crap so far, and they all know it.
Jack leaves a session in the middle of an argument. They couldn’t see how he would want to cover Christina Aguilera and not be cynical. While he’s outside smoking, his cellphone rings, and it’s Tiger. “Look, I really want to see you again, but I can’t get out of the city. It’s my last weekend here before going back to LA. Can you drive out?” She gave him the address.
Riel goes back in, cooled down, and once they wrap it up, he heads out in his Jeep for New York. Gus expresses some concern.
So Riel drives to New York City. Note that the road is mostly corridors of trees. He stops off for drivethru, and Mary is in the car beside him. She reminds him of Fish on Friday. He asks her if she wants anything. “No, my child. Thank you for your charity, but I just a miraculous vision.” He asks her if she’s going to tell him not to go. “No, beloved son. Though this night will be your most perilous yet, it is not physical danger you should fear. I am your health, your protection from harm, and you are kept within my fold. It’s not the danger, but that you would fail to protect yourself from danger, so infatuated are you with your unholy lover. But I have faith this infatuation will soon be over.” “Holy Mother, don’t be offended, but if you’re not here to warn me, why are you here?” “I’m coming with you.” Of course, Riel doesn’t like this, but she explains what she means – she leads him to the gift shop of the Catholic church across the street, and he buys a tiny Mary statuette. She helps him find one that is flattering. He leaves it in the car seat on the rest of the trip, but when he finally arrives at the motel (not that classy) Melody has led him to, he slips her into his Gym bag.
Melody is waiting in the room again, and again has prepared for him. “I hope you don’t mind, Jack. I was telling my friend Greta about you, and she wanted to come along.” Riel manages to slip the Mary figure into the nightstand drawer early on, which is good, because he spends the better part of the night in fuzzy handcuffs while they work him over. True to her word, Mary leaves him alone and doesn’t peep. But while he is asleep, the Mary figure appears to him in his dream. She tells him not to move, or he may wake up, but she will let him hear what the two are saying about him. Greta asks Mel if she will eat him, after remarking that she was right. “Are you kidding? I’ve never had anyone that rich. I get drunk off sipping. Besides, I’m thinking of keeping him as a pet and tapping him.” “You can’t do that! God, it’s bad enough that you knew him in your life and you’re seeing him again. If the Veyl ever found out…” Silence. “No, I won’t tell – you’re the one who couldn’t keep her mouth shut and had to tell someone. I’m glad you did, though.” “Have you ever tasted one like him before?” “Never. …But remember I told you that I was Gabbi’s pet for a couple years? Long time ago. I tasted her once, and it was … well, I mean, she was mixed blood, of course, and cold, but it was thick like this. Half as thick, maybe. Less. I almost passed out it was so strong. I don’t know how you’re handling this.” “The first night I had him, in LA – I didn’t let him see it, but I barely made it back to the couch before I passed out. And I didn’t eat again for a month. I couldn’t – every one else smelled like shit after that.” “Wait, you fell asleep? Actually out? God, Tiger – you gotta be careful. Did you …. you know. Did you dream?” “No.” “Oh. Be careful, though. If he ever saw you with your teeth out. Who knows. You’d probably be done for. I can’t believe how easy Jane’s been on you. She’s slipping. Look, enjoy it while you can, but you ever see him pinned up on a Veyl post, you just walk on by. Even better if he disappears. You might be a favorite, but you don’t want to know what happens if a Mother smells your toy and becomes jealous. Or if they find out you’re in contact with your life.” “Alright, alright. Jeez, I thought I was doing you a favor – vintage wine or some shit. I didn’t expect a lecture.” “I may not be in your line, but I’m your elder. Show some respect.” “Alright, sorry. I’ll be careful. What a killjoy.” Greta sends Melody out for sunday toppings (“Hot fudge, whipped cream, cherries… you know, the works. It will be fun.” “Make sure to save me some!” “Well, don’t take too long!” Mary brings him back into his dream. Riel is exultant. She still loves him – she wouldn’t kill him. There is still good in her. Mary tells him he’s wrong. She has made the choice to become who she is – she would not give it up, and she could not give it up now, anyway, any more than Riel could give up breathing. She tells him that he is not the first son to try, and none have succeeded. But he feels that he, too, must try. Mary tells him that if he would see his lover saved, he must first see her survive. She has seen into the void of Greta’s heart, and betrayal is there.
As soon Melody/Tiger leaves, Greta wakes Riel, dispelling the dream. She tells him that they’re leaving the hotel, and Tiger has gone on ahead to set up the surprise for him. She hurries him to the door – they leave only partially dressed, and without checking out of the hotel (“We’ll be back before the morning.”). She drives his car away from the hotel, and ends up in the garage of an abandoned service station.
“I thought I might have you to myself for an hour or two.” “Here??” “I know we’ll be alone. C’mon, there’s a couch in the office.” “Jeez, Greta, I’m kinda tired.” “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll do all the work.” Later – Greta cuffs him to the desk “Tiger’s not coming, is she?” “No, baby. I’m a bit greedy, and I’m not planning on giving you back.” Greta shows her teeth, and her plan – she will either keep him and take his strength (Mary’s worst fear), or if he is smelt out, she will present him as a prize to her Mother. For the first time Riel is bitten with no pretext. This time it hurts, and Greta seems to enjoy that it hurts – she adds a little pleasure into it and takes it away, and seems to enjoy the reaction. When she breaks off, she’s gasping, “Oh, God, oh God, Oh God! I’m going to have to be careful with you if you’re going to last. You stay right there. I’m going to go clean the bones out of your cage.”
When she leaves, Riel begins struggling with the handcuffs, but gets nowhere. He hears Mary’s voice – “I’ve already lent you my strenth, glorious son. To doubt it now is blasphemous.” Riel somersaults backward onto the desk he’s cuffed to and snaps the chain between the cuffs in an easy yank. “Now avenge us upon her!” Riel sees a pushbroom in the corner and breaks off the brush, leaving a jagged handle. With the crouch of a jungle hunter he steals to the general floor and finds Greta sprawled out in in a deskchair. She appears to be unconscious or dead. He’s tempted to leave her. “What she has done to you would have killed your mother, father, or your friends. And she will wreak this horror a thousand times if you do not end her now! She will surely kill your Melody!” Riel obeys and with clenched jaw he thrusts the broken handle into her chest. He is using his full strenth – the stake skewers her and shatters against the metal in the back of the chair.
Riel is slumped in the car (he passed out and could not make it out of the door either) when his cell phone rings. It’s Melody/Tiger, and she’s furious. “Where are you?!” “Aughh…” “You left me with the hotel bill! Where’s Greta? Is she with you? Did you…?” “She kidnapped me, Melody.” “Oh… Oooohh! Oh my god! Where are you?” “Some abandoned Garage. Orago Avenue.” “Stay there. I’ll find you.” But Riel doesn’t stay. Now that he’s awake, he drives through the garage door and heads out of town. (Pulled over by a cop as a drunk driver?) There’s a message for him on his phone when he get’s home. It’s Melody, and she’s found Greta’s body. “Jack, what have you done?!”
Riel goes back to Pittsbury and swears he is done with this, despite Mary’s urgings that it’s his destiny, and warnings of what will happen when they come after him. The band puts together some of their best music, due to Riel’s instability. They record a record in a local studio, and one of the songs becomes a single on the radio. But Gus realizes Riel is spinning out of control, and asks him what’s going on. Gus is a very old friend, and Riel reminds him of when he had the stigmata when he was 13.
Later, Melody calls Riel after some time of no communication. She asks him to meet him again – she has to warn him of something. He shouldn’t bring his Jeep or his car – maybe he can trade cars with Gus? Riel agrees to meet her outside of town. Mary tells him it’s a trap, but he knows it already. But the trap is not for him. Melody, strong-armed by her coterie into doing away with this boyfriend they’ve heard she keeps coming back to, breaks into Gus’ house. The jeep that was on the videos from the gas station cameras is parked outside. Jane is dubious, because Gus doesn’t smell or taste special, but Melody puts on a good show, and she calls Gus “Jack”, and he calls her “Melody”. At the rest-stop, Riel waits half an hour before finally pulling Mary out of the glove compartment and her little cloth bag. Though he brought her with him, he’s been loath to speak with her after all of her cajoling. But she tells him what’s happening back at the apartment, and he races back to find Gus has been slain, painfully so. Riel is filled with a holy rage, and he slays all present with his bare hands, with the exception of Melody (“Why did you come back? I was trying to save you!”) and Jane, who is the only one who begs mercy and swears to repent. Riel takes her at her word and allows her to flee. (Molly and Dalia are not there). (There were a half dozen vamps there – first Melody was to slay Jack, then she and Jane were to be punished.)
Melody also leaves, and Riel is left alone in the carnage. Mary’s voice echoes in his head, and he knows he is alone.
