And He decides who to free and who to blame
Everybody won’t be treated all the same
There will be a golden ladder reaching down
When the Man comes around
Johnny Cash
Black Blood
Within the Raven
Have I been forgiven?
A Haven
Of Crows watching Squawking
Drifting above me Hawking*
The music drifted to Ororo’s ears and she woke grimacing as Jubilee’s speakers hammered into her brain. She was in the kitchen, dancing to the music and pouring a large bowl of cereal. She noticed her sister’s rising when she sat down to eat.
“Good morning, sunshine!” she shouted over the music.
Ororo forced herself off of the couch and went straight for the stereo, and she quickly turned the volume down.
“You know a little bit of music is good for you in the morning,” Jubilee said around a mouthful of Coco Puffs. “Helps get ya going.”
Ororo scoffed as she made her way to the coffee pot. “I don’t see how you listen to that stuff so early.”
Her sister shrugged and took another mouthful of cereal. “Gets me pumped up, I sure can’t listen to your stuff, Donna Summers puts me to sleep.”
“This stuff makes me feel like I should be sacrificing a goat, Jubes,” Ororo said, sitting down at the table and taking a sip of her coffee. “So did you get my message?’
She had that you’re in a world of trouble look on her face.
Jubilee shook her head. “Sorry, phone was dead, but once the rain kicked in, Bobby brought me home and we just hung out for a while.”
“Doing?”
“We just watched a couple of movies, so claws in, Missy,” she said. “We were quiet so as not to wake the slumbering goddess from her sleep.”
“I didn’t even hear you come in, I must have been catatonic”
Jubilee snickered. “And snoring like a wounded boar.”
Ororo playfully slapped her sister on the arm. “I was not, shut up!”
“Oh, I tell ya, honey,” Jubilee continued, “it was like the offspring of a chainsaw and a jackhammer crying to be fed.”
Ororo laughed and spit some of her coffee out. “You bitch!”
She stood up and put her cup in the sink. “So are you ready for the fun and adventure today?”
Jubilee did the same with her dishes and rolled her eyes. “Oh boy, yes, I cannot wait, watch me hyperventilate in anticipation.”
“Get dressed, brat,” Ororo said, grinning. “We leave in twenty.”
Jubilee went upstairs and began changing, as did Ororo.
They both came back about fifteen minutes later, dressed in plain clothes with just a hint of makeup.
“You’re not going to do your hair?’ Ororo asked.
Jubilee scoffed. “What’s the point, it’s not like I’m out to impress anybody.” She ran a hand through her shoulder length black hair once. “Besides, not all of us were blessed with salon quality hair even after sleep.”
Ororo smiled and whipped her hair around her shoulders. “I am cursed, am I not”?
Jubilee rolled her eyes. “I hate you.”
They walked to the truck, got in and were gone a minute later.
Jubilee pulled a CD out of her pack and popped it in.
The music started thrumming in the small confines of the Ranger, much to Ororo’s chagrin.
Rage in the Cage
And Piss upon the Stage
There’s only one sure way
To bring the Giant Down
Defunct the strings
Of cemetery things
With One flat foot
On the Devil’s wing**
Jubilee screeched out the lyrics as Ororo tired her best to ignore
Crawl on me
Sink into me
Die for me
Living Dead Girl
Ororo had never been happier to see the back lot of the diner than she was right now. She shook her head a bit when she stepped out, trying to shake the ringing the music and her sister’s voice had caused in her ears.
Jubilee went ahead of her into the alleyway. Ororo hesitated a moment, but at the sound of her sister calling for the door keys, she proceeded through. She kept her eyes straight ahead and focused on the light coming from one of the street lamps around the alley corner. All the while she did her best to ignore the creeping chill going down her shoulders, and the faint sounds that sounded almost like whispers.
She held her breath those last few moments before she stepped out of the alley darkness. She started down the alley a moment and felt the rise of goose bumps form all over her. The shadows seemed to dance in front of her, as if they were daring her to enter just once more.
Jubilee came to stand by her and waved her hand in front of her face. “I know that turning away from such a interesting spectacle like a dark smelly alley is hard, but ya think maybe we could get started like today? I have one hour before I need to head for school.”
Ororo nodded and reached for her keys to open the door. She walked to the back and threw the main switch to bring the lights on, and she was thankful for the brightness that chased away the lingering feelings of darkness from the alley.
She and Jubes went right to work, setting the coffee pots on and warming up the ovens. Jubilee brought out several large containers of eggs and bag upon bag of bacon. It was only a bit after six, and the morning crew did not come in until around seven, but Ororo needed to make use of the time Jubilee was here to help her. It got hard sometimes when it was just her running the place when Jubes was at school. She thought of hiring someone to help out, while Jubilee wasn’t there.
Maybe an ad in the paper would be just the thing, she thought as she started placing pans on the stove.
The bell on the door rang as it opened and shut.
It was unusual for anyone to be in this early in the morning, but business was business.
Ororo nodded that she would get it as Jubilee kept working on getting the eggs out of the container. Walking through the swinging doors, Ororo saw two men that she had not seen around the town before. She was hardly on a first-name basis with the majority of the townsfolk, but she knew many of the faces around.
But these two were new.
One was a tall stocky man with shaggy blond hair that obscured the look of his eyes; the other was slightly smaller with black hair and eyes a strange color of green.
They took a seat at the counter and planted their eyes on her.
The way they were staring was a bit unnerving for her.
“Good morning gentlemen, can I get you some coffee?”
They both stared at her a minute more before the dark-haired man finally managed a smile and nodded. The blond kept his eyes trained on her until he received an elbow in the ribs from his partner.
Ororo sat the cups on the top and poured them full. “You guys want anything else?”
“I can think of a few things,” the blond said, rubbing his hand over his chin.
Ororo did not like the sound that was in his voice, it made her uneasy. “Excuse me?”
The dark-haired one hit his partner in the ribs again and smiled. “He means that we want something to eat with this good coffee, isn’t that right, Laughton?”
The blond swept his eyes down Ororo’s legs and slowly exhaled. “Whatever you say. Mac.”
The one called Laughton raised his eyes to meet Ororo’s. He smiled at her and Ororo felt like a mouse in the gaze of a Moccasin.
“Eggs, if you would please, and some bacon and dry toast, please,” Mac told her, breaking the silence.
Ororo nodded quickly and went to the back. She could feel Laughton watching her as she went through the doors to the kitchen.
Jubilee was popping her gum and softly singing as Ororo came to stand beside her.
“Eggs, bacon and toast Jubes, and quick I want these guys to eat and get the hell out of here.”
Jubes quirked her eyebrow at her. “What’s the matter?”
Her sister shook her head. “Nothing, just get on it; these two are weird.”
“Sheriff Psycho weird?”
“About the same.”
“I’m on it. Want me to spit in their eggs?”
“Jubes!”
“Just asking.” She cracked some eggs and began scrambling.
The bell on the front door rang again, and Ororo went back out front and was relieved as could be to see Nate walking in with a huge smile on his face. Mac managed a smile at the large man while Laughton kept his head lowered.
“Now there is a sight worth seeing every morning,” Nate said, reaching over and shaking Ororo’s hand. “How are ya doing, Ro?”
She smiled at him, and thanked whatever powers that he was here. “Just fine, Nate, how about you?”
He shrugged. “Ya know how it is, another day on the grind, another day I’m not a rich man, but at least I get to eat like one in the morning.”
“Your usual?”
“If you would, please.”
Ororo went to the back to get Nate’s usual of sausage, bacon, and flapjacks.
He turned and nodded to the two on the other end of the bar. “Morning.”
Mac smiled at him again, a smile that was forced at best. “Morning.”
“You two new in town?”
Mac lit a cigarette. “Just passing through, is all.”
“Where ya from?”
“Is that really any business of yours, Po dump?”
Nate narrowed his eyes. “There’s no reason to be rude, mister.”
Mac laughed. “Believe me, boy, I haven’t even started yet.”
In the back Ororo was pouring the pancake mix into a pan when she heard a shout of pain from the front. She told Jubes to stay where she was and rushed out the door.
Nate was bent over the desk with a gun pressed to his temple, and the one called Mac was holding it.
“Register! Now!”
Ororo swallowed loudly and slowly moved to the cash register.
Laughton was giggling as he pulled a pistol from the back of his pants. “Tell whoever is in the back to bring their ass out front!”
The last thing she wanted was to get Jubes anywhere near these two lunatics. “It’s only me.”
Mac pressed the barrel of the gun tighter into Nate’s temple. “Don’t fuck with us, lady, you bring them out here or I fucking promise you, I‘ll splatter cherry pie all over this fucking place!”
The fear was freezing her voice, not letting her speak.
Mac sighed. “Go see who the fuck is back there.”
Laughton snorted and walked around the bar.
Ororo made her way to move in front of him but he raised gun to meet her at eye level.
“Just sit that ass right here, sugar” he said and walked through the doors.
There was a loud crash and cursing, and Ororo started to go through the doors but was stopped by Mac.
“Don’t you fucking move, bitch,” he said. “Laughton?”
The doors swung open and Jubilee came tumbling out. Ororo went down on her knees by her sister’s side. She was sobbing and there was a bright red spot on the side of her cheek.
Laughton came out holding a towel to his gun arm. There was bright red flowing from underneath it. “Little bitch tried to stab me.”
“Oh, get over it,” Mac said. “The register, now!”
Ororo did not move from her sister’s side. “It’s right there, just take it and get the hell out of here.”
Mac motioned Laughton for the register. “Oh, we plan on being gone here in just a few, but first,” and he brought the gun down on Nate’s head, and knocking him cold.
He raised the gun at her. “First things first, though, you’re gonna let that little bitch up and she is gonna come with us.”
Ororo shook her head violently. “Fuck you.”
“That’s exactly what we had planned.”
Laughton had finished getting the money out and was now standing above Ororo. “I want this one, Mac.”
“Thought your motto was the younger the better.”
“This bitch looks real sweet man, and I want to see if that hair color of hers is natural.”
Mac rolled his eyes. “Whatever; let’s make this quick, though. We take her to the alley, finish with her, then get rid of her and we’re gone.”
Laughton grabbed Ororo by the wrists and hauled her away. She fought back with all she was worth, kicking, punching, and screaming the whole time. She managed a solid kick into his groin but it only earned her a hard backhand to the cheek.
They made it to the alley and slammed her against the wall and began tearing at her clothes. She still fought back but the strength of this man was unnatural. He ripped her shirt and tore at her pants, all the while licking her along the neck.
Mac stood a bit away keeping watch but still turning to enjoy himself in the sight of her partially naked body.
Caw, Caw
Laughton stopped and looked up to the noise and came to face a crow sitting on the edge of the roof. It was staring down at him with great interest.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mac said, getting exasperated with his partner’s waste of time.
“There is a big fucking bird looking at me.”
“Jesus, would you just fuck the bitch so we can go, please?”
Laughton held Ororo around the throat to hold her still. “Get the fuck out of here!” he hollered to the crow.
The crow cocked its head to the side at the man’s words, and began cawing again, but this time in a rapid succession, and it fluttered its wings. It kept this up for a few moments and was soon joined by another crow that mimicked its movements. The cawing and the dancing of the birds in front of him made Laughton almost forget about the woman in his hands.
“Shit, somebody’s coming, keep the bitch quiet,” Mac called out.
The crows flew off at Mac’s words and Laughton was brought back to reality. He lowered Ororo down to the ground and placed a knife at her throat. “Say anything and I will slit you clean, and do the same to that little skank inside, you hear me?”
Ororo gritted her teeth and nodded.
The sound of an approaching roar hurt her ears. It was nothing like she had ever heard before, even though it was loud, it was not the volume that caused the pain. It was something else.
The blur of a form passed the opening of the alley. Mac peeked out the side and saw a motorcycle stopping in the middle of the street and turning back around. It came to a stop in front of the diner. The rider dismounted and walked to the door.
He was not very tall, but his shoulders gave him a wide berth, and he had shoulder-length dark hair, topped with a black Stetson hat. He was wearing jeans and a black jacket with the same colored boots. A trail of smoke rose from the cigar in his hand. He walked to the front door and made to open it but paused and tilted his head to the right a bit.
Mac could have sworn he was looking right at him. He stepped away from the door and made his way to the alley. Mac hid the gun behind his back and quickly pulled a cigarette from his pocket and leaned his back against the wall. The stranger stepped into the alley and stood on the other side of him. The hat hid away the face, but the man’s body language told Mac that he was relaxed.
“Got a light, pal?”
The stranger brought the cigar to his mouth and took a long drag. “Nope”
A real smart ass, Mac thought. “Well, mind if I borrow that stogie of yours so I can light mine?”
The cigar was dropped to the ground and crushed underneath a heavy boot. The eyes of the stranger rose to meet with those of Mac.
Mac had only been scared once in his entire life that he could remember. He was going to lock lips with a Fir De Lance, one of the most deadly snakes in the world. The guys who had decided to kill him for some reason he could not remember had decided to be creative. Mac did not remember what it was about or even how he got out of it, so much time and drugs had clouded his memory, but he could remember the eyes of that snake staring back at him. Cold and dry, slit and soulless, like something so unearthly it could not possibiliy exist.
But it was all too real.
And this stranger had eyes like that snake. The same soullessness, the same aura. His grandmother told him once that the Devil used chains of ice to keep the souls of the dammed bound in the pit of fire. These eyes were that color.
The stranger took a step forward and Mac brought his gun to bear. “Hold it right there, asshole.”
The stranger stopped but never broke eye contact.
“I think it would be best if you just get on that hog of yours and get the hell out of here.”
The stranger smiled at him.
Soulless. Mac faltered a bit but kept his gun steady. “Did you fucking hear me, man? Do I have to put one through your brain box for you to get me?”
“I hear ya just fine, bub.”
Snap.
Mac felt his hand and wrist snap as soon as the stranger shot his hand out and jerked it to the side. He did not even have time to cry out before his head was slammed into the wall.
Laughton stood with Ororo in his grasp and knife to her throat. “Back the fuck up, pal.”
The stranger barely turned his head to the voice.
“You get the fuck away. or I’ll cut this bitch’s head clean off. man!”
The stranger said nothing, only bent low and picked up the pistol that Mac had dropped. He faced them and started walking.
“I’m fucking serious, man, I’ll slice this whore if you keep coming.”
The stranger seemed to shrug his massive shoulders. “You do it and there is nothing between you and me; either way boy, you’re mine.”
That tone left nothing to doubt. Laughton knew he was not the smartest guy in the world, but he had a knack for calling a bluff. This guy was serious. Slowly, he released his hand from Ororo’s throat and began easing it to the back of his pants for his gun.
The stranger stopped mid-stride and tilted his head to the side. Laughton thought it looked familiar but he was too scared to remember anything except for his gun.
“The choice is made.”
In a blur Ororo was thrown out of the way. She crashed into the wall and her head rung with the force of the strike. She shook it away and started to stand when she saw that the stranger had been the one to throw her and was now driving the point of the knife into the throat of the man who had tried to rape her.
He stood there gasping and choking as blood oozed from the wound and his mouth. He tried reaching up to pull the blade free but the loss of blood was making him weak. The stranger only stood and watched as the man struggled.
He turned finally and saw the woman on the ground. He walked over to her and offered her his hand. “Come on girl, now, sure ain’t your time.”
Ororo just stared at him a moment and finally offered her hand to his. He pulled her up and checked her throat. “You’ll live.”
He walked her back into the diner. Ororo’s head was spinning; she did not know what to make of any of this. “You just killed two men,” she finally managed.
“They’re not dead” was his only reply.
“You stabbed one in the throat.”
“You would be surprised what ya can live through.”
He let her lean all of her weight on his shoulder and he supported her with ease.
“Oh God, Nate, Jubes!” She hurried through the doors and saw Jubilee crawling on the floor toward Nate.
She bent down and helped Jubilee up. “Are you okay?”
She weakly nodded. “What did they do to you?’
“Nothing, it’s okay.” She reached down and tended to Nate. He was starting to regain consciousness, but he was still in a daze.
“Are you okay?”
“Ro,” he managed. “Oh, shit Ro, what happened?” He took a look at her torn clothes. “Oh, Jesus, what happened?”
“Nothing. I’m okay, thanks to him.”
They all turned and looked at the stranger who had said nothing, standing at the door.
Nate tried to stand, but his dizziness prevented it. “Where are they?’
“The alley; don’t worry, they aren’t going anywhere.” She cast a glance at the stranger again.
He only stood there with a blank expression, but with eyes that were taking in everything intently.
“Jubes, call the cops.”
Her sister nodded and went to the phone.
The stranger turned and opened the door.
“Wait.”
He stopped at the sound of the woman’s voice.
She came over to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you.”
He stood perfectly still.
She was amazed by what she felt. The strong muscles under his clothes were like stone, but something was strange. It was mid-July now and hot as could be, but this man felt as if he had stepped from a meat locker.
She moved away. “Thank you so much, I don’t know what else to say.”
He said nothing and turned for the door again.
“I didn’t get your name.”
“I didn’t give it.”
“Ro, Sheriff wants to talk to you,” Jubilee called to her as she watched the stranger walk out the door.
“Coming.” She cast one more glance to the door and then went to the phone.
Laughton still was pinned to the wall as the Stranger came back to the alley. His eyes were wide with fear at the approaching footsteps of the man.
Caw, Caw…
Laughton managed to look up and see the roof covered in crows; their yellow eyes all staring intently at him.
He turned away from them and met the eyes of the stranger.
“Marco Laughton,” he said. “I am here for you.”
The crows scattered to the air and circled overhead. Their calls and squawks drowned out the screams that echoed in the alley.
Song credits:
*The Black Crows by Dark Lotus
**Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie
