Ch 14 Dead End

The air was thick and greasy inside Kessler’s car, he kept warming his hands with his breath. Ronnie was drunk with his scent, he kept pressing his scarf to his nose to prevent himself from intoxicating himself. They were parked outside Chanter club, they were across from it  overlooking the highway. They were watching the entrance with a hawk’s eye. It was tedious and unproductive, that’s how Ronnie took it at least. As far as he was concerned they were just hanging out. Kessler was even wearing jeans, Ronnie would keep dropping hints for him to get out of the car just so he could check out his butt. Ronnie would occasionally snap out of his trance and focus on Will, every time he would look at Kessler’s perfectly defined jaw line he would quiver and claw into his thigh and think it an offense against Will. 

“So tomorrow’s your birthday eh?” said Kessler

“yeah, not much breathing room in here, why don’t take a stretch break, you know ,walk outside” Said Ronnie hoping he’ll say yes. 

“I don’t think thats such a good idea, besides I’m still convinced that the LadyKiller uses a disguise, if a victim could’nt identify him, then he must be wearing a disguise.”

“That queen was drugged up and high, of course he wasn’t going to recognize him, the only thing we got out of him was that he has a slutty tattoo-“

“That can be useful information-“

“How? Not unless you go around checking for yourself”

“Well, I never disregard a piece of information no matter how insignificant you think it may be” he said as he opened a bag of chips.  Ronnie’s grip on his thigh was becoming deadly. it was moments before he started bashing his forehead onto the dashboard. Restraint was his ally. But he could be strong no longer.

“Why are you here, Kessler?” Asked Ronnie before he started hitting himself. Kessler put down the bag of chips.

“What do you mean? We’re scoping out the-“

“Why though? Why go to all this trouble for this case? Why only you? No one else cares about Will, or Irene. No one gives a damn to what happens to drag queens-“

“Where are you going with this Ronnie?”

“Is it because you don’t like to be at home? That’s it isn’t it?”

“Ronnie, what the Hell’s wrong with you?” Said Kessler as Ronnie bit his lip to prevent himself from saying anything more. But it was futile, it was like this neurotic wave of sexual tension burst in Ronnie’s head mixed in with a desire to destroy everything in sight. Ronnie had two possible choices; bash his brains in with his fist or to choose to release his tension. He froze completely staring at the dashboard praying to God that his eyes not wander again towards Kessler’s direction. 

“Come on Ronnie, what’s the matter?” Ronnie remained silent. The more Kessler spoke the more of him he breathed in, the less he could contain himself.  Ronnie remained fixed, frozen like a statue. Kessler began to get worried.

“Ronnie? You okay?” Kessler got closer to Ronnie. Ronnie’s eyes deviated and caught a glimpse of his thin baroque lips. It  happened almost automatically.

 He forced his lips upon Kessler’s with a vigorous zeal and grabbed his head with it. Kessler was overcome with Ronnie’s kiss he was enticed, opening his mouth and taking him in with all his breath. The two kissed like ferocious jungle cats, one trying to fight the other off. Kessler’s saliva tasted exactly the way he imagined, a salty, milky elixir that made him yearn for more.  The air inside the car became sparse, their noses breathed the air that each blew out. Ronnie felt his pelvis quiver as he embraced Kessler further.

Finally, Kessler snapped out of it. His palm pushed Ronnie’s face away breaking away from him with terrible force. Ronnie’s head was shoved back he quickly inhaled and regained his breath. He quickly wanted to explain himself or to apologize but not before Kessler.

“Get out!” Kessler yelled at Ronnie.

“Wait I can explain!” 

“Get out, now!” Kessler was almost shoving Ronnie out of the car. Ronnie was forced outside as the door behind him slam shut and Kessler steeped on the gas, his tin can of a car revved onto the highway leaving Ronnie forsaken on the dark desolate road. He immediately tasted his lips, his scent still fresh, but then he stomped on the ground and kicked some dirt. He was angry at himself, angry that it didn’t go well. He took off his red cardigan and proceeded to rip it into pieces and hurl it into the wind. It was freezing cold but he didn’t care, he cast it away somehow blaming it for all his problems. 

He stood there contemplating to go inside the club and phone someone to come get him. But then he realized he had no one. He wasn’t really on speaking terms with his friends. He looked down the road and remembered a gas station that they passed by on their way. He began walking after he had calmed down. After he’d taken a few steps he noticed a few cars that were coming past them, the thought of hitch hiking crossed his mind, but he’s seen enough horror films to know that wasn’t an option. 

He’d been walking for half an hour until he reached the deserted gas station. Ronnie checked his watch. It was 11:05. He walked inside the also deserted store, making a ding as the door behind him closed. The cashier was to his left behind a glass wall, a fat baldy eating potato wedges.

“Excuse me, do you have a restroom?” Ronnie asked impatiently.

“Yeah, outside in the back near the car wash”

Ronnie smirks and looks around to see if he was lying, he really didn’t want to go outside again. 

Inside the concrete horror-house restroom Ronnie washes his hands and splashes water on his face. He looked at the graffiti rich mirror and tried to recall that rapturous embrace that he shared with Kessler. Then he realized that he didn’t push him away immediately. Ronnie examined the rusty sink, he formulated and hypothesized so many theories of why that was and the only answer that he cared to contemplate was that Kessler was sexually confused and secretly wanted Ronnie. That had to be the only explanation. 

Ronnie heard a scurrying in the outside corner, like a skidding rat. Ronnie carefully listens again and makes out the noise as footsteps, carefully placed footsteps. He slowly makes his way to the entrance of the restroom. At the end of the stone corridor he could discern a shadow moving back and forth almost impatiently. Ronnie shuddered, his heart began to race, his eyes grew wide with fear. He was going to get mugged or something worse. Ronnie covered his nose and mouth to prevent the person outside to hear his hyperventilating. 

He was a cornered rat trapped inside the restroom and they were waiting for him to exit and assault him. Ronnie stood frozen thinking in shuddering fear. He quickly found that he had only one option and it was a long shot at best. 

He silently moved backwards and untied his shoes and removed them. He stretched to his sides, and did lunges. Near the entrance of the corridor he took a runner’s stance and slowly counted… 1… 2…3. 

He viciously sprinted out of the restroom, running right past his assaulter, his face covered by a hood, he started pursuing him immediately. 

Ronnie instinctively ran straight forward away from the gas station and into the dirt fields away from the high way. He could hear his assaulter hurry after him, his big manly footsteps were audible as Ronnie’s feet were pricked by thorns and small sticks. Ronnie ran and ran and ran as fast as his scrawny legs would drive him. His feet kicked up dirt as  he became tired. He looked behind and caught a glimpse of his pursuer. A tall hooded man with a bright blue aluminum baseball bat.

Ronnie looked forward and kept running. Feeling himself be dragged, he was struck with what felt like a massive bullet to the side of his head. The aluminum bat connected with Ronnie’s temple with great force. The sound of it hitting his skull was a loud firecracker.  Ronnie collapsed as he ran. Ronnie was blindsided and knocked out as he began to spasm on the floor. The tip of the bat dipped in blood. 

The hooded man looked around and turned back to the gas station, leaving Ronnie unconscious on the dirt road.

Kessler burst through his home living room, his forehead smothered in sweat. His wife was in the kitchen washing dishes. Kessler strode in there without giving her a chance to greet him.

“David, it’s about time you got-“ She was stopped by Kessler’s mouth as he pressed it against hers savagely. 

“Where are the kids?” he paused to ask.

“They’re asleep” She responded as Kessler lifted her up onto his pelvis and carried her into the bedroom maintaining their kiss. 

Entering the bedroom Kessler drops her on the bed, he unbuttons his shirt as she slips out of her blouse and unhooks her bra. He takes off his pants and impatiently attacks her with sexual fervor. Skipping foreplay he goes in immediately as he turns her around and shakes the foundation of the mattress back and forth repeatedly widening the ridges on the hard wood floors.  

Kessler awakens with the ring of his phone. His wife standing at his bedside holding his cell phone in one hand and carrying the baby in the other. Kessler grabs the phone and answers it. 

“Petrovsky?”

“Where have you been all morning?!” Kessler looked at his alarm clock. It was 11 a.m. 

“Crap, I must’ve over slept, last night was kinda-“

“Guess who was found dead this morning naked on their bed with their rib cage exposed?” Kessler sits up. He remained silent thinking it was who he thought it was.

“Enrique Machado, you should’ve been there, the boy was strangled and was cut up like cardboard leaving his rib cage exposed “ Kessler remained silent. His stomach becoming calm after hearing it wasn’t who he thought it was. 

“Kessler? The D.E.A is denying that this has any relevance to your case. They already got someone else on it… Kessler?!”

“Yeah… I just gotta do something first. I’ll be right there.”

It was at the break of dawn. Pedro rode in the back of a crowded Ford Ranger dolloping through bumpy dirt road. He had a lighter complexion than his counterparts next to him. They all had grim and depressed countenances. Their faces reeked with worry and pensive thought. their trucker hats and faded jeans were a sign were a sign that they were on the way to work. 

Pedro looked out to the encompassing dirt and picked out a figure lying out in the ground. He stared at it for a while then proceeded to shout in Spanish.

“Paren! Espera! Paren!” He banged on the window for the driver to stop. The truck stoped and Pedro jumped off it and ran towards the figure, some of his co workers followed him. 

He came upon Ronnie’s cold bloodied body. He saw the bloody gash on the side of Ronnie’s head and panicked. the other’s caught up to him. Pedro checked his pulse.

“Esta vivo!” he said he was alive. The others looked at each other. 

“Miguel! Tenemos que llevarlo con Adelita, ella sabra como curarlo. “ Pedro lifted Ronnie up from the floor. saying that they had to take him to Adelita, she’ll know how to cure him. The others helped him carry Ronnie to the truck and placed him on the flat bed. Pedro turned his head to the side so the wound would’nt get infected. The others looked bothered that they had found Ronnie. Pedro looked down at Ronnie’s face and stared.

Kessler sped down the same  highway hurriedly looking for any sign of Ronnie seeing as no one would answer at his dorm room number. He started imagining the worst. He was panicking, his hands trembled as he tried to grasp his steering wheel. He finally reached the club and the spot where they were parked. Kessler pulled over to the side and got out of the car keeping his eye fixed on a particular red cloth on the side of the road. He picks it up. It was Ronnie’s red cardigan ripped into pieces. Kessler held it in his hands and looked left and right hoping for any signs of him. Looking left and right and again.