Page 18 of Twisted Diaries of a Monster Groupie

Dear Diary,

If I have to raise an army to protect what’s mine, I will. No one messes with my man.

XOXO – Roxy

Two nights passed, but not without incident. A few of Donnie’s men had ambushed the place, and it was getting clear the couple needed to flip the switch on those thugs before things got out of hand, as if they weren’t already.

Inside the garage, turned laboratory, Roxy worked her magic using the two new bodies to create their army. They didn’t even have to do the dirty work to handle the guys. Their last creation took out the assailants in seconds while the couple were curled up in bed watching an old rerun of The Munsters . The screams from the living room the night beforemade the horror queen sleep more soundly. Although Acid had been sleeping with one eye open, realizing his punk princess was a tad unhinged when it came to the gore and grotesque.

Her green-skinned lover stood by the door, wiping the blood from his hands after the latest crackpot surgery was sewn up to Roxy’s liking. Their newly made security guard, created from the last unlucky soul, stood watch near the door. Occasionally part of his humanity showed through, cracking dad jokes for Hank who didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.

Each corny punchline made Roxy cackle with amusement. “This guy’s a hoot. We should have whacked Stan sooner.”

“He’s always been a joker, but can he fight?”

“We’ll soon find out.” Roxy wiped her hands, already itching to get started on her next project. “We need another guard with some heat. I think this next one will do the trick, though. He’s smarter and a lot stronger than before. Hank said he put up a good fight last night while we were sleeping.

“You were sleeping. I was wide awake listening to someone being slaughtered down the hall. It ruined watching the Munster marathon. I won’t sleep for days.”

“For a horror monster, you sure are a wimp. Pull it together, greenie. We’re doing this to save your ass.”

“I know. It just feels sort of messed up.” Acid stepped closer to the table, looking over the last body. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, how many of these guys are we gonna—” He swiped his thumb across his neck.

“It’ll be fine. Trust the process. This is the only way we get a jump on these creeps.” Turning her eyes to him, her expression softened. “I can’t let them hurt my family… I mean you.”

She grabbed her scalpel and carved itinto the dead man’s head, trying to dismiss the fact she practically said Acid was family.

He watched, his curiosity outweighing his horror. Roxy worked with precise movements focused on the task as she peeled back layers of skin before using a saw to grind open the skull. She was so skilled he was almost sure she was a real surgeon for a moment there.

“We need to tell the guys to chill out on those headshots. We don’t want to create a bunch of morons.” When she opened up the skull, she cringed. “ Eww . A tumor. Look at it. This guy’s lucky we killed him, or he’d be a goner.”

Acid’s head snapped up. “You do know the guy is already dead, right?”

“Not with me as his Frank-n-doctor.” She pulled free the lump, tossing it to the side with a gag, trying to flick it off her glove like a booger. “Gross. When we reanimate him he’ll be feeling a lot better.”

“You’re so weird. Just put the chip in him and get out of there. This is grossing me out.”

“Relax. I know what I’m doing. I need to do a few tweaks to his frontal lobe and… there. All better. This one I gave a little life to. He’ll be compliant, but I want to see how real I can get these guys. Each one seems to be doing better with each try. No one will suspect a thing at this rate.”

“You’re doing this for more than to help me, aren’t you? This is to help your mom. And in a twisted way, fun for you.”

She nodded. “She’s better now, Acid. She’s happy.”

Rounding the table, he could see the pain in her eyes. Roxy was tough, and wouldn’t admit it, but this was hard. He kissed her temple as a tear started to pool in her eyes. “ Shh… I know, princess. You’re doing great. Soon she’ll be as good as new. Hank, too. Even if he didn’t deserve it, you’re giving him a new life. At first, I believed you were crazy, but now I see it.”

“See what?”

“You’re not crazy at all. You’re trying to help those you love and give them a life they never had before. The life you never had.”

She said nothing as she worked because he was right. Her therapist might have been on the mark that she was a little off her rocker but for all the right reasons. She didn’t want to see people hurting and sure didn’t like the idea that people would die and never know a life of happiness. She’d seen so much pain she just wanted to create something better.

Maybe Acid shouldn’t have mentioned it because now those intrusive thoughts were back. The ones her therapist warned her were trouble. But she knew better. The song, the thoughts… All of it. It was her way of coping, and it seemed he was the only one to understand.

And then it happened. Something shifted inside her mind just had it done many times before. The darker yet beautiful side of her.

“I need some music. Time to focus.”

She turned up the old record player on the workbench, filling the garage with a haunting melody. In all her pink glory, she beamed a dark and twisted smile and began swaying her hips as she worked, lost in the rhythm of the music and her deranged thoughts.

The dance was slow at first, her movements graceful but macabre, gloved fingers slick with blood. She spun in place, her arms raising as if dancing in this ghoulish ballet.

Acid’s mouth tilted into a half-smile, oddly attracted by the sight of her lost in her work. “May I have this dance, my little punk princess?” he asked with a bow.

She smiled, taking his hand in hers before he whisked her around the room while singing the song she loved so dearly.

Her mind began to spin with LSD-like visions. As they danced the room around her warped into vivid colors of imagination. The garage was no longer its familiar space. In her tainted mind a gothic Frankenstein lab from an old black-and-white film she’d watched so many times that she could recite it appeared. Thunder cracked outside as lightning flashed across the ceiling, illuminating them like characters in a classic monster flick, mingled with the neon colors that made her so special. She saw the world like no one else could in vivid display. That is, no one except the man who held her in his arms.

As she danced and worked, the corpse on the table became a grotesque masterpiece, its limbs twitching as if coming to life under her skilled hands. She’d dance, she’d work, then dance some more. Soon, the body on the table was no longer a man but a creation by her own hands.

“It’s done!”

“You’re truly something special, you know that?” Acid said with a grin, looking over her pristine work. “Mad, but brilliant.”

Roxy quickly reached for her laptop. After pulling off the gloves, her hand trembled with excitement. “Come on… Light it up, baby!”

With that, Hank hit the switch on the electric battery charger across the room and lights flashed above. The body jerked violently, muscles spasming as the electricity coursed through its veins. For a moment, time seemed to stop as the group waited for a sign of reanimation. And then, with a cough to get air into his lungs, the new monster’s eyes snapped open.

Roxy let out a triumphant laugh, spinning in place with her arms raised like a conductor at the end of a symphony. “He’s alive! He’s alive!” she cackled, mimicking her hero, Victor Frankenstein.

Acid patted the guy’s back, helping him up. “Easy there, bud. Don’t get up too fast. It’s a rush isn’t it?”

“Rush,” the man groaned, rubbing his sore head where the bandages were. “Headache.”

“Yeah, it happens. Give it a few days. You’ll be all right.” Making the man look at him, he asked, “Do you understand orders?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Join the other guard at the door, and I’ll be sending you both to go take out some of the other assholes later. We think they are snooping around town and your orders are to protect this home at all costs from any invaders. Hank will ask you some questions about anything you know about Donnie’s plans. Understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Welcome to the family, fuck face.”

“Fuck Face will protect.”

“Shit… Your name’s not, fuck face. I was kidding. Roxy!”

She giggled. “Your name is Leon.”

“Leon?”

“Yes.” The man nodded as he left to join the others while Roxy wiped her hands on her apron. “We’re ready for anything now. Donnie doesn’t stand a chance. We can use this one to lead the group to take down the others. That jerk will be the last man standing when it’s said and done. Save the worst for last.”

As they stood side by side in the garage, surrounded by their macabre creations, the couple felt an odd sense of pride. The war with Donnie wasn’t over, but with every move they made, the tables were turning to keep them safe. Even his agent back in LA was working for them now after an overnight trip to do one of her special attitude adjustments.

“It’s all going to be okay, isn’t it, Acid?”

He wasn’t sure. Donnie had a lot more soldiers than they did. He was deep in the mob, and there was no telling his reach.

Pulling her to him, he lied. “Sure, princess. It’s going to be just fine.”