Free Good & Dead #1 by Jamie Wahl Page A

time, denting her ivory cheeks with the tiniest dimples, but her eyes were always doing something different.  “I think you’re going to be tons of fun.”
    “Alright,” she turned back to Chad.  He was now staring at her perfectly pedicured, snow white toes.  “Hmm,” she said, smiling broadly.  “Well, Chad, I’m Bell,” she said loudly. 
    Bell held out her slender hand, but Chad had completely checked out.  His eyes were glued to her perky chest like a fourteen year old boy who snuck in to a Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
    Bell laughed a little melancholy laugh, and glanced around at Tanish.  “I can see why Joseph left us a little early.”
    “Huh?” Chad said, coming back to reality.  He saw her hand waiting for him in mid-air and shook it hurriedly.  Bell’s posture changed the moment his hand touched hers.  The informal stance disappeared so quickly that Michael actually took an involuntary step back.
    “Oooh, Chad,” Bell whispered, releasing his hand like she would have done a particularly nasty insect.
    Tanish moved silently to stand between Chad and the door.  Michael braced himself.  Something was about to happen.
    “You know, Chad,” she said softly, holding one perfect pale finger just in front of Chad’s clammy face, causing him to go slightly cross-eyed, “There is a lot a girl like me can tell about a man” she touched her finger to his forehead, “with just one touch.”  Her eyes were already growing dark, reflecting the orange firelight.
    Then she changed.  From the crown of her head to her toes, she melted away.  And standing in front of Chad, in a pale blue school uniform, was a middle school aged girl.
    Chad’s eyes grew wide.  “How—how did you—“
    “You like them young, don’t you, Chad?” she asked with the sharp inflection of pre-teen immaturity.
    “I haven’t done…anything—I” Chad spluttered, backing away slowly until Tanish closed his hands around his biceps.  Chad whimpered, his eyes locked on Bell’s, his bottom lip quivering.
    Bell reached up to put both her small hands on either side of Chad’s face.  It was the gentlest touch.  Then her fingernails lengthened, biting into his chubby cheeks.  She pulled him forward with a quick side-step, slamming his face into the floor.  Blood sprayed across the highly polished hardwood from his cleanly broken nose. 
    “Holy crap!” Michael yelled, shutting his eyes tight.
    “No!” Chad screamed, “N—“
    Michael turned completely around to face Bell’s large desk, and clapped his hands over his ears.  He began humming “Birdhouse in your Soul” as loudly as he could, blocking out all but the loudest shrieks.  But nothing could block out the smell.  A sickly mixture of salty sweat and a coppery blood assaulted Michael’s senses.  He tried tucking his ear against his shoulder and covering his nose with his elbow, but the moment his curls sprang free a horrible squelching noise broke through his defenses.  He swallowed a mouthful of vomit and settled for deafness.
    He didn’t open his eyes until Tanish touched his arm. 
    “I bet Joseph wished he had stayed, huh?” Tanish said.
    “Is he…?” Michael asked, afraid to turn and look.
    Tanish only smiled.
    Michael turned around slowly, bracing himself.  On the floor where Chad had been standing were the remains of his clothes; shirt soaked red and torn to shreds, one shoe discarded in a tangle with what had been his jeans. Crimson claw marks ran up the wall and surrounded the largest pool of blood that glistened almost black on the hardwood.  Michael braced himself against the nearest chair.  He worried he might faint.  Bile rose in his throat for the millionth time that day.  He tried to close his eyes, but it was too late.  He had barely gotten to his knees before throwing up everything he had left, his throat burning with acid. 
    “Bell went to get cleaned up,” Tanish leaned casually on the wall next to the door,