“Hello?”
“Hi, handsome. What does a girl have to do to see her baby boy for lunch?”
“I’d say you just got your lunch on. What do you think of Italian?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay, baby. Just meet me at Ristorante Tosca. It’s right near the Metro Center subway stop.”
The heat had made her perspiration a gooey mess. Mascara, blush, and other war paint now looked smudged and leathery. A beeline to the womens bathroom, and she quickly re-arranged her makeup.
“Yes. That looks much better.”
Her business finished in the bathroom at Metro Center, she walked towards the exit. A black woman stood right in front of her, deliberately blocking her way.
“Are you Perri?”
“Yes. And you?”
“I’m Shanice. Tyrell’s girlfriend.” Shanice’s eyes squinted, and her neck snapped from one side to the other like a viper hypnotizing its prey, while the index finger on her right hand resembled a gun waving back and forth, pointed skyward. “You’d best keep your hands off my man, skank heffa...”
Poisonous walked closer. She held her rings up in the light, admiring them. “I’m sorry... I don’t believe I heard you correctly.”
“You heard me, ho.”
She grabbed Shanice, spun her around, then grabbed her by her hands, put them behind her back, and pushed her into the wall with superhuman strength. Shanice cursed and yelled, but was no match for Poisonous’ pure fury and abilities as a spirit being.
“Let’s just see who’s the ho, here.”
Assured no one else was there, Poisonous changed back to a demon, spun Shanice around again, took her tentacles and beat Shanice so fast, and so hard, her hands were a blur. Shanice’s eyes swelled closed from pain and fear, succumbing to the blows to them, and making her unaware of the demon attacking her. Miniature purple spots covered Shanice’s face where Poisonous’ rings had landed. She knocked her to the ground, using her tentacles to hold her hands and feet still to keep Shanice from moving.
Very hard, sharp nails tore across Shanice’s face.
Shanice howled, holding up her hands to deflect the razors at the end of Poisonous’ talons, but to no avail. Hands with claws tore into her face until Shanice pulled them away, with great effort, and gasping in pain.
The sharp claws continued maiming Shanice’s chest and belly, shredding through her blouse and bra and tearing deep into the underlying skin.
Shanice’s thighs and groin received the same savage punishment. Shanice wailed in pain. She stopped for a second to assess the damage.
“Please...don’t hurt me anymore.” Shanice cried. “Please...”
Poisonous said nothing. She tore into Shanice’s legs, and all the way down to her feet. More bloody gouges dug deep into Shanice’s body, and Shanice screamed all the louder.
The fury subsided, and Poisonous got up, changing back to Perri.
Shanice sobbed and held herself, bleeding profusely.
With a cold, expressionless stare, she said, “Anything you want to add…ho?”
Shanice moaned, on the verge of losing consciousness, only able to slowly whisper the words, “Oh my God it hurts...”
She walked up to the sink and washed her hands, paying careful attention to her nails, then left to join Tyrell for lunch.
* * *
VD stood watching the whole thing, aghast, shaking her head, sadly. “I would have expected you to encourage humans to commit acts of immorality, but this is almost as bad as the Anger and Murder demons.” Tears filled her eyes. “This is not at all like, you, Poisonous. I have never known you to do anything so gruesome.”
Shanice fell quiet. Her head dropped to one side, and she lay there, motionless. Now in human form, VD called out to her. “Shanice! Are you all right?” No answer. “She’s probably in shock.” VD didn’t have a cell phone on her or any change, so she crossed the border between time and the realm of the spirit. Evie would be home from work right about now, so she appeared at her apartment.
“Evie!”
Evie jumped. “My goodness, you scared me. What is it, VD?”
“There’s no time to explain—I’ll do that on the way. Just grab your cell phone, and call 9-1-1.” She grabbed Evie’s hand, pulled her across the temporal divide, and into the bathroom at Metro Center.
Seeing Shanice, Evie had to turn away for a moment, holding her hands across her mouth. “Oh-h-h-h,” she moaned. “I think I’m going to be ill...” and ran into the stall and threw up.
“I know this is hard to look at, but you must be strong, Evie. This poor girl may die if help doesn’t come soon.”
“I’ll be out in a minute. The image of her bloody body is still fresh in my mind.” She groaned, and within a few seconds, she threw up again. “I’m sorry, VD. You may have to take on human form, and explain to the EMT’s what happened. I can’t stomach seeing her. No offense. Sorry sweetie.”
“It’s okay, Evie. I understand.” She picked up Evie’s phone and dialed the emergency line. “Yes, sir: in the women’s bathroom, near the 11th and G exit of the Metro Center station on the Red line.”
VD changed to human form, looking like a young Latina woman. In a couple of minutes, the piercing sounds of the sirens wailed loudly on the surface above the stations. The emergency techs ran in, and rushed to administer aid to Shanice. They quickly gave her a shot of adrenaline to revive her. She began screaming again. “No-o-o-o! Don’t let her hurt me anymore.” Her arms flailed wildly, trying to push them away.
The male emergency tech, held her still as the female tech put her fingers on her carotid artery, and held it there for approximately fifteen seconds. “Her pulse and pressure are very
