Stefan Vucak - Hunger.pdf - Stefan Vucak - widez2

HUNGER

STEFAN VUCAK

Author of the Award Nominee Shadow Gods Saga

CHAPTER 1

It was one of those bars you end up in after a movie or a do it yourself dinner.

Inside, they played thin reedy music, the kind of stuff that used to be popular in

the sixties - favored by the oldies and the sentimental at heart. Half the time you

couldn't hear anything anyway above the blanket of noise and anonymous chatter.

There was a little open square among the tables where you could dance if you

wanted to, or just cling to someone. The drinks weren't watered and the

bartender would talk to you if he wasn't busy. It was cheaper than a session with

my shrink and delivered the same kind of service.

Maybe it was the slow pace or the square atmosphere, but there were always a lot

of young people hanging around. Some came to enjoy the novelty, liked the mood

and the dated sounds and many of them became regulars.

That's how I met Dan.

We were checking out the scenery after ordering; mine was a scotch and dry, no

ice. When the drinks arrived, he appeared to scrutinize the amber fluid, gave me a

sidelong glance and shrugged.

"If I wanted a decent drink, I wouldn't be here," he decided and raised his tumbler

in a salute.

He wore a gray corduroy blazer and black trousers. Clear blue eyes regarded me

with amused cynicism. His hair was light brown that sat on his head in a thick mop.

It was streaked with strands of white. He had the kind of rugged exterior that made

women fall at his feet and men take orders from.

I tried to suppress my jealousy and returned the salute.

"Check," I said with a grin and glanced briefly at the crowd. "It's only a

diversion."

The bar was a very good place to get picked up - by either sex.

His laugh was deep and lit up his eyes. No pretense there and I began to warm to

him. The eyes can tell you a lot about a person. He leaned back against the bar and

scanned the room.

"The name is Dan," he said and stuck out a meaty a hand.

"Frank," I said and nodded. His hand was cool and dry and we maneuvered for a

knuckle crusher. He had the height and reach, but I only smiled as his expression

changed from a confident smirk into a surprised grimace of pain. I let him go before

he was reduced to squirming.

"Damn!" he grunted massaging his hand. "It's been a while since I came off

second best."

"I'll be around whenever you want a reminder." We had a hearty chuckle at that.

Looking around, he suddenly pointed with his head. "Frank! Take a look at that

chassis, man."

I followed his glance and almost missed her.

She wasn't all that tall, but there was something about the way she stood, a power

held in check that radiated from her and made me stare. I could swear that for a

second every male eye in the room was turned on her. Must have been my

imagination.

Her black hair spilled across her shoulders and hung straight above a slim waist.

She had a long oval face that framed large ebony eyes, a thin delicate nose and

generous red lips. I couldn't see any makeup. She wore a velvety brown-black

dress that clung without being tight.

She was attractive, but I had seen better.

"Not bad," I said offhandedly.

Dan shook his head and gave me a cold grin.

"You happen to leave your eyeballs at home or something? Step aside. This is

man's work, sonny." Without taking his eyes off the woman, he absently placed the

tumbler on the bar top and stood up.

Amused, I watched as he walked up to her and said something. She gave him a

quizzical look, nodded and smiled. I took a sip and when I looked up they were

gone.

I didn't think much of it then, but I remember the angry scowl hanging on the

bartender's face when he gave me a refill. To hell with him. I wasn't Dan's keeper,

and a man was free to run his own life.

CHAPTER 2

It was a few weeks later that I bumped into Dan again - and didn't recognize him.

I was hanging against the bar for emotional support when this old guy quietly

slipped in beside me. He had peppery gray hair worn kind of long and skin hanging

off his jowls. He must have been powerful once. Now, he was just another

old-timer trying to recapture something he happened to leave behind in his youth.

"Pops," I said pleasantly and nodded.

His clear blue eyes sparkled as he grinned. "How you doing, Frank?"

The voice was kind of familiar and I frowned as I studied him. Then my jaw fell

as I took in the gray corduroy blazer and the dark trousers.

"Dan?" I asked, not believing my eyes.

"I always knew you were a pretty sharp boy, Frank," he wheezed, nodding.

"What the hell happened to you? You look..." I trailed off, but deep down I

knew. The knowledge sent my skin crawling.

"Yeah, I know. I look like hell." He raised a finger and ordered a drink. He

didn't say anything, just stared into space as he waited for that drink. I let him have

the moment.

The bartender shook his head as he slid the tumbler across the top.

"On the house," he growled and stomped away, but not before giving me an

accusing glare. I glared back. Screw him! Everyone was entitled to ruin their own

life.

"Don't mind him," I told Dan.

"Let's find a quiet place," Dan grunted and we carried our drinks to an empty

table tucked into a dark corner. The music followed us, but I didn't mind. Looking

at him, I still couldn't believe it. It had been awhile...

"Dan?"

"I know, I know," he said tiredly. "I'm dying."

"Dying? From what?"

He smiled and his eyes lit up. "Would you believe love?"

"Come on, Dan. I'm serious."

"So am I."

When he looked at me, there was no pretense, no regrets. "It was her."

He didn't have to explain. I knew. "How?" But I knew that too. He shook his

head and shrugged.

"I don't know. There was something about her that made her different from any

other woman I ever knew. And she made herself like that for me. She wanted me."

"What're you talking about?"

There was a wistful smile on his face and some of the years seemed to fall away

and I could see his old face. Then he looked at me, an old and angry man.

"When I picked her up, or maybe she did the picking. It doesn't matter. Anyway,

we both knew where it would lead to. She had me captivated, or bewitched. I don't

know."

"Yeah, you were taken in by her, all right."

He snorted and took a quick gulp. "It's not that. She was pretty, but nothing

spectacular. What I mean is, when she looked at me, I knew that I was the only man

in the world for her. And that's a powerful weapon, my boy. I was hers and I knew

it and something in the back of my mind told me to get the hell out of there in a

hurry. But it was too late. My hormones were doing my thinking for me."

"So you were swept off your feet. A one-night stand."

"Sure, except that it lasted for three weeks. Then one morning, I looked in the

mirror and saw a stranger. She was gone and her things with her. And in those three

weeks, I lived a lifetime."

He looked at me, eyes glistening and a shiver ran down my spine. Obviously she

has gone rogue. That wasn't good.

"And you know something? I didn't care. I didn't! Who knows? Maybe she left

that with me as some kind of compensation."

I twirled my tumbler, brooding. "You still haven't told me what happened, Dan."

"I don't know what happened! All I know, as I grew weaker, she grew stronger,

more radiant, more compelling. When we made love, I could feel my strength

draining from me. Frank, making love to that woman was like losing yourself."

"You did," I said dryly. "But, Dan, you know what you're saying? How do you

know that she made you old? You could have caught something..." I trailed off

feebly, somehow believing him as suppressed memories returned. It wasn't

supposed to happen like this!

"I can see it in your eyes, Frank," he said gently and I looked away, surprised that

the pain was still there. "All women take something from you when you love. This

one just took a bit more than most."

Yeah, his life.

CHAPTER 3

A week later he was dead.

And I was beginning to have doubts. When you strip away the fog of emotion,

what he said began to seem pretty far fetched. Sure, he had looked old and now he

was dead, but there were a lot of other plausible explanations for that. Weren't

there? But I wasn't really fooling myself.

I sighed in disgust. Something would have to be done.

It was a cool evening and the wind keened softly through the alleys. A thin fog

was beginning to settle, shrouding the city lights in a soft blanket. I never meant to

drop in for a drink that night, but I'd had a long day and the thought of making my

own dinner didn't hold much appeal.

I was just finishing my drink when there was a moment of silence as she slid on

the bar stool next to me. She ordered something in a low contralto voice. Our eyes

met and I could feel my face drain.

She wore that same brown-black dress and her large ebony eyes seemed to widen

as I looked into them. They were completely opaque and I couldn't see any

reflection in them. Her hair was tied in a knot above her head, extenuating her long

face. She touched the corner of her mouth with the tip of a small pointed tongue

and smiled slowly.

"Hi," she husked, revealing even white teeth, not recognizing me for what I was.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You reminded me of someone," I said after a moment, drinking in her face. Yep,

the power was there, all right.

"It must have been a painful reminder. Perhaps I should leave."

"No," I said firmly, afraid that I would lose her. "It was something a long time

ago." I couldn't believe I was saying that. She had captivated me with a glance and

something at the back of my mind was screaming at me to run. For a moment, I

wanted to ask her about Dan. Luckily I had enough sense to keep my mouth shut.

For what I was about to do, I had to keep my wits about me or it was likely that I

would end up like Dan. And that just wouldn't do.

With a smile that didn't touch her eyes, she placed a small hand on my arm.

"I'll make you forget her."

I believed her. I slipped some notes on the bar and stood up. We made our way

between the tables and walked out.

I had a fairly large apartment not far from downtown. It was a ten-minute drive.

While the car hummed to itself, she didn't say anything. She just sat there, the

silence broken by the whisper of tires and the traffic around us. I felt strangely

content and at peace, warm in her presence. I didn't want to spoil it with words.

She touched my arm and I glanced at her outline, her face in shadow. On

impulse, I pulled over and for a moment we listened to the throb of the engine.

"I don't even know your name," I said softly, trying to make out her face.

She seemed to hesitate, then turned her head, her hair swaying.

"Kaneel."

The air seemed to tremble as I savored the sound.

"Mine's-"

Stefan Vucak - Hunger.pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: