Blood Games

    Abilene gazed at the spread-eagled body, stunned. She thought vaguely that she ought to look away from it, but she couldn’t.

    Blood was spraying out of the chest hole. It came raining down, and if not for the ringing in her ears, she knew she would’ve been able to hear its soft patter on Batty’s skin.

    One breast rested neatly on his ribcage, but the other draped an armpit. She glimpsed his rigid penis, and that was enough to make her look away.

    Finley still had the weapon up as if she were contemplating a second shot.

    Abilene shone the light in her face. ‘That’s Batty.'

    Finley nodded, squinting.

    ‘What’d you shoot for?’

    ‘God, Fin,’ Cora said.

    ‘I thought it was Hank, okay?’

    ‘Are you blind?’

    ‘Gimme a break. That was supposed to be Hank down there, and I fired. Anyway, what the fuck was Batty doing here? Looking for us, that’s…’

    A belchy coughing sound stopped her words. She leaned forward to see past Abilene. They both looked. Vivian was bent over the rail, heaving. Abilene saw the vomit gushing from her mouth, heard it splatting the floor far below. She gagged, herself, and looked away. But she could still hear it. Then all she heard from Vivian were gaspy sobs and sniffles.

    ‘Ya okay?’ It was Jim.

    ‘Yeah.’ She sniffed. ‘Guess so.’

    ‘Why didn’t you tell us it was Batty?’ Cora called down.

    ‘Didn’t know. It was awful mighty dark, just couldn’t see who it was. Thought it was Hank, though. Till he talked.’

    Abilene pointed her light down. Batty was still sprawled at Jim’s feet, but blood no longer flew from the wound. Jim was looking up, frowning. His belly was smeared with blood where Batty’s head had bumped him.

    ‘It’s just as well ya got him,’ Jim said. ‘He weren’t up to no good.’

    ‘He didn’t even have a weapon,’ Abilene muttered.

    ‘Batty don’t need ’em. Had his magic bone. I seen how he works. He only just gets naked when he’s fixin’ to work his meanest spells. He meant to kill ya all. That’s how come he had the blood on him. That’s his bat blood, ’n he don’t use it less he’s aimin’ to do a murder hex.’

    ‘See?’ Finley said. ‘I saved us from a whammy.’

    ‘Yeah,’ Cora said. ‘And we still have Hank coming after us, and a deaf man could’ve heard that gunshot a mile away. If he’s already here, he knows right where to find us.’

    Abilene and Vivian both started probing the darkness with their flashlights. They checked the length of the balcony, the staircase, the foyer. The support posts cast shifting shadows against the wall and floor, and the windows that weren’t broken gleamed bright reflections as the lights swept back and forth.

    ‘Shine it over here,’ Finley said.

    Abilene turned the flashlight toward her and watched Finley break open the shotgun, pluck out the spent shell, replace it with one from her pocket, and snap the breech shut.

    ‘Okay,’ Cora said. ‘Now, kill the lights.’

    Two switches snicked. Darkness clamped down.

    ‘What’re we gonna do now?’ Abilene whispered.

    ‘Wait for Hank,’ Cora answered, her voice low.

    ‘Get him the way I got Batty,’ Finley said.

    ‘But he knows we’re here,’ Vivian protested.

    ‘Maybe,’ Cora said. ‘Maybe not.’

    ‘Ya oughta move Batty outa the way,’ came Jim’s voice from below. ‘Hank ain’t gonna come walkin’ right up to me, long as the body’s here.’

    ‘He won’t be able to see it,’ Cora said.

    ‘He’ll see it. He can see like a cat.’

    ‘Jim’s got a point,’ Finley said. ‘If Hank does spot the body, he’ll know something’s up. All we’ve gotta do is drag it off. Maybe hide it behind the registration desk.’

    ‘We’d… have to touch him,’ Vivian whispered.

    ‘Doesn’t bother me. Look, I’ll go on down and take care of it.’

    ‘Not alone,’ Cora said.

    ‘I’ll go with you,’ Abilene offered. Though she hated the idea. She wanted to stay right here on the balcony, out of reach from below. And she sure didn’t want to help drag Batty’s body anywhere.

    ‘I’ve got a better idea,’ Finley said. ‘I’ll do it on my own. Just give me your flashlight so I don’t trip and fall down the stairs or something. You keep me covered from up here. ’ She held out the shotgun. Abilene took it with one hand and passed her the flashlight.

    ‘I don’t like this,’ Vivian said.

    ‘Neither do I,’ Cora added.

    ‘Hey, what can happen?’

    ‘Hank could jump you, that’s what,’ Abilene told her.

    ‘If he does, shoot him. Just don’t hit me.’

    ‘There might not be a clear shot,’ Cora warned.

    ‘I’ve always got this.’ Finley lifted the hanging front of her shirt and pulled the knife from her waistband.

    ‘A lot of good that’ll do you,’ Abilene said.

    ‘Shit. I don’t think Hank’s down there, anyway. For all we know, he might not show up for hours.’

    ‘Maybe he won’t even come,’ Vivian whispered.

    ‘He’s gonna come, all right,’ Jim said. ‘Ain’t here yet, though, pretty sure a that.’

    ‘Okay,’ Cora said. ‘Go on and do it. But make it quick.’

    ‘And be careful,’ Abilene told her.

    Finley turned on the flashlight and made her way past the others. Vivian lit her back as she jogged along the balcony, then swept her beam down the stairway before Finley got there.