Lizzie was sitting in front of the computer when the phone rang.
“Lizzie! Lizzie!” It was Ann, and something seemed to be bothering her.
“Hey, girl.”
“I need help. I think something ate Keith.”
“What? You’re not back together with that spineless dweeb are you?”
“No. Well…yes. Well, we had a thing. But look, that’s not important...”
“A thing? Don’t tell me you got laid and didn’t tell me.”
“No. Well, yes, but just listen…”
“We've been through this Ann. The guy is no good. He’s going to keep stringing you along. Now if you want to use him for a little action on the side, I can understand that...”
“Will you please stop being Oprah?” Ann raised her voice, cutting Lizzie off. “Look, something happened. It’s really freaking me out, and I need someone to tell me I'm not crazy.”
“Oh, you’re not preggers are you? It takes more than a week for those tests to tell you anything, you know.”
“No. Just shut up and come get me. I need a ride. I don’t have taxi fare, I'm in downtown Newark, and it’s getting late. Pick me up off Broad Street by that Army surplus you got those fancy boots from.”
“Ann, I'm kinda in the middle of something here.”
“This is way more important than any stupid World of Warcraft raid.” Ann hung up.
Lizzie swore to herself. Putting down the phone and picking up her headset, Lizzie said, “Sorry guys, family aggro. I gotta bail tonight.” Her announcement produced a chorus of male voices, their disappointment ringing clear as a bell in Lizzie's ear.
Had it been anyone but Ann, she would have told them to go screw themselves. But poor, sweet, naive Ann was her oldest, closest friend. She had been her only friend in high school, before the money, before the surgery, before the expensive personal fitness trainers, before she had become the successful chic-geek she was today. Back when Lizzie had been the fat, shy Asian kid, Ann had been there, solid as a rock through many of Lizzie's bad times. Now after all these years, it was Ann who needed the support.
Of late, Lizzie had spent a lot of time worrying about her friend. The break-up with that deadbeat Keith had crushed her. Lizzie had thought that Ann was finally starting to recover but this last week she had been so distant. It explained a lot that Keith was back in her life. On the phone now, there had been real fear in Ann's voice. That was unusual.
She tossed a beaten leather coat over her “Rogues do it from behind” t-shirt and strapped on her Army boots. Grabbing the keys to her Honda she headed out.
Lizzie lived in Springfield, New Jersey, which was far enough away from NYC for her. She had her space in one of the better neighborhoods, but close enough that she could be in Manhattan for business reasons in under an hour. It took her about 20 minutes to get to Ann, who was right where she said she would be. She was pacing back and forth and looking an awful fright. Lizzie pulled to the curb and popped the locks on the car.
“Oh thank God,” Ann said, getting into the car. She reached over and hugged Lizzie.
“Ugh! You smell like shit, girl. What have you been doing?”
“A lot of running, actually,” Ann answered, letting her friend go. “I owe you huge for this. Something amazingly messed up happened.”
“Look, just calm down. You need a drink or something?”
“God yes, strongest thing you can find,” Ann paused and grinned. “You’re buying, right?”
“Ugh. I'll put it on your tab.”
“Good, then let’s go. The farther from this place the better.”
The name of the restaurant they ended up at was “The Office.” Lizzie knew the bartender there well, Ann did too, and they had great burgers. Lizzie generally hated public places, but this one was okay, as long as she didn’t have to talk to anyone.
Ann hadn't said much on the way there. She claimed she needed a stiff drink before she could even think about it. They ordered dinner, Lizzie ordered her usual Grey Goose martini, shaken not stirred, and Ann got a whiskey, neat.
“Whiskey? Really?”
“God yes, can't stand the stuff.” Ann pounded it down the instant the waiter brought it and after gagging for a moment ordered a second. Lizzie stared at her friend.
“Aren’t you supposed to avoid drinking on your meds?”
“After this afternoon, I'm drinking every day for the rest of my life.”
“You aren’t going to try to kiss me again, are you?”
“What?”
“The other night, when you were wasted on mudslides, you tried to lock lips with me.”
Ann was horrified.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t remember that at all.”
“It’s okay. I am pretty stunning.” Lizzie gave her a wink and then turned serious. “This drinking is a new side of you. What's going on?”
“I...” Ann started to explain, and then stopped. “I don't know where to start. Look, this is going to sound nuts.”
“Try me.”
Ann rubbed her face for a minute. When the waiter came back with her next drink, she threw the whole thing back again. “Look, can I just get two more of these? Save you a trip.” She held up the glass to the waiter, who scurried off to fetch more booze. Again turning her gaze to Lizzie she asked, “What do you know about demons?”
“Domains? Oh a shitload, you know me. Ultra geek girl to the rescue.”
“No, demons. Like fallen angels out to capture men's souls and such?”
“Oh.” Lizzie took a sip of her drink. “Nothing much, really. I mean, nothing much outside video games and movies. Why in God's name would that matter?” The waiter appeared, this time with double the whiskey.
“Ha! Good choice of words there, but I'm pretty sure God has nothing to do with this.” Ann began to sip her third whiskey, cringing at the taste and no longer drinking like she was pledging to a frat. “This is going to sound nuts, I mean downright bat-shit insane.”
“Just spit it out!” Lizzie let her frustration edge into her voice.
“Okay. Well, you know about my, err, event with Keith about a week ago, right?”
“I do now. I knew you were down about something the other night. I guess you’re not back together then?”
“I'm not sure. We had a great time that night, slept together, you know, the works, but in the morning he was long gone. No note, no phone call, nothing. So I gave him a few days. I thought maybe something came up at the hospital. Whatever. Anyway, a few more days and still no call. I left him messages on his phone, wrote him emails, even stopped by his place once. Nothing. So yesterday, I get the big idea of going to the hospital and confronting him, really giving him a piece of my mind.”
“Everyone thinks they’ve seen him recently, but no one knows where he is now. So, I kick around the place, run into our old buddy Cynthia, you remember her.”
“Older Irish chick, can drink any man under the table.”
“Yeah, that’s her. Anyway, she's working on this patient there. Guess a truck put him into traction or some such thing.”
“Ouch!”
“Again, anyway, the guy wakes up and he is fricking crazy. He talks like Sean Connery, or maybe Patrick Stewart, but he’s this little Mexican guy. He takes one look at his doctor and says she's a demon. So I'm like, whatever, crazy guy.”
“Which doctor?”
“Vanessa Black.” Ann paused a bit after saying the name and shivered.
“Oh yeah, I met her once. Hot,” Lizzie said. She did not know for sure, but suspected Vanessa and Keith were friends with really good benefits. Ann still seemed oblivious to this fact and Lizzie was not about to break the news.
“I...well I guess. Anyway, she’s a complete bitch and apparently the crazy guy has her dead to rights, ‘cause she either is a demon or has the world's must frakked up rash ever. Speaking of
rashes, does my neck look okay?”
“It does look a little red, now that you mention it.”
“The demon lady tried to choke me out.”
“What?” Lizzie almost stood up.
“Yeah, then tossed me a good 15 feet. I'm going to be bruised.”
“Wow, what? Slow down, this conversation just took a left turn. I'm not following you.”
Ann explained the whole confrontation with Vanessa Black, the threats to have Ann removed from the building, and her trip to the basement of the hospital. She told Lizzie about Vanessa’s remarks about Keith and her mad run out of the building. Lizzie fidgeted a bit in her seat.
“Look, I don't think Keith did leave me, well, not for the second time. I think Vanessa ate him or has him under a spell or something. Well, I don't know what happened, but I know I'm worried about him.”
There was a long pause as Lizzie stared at her friend. Was this what a nervous breakdown looked like? At last she said, “Um, honey, I don't know how to say this, but half that shit you just said is impossible. Also, the whole stalking thing? Sad.”
“I know, I know, and if I hadn’t seen that talon thing grow out of her arm, I wouldn’t believe it either. I mean, it was bigger than my head.” Ann spread her hands to show just how big. She was beginning to rock a bit in her chair, her words slurring together. “Have I gone crazy?”
Lizzie stopped for a minute, and rubbed her chin. The answer that immediately jumped to mind was yes. She took a deep breath. “Did I ever tell you the story of how I got the name Lizzie?”
“Umm no, I don't think so.”
Their food arrived, and Lizzie paused to grab a bite. Ann attacked a salad as if she hadn’t eaten in a week.
“Well, when my parents left Korea when I was ten to come to your messed up country, of course no one could say my name. Goddamn Americans. Anyway, I decided I needed a name you people could pronounce. Back in those days, I never left the arcades and I was the only girl there. There was this game called “Rampage.” It had the only female character I had ever seen in a video game and she turned into a giant lizard and trashed cities. Well, besides Miss Pac-Man, but she was a bitch and the yellow thing seemed like a terrible stereotype. Anyway, her name was Lizzie and I wanted to be just like her. So during class, I used to imagine I changed into a giant lizard and ate all the rest of the kids in the class.”
Ann giggled a bit. “You know, when you told that story, you got a bit of your old accent back. You sound like that character from Mad TV, Ms. something? Swan? Also, you may have some aggression issues.”
“Oh, screw you.” They laughed together for a minute.
“So, what does this have to do with my adventure into the Twilight Zone?” Ann asked.
Lizzie squirmed in her seat a bit. “Well, you know, when I was going through that rough spot after my parents...passed, there was a time,” she paused again and blew out a long breath, “There was a time when I thought I could really turn into a lizard and...”
“Is this your bad acid trip story again?”
“No, well yes, but I know sometimes you can get carried away with...”
Ann interrupted. “See? Now, I knew you wouldn't believe me. I mean, I can't blame you, I don't believe me either. You going to finish that burger?”
“Um, no. Go ahead. Well look, you are on these new meds.”
“They’re antibiotics! Not LSD.”
Lizzie sighed. Oh Ann, she thought to herself, how can I fix you?
“Look, I'll tell you what,” Lizzie said, “We'll go back to my place, I'll put on my hacker cap and see what I can find out about your missing man and maybe your demon doctor chick.”
Ann slammed down her drink and gave Lizzie a huge smile. “You know, for an anti-American computer geek, you’re not a bad person at all.”
“Just don't tell anyone, ok?”
Chapter 8 - Malpractice
On the other side – Delain – April Rain