Part IV
29 September 1982
What the hell is that bitch doing? I thought we had something between us. I'm just screwed over again. How is she this stupid.
I asked her to homecoming this weekend, she said yes but I knew something was messed up with her. She wasn't enthused at all, I mean, why wouldn't she want to go out with the football team's kicker who can bench 80% of his body weight? That's right. 80%. I'm the man! She's so dumb here!
She's avoided me all week. She goes from swooning and chatting between classes to complete avoidance. I see her from across the cafeteria, walk over to her table and by the time I get there she's gone. I mean, hell I could have any chick in this school I wanted but I deserve a damn explanation. Don't leave me hanging baby.
So I'm stalking her, right, followed her after school and saw this car almost hit her in the parking lot. Some idiot nerdy kid walked in front of it though, got smeared up pretty bad but saved Traci. She's swooning over this cat, now. A few days later they're inseparable. Wherever he goes, she's following. It's bullshit. This cat is real gangly, no body mass at all. What's the point even? Then I found out what this thing was.
Frankenstein.
He's a damn Frankenstein. Abomination. Living horror. She's looking over her back constantly, but she don't know I'm still watching her. They were by the football field after practice yesterday, thought they'd avoid me I guess. Not likely, Traci. I hid under some gardening equipment under the bleachers and saw them talking. Actually I think only she was talking. He seemed to just stare listlessly and moan occasionally. She finally left - and kissed him. Kissed him on the cheek. Don't leave me dangling, baby. Don't do that.
She walked away and he just stood there, leaning in the wind. I snuck up from behind and pushed him to the ground. Now, from time to time my temper gets the best of me - as I kicked the shit out of him and stomped his chest I just kept screaming.
"Who the fuck you think you are?! You stay away from my girl!"
"Rrraaghh!!"
"Shut the fuck up!" I picked him up and slammed him against the side of the stadium. Then I looked into his eyes. They were glassy and gray, his skin green, easily bruised and cold to touch. His hair was slimy, black and sticky. "What are you?"
He raised his sweaty palms and gripped my arms, with surprising strength he threw he off him. Out of the darkness around him emerged some of his clan. They were creatures of Darkness. They threw me around.
"You think it's fun beatin' up some one different?" This really lopey one yelled at me as he socked me with an impossibly long arm.
"Fucking living!" This girl smacked me in the back with a nasty green backhand. I turned to look at her. Her eyes were different colors, a long stitching scar across the middle of her face.
"What the hell happened to your face?" I said as I lay on the ground. She started laughing.
"Shut the hell up, Margaret." The long one said.
"What?" Margaret was suddenly friendly. "He just don't know what we are. I don't blame him."
"He'll know. He'll know when Father's through with him. Say - let me just kill him now, I promise not to mangle the parts, we can take him whole!"
"You haven't had a whole kill since Fred. Sorry Fred." Margaret looked at Traci's crush. I knew your name now, you bastard. "You tear up to much, take too many limbs off and organs out, you need to just get a good clean strangle, like this - " Margaret reached her cold green hands towards my throat. I swatted them away but the other one grabbed my arms, felt like he was going to rip them off. Fred intervened.
"Maarrghhh..." He struggled up and started to grab my arm.
"No!" The male holding me was furious, he grabbed Fred's arm and ripped it off. Margaret gasped.
"Schneider! We do not do that to our own kind!" He had a look of rage in his eye, but Margaret slapped him. He did not retaliate. I would not have taken that from a bitch. While they were distracted I scrambled off and hid behind a tree. They seemed to look around in vain in the darkness, moaning and screaming at each other. They finally sauntered off into the woods.
As the shock wore off I realized what they were. The scars, the green skin, the bolts in their neck, tattered clothing. I couldn't believe it to be true, but we had a whole nest of Frankensteins right here in Smelterville, Idaho. There was only one way to be sure, though.
I stalked them through the woods to this old shack on the far side of the mountains. No one had been over here in years. There must have been twenty or so huddled in his little shack as I peaked through the window. There was one of them taller than the rest, who seemed to scream and beat Schneider after Margaret explained something to him, probably what he did to Fred. He then threw the arm out the window and took a fresh pink one out of a cooler, sewed it back on. No doubt anymore, we had Frankensteins. This was just like when my sister got lice last year. We need fire.
Suddenly something grabbed my shoulder, some bony, dusty hand. I turned around and something was trying to bite me. I punched its face and it fell to the ground with a thud, the Frankensteins inside picked their heads up. It scrambled off into the woods, I followed it, then pounced on it, rolling down a hill near a creek. As I landed on top it started freaking out about its bandages near water. To my surprise it was a chick.
"What the hell are you, now?"
"My name is Nefrina of the Lagids, unhand me, mortal!"
"You're a fucking Mummy...aren't you? Why'd you try to bite me?"
"To turn you into...one of us...our foe badly outnumbers us."
"Is that...is that a thing, if you are bit by a Mummy you become a Mummy? That doesn't sound right..."
"It's not widely known. We are mostly too slow. I mean, it didn't work with you."
"I guess not. Who is your foe?"
"Frankenstein!" I unhanded her and stood up. She panted and crawled to an upright position.
"You're fighting the Frankensteins?"
"Yes. We have for centuries. One on one we are the stronger, but they are increasing their numbers, increasing technology, we are desperate."
"You Mummies, you have like mystical shit, right? Like, magic and shit?"
"Yeah. You can place curses, fly on sand kind of, control little squirmy buggies."
"I want in."
"What?"
"Bite me. I volunteer. I'll kill Fred and the rest of his kind then Traci will be mine."
"Can I be your girlfriend?"
"What? No."
"Okay, okay, I just thought I'd try...I don't meet that many guys. I mean Nesperennub always hits on me but he's sooo old and -"
"Shut up! Bite me!" Nefrina stood up and lurched into my neck. I could feel the dust filling my veins, the bandages growing and wrapping around my skin. The power of thousands of years of cursed power cursing through my fingers. I opened my eyes and I was no longer Randy. I was Randy the Mummy! Nefrina smiled.
"Welcome to Lowcountry."
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