CHAPTER 8: Virginia City

"Knock.? Knock."

"Hey, buddy.? You haven't paid the bill for the last two days.? Open up, before I am forced to call the police."? A male voice yells out over the angry pounding of my migraine.

I get my butt out of bed and amble across the room to the door.? Only realizing too late that I am naked, I open the door and the twenty something punk kid looks down at my junk and laughs. Wanting to smack that smile off his face, I inhale deeply through my nose and hold it in for 10 seconds.? After I calm down, I answer him.

"Hold on a minute and I will get your money.? Come on in and have a seat.? If you take a pic, it will last longer."? I remark snidely before I go to grab my wallet.? The whole time I am bending over to grab my jeans, I can just imagine he is making faces at me.??

Yes, I am naked.? But really people.? I want to wrap my fingers around his scrawny little neck and choke the life out of him.? I think that thought disturbs me more than the fact that he is sitting there looking at my butt.

Handing him the money, he starts laughing again and I must physically contain myself from beating the crap out of him.? Grabbing the money, he stomps towards the door, and I get this image in my head of smacking him in the back of the skull with my laptop.? Yes, it would be extremely satisfying, but I would quickly end up leaving before I have found what I am looking for here.

Last week, while I was doing a search online, I found a link for someone here in Virginia City that had a run in with my favorite woman.? Every time I set up a meeting with her, she calls it off and says "Sorry, I'm really busy."? I think it has to do with every time, I go to the restaurant, I get that ominous feeling and then I see red.? Of course, I could be wrong.

Today must be the day, I can feel it deep in my bones.? I have already felt her presence when I was sleeping and when I woke up in the middle of the night, I could swear I saw her sitting in the corner of the room.? Getting dressed, I get my stuff together and head on out to the meeting.?

Looking around the area as I drive along, I love the scenery.? Virginia City is almost a ghost town.? It has Old West saloons, museums, and railroad steam engines.? Matter of fact, I am going to meet Melissa McGuire at the Grand Time Saloon for a drink and a long talk.

When I get there, it's lunch time and the roads are blocked off.? I watch as a funeral procession goes down Main Street slowly and I wonder who died.? Deciding to find out from the waitress at the saloon, I ask, “Hey, do you know who died?"

"Apparently one of the locals who was really liked around here decided to take her own life."

"Do you mind if I ask what her name was?" I ask as a gnawing thought is creeping through my brain and a image of the red haired lady flashes across the window by the front door.

"No, not at all.? Her name was Melissa McGuire.? She was a pretty little thing and didn't ever seem to have a care in the world till a couple weeks ago.? Her son came up missing and I honestly don't think she ate a single thing after that.? Whenever she came in here to ask if anyone had seen him, she kept getting more and more gaunt looking.? I was really worried about that girl.? When she didn't show up yesterday at all, my boss called the sheriff, and they went over to check on her.? That's when they found her with her head blown clear off.? It was a grisly site."

"Why don't they suspect foul play if her son has been missing?? Couldn't whoever has taken him, killed her too?"?

She hesitates and shakes her head before responding.? "No, everyone around here knows that the dad has him.? The man ran off at the same time the kid went missing.? Now they are both MIA.? For a few days the Sheriff took the time to look for him, but then filed the paperwork with the State and they supposedly took over.? After that, no one heard anything else about it."

Deciding to grab a sandwich and go.? I say, "Well, I guess I had better go then before traffic gets too bad.? Do you mind making me a sandwich quick to go and a cup of coffee?"?

"Sure, buddy.? Give me a few minutes and I will have it all wrapped up for you."

She disappears in back and about three minutes later, she comes back out with a foam coffee cup and a bag.? "Here you go.? All wrapped up.? You owe me 5.50."

I hand her a 10-dollar bill and tell her, "Keep the change.? Have a good day."?

Scanning the Saloon, I see someone moving in the back, but it is too dark, and the shadows are playing with my imagination.? I swear that between the glimpses of her coming and going and the sense of impending doom, that she is about to appear right in front of me.??

After taking the bag and coffee from the counter, I go back and pack up my things.? Doing a once over of the room, I get this dark feeling and my head starts to pound.? Agonizing pain shoots throughout my brain and then I recognize that horrid smell permeating through the air.

When I turn around, I was right unfortunately as she sits in the chair and peers at me.? This time, I hear her inhale sharply as if she is about to say something.? I watch her closely and wait for her to do something, anything.??

Suddenly, she stands up and walks over to me.? Unable to move, I watch as her mouth starts to open slowly and unhinge.? I see just how sharp those rows of teeth really are when she leans forward, and I catch a glimpse of a child's partial finger wedged in between one of them.??

She smiles and everything goes black.