Part-Time Gods

I crouched down low in the driver's seat of the car, thankful I had had the forethought to not bring my own car on this little escapade. Otto was just about a block ahead of me and I watched from my hunched position as he got out of his car and made an inconspicuous B-line to the park entrance.

"What are you up to, f*cker?" Quietly, I exited my stolen vehicle with my duffel bag over my shoulder and casually made my way towards the same park entrance. The shadows clung to me as I made my way down the sidewalk, trying to keep up with Otto's hefty waddle without seeming suspicious.

With my hands shoved deep in my pockets and my black hoodie pulled down over my face, I stalked behind him as he weaved his way down the park path, clearly looking for something. Finally, he came to a park bench and slowed his pace.

I ducked behind a tree just as he looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched. Quickly, he sat on the bench and reached beneath it, pulling out a small brown paper bag. I took out my camera and snapped a photo as he pulled a phone out of the bag and made a call. I was too far to hear what he was saying but after the phone call, which lasted about two minutes, he threw the phone on the park path and crushed it beneath his foot.

He did one more glance around the area and then began heading back towards me. I tucked myself tightly against the tree and waited for him to pass, then began following once more. When he was back near his car, I made my move.

I rushed him, my fingers curled around my brass knuckles. He went down easily enough and I glanced around before dragging him into the trunk of his car and loading him in, frisking him for his keys.

I couldn't take him to my father, I had to do this on my own. I had to make it clear that I could do this. This time, I would make him proud. He'd tell me I did a good job of finding the rat and taking care of him all by myself.

The drive to the abandoned hospital was a short one, thankfully. I didn't want Sleeping Beauty in the trunk to wake up before I'd gotten him nice and tied up. Once I arrived at the hospital, I did a quick scan of the area to make sure there were no teenagers or drifters wandering around. I listened closely for any sounds coming from inside the building as well. All was quiet.

The building had an eerie feel to it. It had once been a children's hospital sometime back in the fifties but it'd been abandoned some time ago. Ivy overtook the exterior walls and most of the windows laid on the ground in broken shards. Inside, the paint was worn away and chipped and hospital equipment lay scattered about.

I found a wheelchair and rolled it out to the car for Otto. Before I opened the trunk, I pressed my ear to it to see if I could hear any motion from the inside. Sure that he was still knocked out, I took my switchblade in one hand and popped the trunk.

Otto laid there, unmoving, and I sent a quiet thanks to the big woman upstairs. After struggling to load him in the wheelchair, I got us quickly inside. I had all my stuff in my duffle bag still and once inside, I pulled out a length of heavy rope and tied Otto to the wheelchair. Now, it was time to wake him.

"Ottooooo," I sang as I slapped him awake. He didn't make a sound. Sh*t, did I kill him? I pulled a water bottle from my bag and splashed a bit in his face. That seemed to do the trick.

He came to with a loud groan and winced as the pain in his head must have registered. "Wha-" He looked around and tried to lean forward, but the ropes held tight. "What's going on?" He finally looked at me.

"We're going to have a little chat, Otto. And for your sake, I better like what I hear." I had watched my father interrogate men for years, he was a master at it and I learned from the best.

He winced again and looked down at his ropes, trying to squirm out of them. He looked like a fat little grub. "What are you doing, Selene?" He looked up at me then, glaring.

"Funny you should ask, because I was just about to ask you the same thing!" I pulled my brass knuckles from my pocket and wiggled my fingers into them. The blow came quickly and brutally and Otto spat a glob of blood on the floor beside him.

"You stupid f*cking b*tch, do you have any–" I punched him again. No one calls me stupid. Well, no one but my father.

I leaned in so that I was staring him in the eyes. "This is how this is going to work, buddy. I'm going to ask all the questions and you're going to answer them. If I don't like what comes out of your mouth, I punch it. We play until you have no more teeth left in your head. Then I move on to other body parts."

He had the courtesy to audibly gulp as I flicked my gaze down to the space between his legs.

"What do you want to know?" The heat never left his eyes and I could see him licking at his teeth, checking to see if any were loose.

"Let's start with an easy one, shall we?" I smiled at him. "What were you doing at the park?"

He narrowed his eyes and said through clenched teeth, "I was going for a walk."

I reared back so that he saw the next punch coming. His head snapped back and when it fell forward again, blood dribbled from a busted lip. He spat out a front tooth and swore.

"I didn't like that answer, I'm afraid. One more time. What were you doing in the park, Otto?"

"I was making a call." I pulled back my fist and laughed when he flinched.

"Good answer. Now, who were you calling?"

"A friend."

"Oh come on Otto, it's like you enjoy being my punching bag." I cocked back and punched him in the mouth again.

"You know," he spat more blood and sucked his teeth. "I always knew you were f*cking nuts. But I didn't realize just how unhinged you really were. Are you so desperate for your father's love that you'd risk kidnapping me and beating me to a pulp just to get, what, a f*cking pat on the back?" I took a step back and he kept going. "That's it isn't it? What do you think you're going to accomplish here? What, you kill me and suddenly your father will love you? He'll never love you, you'll always just be the family f*ck–"

I didn't let him finish that sentence. The knife in my hand sank into his neck and he stared at me, eyes wide. He began choking on his own blood and I shook with rage as his blood dripped down the knife and into my hoodie sleeve. I don't remember at what point I took the knife out of my pocket, I just know that it found its way to his neck.

His eyes drifted past me as the light left them and I screamed. I screamed so loud I was positive someone would hear it. I screamed so loud I didn't even notice the tears streaming down my face until the blood soaking into my sleeve grew cold. But still, I just stood there glaring down at Otto's fresh corpse.

I wiped the snot from my nose with my clean sleeve and wiped my blade off on Otto's pant leg. And now I had the pleasure of getting rid of a body.