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Chapter 12

Masterpieces/Peace Masters

and The Council of Doom

“Hello love.” Gregg replied.
The two stood breathless and in a room that was filling with party people and freaks. Vampires, gangsters and innocent people walked in the doors alike. For the moment that stood still though, Jamie and Gregg stood alone in the Pink Lady.
Gregg looked deep into Jamie’s eyes. His heart fluttered as is he had seen a face of a love he had been searching for his whole life.
He put his hand to the side of her face and kissed her lips with divine passion.
Jamie kissed him back with her eyes shut gently. Her hand wrapped around the bicep of the arm which her held her head tilted ever so slightly back and to the right.
As they opened their eyes simultaneously, neither one took a breath but both exhaled a sigh of relief from deep within.
Jamie’s eyes were hazel colored with speckles of green mixed in. Her skin was pale yet healthy with tan from days in the sun.
She slid her hand down his bicep and tunneled it inside of his. Their hands fit perfectly. They extended their hands and shifted them and closed their fingers together. Holding hands with a stranger after a sublime moment wrapped in a kiss, they were both addicted immediately.
The eye contact was intense and unbroken as they looked at each other with a certain type of amazement and wanting.
They kissed again and smiles beamed out from their animal like yet natural attraction. From behind Gregg a tap on his shoulder. He stopped kissing Jamie and turned his head without letting her go from his arms.
Brandon stood with his typical contagious grin and laughed.
“Ah shit man, I thought I seen you Gregg! Well who is this? I didn’t know you had a girlfriend!”
Jamie giggled a mid western girl giggle and extended her hand out for a shaking to Brandon.
“I actually hadn’t got that far with him yet! I don’t think?!” she said nervously. “I’m Jamie.”
Brandon shook her hand politely and looked at Gregg with a bit of a confused grin. He laughed again in his classic Brandon laugh and said, “Hi! I’m Brandon. But my friends call me B-Weez. This guy right here,” he patted Gregg’s chest with gentle hands and said, “This guy right here, well this is Gregg. He’s a good man. Don’t be breaking his heart now!”
With that Brandon walked into the club which had now become more than half its capacity in bodies. The music bumped and thumped and the wild party that was The Pink Lady was underway.
Gregg looked at Jamie with a smile, almost an embarrassed smile and said, “I’m Gregg. My friends call me… I didn’t say my name?!”
Jamie got on her tiptoes to kiss him again and said, “No. But I’m Jamie. Let’s go talk somewhere.”
Jamie led Gregg by the hand through the masses. The crowd was exceptionally rowdy on this night with the blood moon glowing down after the riots and storm that saw Dracula and Father Rahm walk hand in hand on the same day.
She led him through a door by the bar top. The door was not marked or labeled. She looked back at him as she pushed through it. She smiled hesitantly.
“We can probably find a place to be alone back here.” she said.
Gregg smiled with his crooked teeth and nodded yes. They were now isolated in a hallway that had doors to both the left and right. The hallway wrapped around the bar. They moved quickly. She let go of his hand and ran.
He ran after her with a smile. She turned to the left and pushed open a door that led into a small bedroom. The room had a big huge bed with black and red sheets and a huge soft looking comforter. The floors were wooded and clean. There was a small window just above the head of the bed that was boarded up. It smelled of vanilla and cinnamon in the room.
Jamie turned around and pushed her hands against his chest. His arms wrapped around her. One hand at the small of her back, the other hand moved up between her shoulder blades and he grabbed her firmly by the back of her neck.
He wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her body down onto the bed. They kissed passionately but not sloppy. Both making sounds of content as their lips danced together.
As he positioned himself on top of her and kissed her body gently, she reached her hand back searching for a lamp. Gregg bit down into her skin playfully as she found the pull string that let the lights out. With shared moments of breath. They took their clothes off and explored each other using skin as emotional expressions in the sanctuary of darkness. Their shadows merged softly and slowly. Then their shadows fought. In the pinnacle of their movement, their shadows became one. As dark as it was in that room, both could see light as it was day.

*****

Meanwhile in the church…
The candles that lit the church flowed to the side a little bit but continued to burn.
Count Dracula sat in a chair hunched forward with his eyes fixated on his shoes. He just sat there with no expression but would not look up. He breathed deeply and raised his head slightly. He looked at Father Rahm and let out a sigh. Father Rahm sat upright in a black office chair that had three wheels as a base.
“Father, I’ve come for several reasons today. I did not know I would meet you. I was though, led here by my own will. That is, Father, on behalf of the truth of Evil.’
Father Rahm’s eyes opened with shock as he sat stiff in his chair. He did not respond.
“Father, the time has come. Evil will reign at last. I have come to tell you of my sins so as I may be a good leader and allow God, the mercy in which he denied me.”
Father Rahm lifted his right hand and put his index finger against his closed lips. He raised an eyebrow but did not respond.
“Father, hear me now. When morning comes, I shall see the sunlight and walk just fine. I will see the glory of victory and soon see my Mina once again.”
The priest dropped his finger from his lips and nodded with disagreement. Slowly to the left and right did he shake his head no. But it was met by the up and down nod of The Count.
“With my God forgiven victory, Father, I shall allow you to live in peace for the rest of your days.”
A cold gust of wind pushed itself through the wooden doors of the church. Every lit candle was blown out. The smoke from the wicks swirled up through the air, giving off a smell of peace.

*****

Bobby Womack’s California Dreaming blared from the hallway from outside the bedroom the Jamie and Gregg occupied.
They now laid together with his arm wrapped over her shoulder. They looked at each other with serenity.
Gregg kissed her forehead and took in the smell of her hair. He could feel her heartbeat when he put his chin on the top of her head. He looked at her shoulders and noticed adorable little freckles and a birthmark just on the inside of her left shoulder-blade.
She looked at his chest and was fixating on the way his collar-bone angled in the soft darkness. Gregg slid his body down so that he could look her in the eyes. He cupped her face in his strong, gifted hands. He blinked a heavy blink. He thought about what he wanted to Express verbally.
“Jamie.. Jamie… Jamie… oh my God, you’re the prettiest thing I’ve seen. Listen to me. I want you to come to the church with me.”
Jamie looked into his eyes but did not let her eyes budge.
“Why?” she replied.
“Because Jamie, I have to see Father Rahm. He’s this priest I’ve known for most of my life, though we have only met twice! I would very much like to ask him to bless us and we could walk together in the sunshine throughout our lives.”
Jamie smiled and her eyes looked at his face from side to side. Her lips tightened when she looked into his eyes.
“Gregg,” Jamie spoke, “Gregg… Gregg? Gregg! What?!”
She pulled her head back and looked at him with squinted eyes. The way her cheeks pulled back against her face made Gregg bite his lip.
Jamie bit her lip too. She looked in Gregg’s eyes and she saw three things. She saw confidence. She saw honesty and she also saw a man who she fell into with no hesitation. The last thing of the three things that she saw made her heart beat hard and fast. She pressed herself up to her knees using his chest as a platform. She turned her knees to the side of the bed and began to put her clothes back on.
Her lipstick was smeared gently above her lips and eyeliner ran slightly just below her eyes. Her hair was messy but not ugly by any means. She walked to a mirror and began to fix her makeup. From the mirror view, she looked at Gregg who laid there looking at the ceiling. He had a crooked grin that showed where his thoughts might be. He turned and looked at her from the mirror view. Then he stood up and slid his pants on. He could see a stress on her face as he pulled his shirt over his head and buttoned his jeans.
“Babe,” she said with a crack in her voice. “you scare me. What if I’m not enough of a woman for you?”
Gregg took three steps towards her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and said, “My heart already chose.”
She patted his thigh and squeezed it and took in a huge breath. “Then let’s ask Father Rahm.”

*****

Back at the church…
Father Rahm stood up over Dracula and looked down glaringly .
“What is this turn of light that your claiming?”
Dracula looked at him calmly with a smirk on his lips.
“The age old war Father, it has come upon you. I believe that you still call it… Revelations? Well, I… I just have known that as life. Soon it shall be your world as well.”
Father Rahm began hyperventilating. He grabbed his chest and fell to his knees. His hands over his heart, clinched the cross that fell across his neck.
The Count stood now, over the priest and looked at him with compassion.
“Rest Father. I promised you the mercy that I was not afforded. Allow me to help you to your quarters.”
Dracula pulled the priest to his feet and escorted him up a set of stairs and into his room. He saw to it that Father Rahm was in his comforts and proceeded to the mass hall where he stood alone at the podium of which Father Rahm had given ten thousand sermons. Dracula looked at the designs on the windows. He looked at the statues of Jesus and the Angels. He looked at the pictures of the prophets that he once knew as men when he roamed earth as a human, an eternity ago.

*****

Jamie and Gregg moved as one through the crowd that was way past capacity. The dipped and dodged through the narrow atmosphere. Oddly, as Andre 300, 3000, something like that, had once proclaimed, the atmosphere was indeed, narrow lipped.
Gregg heard the bass bumping through the club followed by three loud cheers what moved through the crowd. Gregg was cool though. Some would say he was ice-cold but others may have dumbest compared his cool than, cooler than a polar bear’s bear’s toenails.
His head bounced as he walked and he had a glaze over his eyes caused by passion.
A girl walked by with a tray of bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed jalapeno. He grabbed one and bit into it. The smell reminded him of Kathy. He kissed his first two fingers. He pounded his chest and he pointed to the sky, still holding hands with Jamie.
Brandon stood by the front door. He had on a black leather jacket that gave frame to a Muhammad Ali tee-shirt. He waited as he saw Gregg being led by Jamie to the exit.
“Yo Gregg, I’m gonna roll with you my brother, I’m a little tipsy.” Brandon laughed belligerently.
Jamie ignored him and kept walking. She let go of Gregg’s hand as Gregg came face to face with Brandon. Gregg nodded his head in response with a grin which signaled Brandon to follow.
“Where are y’all even going?” Brandon asked as he joined Gregg’s adventure.
Gregg looked at him with a smile. “If you’re scared B…”
“Go to church…” Brandon replied

*****

At the church
Father Rahm is in his quarters
Dracula is roaming the church freely
Lightning strikes but it is not raining.
It was dark. The church lights were all off. The main doors were locked. Gregg knocked at the heavy wooden church doors with two closed fists. He called out to Father Rahm his reply was silence. Jamie kissed him sweetly and smiled.
“Maybe next time, huh babe?”
Gregg looked at her. He smiled.
“Sure… Next time then.” he replied.
Brandon, looking at Jamie and Gregg from a distance, noticed the moon.
“I’m gonna take a little stroll around the church grounds guys, I’ll look out for you around here when its it’s time to go!”
“Alright B!’ Gregg replied, ‘Love you bro! Not in love though!”
They both laughed as Brandon walked into the courtyard of The Church. Gregg and Jamie stood alone. There was an awkward silence.
The wooden doors of the church rattled slightly. Jamie looked in Gregg’s eyes. She saw a good honest man who had healing powers. What she thought though was some ridiculous hypocritical gander, that one might expect from a common goose. All he hears heard was goose talk. Because, ‘maybe next time.’
Footsteps in the distant part of the sheltered quiet that was the church, made Jamie look back. They saw nothing though. Jamie had goosebumps all over her forearms. Gregg rubbed them with the warmth of his usually cold hands.
“I’m gonna go check on Brandon.” she said. Gregg looked up and saw a special red inside the moon. It was almost as if the moon was looking at him in the moment. It made him feel special, but it made him feel isolated, if that makes any sense.
As Jamie was a few steps into the shadows, the church doors opened. Jamie turned around to look. She ran up to Gregg. He had not turned to look at the doors, he was looking on Jamie with clear eyes and love in his heart.
A hand from the shadows played a piano note on his shoulders. The skin that touched Gregg’s at that moment were the coldest hands he had ever felt. Jamie smiled as if an old friend had answered the gates to God.
“Come in my child.” proclaimed The Count.
Gregg froze with fear. He looked at Jamie’s smile. Thoughts of past love failure rushed through his head. He thought about being alone in a country just far enough to be confusing.
He thought of Darius and Brandon
He thought of Kathy and he remembered Diane. Come to think of it, there was a girl in The Pink Lady that reminded him of a young Diane. Come to think of it, he may have seen Aldo too…
“Fuck!’ yelled Gregg ‘Mitch!”
“Father, I love this guy. I want to have your blessing!” said Jamie with a strange confidence.
Gregg turned and looked at the priest. It was Dracula. Gregg thought hard and fast. She just told the priest that she wanted a blessing. She said she loved this guy.
On the other hand, Mitch!
But what if he gave love its it’s one true chance and it was his turn to not be shunned by a woman. Ever since his childhood, he never knew what it meant to trust a woman.
“Ask her your most important fear of failure. failure?” said Dracula. Gregg looked at Jamie and asked one question.
“What is my name?”
He looked at her. He looked at the priest. He ran. He ran back towards the Pink Lady. Jamie ran behind.
As Gregg came to the street side club, he saw a man. The man was slender and tall. His body looked as it was demolished. Dead and at peace, a crowd was gathered and the mood was somber. The body had black hair and a Misfits tee-shirt.
A misfit! He was a misfit. And that’s when he saw Darius walking straight towards him.

*****

Darius looked back as he slipped a twenty-dollar bill into the pocket of the door man. He returned his gaze to the bouncer and asked

“ Yo slick, did you see where that hot chick in the black dress went? Damn, I really need to stop smoking this shit.” He passed his blunt to the bouncer.
The bouncer shook his head no and Darius continued his journey into the Pink Lady. He had gone through the infamous side door, the grimiest, nastiest part of the establishment, a breeding ground of evil, a place where every sin went unnoticed. For generations the Pink Lady had been a meeting ground for the masters of evil. The council of doom often met in the private top floor meeting room, as did other various smaller factions of evil.

******

In the middle of a large candle lit room on the top floor of a building in the heart of Juarez, Mexico called the Pink Lady laid a large rectangular silver table with seven chairs placed around it. Satan sat at the head of the table as he looked around the room at the remaining members of the council of doom, pausing momentarily to stare at the empty chair where his eldest son once sat. He took a deep breath
“ Dearest council tonight is a night for celebration, the balance of evil has shifted in our favor, and tomorrow they will all be gone. Listen to it, the chaos in the streets all over the world. I feel it in my veins, and grow stronger for the second”
He looked over again at the empty chair, clenched his fist, and closed his eyes. The Father of Nothing sat to his right, he looked up at the Dark Lord and smiled ever so slightly. He stood up and put his hand on Satan’s shoulder.
“Dark Lord you are absolutely correct tonight is a night for celebration, and none of it would be possible without your leadership. I’d like to propose a toast.”
The Father of Nothing snapped his fingers. His brood of seductresses dressed in tight red leather dresses appeared out of the shadows. Nosferati stood behind the Father of Nothing, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. One of the women carried a jug of wine while the remaining placed glasses at every place on the table. The woman carrying the jug poured wine into every glass, then handed the jug to the Father of Nothing who said
“Gentlemen the time of the rule of evil is at our doorstep. Tomorrow we will lay waste to this world and usher in a new era of hell on earth. Sacrifices were made but let us drink to our fallen comrade and to the hope that he will one day be reunited with his true family. To Abaddon may his death not be in vain”
The Father of Nothing raised his glass as did the other members of the council, everyone took a drink and placed their glasses on the table. Everyone sat silently. Satan looked at the empty chair with the full glass in front of it, a single tear flowed down his cheek but quickly evaporated off of his boiling skin. He hated the man but knew that every word he spoke was the truth.
The Father of Nothing smiled
“Well if there is nothing further gentlemen then I must excuse myself. I have a matter to attend to downstairs. He extended his arm , and Nosferati wrapped her arm around his. The man looked around the room then laughed
“ Why is it so somber in here? This is supposed to be a time of merriment. Ladies liven the mood.”
His seductresses began to dance and sit on the laps of the council. Satan stood up, turned around and looked at the window. The Father of Nothing looked at Nosferati
“Shall we?
And they walked through the old wooden door and walked downstairs.

*****

Darius walked in and looked around the room, then he took a seat at the bar and slammed twenty-one dollars on the counter
“I’ll take a beer and two dancers please? Oh and this is for you amigo.”
He slapped another five dollars, and a small bag of marijuana on the counter. He spun his chair around turning his back to the bartender. Darius smiled as he checked out the scene the room was filling up. A curvy Mexican woman with curly black hair dressed in a red bikini and black high heels walked over, handed him a beer, stood between his legs and began to dance. Darius turned his head around and asked the bartender
“Hey man where’s the other one?”
The bartender pointed. Darius turned around to see that a slender blond woman with blond hair wearing pink lingerie was erotically dancing with the woman in red. He smiled, sat back and watched the performances when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a tall pale man with slicked back black hair wearing a purple suit,top hat, and a monocle in his eye. Darius sat up and watched him exit a stairwell marked employees only with a blond woman in a tight red leather dress. They walked across the room towards the side door arms interlocked.
The woman in red was now sitting in Darius’s lap while the blond woman continued to dance.
Darius yelled
“Oh shit it’s him! Fuck I gotta find Mitch and that fucking ashtray.”
The dancer with the curly black hair nibbled on his ear and whispered
“Papi you don’t have to do anything right now”
Darius sat back
“You’re right he’ll be alright, and I did pay twenty-one dollars.

*****

The Father of Nothing and Nosferati made their way out of the door and into the alley. A bald pale vampire was feasting on the blood of a street beggar. He turned around from his meal as the door opened and when he saw the man in the purple top hat he bowed, as the blood dripped down  his chin. The Father of Nothing tipped his cap and continued towards the street. The street was filling up with unsuspecting people, as well as vampires dancing the night away. They made a right turn and headed for the church. Walking down the sidewalk they reached the corner and noticed to the right of them a small adobe building with the doors and windows boarded up. Shiloh was leaning on the corner of the building staring at the floor through his dark sunglasses. He stepped in front of The Father of Nothing and Nosferati as they approached, removed his glasses,then removed the Afro pick from his hair. He put it in the front pocket of his black hoodie, looked at the man and said
“I know what you’re about to do homie, and I can’t let you do it”
The man laughed
“Is that so? And how exactly were you planning to do this?”
Shiloh reached behind his left shoulder and unsheathed his mystical blade. The man stood still Nosferati still clinging to his arm. He adjusted his top hat slightly.
“Ah. I see the angel let you keep the blade. I always knew you were special.”
Nosferati unhinged her arms from the man and looked at Shiloh
“Baby why are you doing this? We could all be happy together.”
Shiloh scowled, “bitch you better stay out of this!”
Her eyes began to glow red. Her red nails became deadly silver blades and her fangs sharpened as she lunged at Shiloh swiping at his blade. Shiloh side-stepped and took a swipe slicing her shoulder as she flew by. She landed, turned around and began to stalk Shiloh. She jumped at Shiloh once more trying to impale him. He blocked her hands with his blade and kicked her into the street. She landed on her back in the middle of the street. Shiloh’s eyes burned red as he bared his fangs, jumped into the street to finish her with his blade.

*****

As the song ended the women stood up. Darius turned around, finished the remaining half of his beer, and darted towards the door. He stepped into the alley and noticed a pale bald vampire with dried blood on his chin sleeping on the floor, and a mutilated human carcass near a trash can. Darius kicked the vampire in the face and walked towards the street then looked both ways hoping to spot Mitch. The vampire jumped up and landed behind Darius who turned around and asked
“Really?”
He balled up his fist and threw a perfect straight right hand into the vampires chest puncturing it. The creature of the night crumpled to the floor. Darius removed the blunt from the side of his backwards Colorado Rockies hat and lit it.
“Fucking vampires”
Darius made his way through the crowd in the street. For reasons he will never understand Darius made his way towards the church. He pushed through the crowd slowly while he enjoyed the ambiance of the evening. Even though chaos ensued all around him there was a sense of calm as he strolled down the street enjoying his blunt. He came to the edge of the crowd and saw Shiloh drive his sword through the chest of Nosferati. She screamed in agony.Shriveling as the flames sent her back to hell.
Darius looked across and saw the man smiling a wicked smile the reflection of the flame glowing in his dark black eyes. The man noticed Darius across from him tipped his cap and nodded. Darius froze noticing Mitch running towards the man. He was holding the ashtray in his hand tears were streaming down his face. Darius took a puff of what remained of his blunt and flicked it into the street. He put his head in his hands
“Mitch what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Mitch ran past the man and saw Darius standing there he yelled.
“I know how to stop it, I know how to win the war!”
Mitch turned around and saw the man from his nightmares. He held up the ashtray and pointed it at The Father of Nothing. Shiloh dusted off his blade and stared at the man. Mitch walked up to him holding up the ashtray, trembling with fear but walking with a noble bravery.
“You came to me once in my dreams and told me I was the key. It scared me but I get it now. The power of the righteous lays within me and I have been chosen by God to defeat you. To defeat evil. You cannot hurt anyone anymore with this relic I banish you to hell!”
The man looked at Mitch he placed his hand over his heart and began to cough. Mitch’s confidence skyrocketed as he inched closer wielding the ashtray like a powerful weapon. It began to glow. The man took a knee and began to cough even more violently. Mitch stood over him
“With this relic I banish you to hell!”
Darius and Shiloh stood in amazement at Mitch’s display of power. Mitch yelled again this time even louder
“With this relic I banish you to h-”
The man suddenly grabbed Mitch by the neck and stood up. The ashtray fell helplessly on the pavement as Mitch grabbed the man’s outstretched arm gasping for air. The Father of Nothing lifted Mitch high above his shoulders, and looked directly at Shiloh and Darius still standing astonished. He raised his free hand, made a fist, then extended his index finger, and started to caress Mitch’s blue face. His long fingernail made its way down the side of Mitch’s face, past the rib cage stopping at the top of his stomach. It began to glow red as it slowly entered Mitch’s limp body. The man ran his finger down Mitch’s stomach spilling blood and guts on the pavement. The man removed his bloodied finger, dropped Mitch on the ground. He looked at Shiloh laughing, then disappeared into the night. Shiloh ran and jumped on the roof of the adobe building with the boarded up windows and headed towards the church. Darius walked over and stared at Mitch’s mangled carcass.
“Damn Mitch we should have never told you that fucking story.”
He looked around for the ashtray it was gone.
“Shit!”
He looked up at the red moon and then started walking towards the church. Darius noticed Gregg and a young woman he had never seen standing beside him. 

(to be continued)