Chapter 2: Treasure, Sweet Treasure

Damien talks with his strange best friend about the murder.

He lingers in the doorway staring at her with a look of amazement. She smiles and bends down to pick up his toothbrush.

“You know.” she said as she holds it. “This smells really good.” Bringing the toothbrush close to her nose, she closes her eyes and inhales a large breath of air. She lets out a breath that almost sounds like a moan.

He quickly grabs it from her. “Nice to meet you too. Who exactly are you?” he asks. She slowly opens her eyes. That hint of silver gleaming in her eyes against the hazel color.

“I’m so sorry! I let my nose get the better of me. My names Avanali. I’m your new neighbor.”

Looking past her, he sees her pointing to the door right across from his.

“Oh. I didn’t know she moved.” He said puzzled. How did she move so quickly. He recalls seeing her just yesterday on a jog. 

She smiled and rubbed her hands through her hair. “Yeah, the opening was kind of last minute.” He watched the look on her face turn sinister. Her eyes almost seemed to glow. 

“So you got a name or what?” she asks. 

“Right! Sorry, Damien. My names Damien.”

“Damien. I like that. Well it’s nice to meet you neighbor. Maybe we can hang out later after I finish unpacking.” She looks at him intently. Almost like she is studying his moves.

Damien shifts a bit and nods back. “Yeah that would be cool.”

She smiles. “Awesome! Well I’ll come knocking.”

She turns around and walks back into her apartment. Avanali? Such a strange name for a strange woman. Hold on. He thinks. Did I just agree to a date? Before he can close his door, hers swings back open.

“Oh! I totally forgot. Be careful. I heard a woman was murdered right outside the apartment entrance. Like Texas Chainsaw style.” She rolls her eyes in the back of her head and makes a stabbing motion at her neck. She laughs and closes her door again.

Damien stands in his doorway. Was that really funny? I bet Andrew knows about it. He always seems to be on top of things.

After getting ready, he leaves his apartment and goes up the stairs. He knocks on the door of the apartment right above his. As he waits, he leans over the rails. “It’s not such a bad view. The world has its moments. What's taking him so long?" A muffled sound comes from inside. “That geek must be playing a game.”

Suddenly his thoughts are flooded with his encounter with the new neighbor. Avanali. Her gorgeous face and head full of brown curls. She was almost perfect, except something was off. Damien felt chills run down his spine and the hair on his arms stands up. It's like she put a curse on me or something. Those eyes. That silver shines right through my soul. I feel like a deer in... The sound of the locks on the door make him jump back. The door opens and a shirtless skinny guy in thick glasses is standing there.

“What’s up! Did I spook you?” he asks as he pushes his glasses up.

Damien shakes his head. “Not at all. Why are you shirtless answering your door?”

Andrew smiles. “The b*****s love it man.”

“I'm sure they do.” Damien pushes him inside and steps in, closing the door behind him. “Dude why does it smell like spoiled milk in here? Do you not have a nose?”

Andrew looks around, sniffs the air, and coughs. “I may not have cleaned in awhile but its whatever. I’m a man bro. No women in here.”

Damien sits down on the couch. “Trust me. I know there aren’t. Speaking of women, I know you….”

“Stop where you speak weak soul. I know what you seek.” Andrew says, cutting him off. He spins around and points his finger at him. Damien shakes his head.

“I worry about you sometimes. I really do.”

“You shouldn’t. I’m a f*****g monster.” He flexes his skinny arms and shows his teeth.

What is he, 12? Damien thinks to himself.

“So you know?”

“Of course I do.” He crosses the room and sits on the couch. “You mean the woman who was ripped limb from limb and her guts pulled out.” He makes the motion of tearing with his hands.

“You say it so casually. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen normally.” Damien says as he shifts on the couch and lays his head back.

Andrew stares out the window. “It doesn't. I saw her picture on the web. She was supermodel gorgeous. A fine piece of a*s. Too bad they couldn’t identify her earlier.”

Damien picks his head up. “One, that's sick. Two, what do you mean couldn't identify her?”

Andrew puts his hand over his face and slowly pulls it away, as if he is peeling  his skin apart. “Her face was ripped off. I mean completely. No nose or anything.”

That gave Damien a disturbing image in his head. “No face. That’s fucked up.

Andrew nods in agreement. "It is. No open casket for her."

"Wait." Damien says while sitting up. "How did you find this stuff out? It's nowhere on the news.”

Andrew pulls his phone out and points to a flashing device on the wall. “I’m plugged into the police data bank. I can see anyone's records, who has been arrested, what's been confiscated. I can even see cops patrolling and get live feed of their locations. Cool right?”

“I guess, but why would you need all that info?”

Andrew throws his hands into the air and keeps them up as if he is gripping the sky. “Because I am lord of knowledge. The king of slaughter. I will own this world with my power and make all those that looked down on me suffer in blood and dirt.” He starts to evil laugh and falls back onto the couch rolling around.

Damien watches him with a weird look on his face. “Andrew. You really need to stop watching anime or whatever else you do.”

He sits back up and swings his arm in crazy sword motions.

“Anyway, I have a new neighbor right across from me. It’s a woman.”

Andrew stops and licks his lips. He rubs his hands together and a possessed look comes on his face. “Oh I know. She's a nice slab of a*s. Wish I could just sink my….”

“Dude chill for just one minute. Damn.” Damien says.

Andrew throws himself back against the couch. “Fine. Continue.”

“Thank you. She knocked on my door and we talked. She wants to hangout later.”

Andrew hops up and runs out of sight. Damien hears him rambling through stuff and finally he comes back. Breathing heavy he hands him a plastic packet. “Use this. It’s amazing.” 

Damien holds up the packet. “Ice and fire condom. What the f**k do I need this for? No. Better question. How the hell would you know it feels amazing?” 

Andrew smiles and puts his hands on his hips. “Well the other night….” 

Damien raises his hand to cut him off. “Please spare me. I don’t need to hear about your meat beating adventures. And I don’t need this.” He tosses the condom onto the coffee table and it slides onto the floor. Andrew scrambles to pick it up. 

“But I’m looking out for you man. Unless." He squints his eyes and a big grin comes across his slim face. "You plan on splurging in her, don't you? Filling her up. You dirty guy!” 

Damien palms his face. “No man! It’s not that. We aren’t having sex. Just hanging out.”

Andrew rolls his head around and lays on the floor. Throwing the condom into the air. “So, she's that type of girl huh?” His tone of voice sounding disgusted. 

“Sorry to break it to you but not every woman is a sex hungry vixen.” Andrew slams his fist against the floor. 

Damien gets up. “Well I’m going to go back down and clean up a bit before she comes over. We’ll hang out after man.” 

“Cool. Have fun bro.” Andrew huffs. 

Damien opens the door and looks back at Andrew on the floor. He seemed upset now. Such a weird guy. He closes the door behind him as he leaves. Andrew gets up. Pieces of the floor crumble where he slammed his fist. He goes up to the door and lays his head against it. He begins to breath heavy. Rubbing the door from top to bottom, moving his body against it. He jams his hand into his pants. Fumbling around. Licking the door, he rolls his eyes around. “Yes. I’m hard. So very hard.” he mumbles, as he lays against the door. 

Author's Note

Second chapter. As always leave your thoughts and opinions. I will return the same on your work. I've got a decent plot written out on where I want to take this, but still have a ways to go.

Reviews

[C.J. Holmes]

Not where I expected this story to take us. I have to assume that your plot has something good in store to explain the purpose of Andrew's character other than serving as a gross contrast to Damien.
Keep an eye on your writing tense as you continue working. There was a section toward the beginning where you switched over from present to past tense for about two paragraphs before switching back to present tense. Not a huge problem, but one that can definitely spoil the immersion for your readers.

[Final-Karma]

Thank you for pointing that out. When I read back over it, I start to see that. The entry of Andrew is definitely going to be an interesting one. Hopefully his involvement will make sense later on. Thank you for your review!