“Oh, my fucking God!” Jim exclaimed in horror.
Chuck’s body was suspended by rope that was tied to the ceiling post, with an industrial sized tub and a chair beneath his legs. Jessica and Steve had evidently amputated his right leg before eating him alive. Chuck’s hollering and bulging eyeballs were frozen unto his lifeless face. His death had been gruesome and horrific. As Jim and Carla stared at the body in complete shock, Steve turned the music down. Jessica continued to lick the blood off her fingers as Steve prepared two extra plates.
“What the hell happened?” Jim demanded.
“We ate Chuck alive” Steve said, in a tone every bit as nonchalant as if he had been describing the weather.
“You WHAT!?”
“I knew you wouldn’t understand,” Jessica said.
Jim pointed towards Chuck’s corpse. “Understand? I can’t comprehend this! Steve, what the fuck, man? I wanted you to collect a debt from Chuck, not kill him!”
“Say no more!” Steve reached behind the sofa, grabbed a tied up shopping bag and tossed it to Jim. Jim barely caught the bag, his body was still dealing with the shock stemming from the sight of Chuck’s mutilated body.
“It’s all there, plus much more. Chuck had one hell of a stash,” Steve said proudly.
“I can’t believe that this is the same Steve that I grew up with. How could you?”
Steve cut four equal slices from Chuck’s left thigh, giving one to Jessica, and dropping two in a frying pan while keeping the last slice for himself. “You know Chuck was a waste of life! Who gives a fuck that he’s dead?”
“You told Chuck that you have friends that would eat him alive, so it’s not like you didn’t warn him,” Jessica said as she sliced the thigh meat into equal portions before devouring them. The sight of Jessica eating his corpse made Carla vomit into a nearby wastebasket. “Carla, relax! Chuck’s better dead than alive. You can have a taste for yourself.” After listening to Jessica, Jim began to look squeamish as well.
Steve laughed. “Who knew that you could be so accurate about your friends, even if you said it unwittingly? Mmmm... Carla, Jim? You all smell that? Dinner’s ready!”
“Bon Appétit!”
###
Bon Appétit
Escape
On the Run
James
This book was edited by Keith Sowa - he can be reached at
[email protected] Author’s Afterword
Bon Appétit is an urban thriller that speeds through red lights and highway ramps with the gas pedal to the metal. This story is laced with several interesting twists with the gut-wretching pace of the scariest roller-coaster ride at Six Flags Great America. I enjoyed writing this story because it allowed me to step outside myself and test the creative boundaries that I once constructed.
Jim Money is no real gangster –in fact, I like to think of Jim as an educated man who got caught in the trappings of a criminal lifestyle in which he’s not totally committed. He operates the most profitable illegal gambling operations on his side of town, but he isn’t necessarily a ruthless kingpin. In fact, Jim would like nothing more than to be a family man who has a wife to come home to while raking leaves and barbequing beef ribs and turkey sausage links in the spring and summer. Jim is simply a nerd who couldn’t resist the temptation of fast money.
Jessica is not a good match for Jim –aside from her transgressions. She’s has good intentions, but she’s easily misled and she lacks the substance to actually be an anchor in her family. She’s not a particularly good cook and she’s not truly loyal to anyone beyond herself. In fact, she’s conflicted in a sense. She wants to be seen as a successful woman which is why she’s attending school. She wants to live the lifestyle of a successful woman before she actually deserves it which is why she’s involved with Jim, yet she loathes what Jim does for a living because it doesn’t reflect the appearance of actually being a successful woman. In reality, Jessica is a psychopath who enjoys the taste of human flesh. She’s also quite rakish, which is why she goes off with Steve to enjoy quite a unique dish.
Steve likes to think of himself as Jim’s best friend, but he has his own agenda –which you’ll soon see in a later installment of the Jim Money series. He’s a smart, tough guy but does not possess the moxie that Jim has to run his own operation. Steve knows the real Jim since they were best friends since high school. In adulthood, Steve is Jim’s enforcer since he’s a no-nonsense guy who either collects debts, or breaks bones, then collects the debt. He’s considered an animal to some unfortunate individuals who tried to beat Jim out of money. On the other hand, he has a soft spot for Jessica and secretly believes that Jim stole Jessica away from him.
James is a young, misguided youth who mistakes aggression for toughness and power. This comes with the territory of being Chuck’s younger brother and having two dim-wits as his older brothers. I like James’ heart, and I like his stupidity as well, but he’s not actually stupid. He’s more of an example of youth being wasted on the young. It’s going to be very interesting to see how he progresses in later installments of the Jim Money series… That is, if I actually allow him to progress… mhmmhahahahahahah!
And then there’s the spunky Carla. I love Carla! She’s like many 20 –something women that are searching for their identity. She’s modestly successful, and like many women after they’ve gotten their bachelor’s degrees and embarked on their career path, she’s searching for something more. She’s searching for something that has more meaning in her life. Carla thought she found that in her marriage to Steve until she endured his lifestyle and accompanying vices. She doesn’t actually like bad boys, and marrying Steve was a bait and switch that she accepted over time. I look forward to Carla’s development as I write the next installments of the Jim Money series.
Bon Appétit is not a conventional novel. In fact, it’s not long enough to be a novel. This is my first published novella and this would not be possible within the major publishers’ business model. Because of Amazon Kindle, authors such as myself have more creative options when it comes to creating and publishing our work. Kindle’s business model has been nothing short of a breath of fresh air. I find it liberating to be able to write a story of any length I choose and publish it.
It is my point of view that short stories and novellas will make a comeback with the Kindle and other ereaders. I used to love reading short stories from textbooks in elementary school, high school and college. Until recently, I hadn’t read a short story since my college humanities class at Harold Washington College. The last time I had written a short story was for a classroom assignment in my Honors English class senior year of high school.
Why write a short story now? Five words: J.A. Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson. When I read Wild Night is Calling, those two authors attracted me to the sexiness of a fast-paced, short story thriller that went 140 miles an hour with no seatbelt. That short story was so good; I knew that I wanted to write short stories and novellas as well as novels after finishing their short story in one sitting. Kudos to those two authors for writing such an excellent story, and for unwittingly inspiring me to pen short-stories and novellas of my own. That story reminded me that short stories are some of the most compelling writing, yet the major print publishers have disregarded individual short stories for years because it doesn’t fit their business model. Wild Night is Calling is an inspiration to pen my own fast paced, short thriller. The next three installments of the Jim Money series will be fun! You’ll see
-Glenn Gamble
May 2011
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my mom for being my mom; Keith Sowa for being a friend of mine and for believing in my work enough to offer his expertise pro bono. I’d also like to thank my high school English teachers Mr. Beatty (Luther South), Ms. Neill (Lindblom Tech), and Mr. Majeski (Lindblom Tech) for being crazy enough to assign me to write speeches, journals, and short stori
es, and for being even crazier for allowing me to read them.
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