Starlet Grave

A tall and porky rich brown haired security guard at Halburton Central Hospital, stared vacantly at nothing with a coffee in his hand. The hazel in his eyes were lost in the pitch black night sky and butter yellow parking lot cobra head lights. His belly ballooned with every breath. His hammy arms moved outward with his body ever so slightly. The steam from the scolding hot coffee he got at the 24/7 Convenience Store two minutes from the hospital, Greg's Corner, was all someone could see if they were a few steps away from this big man. For it danced in front of his badge that read: Sam Hetch.

He brought the coffee to his mouth and took a long, noisy sip.

"Gahdamn that's nasty. Shoulda warned me Greggy."

The awful merriment of bullet tasting corner store coffee, halitosis, and the burger that swam in a river of mayonnaise, mustard, caramelized onions, extra garlic pickles, and seaweed he had for lunch, gassed out of his mouth and nose. Nevertheless, he kept drinking his coffee. Sipping longer then gulping the rest of it down then tossing it into the concrete garbage can next to him. Unfazed by the broiling heat and awful taste in his throat. He hitched up his black dress pants back to his tire below his belly button with an unnecessary grunt. Bringing his right hand up to his face. In which his watch, an Omega Seamaster 300, given to him by his father when he passed 8 years ago, had glowing arms telling him it was 3:15am.

"Smoke break," he said, pivoting his hand to his radio clipped to his right shoulder. "Yo Ed. Cover me. Smoke break."

"Copy, you fat fuck," answered Ed, nasally.

"Keep it in your pants, dirty daisy. Only your wife will want this bod."

"Bahaha, up yours gas giant."

He chuckled heartily and took out a pack of Weasels. Shaking out a corn yellow cigarette as he walked through the ambulance emergency drop off area with a red lighter cupped in his hand. The flame licked the end of the cigarette until it ambered.

"Whoa, eh, slow down there cheetah boy," said Ed who had come from the entrance.

"Fuck you."

Ed laughed happily. Watching Sam lumber his way to the center of the parking lot where there was a little bench area at the center of the island that divided the parking lot. Though Ed couldn't give two shits about Sam, he did like him as a co-worker. One thing that always stunned him was that he could walk as if he were a hundred pounds lighter. Even though he was 6 feet tall, 300 plus pounds, right knee cap pretty much gone from a car accident 3 years ago, and he was sure he had all kinds of wrong in his organs miraculously keeping him alive.

"You are a mystery big boy."

Ed shook his head and began his first lap of patrolling the outside of the building. The first night light that rounded the corner of the entrance on the east side died when he walked under it.

"Fuckin' place is falling apart."

He turned on his flashlight clipped to his hip then unholstered it. Aiming it in front of him then swaying it calculatedly as if he were looking for a lost child. But the thing is, at least in this corner of the hospital grounds, there wasn't much opportunity to hide a kid or for any of the Halburton nightcrawlers, as Ed often called the few problem people who keep them busy at night, to hide from them or the cops.

Though, as Ed kept walking along the pathway that wraps around the building, there is an area that always gave him the creeps. Along the east side leading to the back of the hospital, is a loading area for emergency vehicles that need upkeep and repairs. And right next to it is another loading dock for carriers dropping off medicine and other things the hospital needs. What Ed grinded his teeth at, was the lack of care. Every staircase, be it the one to the office of the mechanics, the concrete ones leading into the hospital, or the spiral staircase going up to the office area, all of them are either rusting down to the bone or breaking off in chunks. The metal stairs creaking in sinister symphony, the patients haunting moans when carriers open the doors, owls hooting in the trees beyond the perimeter fence.

"This place never shuts up," said Ed, bravely walking past the loading docks. Eying the lights from the windows and the shadows he swore he could see pacing up and down the stairs to the offices.

Suddenly, he heard Ed yell.

Not one of fear or distress, but one of surprise. He couldn't tell if this was one to be alarmed at, so he doubled his pace towards the south side. Seeing a hint of the parking lot lights bleeding through the trees.

"Get the fuck off you dumb animal!"

"Animal? There are no animals in Halburton."

Ed hustled around the corner where the vehicles stop to head back into the city. If they turn left, they go into the heart of the city. If they go right, they have a few blocks of apartment complexes then they end up in the suburbs.

"ED! HELP ME DAMMIT!"

Ed made it to the parking lot. Looking around with wide eyes.

"Where are you mah little fatty...oh shit. Is that...is that a bobcat clinging to Sam?"

"ED? Where the hell are you? I'm about to lose my leg you fuckin' twig!"

Ed dashed towards Sam. Whom turned out to be fighting a feral woman biting the shit out of his leg on the cusp of being pulled into the forest wrapping around the back end of the lot. Ed took out a taser and clicked it on. The closer he got to Sam, the more clear the woman became against the shadows of the tree line. When he stopped mere feet from them, he took a few seconds to size her up. She was dressed in a shredded gold and white silk dress. Blood all over her jaundice looking skin, gnarly long nails, and yellow teeth drenched in Sam's fat filled blood.

"Come on man, quit staring and get this crazy bitch off me!"

Sam was pushing against a light post hardly holding any light and swung his leg as hard as he could. But this woman wouldn't let go and growled like a savage coyote. Ed snapped out of his perplexed freeze then tasered her in the back of the neck. She unhinged her jaw to regrip onto Sam but he pulled his leg back. Pissed that Ed helped her victim take her dinner away, she launched at Sam to show Ed he is no match for her. He quickly reacted by taking out his baton and back handing the front of her neck. Creating a huge gash. She put her hand to her neck and looked at him with such venomous anger, he swore that she was a bobcat.

But before she could pounce on either of them, the breaking of twigs and saturated soil squelching under heavy feet, made her flinch. She turned her head towards the forest. Ed and Sam looked as well. A pair of red eyes glowing like the ambered ends of Sam's cigarette's stole Ed's gaze. Freezing him in place.

"What do we do?" asked Ed.

"I'm calling the cops and getting the fuck outta here."

"Don't you dare leave me here with this feral bitch and whatever the hell that thing is."

"What thing? I'm calling the cops because this cunt clearly senses some kinda dangerous animal in the forest. I heard there are coyotes, wolves, hell even mountain lions were spotted here."

With that, Sam pushed himself off the light post and hobbled off.

"Sam!"

"Bah, fuck off, will ya?"

Ed could tell Sam was too stubborn to listen to him.

He looked back towards the forest, trying his best to not shit himself as the pair of amber eyes moved closer to him and the woman crawled backwards.

"HEY! HEY YOU! GET THE FUCK BACK!"

Ed took out his flashlight again and aimed it at the pair of eyes. Clicking it on but the light flickered. There was no visible person as the eyes moved even closer. Shifting its path towards the woman who was whimpering like a scared dog during a thunderstorm.

"Oh hell to the no. Nope, nope, nope. I'm out. I am not about to be the first guy to die in some weird ass slasher movie."

He took one step back and pivoted away from the woman. Unfortunately for him, she gripped onto his back leg with both hands.

"Get off me she-demon!"

He took a can of pepper spray then skunked her face. To which a bullet shot out of the darkness and through his hand. He screamed mercilessly until his booming painful cry got suffocated by a bull whip wrapping around his neck. The sound of behemoth of a man happily grunting so loud it got the attention of Sam who had barely hobbled his way to the entrance.

"Sam," he called in a choking whisper, "Help...help me."

A second whip shot out of the darkness. Only this one was much thicker and wrapped around the woman's neck three times and both were pulled into the forest in the blink of an eye. The man in the forest eyes could no longer be seen.

"Hey!" shouted Sam, hobbling back to the best of his ability with a nurse just behind him.

"Go back inside Paula."

"You're bleeding out, sweetie," she said, finally able to put a hand on his elbow. "Where are you trying to go?"

"Are you blind? Something or someone took Ed. It even took that crazy bitch that tried to fuckin' chew my leg off."

"I understand sweetie, but you said the cops will be here soon. Let them do their job."

"But...but I gotta show them where I last saw him."

"I know hun, but how can you do that if you're past out from blood loss? Or dead from infection?"

"Fine, patch me up. But make it quick. No sense bothering cops with a case in the pitch black night."

"Good boy."

She turned him around. Holding him as steady as she could. He looked back one last time then hobbled back with her. Wondering what or who the hell that was. And why would they want Ed? The woman, he couldn't give a damn about, but Ed, as he muttered to himself: "Ed's not a total piece a shit. And he's pretty damn funny when he's had a whiskey or two in him."

"What's that, sweetie?"

He looked at Paula, who's soft blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair twinkled under the lights, made him breather a little easier.

"Nothing, just hope we find Ed fast."

"Me too sweetie, me too. But we can't find Ed if we fill our bed pan."

He cackled, not expecting her to be hilarious at a moment like this. Then again, him laughing hysterically felt more like a reaction in fear of being the next victim before or when he would find Ed.