Flint
We enter the town through a suburb just on the edge of it. It’s a quiet place. The kind of place you’d love to raise a family in. If you were into that kind of thing. I bring the bike to a stop on the corner of a random street. No matter where you look there is a house decorated with pumpkins, or a group of giggling children bouncing from house to house. I wait for Avalon to get off the bike and then swing my own leg over. We need a phone, preferably one with GPS so we can figure out what direction to take. A roadmap to my parents’ murder.
I look down the street again, hoping to spot an adult. Hell, a teenager would probably have a more suited device for me to pick-pocket.
“Are you lost?” The voice is coming from behind me. I turn but don’t see anything. “You look lost.” I look down to where the voice is coming from and see a chubby little boy in front of me. He’s maybe nine or ten. His round face staring up at me.
“N..n-no. We’re okay.” I wait for the kid to say something about my stutter, they always do. Avalon comes to stand next to me. Her body is tense. She must be expecting it too. I hate this weakness in me. It’s humiliating.
“You… you’re really pretty.” Even in the darkness I can see him blushing.
I let out a chuckle as Avalon bends down in front of him. “Thanks, what’s your name?”
“Justin,” he mumbles.
“It’s nice to meet you Justin. I’m Bonnie, and this over here is Clyde.” I smile at the fake names she chose for us.
“Do you know how to get to town?”
He nods vigorously but says nothing else.
“Is it far? Can you tell us how to get there?”
“Yes ma’am. You just keep going straight and when you get to the Pepsi billboard, turn right and the town centre is just two blocks further down.”
“Are you out here all by yourself?” There’s a slight frown on her face.
“Yes, my mom couldn’t get off work tonight. So I… came by myself.” He bites his lip before he continues. “You won’t tell anyone, will you? Mom will be real mad.”
“Of course we won’t, sugar. Thanks for your help.” She kisses his cheek and I think the kid is about to faint. “Good luck with trick or treating tonight.”
I fold her into my arms and smile down at her as the little boy saunters off. “Bonnie and Clyde, huh?” She shrugs and I bend my head to kiss her.
“You should be ashamed of yourself!” A shout interrupts our kiss. I pull away from her and look over my shoulder. The shout is coming from the house right behind this. The little boy who helped us is standing in front of an older man, looking ready to cry. “Look at how fat you are! And you still want candy?! Forget it kid. Why don’t you take your fat little ass and go for a run instead.” The door is slammed in his face. The kid bites his lip before turning tail and running away.
“H...h-hey kid!” I shout after him but he doesn’t stop. My fists curl in anger as I look back at the house.
“That was mean.” Avalon whispers beside me. “He said I was pretty.”
I look down at her and see the sadness on her face. She’s right. That was mean. I grab her hand and stalk over to the door. I knock on it loudly. The man opens the door and looks a little surprised before he spots Avalon in her tiny outfit next to me. I dislike the salacious look he gives her even less than the things he said to that kid.
“Trick or treat, motherfucker.” He opens his mouth to say something but my fist meets his face before he has the chance to utter a single syllable. He stumbles back into the house. I help him to the floor with a single shove and then close the door behind us. “What the f..” He tries to speak but this asshole has said enough already.
I kick him in the stomach and hear Avalon’s mocking laughter as the blow causes him to vomit all over his shiny floor.
“Like being mean to little kids, asshole?” I say as I kick him again. “Makes you feel like a big man, does it?” Avalon kicks him in the balls and he crumples into a ball, whining in pain. I straddle him and turn him onto his back, pressing his wrists into the floor. “Get that bowl of candy.” I gesture to the bowl with my head. Avalon fetches it and then comes to sit next to the man on the floor. “Make him eat it, make him eat it all.”
Her eyes come to life as she grabs a handful of the wrapped candies and hold it to his face, but the asshole shakes his head from side to side and clamps his mouth shut. I let go off his wrist just long enough to drive my palm into his nose. That should prevent him from getting any air through it. Bastard has to take a breath sometime.
Finally he gasps for air and Avalon stuffs a fistful of candy into his mouth. He tries to sputter and spit it out but she only stuffs another handful inside. She closes her hand over his mouth. “Chew, big man.”
He tries to chew but some of the candies have already lodged into his throat. She lets go of his mouth and turns her head to the side as she watches him gasp and choke for air.
“What’s that? You’d like some more?” She shoves another handful of candy into his mouth, closing her palm over his mouth, this time keeping it there until his body goes limp under me.
I stare down into those lifeless eyes as Avalon giggles beside me. “Death by chocolate.”
A chuckle rips through my throat. My Avalon, she’s a funny girl.
I get up and look around his living room. “I’ll take care of this. Go through the house and see if you can find a phone and some cash. And maybe a coat to keep you warm.”
She winks and salutes me like a sailor before taking off into the house. I head to the garage and rifle through his boxes and shelves to find something flammable. I find what I’m looking for and head back inside. Just as I’m finished arranging the old newspapers around him and pouring a mixture of motor oil and lighter fluid over his body, Avalon comes down the stairs, her loot in a big bag draped across her chest.
“Phone, money, clean clothes.” She gives me a triumphant smile as she comes to a stop beside me. She looks down at the asshole’s body and gives a tiny shrug. “I’m hungry.”
I look down at her and smile.
“Let’s get you fed then.”
I light the piece of crumpled paper in my hand and throw it down with the rest before taking her hand and walking out the door.