Viktor: Part IV
Faster than he would have anticipated, Viktor was in New Orleans. He had hitched a ride with a rather beautiful woman trucker in El Paso. He still couldn’t figure out what she was doing driving a truck and every time he tried to bring it up she would get silent. She took him all the way to the French Quarter in New Orleans where she was dropping off her cargo for a ferry to carry across the Mississippi where another trucker from her company would pick it up and transport it the rest of the way to its destination in Boston. Viktor hadn’t cared to know any of this information but after she powdered her nose a few times, she would babble on and on until Viktor had to pretend to fall asleep to get her to stop talking, and even then she would sing loudly with the radio. After she finished checking in she requested that they go out to dinner, even though they had dined together many nights before. They had a “magical” night; they ate at the house of blues and then wandered up and down the French Quarter having a beer here and a shot there. Even though she was beginning to get on his nerves, Viktor was a gentleman and decided on waiting until after he had walked her back to her truck before he ventured on. It was when he walked her back to her rig that she began to try his patience. She was practically begging him to take her. She was holding her body up against his and rubbing his inner thigh and lower back, biting his shoulders and gently pulling his hair, and after many answers of “no”, he finally gave in.
“Poor thing,” He thought shrugging as they crawled into the cab and back into the bed. She had no idea that she just seduced death.
After a night of ravenous passion, Viktor claimed his first victim since Albuquerque. While she climaxed he softly inserted the needle into her belly button and she faded away faster than she could finish. She was beautiful in her last seconds. Never once did she look scared. When he pricked her she looked confused and then she just looked at him with what seemed like pity and then silent acceptance of her fate. Something in her eyes created a barrier in him that prohibited him from finishing: that had never happened before. He had never felt remorse towards his actions and in the long run he was thankful since if he had finished he would have had a lot more cleaning up and “sanitizing” to do even with a condom on. After her heart stopped, Viktor kissed both her cheeks and set the bed up to look like a fetish induced death. He had met enough women with enough fetishes to be able to reproduce any of them with slight but lethal accidents. He apologized to his victim and explained how if she had just let him go that this would not have been her fate. He slept in Jackson square until the priest of the St. Louis Cathedral woke him.
“You might want to move along son,” He began. “If the police find you they’ll likely throw you in jail.”
“Thank you father” Viktor said rubbing the sleep from his eyes “I just arrived about two this morning, but I can get moving.” He yawned.
“You poor child. What is it that you were expecting to do here?” His voice was full of honest sympathy. “Maybe I can help you find work. I know a lot of people around here.”
“Well,” Viktor began not wanting to waste the sympathy of an honest stranger, “in the last two places I’ve lived I worked as a gravedigger or night watchmen for a cemetery.”
“I know that the St. Louis Cemetery number one just over on Basin lost their night watchman. Why don’t you head over there and I will call ahead and let them know you are coming.” He reached into his pocket and produced a pamphlet, “Here’s a map of the French quarter. St. Louis Cemetery is number seven on the list of attractions. The morning patrol is at eight so you should really get moving.”
“Thank you father.” Viktor took the pamphlet and gathered up his things. “God bless you father” he said as he walked away.
“Peace be with you my son.” The priest replied with a slight wave of his hand. Although Viktor’s line of work would never be condoned by anyone of faith, he believed in Karma and when she produced an offer like the one he had just been given, he didn’t turn it down. It took only fifteen minutes for him to get to the cemetery and could tell this one wasn’t much used anymore but there was definite maintenance that needed to be done. He also knew that no cemetery would turn down a faithful night watchman to keep an eye out for grave robbers, especially a watchman that worked for very little. He made his way to the side of the church and opened the door to the office and gift shop.
“The bathroom key is hanging by the door” the older heavy set woman behind the desk said in a southern Creole accent without even looking up from whatever she was doing.
“Actually,” Viktor said as he closed the door, “I would like to apply for work in the cemetery across the street.”
“St. Louis Cemetery?” she asked finally looking up. “Well, what is it that you’re lookin’ to do?”
“Well, I have worked in many towns as a grave digger or a night watchman. I can see that this is a very old cemetery and that it doesn’t really need a grave digger, but I was wondering if you needed a maintenance man or a night watch man to watch out for grave robbers.”
“Oh, you must be the youngin’ Father Rousseau called about then?” the woman said removing her red cat eyed spectacles, “All the graves are above ground. Took ‘em years to figure it out, but I guess when bodies start floating down the streets after a flood you gots to do something right? So you can see we don’t really need a grave digger and the walls keep mosts of the intruders out so I don’t see why a night watchman would be necessary.”
“Well, I see.” Viktor said dropping his head with the best faked disappointed look. He had been practicing the whole trip. “I guess I’ll go elsewhere then”.
“Now just a minute” the woman said. Viktor knew his act had worked. “There is always some pesky kids and tourists who thinks it’s funny to break into the cemetery at night. No one really wants to be in there from sun down to sun up, and Father Rousseau highly recommend you to take over for Pierre. It won’t pay much and you can have a room in the basement of the church free of charge.” The lady finished looking quizzically at Viktor as if that information should deprive him work and a free room. Besides, he didn’t mind cemeteries at night. He actually preferred it.
“Well,” Viktor began trying not to sound too excited at the news, “I’m not worried about having a night shift, but are the kids and tourists dangerous?” he was pretending to be afraid. If he took the job straight away she would know he was up to something.
“Oh heavens no! Of course not!” She said laughing and grabbing her chest.
“We just need to make sure they stop vandalizing Marie Laveau’s grave as well as the others. Plus we would like to keep the homeless from sleeping all the empty and broken grave sites. Leave one hell of a mess they do.”
Viktor hesitated and then spoke as if he had thought very hard about what the lady had just said.
“I think I can manage that. When can I start?”
“Monday” She said. “Just be here at eight o’clock in the evening and I will give you the key to the gates before I leave. For now, here is the key to your room and the backdoor to the church. The stairwell through that door on the left around the corner will take you downstairs to the basement. The room is the very last one on the left.”
“Thank you ma’am!” Viktor said as if it were to a mother.
“Please son! Call me Launa, or Miss Launa if you prefer.” She said smiling. Her white teeth shone brightly from behind her midnight lips. “You think you can handle the job? These cemeteries can mighty frightening in the dark”
“Miss Launa,” he said rising his right hand as if her were making a pledge, “I know I can. I mean, hell, I’ve only been doing this since I was sixteen.”
“Good lord son! As a mother I would never have let my son become a cemetery worker at sixteen!” Miss Launa said looking extremely shocked.
“My parents died when I was young, and without money for school and no experience in anything, this was all I was qualified for.” Viktor said using his fake sentiment as he dropped his head.
“You poor baby!” Miss Launa said shaking her head. “Well, if you need anything, anything at all my dear, you just let ol’ Miss Launa know and she will be here for ya.”
“Thank you Miss Launa” he said bowing as she handed him the keys, “but I learned long ago that I can take care of myself.”
“I bet you did love. I bet you did.” She said with a hearty laugh. “I’ll see you at eight sharp on Monday when I close up here. No use staring you off right away. You need some time to get settled and see the city!”
“Thanks Miss Launa!” Viktor shouted as he ran out the door to the back of the church to see his new room before he set out for two free days on the town. He had saved enough money that he had cash to burn. He had thought he had more but sometimes when you don’t spend any money on “pleasures” you forget the extra necessities you spend it on. Regardless, he had plenty to have a night on the town without worry.
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