Page 4 of Twisted Diaries of a Monster Groupie
Dear Diary,
Maybe I am Crazy – Crazy for bad boys and monster toys. It’s Horror Convention weekend. Bring on the gore!
XOXO – Roxy
Leaving her family at home to recover from their surgeries, she was confident enough in her creations that Hank would be responsible and watch over her mother. It even surprised her how well he was doing, even though a tad on the stupid side. She’d work on that later.
Her mom was doing well too, although taking a bit more time to heal. Regardless, Roxy wasn’t about to miss Scream-A-Con after all they had put her through. She deserved a break from that house of horrors and the trip from her house in Spring Hill was just a short drive to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel addicts, desperate to get that one good hit. Even if he was an undead celebrity, they were all alike. High rollers like this man were the worst of them. Times hadn’t changed in this case and the rules of the casino applied to everyone, dead or alive.
“Bust. Out of chips means out of bets, Mr. Green,” the dealer said firmly. “You’re done. Leave the table.”
“Come on, man. You know me. Just give me another round. I’ll settle up as soon as I hit. You’ll get your money.”
Seeing was at the point of desperation, the dealer calmly waved over one of the pit bosses watching from a distance. A tall man in a suit stepped forward, stone-faced with a grunt of annoyance when he saw who it was. “Not you again. Don’t you ever learn?”
“Just one more hand, Leo. This is it. I feel it.”
The man placed a heavy hand on Acid’s shoulder, letting him know begging wouldn’t work. “I’m afraid we can’t allow that, sir. I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
His mind raced to think of anything he could pawn or someone who may owe him money. Nothing seemed to be at his mercy because he damn sure wasn’t parting with his new sports car. He needed just one more hit and a chance to win it all back. It had happened before. A winning streak was sure to be just a card away.
As the guard helped Acid from his seat, he went into an all-out panic. The loan sharks had been clear. If he didn’t pay them back by the end of the night, things would get ugly… Real ugly.
“I just need a little more time,” he pleaded. “You can’t leave me like this. You don’t know what I have waiting outside”
The security didn’t flinch as he rolled his eyes, knowing the look of fear well. “I have a better idea. Maybe next time you come to the casino make sure you have the money to bet. Get help, man.”
With that, the chips were swept away, and the dealer turned his attention to the next gambler, who was more than happy to take Acid’s place at the table.
He stood there, fists clenched, staring at the pile of chips he had watched slip through his fingers. He felt the eyes of the casino on him, images of laughing faces swirling about. As he willingly left he felt his pulse rate pushing his undead heart to the limits. He was sure this was it. Death had found him again.
He moved toward the cashier’s counter hoping maybe he could convince the staff or some fans to loan him just a few more chips. As he approached, the woman behind the counter gave him a sympathetic look, already shaking her head.
“No credit,” she said before he could even ask. Acid opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off with a shrug. “Sorry, Mr. Green. Rules are rules. You need to leave before they throw you out.”
He leaned on the counter, feeling the weight of the situation crashing down on him. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. It was as though every undead cell in his body was screaming for escape. There was no way to fix this, no clever scheme to wiggle free. He knew he was being watched and this was his fault. He deserved what came his way.
Two men in that casino had already promised to de-animate him if he didn’t pay back his debts and he could already feel their gaze on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them. Two menacing figures in dark suits stood by the slots, watching in wait. This was it. They were here for him, and he was flat broke and hit rock bottom.
There was one thing for sure… He had to get out of there fast.
“Fuck,” he swore under his breath, sidestepping down a row of slots as the men made their way toward him. “Shit, shit, shit!” he said to himself, pushing an autograph seeker to the side. “Sorry, no time...”
His dead heart pounded in his chest, a phantom memory of what it used to feel like to be alive. Maybe that’s why he kept doing this. It was a rush that made him remember his days among the living.
The sharks were closing in and he could almost hear their footfalls behind him. Suddenly, he found an escape. Down the hall from the casino, the Scream-A-Con lights flickered with the booming horror music and the electric energy of excited attendees. Once inside, he saw the costume contest was in full swing across the main ballroom. The screams of delight from onlookers at what was on stage gave him a quick idea.
Once there was a break in the performances, he darted into the heart of the convention floor, weaving between attendees dressed in everything from Scream masks to Freddy Kruger fandom.
He stopped only for a second when he had to doubletake a scantily clad female version of Jason Vorhees. “Hey there, sexy Looking good.” But his flirtations didn’t last long when he turned to see the men starting to rush toward him. “Sorry, babe. Gotta run?”
The crowd cheered as the towering, green-skinned actor in an Armani suit dashed past them. A couple of zombie cosplayers waved at him, thinking it was part of the many acts that weekend.
“Whoa! The real Acid Green. Can I get a picture, man?” someone shouted from the crowd.
The cheers and applause intensified as the thugs continued their pursuit, pushing through the crowd. To them, it looked like part of the entertainment, so they whistled, clapped, and raised their phones to record the chaos. It was much like a scene from one of his earlier films, so it was the perfect cover.
Soon, the larger of the two men lunged for him, but he ducked behind a group of gore groupies, smiling and waving at the crowd. He had to laugh at the hysterics of it. The fans were eating this shit up and he loved the attention, good or bad. The distraction was working as fans swarmed, asking for selfies and bringing so much attention that the thugs wouldn’t dare do whatever they had planned for him. They couldn’t just rip him in two while the whole convention was watching.
Well, maybe they could, but he didn’t think they were that stupid.
When he saw the men back away, he was moved toward the center of the crowd, and knew he’d dodged a bullet, for now. He gave a playful wave of his fingertips, taunting what he knew would only cause some deserving pain later once the goons caught up to him.
Just as he thought he was in the clear, two more men stepped in his path. “Going somewhere, Green?” said Donnie Luciano, the crime boss himself.
“Fuck.”
“Times up, Frank-n-freak.”
Just as the men started to surround him, a girl in an off-shoulder white 50s style top with a black torn skirt and suspenders stepped in the way. She was jumping around to get a better view of the stage, unbeknownst that her undead hero was inches from her. As she jumped once more, she bumped into Donnie, knocking his men with them.
Acid’s ghoulish lips curled when he saw she’d created the perfect diversion and his way out. But what was this? Did he just fall in love?
Damn near it because it was like slow motion when he got sight of the beauty with short black hair and a wavy white stripe. Her costume was an almost perfect replica of the Bride of Acid-stein, from one of his most famous horror comedy films. It gave him an idea that would send the convention focusing in his direction and away from the stage.
That should make the loan sharks back off. There was no way they’d pummel him when so many eyes were watching. At least he hoped.
“Hey, sweet thing. Wanna dance?”
Before she could say a word, Acid swept the woman into his arms in a dramatic display of grandeur as the crowd gasped in awe. The girl squealed with delight as he spun her around, pulling her close to perform the undead bride dance of a lifetime. Just like the film he was most known for; he was bringing it all to life right there for the fan’s enjoyment. Little did he know that the woman in his arms was living a dream come true and he may have been in worse trouble with her than any of the guys with the guns.
The crowd erupted into cheers as he led the beauty across the convention floor, twirling and dipping her like they were in a gothic ballroom. His movements were fluid and practiced, although amid a dangerous pursuit. He couldn’t help but chuckle with delight at his genius.
The fans were eating it up and so was this girl in his arms. The look in her big doe eye seemed as if he was the most perfect thing she’d ever seen in her life. He did so love the groupies. They were so easy to charm off their feet, and the joy in her eyes showed she was no different than the next girl.
As they danced, Donnie and his goons tried to push through the crowd, but convention security finally stepped in once seeing they were not part of the show. When the guards confronted the men, Acid dipped the girl one last time before pulling her back up with a devilish grin toward his stalkers.
“I hate to spook and run, babe,” he recited the words that mimicked his latest slasher film, “but I’ve got a grave to catch. See you on the other side.”
Just like on screen, he smacked one toe-curling kiss on her lips making the woman’s eyes bug out in surprise. Before she could respond, he gave a wink to the crowd with a bow and dashed off toward the exit, leaving behind nothing but a trail of laughter, cheers, and a woman breathless.
Once again, Acid Green came out on top.