Viktor: Part II
The rain that splattered against the windshield of the car obscured Lynn’s vision more than the normal night sky usually did. She really needed to get a new pair of glasses; Lord knew every light she saw looked like the Bethlehem star from Christmas books when she drove at night. Damn astigmatism. Eight hours under fluorescent lights then immediate exposure to the night sky made it worse; staying open until eleven was just insanity for this line of work. That building was a concrete prison, or insane asylum, considering the dull white of the cinder block walls and and cracking concrete floors. Regardless, leaving that place suddenly unburdened Lynn and Matty, for neither of the two had to return until the day after tomorrow. Lynn squinted against the downfall as Matty provided comical conversation. The night ended like every other weekday night, she dropped him off at home and then headed to her own. “Thank for the ride dude,” he said as he pulled his skateboard out of the backseat of the car.
“Not a problem.” She replied as he shut the door and walked around to her window. “Peace off homie.”
“Later man.” He said as they traditionally bumped knuckles. “Be safe.”
“Always,” She replied, “or never, one of the two. Have a good day off.”
“You too, see you Wednesday.” He yelled over hi shoulder as he quickly jogged away with his skateboard over his head to block the rain. Lynn turned her steering wheel and took off through the broken lights of the street lamps in the direction of Sunset Park apartments. The rain was getting worse. She glanced at the neon time that beamed eleven thirty-four and realized she still had a few minutes to run by the grocery store and pick up a six pack. After her quick stop she would go home and relax as quickly as possible.
“Just in and out.” She told herself before getting out of the car. She hated public places. They made her uncomfortable with all the whispering and staring from other human beings. She got enough uncomfortable situations at work. It boggled her that even complete strangers would whisper about her when they thought she couldn’t hear them. She knew she was odd, but she couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t mind their own business. Even when they weren’t talking about her, Lynn’s anxiety made her think they were, which only added to the negativity associated with crowded places. She took a deep breath and took of through the rain at almost a dead sprint but came to a halt just before the the automatic doors and strolled through chuckling to herself. The five year old always took over and played Jedi when walking through automatic doors.
Viktor saw the man in the window every night. He just stood there looking out over the graveyard while he smoked, every night. “At least I’m not the only weird one in town.” He said to himself once he noticed the man’s odd patterns. He had exchanged glances through the fence with the man once or twice when he was walking to his car. Viktor had been digging a grave close to the fence that acted like a barrier between the living and the dead. Viktor wished the man would have said something, anything to him, but didn’t. No one ever said ‘hello’ or ‘how do you do?’ to Viktor the gravedigger, if anyone even knew he existed at all, beyond his employer. He was such an oddity and it never came as a shock that his every move went unnoticed. With the collection of mismatched pieces that made up his demeanor, he never thought there could be a background that he could blend into. He was wrong. Much older than he looked, at only twenty-five, Viktor’s appearance mimicked those of a Tim Burton character. His overly lengthy extremities made his torso look miniscule in comparison. His ebony hair hung over his face leaving hardly any places for his Elmer glue white skin and emerald green eyes to show through. The perfectly matched the well manicured grass he constantly had to dig up. There was no one to try to impress. The dead hardly pass judgment on the living. The steady downpour of rain wasn’t helping his appearance either. He had lived his entire life alone just watching people run through their busy lives, wishing he were them.
A light turned off over the fence and Viktor lit a butt he found on the grounds and turned his attention back to the building. The man in 2110 usually didn’t leave until after the girl in 2112 came home. Viktor knew all of building twenty-one’s residents’ schedules, but the most enjoyment came from watching the girl in 2112. He was envious of how close the man in 2110 was to her. Every night she came home between eleven-thirty and midnight but her eccentric beauty was apparent to him even the dark of the parking lot. Soon he would no longer be invisible to her.
The grocery store was more crowded than usual. Lynn danced through the lines of people waiting to check out into the liquor section. She stood contemplative in front of the cooler. Shiner was eleven ninety-nine and Dos XX was ten ninety-nine. She jumped at the sudden break in her internal dialogue. “Trying to decide?” A voice behind her chuckled. “What are your choices?”
“Yeah,” she replies whirling around to see an extremely odd looking, yet semi-attractive looking man. She glanced quickly and then moved her eyes back to the floor. His hair covered most of his face, but she could feel his stare on her. “Shiner and Dos.” She began to feel a little uneasy about the stranger’s insights into her contemplations and took a step away.
“I would go with Shiner, it’s better than that fake Mexican crap.” He said mirroring her step and blocking the door to the cooler. Their arms were almost touching.
“Thanks.” She mumbled staring at the case while slyly taking another step away from him, “I guess a dollar difference for better taste is worth it huh?” She forced a giggle as she quickly reached across the man, into the case and grabbed her beer to leave. He was still moving closer.
“It most certainly is. Everything worth doing always costs a little more.” He took his own six pack of Shiner. Lynn forced a laugh and thanked him for his help over her shoulder as she raced to the checkout. She set her purchase on the conveyor belt and turned to scan the store. The man was no where in sight.
“Thank god.” Lynn said aloud.
“That’ll be thirteen fifty. What did you say my dear?” The old woman behind the counter sweetly asked.
“Oh! Nothing, sorry. Just talking to myself again I guess.” She said scanning the store a second time.”How much?”
“That’s alright.” The woman replied pointing to the price on the screen a little annoyed.
“You already said the price didn’t you? I’m sorry. I guess I should pay a little more attention.”
“A young lady like yourself should always pay attention to her surrounding. Thirteen fifty.” Her tone was grandmotherly yet somehow still a bit unnerving. Lynn just smiled as she handed the woman three five dollar bills. She took her change and turned to leave. “Have a fabulous evening my dear. Be safe.” The comment sounded almost foreboding and she hurried out of the store without stopping to play with the automatic doors. The woman at the counter only added to her anxiety from being spooked by the guy in the liquor section. She climbed back into her car and slammed the door. From the reflection in the side view mirror she could swear that the man parked behind her was watching her and that he greatly resembled the man from the liquor section.
“That’s impossible! I didn’t see him check out before me.” She said to the rear view mirror, adjusting it to try and get a better look inside the other car. “Damn it! Why did you turn your lights on. Now I can’t see who you are.” She spoke as if he could actually hear her. His car quickly pulled out onto the street and drove off. The entire drive home she contemplated whether or not the man in the other car was the same man from the liquor department but decided to forget it since she didn’t get a good look at either man. Half way home she lost herself on the music blaring from her speakers. “Why me?” Lynn yelled at the fourth red light. “This re-god-damned-diculous!” She was yelling loudly now and glanced at the car in the lane next to her, wondering if they could hear her. Hopefully not. The light changed and Lynn made one of the final turns on her journey home.
‘Everything was falling into place. Every action influenced by my thought, my ideas. She never noticed being watched from her very home. She never noticed.’ Ben chuckled to himself as he lit a cigarette in the frame of the window. “That mausoleum is even more beautiful now than it was when I first told her my plan. She knew the whole time, step by step as I conjured it and now she is going to watch it unfold just as I said it would. I’m a genius!” A sudden knock at the door made him jump. He wasn’t expecting any visitors today and if whoever it was somehow interfered with his plan, he would be very upset. He opened the door and an oddly shaped figure stood shadowed in front of him. It looked like a character just walked out of a vampire novel, or movie. “Can I help you?” Ben asked quizzically.
“Yes.” The figure replied pausing for an uncomfortable amount of time. “My name is Viktor and I’ve noticed you like to watch the young lady in 2112, am I right?” He sounded like death.
“Yeah, but what of it?” Ben tried to sound steadfast but he took a step back letting the stranger advance.
“You followed her today.” He lifted his head so Ben could actually see his eyes. “How far away is she?” He eyes seemed to look straight through Ben’s body.
“She should be about ten minutes away, rounding the corner from University to Indian School.” Ben was stuttering. “And how the hell did you know?” The realization suddenly frightened him.
“What do you want with her? Viktor said forcefully taking a step into Ben’s apartment. Viktor turned around and shut the door behind him.
“My intentions are none of your business.” Ben replied. Viktor hadn’t been invited in; so much for being a vampire Ben thought. He was going to ruin everything.
“Aw yes,” Viktor began and then paused. It was like he was trying to quote some long forgotten passage, “I’ve noticed. I’ve noticed you noticing her. What sweet irony that you were so busy watching her that you forgot to notice who was watching you.” Viktor took another step forward and Ben tried to stand is ground.
“You’re insane! Get out of here. You aren’t welcome.” Ben knew he still sounded frightened. His intruder was a good four inches taller than him with arms long enough to choke him while remaining a good two away from his own grasp.
“And neither are you.” Viktor didn’t skip a beat, “It’s time for you to go.” He reached out his arm towards Ben, a syringe in hand. “I will be the only one watching her.” Before Ben could respond it was over. The last thing Ben experienced was a rush of cold through his veins and then everything went black forever.
A new grave will be filled tonight. Viktor had dug the extra one that morning. He didn’t like knowing someone else lusted over what he desired, but it didn’t matter anymore. Now he could take his time and wait for the right moment without any further interruptions. No one noticed him anyways. He would never be expected for Ben’s disappearance and no one would discover the grave until the cemetery was dug up. He just made sure everything looked official on paper in the office. He made a cheap wooden cross head piece and placed the body with the other “John Does” that passed in the most crowded area of the cemetery. “You won’t be missed.” Viktor said as he bowed his head and did the sign of the cross over the grave. He lifted his head just in time to see the lights in 2112 turn off. “Sleep well my darling. I’m watching over you.”
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