Toe jam and toast…..

So what has been going on with our little ghoul and cohorts the last few days?  Here is a brief glimpse into their situation and the twists and turns that are plaguing them.  It’s about to get interesting!

While Titus spent the remainder of the morning trying not to reveal things that were best left undiscovered, Lisa was enjoying a long, leisurely brunch with Mitch aka Death.  Bacon, eggs, toast, jelly and all the fixings, along with an assortment of meat, cheese, vegetables and more kinds of bread than she could ever remember seeing.

She’d been somewhat of a bread whore when she was alive.

‘Oh shit’, she thought, ‘I AM alive!’

With the thought ricocheting around in her brain, she gathered up three slices of the most exotic bread she’d ever seen and placed them on her plate.  Then she added several types of cheese, she loved cheese too, a few slices of meat and several toppings.  It was time to munch!

Cramming a tomato slice in her mouth, she headed toward the table.

“So”, she mumbled around a mouthful of tomato, her voice muffled and wet sounding, “explain to me why I’m able to sit here and munch on a tomato instead of having to have a toe-jam sandwich.”

Mitch looked confused.  It was obvious that her humor had caught him off guard. 

“What?”  He asked.

“What, what?”  She replied, although it came out sounding like a noise a sick duck would make instead of a woman asking a question.

Mitch sighed.  Was she being purposely being obstinate or was this just her real personality shining through?

“What is a ‘toe-jam sandwich’?”  He asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Lisa had filled her mouth with an assortment of cheese, tomatoes and meat.  She contently chewed on the mess like a cow chewing its cud, periodically opening her mouth to expose a disgusting mash up of colors and textures.  Swallowing a huge mouthful, she chewed a little more and swallowed again.  Reaching for the orange juice that was sitting on the table, she swigged directly from the jug, the backwash causing Mitch to blanch and subconsciously wonder if he had more in the refrigerator.

“A toe-jam sandwich is exactly what it sounds like”, she answered, reaching for yet another tomato slice.  “You jam a couple of toes between bread smeared with blood pudding.”

“Toes?” Mitch blanched.  “Human toes?”

Chewing contently, Lisa nodded. 

“Yup”, she managed to mumble through a mouthful of tomato.  

Mitch leaned against the counter, he had realized that she usually dined on human flesh, but she usually she wasn’t so blasé about it.  In all the years he had known her, she seemed to starve herself to the point of destruction before she would eat any flesh.   And she would never discuss it with anyone.

Now it seemed as though she wasn’t the least bit grossed out by her previous eating habits.    Although her current eating habits were enough to put most creatures off their feed.

Watching her stuff more and more food into her mouth, Mitch wondered where she were putting all of it.  He had never seen another creature go through so much food.  She had actually eaten everything within arm’s reach and was now getting up to stalk the platters that lined the counter.

“Lisa”, he said, “I think maybe you should slow down.  We’re not sure how your body is going to….”

He never got to finish before she knocked him out of the way in her feeble attempt to reach the sink before she hurled.

Unfortunately for them both, she was unsuccessful.

While Mitch was staring in horror at the endless fount of vomit that was Lisa, there was a drama of an entirely different kind playing out across town.

Titus had talked for hours, revealing more about himself than he had meant to, but managing to reveal less than he expected he would about Death. 

It was difficult to think about his one-time friend.  He and Democritus had lived, loved and fought side by side.  He had witnessed his friend evolve from a rich, scholar to a war hardened killer to a tortured, miserable shell of a man.  One that chose to sell his soul for vengeance, regardless of the price it exacted.

Lucifer must never know the reason that Titus knew so much, it would be the downfall of them all if that information came to light.  To keep such a secret was to risk all, but it could not be helped.

“So, Death and you were all buddy-buddy?  What difference does that make?”  Lucifer had hoped to gain insight into how to find Death, not learn his biography.  “If you don’t have anything more interesting to tell me you can get out!  I need to find him, not relearn history!”

Lucifer sprang from his chair and began to pace, with the way things were going he’d have to replace the flooring in a week, he’d already scuffed the varnish in a few places.  He hated it when things were out of his control, and things couldn’t be more out of his control than they were now.

The shit was about to hit the proverbial fan, and he was in direct line of fire.

“Who was he?  Why is he able to hide from us?”  Lucifer mumbled, his feet pounding a beat as he paced back and forth, back and forth.

“Sir”, Titus began, “his name was Democritus and he was a scientist, a philosopher and a warrior.  When he was a living being he was one of the most respected people in Abdera and a cohort of Hercules.”

Titus looked down, tears sprang to his eyes as he said, “He was my friend.”

The tone of Titus’ voice stopped Lucifer in his tracks.  He had never heard the Bloodhound of Hell exhibit anything other than anger and hatred.  Nothing had ever seemed to affect him, he was always a cold hearted bastard who did what was expected of him.

“Why does this affect you so?  What is he to you?”  Lucifer squinted his eyes as if trying to see Titus differently.  “Were you lovers?  Is that way you are so reluctant to find him?  Or is it something else?”

Titus raised his head and looked at Lucifer.  The look in his eyes would have frozen a lesser being’s soul, but Lucifer’s soul was safely tucked away in a golden vessel hidden from view.  One could never be too careful with their soul.

Lucifer stared at Titus.  It was unusual for Satan’s Bloodhound to defy a request, let alone to outright ignore an order.  There was something about his relationship to Death, some little nugget of truth that Titus wouldn’t divulge.  Lucifer didn’t want to involve his father in this mess.  That would be disastrous not to mention painful. 

There had to be a way to get Titus to talk.  A way that didn’t involve torture, after two thousand years Titus was almost immune to torture.  Lucifer knew there was nothing he could use to threaten Titus with, the man had lost everything that was important to him long ago.  That loss had prompted him to sell his soul, he couldn’t live with the pain and guilt that burned his soul every second of every day. 

Lucifer stopped pacing and slowly walked back to his chair.  He plopped down, leaned back and put his feet up.  It was going to be a long, long day so he might as well get comfortable.  If Titus couldn’t help him, if there was no information forthcoming, then Lucifer was going to have to come up with a different plan. 

“Get out of here.  I’m sure my father has something for you to do.”  Lucifer dismissed Titus with a wave of his hand. 

Caught up in his own problems and schemes, he didn’t even notice the other man smiling as he existed the room.