Taboo ***"Ooh baby-girl... give it up... give it up for daddy..."*** Edward threw open the door to his cramped, one-room apartment. It had been another harried graveyard shift working the Taco Bell drive-thru, the only job he could find on account of his bitter irascibility since moving to Phoenix seven odd months ago. Everyone at work hated him, except a young timid kid named Leon, who was somewhat of a pessimist himself. ***"Ooh yea... you're my baby-girl... my sweet pussy I love to fuck..."*** The tiny apartment exuded a pungent must from being sealed up for the entire night, the electricity shut-off again. Edward plopped uncaring onto a lone mattress in a dark corner, the remainder of the apartment bare. He had only one thing on his mind as he hastily unzipped his pants. ***"Here it comes... right up in you..."*** Edward groaned in momentary ecstasy, his labors paying off. He discharged his load onto an open Playgirl magazine situated between his legs, his pleasure subsiding as he washed his sticky hands in a filthy bathroom sink. He stumbled, satiated, back into bed. ***"Until next time, baby."*** 1. "Listen up, people! The body count's risen to seven over the past several months, each man and woman raped anally and decapitated. The homicide boys upstairs have given the case priority, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything unusual you might run across out there. Dismissed!" The twin glass doors to the crowded police briefing room swung open as a deluge of cops poured out. A loud babble filled the adjoining white-washed hall, the stern-faced men and women disappearing to each direction. "Officers' Moore and Ruiz," the captain's boisterous voice boomed above the commotion. "C'mere!" Two burly cops turned to the fat, gray-haired slob wearing a dress shirt stained with coffee and donut crumbs. "What's this I hear about you two hassling some poor, tax-paying schmoe?!" "Yea," blurted Moore. "It's just a punk kid who works at the Taco Bell along our patrol route. The kid gives us attitude every time we..." "I don't wanna hear it! His boss threatened to sue the department for harassment if it happens again! You two don't knock it off, and you're gonna be handing out parking tickets to little old ladies! Kapeesh!" "Yes, sir!" Moore sarcastically saluted. "Right..." smirked Ruiz. "Consider yourselves on probation as of now!" the captain barked, scratching his rear. "Now get outa here! The sight of you two is making my hemorrhoids flare up!" 2. "Okay! I'm headin' out! Make sure to check the beans and meat in thirty minutes... and don't forget to restock the cold products. See ya fellas in the morning!" Edward and Leon nodded in compliant enthusiasm as Carl, the fat, balding nighttime assistant manager, exited the store, locking the doors behind him. They waited a few seconds to make sure he was gone. "So, like I was sayin', I had this chick at my pad the other night..." "Was she hot?" Leon interrupted. "She was fine as hell!" "What's her name?" smiled Leon, shying away in embarrassment. "Uh..." Edward hesitated. "Carrie." "What's her last name?" Leon insisted, annoyed. "I don't remember... she didn't say." "How old was she?" "Nineteen... so when am I gonna get to meet your sister?" "Man, I told you she's only thirteen!" "Yea, so... the younger, the better!" grinned Edward, arousing a sense of delight from his perverse choice of words. He shoved Leon by the arm. "That's not funny!" Leon shoved back. "I'm tired of you talkin' about my little sister like that!" "Ooh..." Edward taunted, gasping for breath to keep from erupting into laughter. "I'm real scared now!" After a moment of silence, Edward realized he went too far with his sick joke, making amends. "All right," seriousness replacing his grin. "I'm sorry... I won't talk about the bitch anymore!" "Fuck you!" Leon switched on the radio in the store office, the antenna duct-taped together, causing the snowy reception to sputter. Edward stared at Leon fiddle with the knob, his concentration wandering. A suppressed portion of his anatomy hardened, altering his thoughts. Taboo imagery flashed across his gray matter slate like a movie projected onto a screen, first pulling down Leon's pants, then bending the kid over. The red signal light on the inside of the drive-thru window alerted the two to a customer. Leon donned a speaker headset, Edward preparing the food. "Welcome to Taco Bell." "Uh... yea. I'll have a Burrito Supreme and a large Pepsi. Make that two of each, and pronto!" Leon recognized the cops who frequented the drive-thru every night. So did Edward, spitting in their food. He approached the window, bagging the order as an oppressive patrol car pulled up. "Well, if it isn't our good friend, Edward!" snorted Moore. "We're not gonna have any problems tonight, are we?!" interrogated Ruiz. Edward submissively looked away, collecting the money as he handed them the bag. "Nah..." 3. ***"The Night Stalker has struck again. The body of a nineteen year old girl was discovered in the desert north of Phoenix yesterday... believed to be Carrie Edwards... enrolled at Glendale Community College. The Phoenix police... effort to apprehend the killer..."*** Leon strained to listen to the news over the radio's fuzzy reception, sparking in him a brief moment of redintegration. Edward strolled into the office, standing behind Leon, his heavy breathing gently nudging the kid's hair. "You gonna empty the trash?" "Yea!" Leon violently jerked away. He hastily unlocked the back door, toting the trash to the dumpster behind the store. He fretted over what to do, his instincts screaming at him to run away and call the police; but then he remembered Edward's snide comment about his sister, his fear transforming into anger. He wouldn't be another of Edward's mutilated victims, he reassured himself, mustering the courage to reenter the store. 4. "I have a secret to tell you." Edward greeted Leon with a peculiar expression at the back door- a queer display of mixed emotions that only reinforced Leon's dread suspicions. "Stay the fuck away from me!" Leon shouted. He shoved past Edward, escaping to the office, frantically rummaging through the room until grabbing up a slender, metal rod leaning against the far wall. Edward pursued, grinning in amusement. "I'll fuckin' use it!" Leon screamed, raising the menacing rod over his head! Terror spread across Edward's face as he shielded himself with panicked, out-stretched arms, Leon splattering half his skull onto the office wall! 5. Leon collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by the horrifying ordeal, his shaky hands wiping away the red spray from his lips and brow. He let loose a long sigh of relief as another news brief sputtered from the radio. ***"This just in. Police arrested the Night Stalker earlier this evening... responsible for eight murders... the victims..."*** The jingle of keys reverberated through the store as Carl waddled in. "Hey fellas, I forgot my..." At the same time, an oppressive patrol car appeared at the drive-thru. Moore yelled through the window. "I'm gonna ring that little punk's neck for spitting in my..." Both Carl and the cops stared in disbelief at the disturbing scene inside. "He said... he had... a... secret... to tell... me... but... I thought... he was... the... stalker... at least... it seemed..." Leon rambled on as Ruiz hand-cuffed him, tossing him into the back of the patrol car. Carl despondently shook his head as Moore questioned him. "What did Leon mean by Edward's secret?" "I don't know... wait! Edward had confided in me about his personal life the other night. He said he would have told me sooner, but was afraid of how I'd react, which was why he'd fabricate stories about sleeping with women." "Yea, and..." "Edward's gay." February 1999 HofP |