Card Night

Contains body horror, ritual death, and gore

God, the coffin again. Lindsay sighed as the simple pine box was wheeled back to make room. The others left early, but Julia was here, the redhead who never shut up about how much she loved him but could never get enough of his love in return. There had been so many girls like her, and Lindsay wasn’t sure she’d ever know the extent of it.

Alina walked past the pews, dragging folder chairs across the polished wooden floor with a loud screech. She was a waif of a thing, maybe nineteen, platinum blonde and smelled of strawberry shampoo. Strawberry…shampoo, like a little kid. How had she even gotten involved with him?

Julia unfolded the legs of a metal card table and set it upright in front of the coffin. She considered the other ladies who obviously loved him too, and found herself wanting to get this over with. It was an insult to their time together, to her personally, and yet he’d asked for this. Asshole. “Should we start? I’d love to start.”

Alina unfolded a chair, and squealed an enthusiastic “yes!”. She blushed at the outburst and died a little when Lindsay rolled her eyes. But seeing the redhead nod vigorously made it okay and they all sat.

”I brought his favorite game,” Julia said, slapping down a deck of cards she’d painstakingly hand crafted for him. “We’ll all need—“

”—to draw a single card face down in remembrance of all the blah, blah, whatever,” Lindsay completed. “Just deal.”

”This is a solemn occasion, Lindsay.”

”It’s a game night for the dead. We all know why we’re here.”

Alina bit her lip watching the exchange. It was no wonder he hadn’t picked Lindsay, the raven headed old bat. But Julia…Julia was real competition. She was smart and funny, fiery and just loved him oh so very much. Still, youth and good looks would trump the middle-aged woman, she was sure.

“Alina is young, she doesn’t understand,” Lindsay said. “I was explaining for her benefit.”

Julia dealt five cards to everyone, including herself, then dropped the remaining deck in the center of the table. “Confess and turn over a card when we’ve all spoken.”

Alina inhaled sharply then spilled a confession in one long breath. “I heard about him from a friend and I was so excited I just had to meet him and I couldn’t get him out of my mind but then he was gone and I heard you were both going to be here tonight and so here I am.”

Lindsay cocked an eyebrow and the girl, whose face was now red. “I saw his name on a bathroom stall. Looked like a good time.”

A chocked laugh from Julia drew Alina’s gaze. “And what about you then?”

Julia’s smile faded. “I met him after the accident that took my husband and my two boys. I hadn’t…I couldn’t…then I met him…and then I just knew everything would be different.”

It was just like him to swoop in when a woman was vulnerable, Lindsay thought. It was clear he’d been working his charms on the others, but unlike them her love was simple and pure — he was fun, and so was she; nothing complicated. Unfortunately, gentleman prefer blondes, and the girl with the vacant eyes, stupid pretty face and perfect hair fit that bill. She hated her from the moment they met.

“And that’s why you’re here? Because he changed your life?” Alina pressed.

”He continues to change my life,” Julia replied, more forcefully. “He saved me.”

”Don’t get all depressing,” Lindsay said, “that’s not what he would have wanted. He’d want to have fun, so let’s play.”

“This has never gone more than two rounds,” Julia said as she flipped her first card, crossing her fingers on her left hand.

The others leaned forward and she signed with a frown. “Crossbones and rose.”

Linsay sat back and casually flipped her first card. “Boney middle finger. What a dick.”

Alina trembled as she reached for her first card. “I just want to say, I know he didn’t pick either of you, but you’re both so lovely.”

“Just flip the card,” Lindsay scoffed.

She flipped the card with a soft thwap. “It’s a heart wrapped in barbed wire,” Alina said, confused. “I’ve never seen one like—“

The young girl spit up and covered her perfect Cupid’s bow lips with her fist. “I’m sorry I don’t know—“

Her eyes bulged and she looked to the women for an explanation.

“I don’t know what to tell you girlie,” Lindsay said.

The blonde girl gurgled a scream as blood leaked from her gaping mouth. Her body tensed and with a squelch her eyeballs exploded from their sockets. She convulsed and shook, hands clawing at the table, Her tongue tumbled from her mouth with a wet slapping sound as Lindsay and Julia jumped back from the table. Her back arched and bones cracked. A gush of blood poured from the divide as her body split down the middle and organs spilled onto the table and she pitched sideways to the floor.

“Goddamnit, goddamnit!” Julie screamed, flicking blood from her arms.

Lindsay laughed. “I told you he prefers blondes.”

”I just mopped the floors! The least he could have done was wait until we got her in the coffin.”

”He’s hungry. And that was funny as hell. Check it out — he spelled ‘pop goes the weasel’ in teeth and…is that trachea or intestine?”

”It’s gross! Just get a shovel and start scooping her into the coffin. I’ll call back the congregation.”

Lindsay reached under the drape beneath the coffin and retrieved a spade. ”At least I didn’t have to brain her with this thing. But really, strawberry shampoo? Julia, where is master getting these girls? Seriously, we used to have standards.”

Julia huffed. ”He’s a pervy old god but I love him.”

For the second time of the month, Lindsay scooped bits of liver and lung into the coffin. Cleanup was never the fun part, but it was all part of loving him. Besides, the evil spirit was a good time. Soon he would eat his fill of souls and slumber until it was time to light the burning pit of humankind, but until then there was card night.