The Jackson - Part Five

5

Beyond the hallway and its door was a short set of stairs that led to an elevator. The woman pushed the button and they both stood there waiting as though they lived in the building. It was awkward to say the least. He wanted to make a joke about waiting for the doorman and what the hell were they paying him for but he didn’t. He thought he shouldn’t be laughing anyways. Corey’s ribcage was throbbing and his nose was still running from the crying. He felt so childish. And then to have this monster come back and see that he had been crying on the floor was somehow worse.

“What’s your name?” he croaked. His side burned with every slight movement.

She didn’t answer. She was busy cleaning the old man’s skin out from underneath her long black fingernails.

He coughed and tried to clear the fear from his voice. “Can you talk to me?”

She didn’t look up but her voice was harsh. Her words carried a weight with them that Corey hadn’t expected; something familiar, something akin to weariness. “Why do you want to know my name? I’m just a monster to you, right?”

She was right. “I still would like to know your name.”

When the silence between them stretched out, Corey began to wonder where the damn elevator was.

“Victoria,” she said quietly.

“And why did he have you in a cage?”

“Why do you think?” laughed Victoria as she continued to groom herself.

He sighed, clutching at the stitch in his side.

“So,” she sucked the last remaining bit of the old man from off her pinky claw, “how was it getting your ass kicked by the guardian?”

“The guardian?”

“The old man. He’s known as the guardian to us monsters.”

An ache was climbing its way across Corey’s forehead. When was the damn elevator going to get here he wondered. “It was everything I’d hoped it would be. I would have preferred to sneak in, grab some gold jewelry and sneak back out, but it is what it is.”

He saw a half smile quirk on her ruby lips. “You may not end up with gold but there is a rumor that there’s a dragon or two in here.”

Corey smiled at Victoria. “Good one.”

“It wasn’t a joke.”

He cleared his throat and pushed the button for the elevator a few more times. Corey muttered under his breath, “I hope the alarm didn’t shut down the elevators.”

“If it did –”

“We’re fucked,” he finished for her.

Then the little light above the door clicked on and the metal door slid open. When Corey caught his breath he couldn’t decide if it was an exit or an omen, but he stepped into the dark square and held his breath as it closed them in. Victoria pushed the button for the lobby.

His chest was squeezing, trying to close in on itself. When Corey spoke, it was quietly as he was afraid that someone was listening in. “Has anyone or any… monsters, ever gotten out of here?”

Victoria was so near that he could feel her tremble as she chose her answer carefully. “Not alive. Not that I know of.”

There was silence between them. All he had wanted was – Corey couldn’t fall back on that line of thinking. It made this situation worse knowing that he was in this mess because he wanted to rob somebody. Being an asshat of a human being had caught up with him in a big way. Corey didn’t stop the sob as it rushed between his chattering teeth. “I’m not ready to die because of a flat screen.”

“And I’m not ready to die because I went for a jog.”

He looked over, seeing only her silhouette in the darkened space. “Is it hard to kill your kind?”

“Easier than you’d think. Are you getting ideas?”

His head shook violently. “No. You’re the reason I’m still alive.”

“Look,” she sighed, “I don’t know what we’re going to see when this door opens. It could be another guard, it could be nothing. Whatever it is, can I count on you?”

“For what?” he stammered.

“I’m not immortal, Corey. And I’m not exactly a fighter. But I’ll do what I have to do to get home to my daughter. I can’t carry you – I won’t. You’re going to have to help me if we’re going to get out of here alive. So can I count on you?”

A million things ran through his mind. None of them were important. None of them stuck out. Corey had never done anything to be proud of before and had never been looked at as someone who was capable. This monster – this woman – had a kid waiting for her back home probably scared out of her mind.

“I’ll do what I can.”

The elevator came to a smooth stop and Corey felt like pissing himself or praying or both.

“Victoria?”

He waited until he knew her dark shining eyes were on him.

“Did I ever thank you for not eating me?”

She wrapped her long fingers around his forearm, careful not to scratch him with her growing claws. The words that snuck around her fangs were slurred. “Just remember to breath and stick close to me.”

Victoria’s hand squeezed hard as the door slid open and a bird-like screech tore at their eardrums.