Headless Horseman: Lust Beyond The Grave

A shiver went down my bare shoulders as I swirled the ruby red drink in my glass, and I knew I should have taken a jacket with me. It was October, after all, and the nights were cold. Gazing at the other girls in their skimpy costumes, I wondered how they weren’t shivering like chihuahuas. I suppose the amount of alcohol and weed they consumed had numbed their senses. Alcohol wasn’t my friend, only occasionally drank it, and tonight I was in no mood to get shit-faced. That’s why I kept to my cherry-flavored drink with no liquor.

I glanced over at my pastel-pink-colored nails while sitting on a haystack outside. The doors to the barn were wide open, watching as the people danced and got too much booze up their system. Glancing at everyone’s costumes, I started to dread my choice of costume for this Halloween night. I had on a Victorian-style dress, white with light pink-colored accents. The only dark touch was my knee-high combat boots, which accentuated the white stockings and delicate garter belt underneath. Not like anyone would see. Even if the dress was down to my knees on the front and floor-length in the back, it was still modest, compared to the cheeky nurses and provocative Catwoman costumes inside.

Blowing a scarlet curl out of my face, I ran my fingers through my fiery red hair. Down to my middle waist, it was styled into elegant curls. The color matched my lips and for a moment I wondered if I applied too much lipstick, but considering it was Halloween, the makeup could be as messy as possible.

Glancing at the rural area, it felt refreshing, much different from the crowded New York streets filled with obnoxious cars. My friend pressured me to go with her to this Halloween party in Sleepy Hollow, mostly because I had a house here. It was my aunt, but she died and left me the whole plantation. Jenna, my friend, told me many times I should sell it and buy a condo in New York, but I couldn’t find it in me to sell something with so much memory.

“Hey! Why are you sitting here all alone and not inside having fun?” Speak of the devil. Jenna came toward me, dressed in a sexy vampire costume. She had some trouble walking toward me in the red platform shoes. The ground wasn’t straight and a little moist from the rain the previous day.

“I am having fun. Can you not see the amusement on my face as I watch you walk in these torture instruments?” I sassily replied, smirking as I saw her blue eyes roll back in annoyance, trying not to spill her martini.

“Fine, fine. It wasn’t a good choice, but they went perfectly with the black dress, so zip it.” I giggled at her being such a grinch, making room for her to sit down next to me.

“Seriously now. It’s a party and you should be having a great time, but all I see is you sitting in the background all bored. You should take a guy and dance a little bit. Lose yourself, as they say.”

“You mean getting drunk and hooking up with a complete stranger? I think I will pass.” I replied, sipping on my cherry juice, only to see a guy approaching us.

He was around 6′0 tall, with burgundy hair, blue eyes, and ivory skin, all dressed in a skeleton costume. The confident smirk he wore made me a little uneasy, but I dismissed it, hoping he was coming over to us because of Jenna and not me. Tonight I wasn’t in any mood to put up with flirting.

“Hey, ladies. Good to see you tonight. Jenna.” He nodded towards my friend, who flashed a sultry smile.

“Good to see you, Kyle. Shouldn’t you be inside catching some fresh meat?” Jenna inquired, and I could hear some hate in her words.

The guy, whose name I found out was Kyle, rolled his eyes, huffing. “Not in the mood tonight, Jenna, but I am sure they will be fine without me.” Kyle snarked back, and I watched silently the exchange of vitriol between them.

Before they could exchange any more words, Jenna dashed back inside, almost like Kyle’s presence was toxic. The guy watched her stride back inside, then sighed, and I tensed when his attention went back to me.

“Sorry about that. The name’s Kyle.” He introduced himself, offering his hand to shake. Grasping it, I nodded. “I figured out your name from Jenna. From the looks of it, she doesn’t like you very much.” I smiled politely.

“Oh, trust me. She hates me. We were together in the first year of college and the relationship didn’t end up on good terms.” He informed me.

A former boyfriend of Jenna, huh? This shall be interesting.

“Ouch... That bad it went down?” I asked, finding myself curious about him. He made no sly approach toward me so far.

“I suppose. I found out she cheated on me, so I broke up with her.” My eyes widened, but at the same time, I wasn’t completely surprised. Jenna had a habit of being a man-eater, especially when she was in college.

“Shit... I am sorry. It must be hard to see her here then.”

Kyle shrugged and sat down next to me. “Not really. I try not to think too much about it. The only thing I hate is the rumors she spread about me; about how I abused her, and I never once told people the reason why I broke up with her. I didn’t want to give her a poor reputation, but I suppose she does an amazing job at it alone.” The acidity in Kyle’s words couldn’t be missed as much as he tried to mask it with indifference.

My lips pursed, and I nodded in understanding. “That’s Jenna. She is a good friend, but has some bad habits.” I tried to be impartial in the conversation, but I had to give more points to Kyle rather than Jenna.

“Everyone has bad habits, but at least she could have been more open-minded about how her habits are rotten apples. Anyway... I don’t wanna talk about the past.”

“S-Sorry... I didn’t intend to dig down for corpses.” I apologized and Kyle chuckled at the dark humor.

“It’s fine. You haven’t told me your name. May I know with who I am speaking?” I smiled at the chivalry in his voice.

“Valeria.” Kyle’s lips curled into a smile, nodding. “Beautiful name. So tell me, what brings you here? Honestly, I couldn’t help but spot you at this party.”

“Do I stand out that much?”

“You are the only one dressed like an eccentric bride from another era,” Kyle replied with a smirk, making me laugh and blush a little.

“It was just an idea at the last moment. Didn’t plan to come to the party, but I suppose there’s not much to do in Sleepy Hollow.” I said, putting a red curl behind my ear.

“So if you didn’t come here for the party, what’s the reason? I grew up here in Sleepy Hollow and trust me... Every one of this new generation left, leaving their parents and grandparents here in this little town.” This new information about Kyle piqued my interest, and I found myself drawn to his persona.

“Grew up here? So how did you meet Jenna?... You know... Nevermind. I don’t want to open up terrible memories.” I realized he wasn’t that keen on talking about his ex-girlfriend, who was also my best friend.

“Heh... It’s cool. Don’t worry about it that much. As I said, most leave this boring place, including myself. I went to college in New York, hoping for a better future. There is not much to do here... Only if you plan on being a farmer, which honestly... Is not my cup of tea.” I nodded in understanding, empathizing with Kyle. Most people leave their small and insignificant hometowns for bigger opportunities. A chance at success to get out of a hellhole.

“Seems fair. Little towns aren’t known for much.” I agree with him, then he chuckled.

“Sleepy Hollow is known for something, at least.” His voice turned an eerie tune, and I raised an eyebrow, getting amused by his jokester’s face.

“And that is?”

“The legend of the headless horseman.”

“Ohhh! That one. Yeah, I have to give you credit there. Plus, it’s known as one of the most haunted places in the world.” I giggled and Kyle nodded, keeping the crooked smirk.

“Yeah, but you know... It’s only a legend.” Kyle shrugged, stretching his legs and acting all laid-back.

“Every legend holds a seed of truth,” I whispered, swirling my cherry juice in my glass, taking a sip, and acting all nonchalant.

“Do you actually believe in ghosts and all that folklore?” I smiled around the edge of the glass, hearing the surprise in Kyle’s voice.

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. Who knows what’s out there, beyond what we see? Maybe we need to see more with our mind and less with our eyes.” I spoke as my gaze remained on the red liquid, almost seeing my reflection in the non-alcoholic beverage.

“Wow, that’s not something anyone would expect somebody to say at a party. You sure you’re in the right scenario?” I smiled, amused by Kyle’s joking mannerisms. So far, I liked him, more so because he didn’t try any flirting, and didn’t overstep anything, but the night was still young, and it wouldn’t be the first time I am mistaken about someone’s intentions.

“I do study literature and history, so pardon me if I am not the average party girl.” Kyle’s smile widened at my sass.

“I don’t mind it. It’s a refreshing change, for me at least.” He assured, then continued with the conversation. “So literature and history, huh? Not going to lie to you. I hated history in high school, more so because I had a strict teacher. I am more of a chemistry and biology type of guy. That’s why I went to New York and studied medicine.”

“Oh, so we got ourselves a doctor. I hope not the Jekyll kind.” Kyle had to stifle a full-on wholeheartedly laughter so he wouldn’t draw attention to us. His blue eyes sparkled with tears of laughter, and I felt warmness erupt in my chest. It felt good to have someone laugh at my jokes.

“I do wonder how you came to be friends with Jenna. Your sense of humor has nothing to do her with God-complex remarks toward herself.”

Yes, many people wondered how Jenna and I became friends when our styles and personalities were so much different, but I suppose opposites attract. In all truth, we ended up being friends more so because we related to one another, despite our enormous differences. Her parents had divorced when she was young, just like mine did too. She grew up with her aunt, while I was raised by my grandmother, and occasionally visited by my aunt, now both dead. I managed to overcome these impediments in my life, refusing to victimize myself while Jenna had rougher healing. I emphasized with her and perhaps didn’t want to let her go down this journey alone.

“Let’s just say we can relate to some aspects of our childhood.” I simply stated, not feel comfortable giving away such intimate parts of my life, much less of Jennas.

“I can understand that, but I am more curious about you than about her.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you flirting with me or something?” I laughed, trying to make this less awkward, and I was relieved when he laughed too.

“Just talking, no flirting. I could go back inside and play beer-pong and try to understand the drunken language, or I can simply stay here with you... and just talk... with a sober person.” He sounded genuine and didn’t seem pushy, plus he seemed like the only one with his head on his shoulders.

“How do you know I didn’t drink alcohol?” I questioned, curious about his answer and assumptions.

“I saw when Jenna tried to shove a bottle of vodka in your face, and you went straight for the simple juice, and before you state anything. No, I didn’t stalker or anything like that, but Jenna is pretty loud not to observe her shenanigans.” Damn, this guy was a clever one.

“Alright. Fair enough. What do you want to talk about?”

“What brings you to Sleepy Hollow?”

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Headless Horseman: Lust Beyond The Grave by C.B. Blackburn