CHOSEN-Part 4

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” Shirley blinked at the coroner, who fidgeted and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “How could you lose his body?”

“We didn’t exactly lose him, Miss Feeney. He just…isn’t here anymore, that’s all.”

“This is ridiculous!” exclaimed Laverne. “He didn’t just get up and walk outta here!”

“Well no. Probably not.” The coroner cleared his throat.

“Probably not?” Shirley grabbed him by the lapels, nearly yanking him across his desk. “My boyfriend was murdered not two days ago, and now you’ve misplaced his remains? What kind of godforsaken place is this?”

“Miss, please!” The doctor tugged frantically, but couldn’t dislodge Shirley. Laverne reached across and gently rested her hands on top of Shirley’s, eyes darting uneasily between her friend and the clearly distraught coroner.

“Shirl, let him go. He didn’t put Carmine here, after all.” Shirley hesitated, released the man with a mumbled apology. Laverne put an arm around her shoulders. “Now, doctor, what do you think happened to our friend’s body?”

“I don’t know!” he blurted, his face reddening. “All I know is I left the room for a few minutes and when I came back, my poor assistant was dead on the floor and the corpse was gone!”

Shirley winced at hearing her boyfriend referred to as ‘the corpse.’ Laverne didn’t much care for it either, but considering the circumstances? “You mean someone murdered her, too, right here in the morgue?”

“And then they stole my…Carmine’s…body? But why?” Shirley’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Now I can’t even say goodbye to him.”

“I’m really sorry.” The coroner fumbled around in his desk and withdrew a large manila envelope. “These are a few of your friend’s personal effects. Sign the sheet inside and they’re yours.”

“How did they die?” asked Laverne. “Carmine, and your assistant?”

“I already told you, it appeared to have been a stabbing.”

Laverne peered into the man’s face. He was definitely hiding something; she could sense it. “Specifically. What killed them?”

He paused, obviously reluctant to answer. Finally, he muttered, “Massive blood loss. The strangest thing, though….”

“Well?” When he didn’t continue, Shirley leaned across the desk again. He immediately jerked back out of her reach. “What was the strangest thing, doctor?”

“Your friend…Bridget…they were both drained of almost all the blood in their bodies. And yet, there wasn’t but a few drops on them, or on the ground near where they were found. It’s as if it just…evaporated. Or something.”

Shirley recoiled. She hurriedly signed the paper and thrust it back at the coroner. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, thanks, Doc.” Laverne took her friend’s free hand and led her out of the morgue. Boy, she thought, this night just keeps getting weirder and weirder. She remembered their conversation with Lenny on the way up and shook her head.

“You wanna explain what the hell just happened?” Squiggy had demanded from the passenger’s seat of the ice cream truck. “What was up with that guy’s face? And how’d you know pokin’ him with a stick would make him pop?”

Lenny had shrugged and mumbled, “Just a good guess. Seen a lotta horror movies. That’s what usually kills a vampire.”

“Yes, but there’s only one problem.”

“Only one?” Laverne had interjected.

“Well, no, but the main one is, that wasn’t a movie! That was a real vampire in our real world tryin’ to chomp on poor real little Shirley! Who, by the way, is suddenly Supergirl.”

“Hardly,” was Shirley’s soft response. She’d stared at her hands, flexing the fingers as though they were brand new.

Laverne had watched Lenny’s face closely. She’d known him for so many years that she could see something was wrong, or at least different, with him. The expression on his face as he’d shouted instructions to Shirley from the doorway, the way he’d suddenly held himself straight and tall, radiating a confidence she’d never seen? None of that was normal Lenny behavior. “Spill it, Kosnowski,” she’d demanded.

Lenny couldn’t even look at her. “You guys, you just have to trust me on this. I can’t explain everything, not yet. Just know that Shirley here, well, she’s special.”

“I know that,” Squiggy had blurted. Then his cheeks had reddened and he’d looked away.

“Yeah, not quite what I meant there, Squig.”

“I don’t know about special,” Shirley’d said, still speaking very quietly. “But I felt…stronger.”

“You tossed around a guy twice your size like a sack of potatoes,” Laverne had snorted.

“Not just a guy, remember? A vampire. A not on the movie screen vampire.”

“Oh, Squig, come on! Len was just yanking your chain about that. There’s no such thing as vampires. Go on, tell him, Lenny!” She’d poked him in the shoulder, waiting for his goofy laugh.

It hadn’t come. He’d simply fallen silent and remained so for the rest of the trip.

Now, as they all clustered together in the hallway, Laverne decided that she was fed up with mystery. A vampire, super-strong Shirley, a dear friend murdered then vanished…enough was enough already. “Okay, Len. Time for that explanation you promised.”

He pressed his lips together tightly. Finally he said, “I don’t think any of us are ready for that conversation yet.”

She blinked, more at the change in his voice than his words. His tone had dropped an octave and the words sounded like they came out of a teacher’s mouth, not a former truck driver’s. Even his expression, uncharacteristically somber, seemed like it belonged on another man’s face. She glanced over and saw her own confusion mirrored in Squiggy’s eyes.

Shirley stepped up to Lenny and took both his hands in hers. “We don’t have time to get ready. I can’t explain how I know that, but I…I just do. You need to explain everything, now.”

He looked down at the petite brunette and sighed, shoulders slumping. “You’re right, but not here. Let’s go back to the truck, and I’ll tell you all on the way home. I’m assuming you’re all done here? I mean, was it Carmine?”

“Yeah. I mean, probably.” Laverne shrugged at his puzzled expression. “His body’s disappeared.”

Lenny’s blue eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“I mean, his body. Disappeared. As in, it’s not in the morgue anymore and no one knows what happened to it.”

“Geeze oh, man.” Squiggy shook his head, features crinkling. “Ain’t it bad enough the guy’s killed, now someone’s made off with his leavings?”

“Oh, my God.” Lenny took a step backward and sank into a chair.

Laverne hurried to his side, alarmed by the way his face had drained of color. “Are you okay?”

“Laverne, tell me what the coroner said. What was the exact cause of death?”

She related what they’d been told. Lenny dropped his face into his hands and rocked in his chair. “No, no, no!”

“Drained of all his blood,” said Squiggy, swallowing hard. “Well, it don’t take a genie to figure that one out, not after what we seen earlier tonight.”

“Wait a minute, hold on here!” Laverne held up her hands. “Come on, this is nuts! I know what you’re thinking, but,” she forced a laugh, “it’s not possible! Vampires aren’t real, guys!”

Lenny let his hands flop back into his lap. Looking her straight in the eyes, he said, “Oh, but you’re wrong, Laverne. They’re very, very real, especially here, over the Hellmouth.”

“The Hell…what now?”

“Hellmouth. A gateway straight into a demon dimension more commonly known as – well, Hell.” He turned his gaze on Shirley. “I’m so sorry, Shirl. With everything else you’re going to have to deal with, to have this happen?”

“He’s one of them now,” she whispered. “A vampire killed him, and a vampire is what he’s become.”

Lenny nodded. “And you’re going to have to kill him again. Because that’s what you’re meant to do, Shirley. You’ve been chosen.”

That word again, like the crazy gypsy lady had said. Laverne rubbed her eyes, unable to accept what her friends seemed all-too-willing to believe. It was like they’d all gone crazy, and she was the only one who could see it. “So now you think Carmine is a vampire?” she exclaimed. “And Shirley’s been chosen to kill him, am I understanding you right?”

“Yes,” said Lenny, “because Shirley’s the vampire slayer now. And that’s what Slayers do.”

***

Carmine gave the girls’ door his patented ‘shave and a haircut’ knock and waited. When no one answered, he closed his eyes and listened, using his heightened sense of hearing to locate a footstep, a heartbeat; some indicator that anyone was home. Frowning, he opened his eyes and muttered, “Now where would they be this time of night?”

In response, Rhonda came around the corner, her arms full of dresses sheathed in plastic. She froze at the sight of him, her mouth dropping open as the dresses slid from her arms into a silky pile at her feet. “Oh. Oh, my!”

Carmine slowly turned to face her, arranging his features into an innocent grin. “Well, hello there, Rhonda. How’s tricks?”

“Bu…but…it can’t be!” she stammered. “I mean, you’re supposed to be…Laverne said….”

“I’m…I’m…supposed to be…what?” he mocked, taking a step toward her. An alternative plan was forming, perhaps even better than the simple execution he’d originally planned.

“Dead,” the tall blonde breathed.

He stopped, studying her face for a moment. Then he threw his head back and laughed heartily. “Dead? What, is this some kind of a joke?”

“No, no I don’t think so.” Rhonda blinked rapidly. “But obviously, there’s been some kind of horrible mistake.”

He spread his arms wide. “Obviously. Rhonda, relax, I’m not a ghost! It’s just me, good old Carmine.”

Her features relaxed into a welcoming smile and she rushed into his arms. He settled into her embrace, inhaling her heady scent of perfume and warm, salty blood. “Oh, Carmine, Rhonda has never been so happy about a mistake in her life!” She pulled back, her eyes round again. “Poor Shirley! She thinks you’re dead! Oh, Carmine, you have no idea how devastated she was, and Laverne, too!”

“Devastated.” He licked his lips, then added, “Where is my little Angel Face, anyway?”

“Why, she and Laverne and the boys went to identify…well, you. In Sunnydale.”

He cursed silently. Damn it all, they’d crossed paths! He closed his eyes briefly, composing himself. After all, she’s coming back. And soon. No, it’s okay, this will all work out fine.

Opening his eyes again, Carmine said, “Let me help you with these things.” He stooped to gather up her dresses. “Just back from the dry cleaners?”

“Yes, indeed. Thank you.” She picked up a couple stray outfits and led him to her apartment door. “Rhonda has an audition tomorrow, and wanted a nice selection to choose from. Have to show off my assets, after all!” She winked and pushed open her door, sauntering inside.

“They are mighty fine assets,” he sighed regretfully, watching her pass through her threshold. He started after her, but slammed into something hard and unyielding that nearly knocked him on his backside.

As Rhonda kept yammering about her audition, he pressed his hand against the air that separated him from the inside of her apartment. It was clear, but as solid as an iron door. He couldn’t take another step forward. What the hell is this? he wondered, pounding the invisible barrier with his fist.

Rhonda was already in her bedroom. He saw her peer back at him around the entrance to her bedroom. “Well, silly, come on in! Just toss those things over the sofa, I’ll get them later.”

No sooner was the invitation out of her mouth than he lurched forward, the barrier having vanished. He walked into the apartment cautiously, expecting another invisible wall to be thrown up without warning. When none reappeared, he slowly grinned, tossing the dresses over the back of the couch. “So, that’s how it works,” he noted.

“I’ll be right out, Carmine!” Rhonda called from the bedroom. “Make yourself at home.”

Carmine leapt clean over the sofa, coming to rest on the cushion in a comfortable, seated position. He crossed his legs and put his feet up on the coffee table. “I’ll be waiting,” he called back in a sing-song voice, incisors tingling in anticipation.

***

Lenny knew he had a lot of ‘splaining to do, as Ricky Ricardo would say. As Squiggy drove them back home to Burbank, he finally opened up and shared what he’d hoped he’d never have to – the truth about himself and his reason for staying close to the girls, particularly Shirley, for so many years. Not surprisingly, his friends were less than understanding.

“So what about your Dad being Polish aristocracy?” Laverne demanded.

“Well, that isn’t too far off the mark. He’s descended from the nobility, a branch that married into the English aristocracy. He’s lived in Great Britain most of my adult life, working for the Council.”

“The Council. You mean, the Watchers you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes. He and the other Watchers assign field agents to watch over potential Slayers. When one is activated, it becomes the job of the Watcher in the field to oversee her development.”

“The next Slayer potential is activated when the former Slayer dies.” Shirley regarded him with doe-like eyes that were nearly impossible for him to read.

“Y…yes. That’s the way it’s always worked. Always a girl, always, only one.”

“Well, that’s dumb!” Squiggy exclaimed. “I mean, why not have a whole fleet of these gals – heck, throw in some guys, too – to wipe out the baddies?”

Lenny shrugged. “I don’t have an answer, beyond the history I’ve learned. The men, wizards, whatever you would call them, who created the first Slayer apparently only had the power to create one, and the essence has only traveled from one girl to another over the generations.”

“History,” Laverne muttered. “He’s studied history.”

“Surprise,” he replied, dryly.

“Yeah, yeah it is a surprise!” She grabbed his collar from the back seat. “All these years you’ve been stumbling around like some dumbass regular guy, and it’s all been a big lie! How could you do that to us, Len? How could you do it to…?” She broke off, releasing his collar and slouching back in her seat.

“Look, I said I was sorry!” He cast his eyes to each of his friends’ faces, meeting only resentment in return. “I had a job to do, one that I’d hoped would never, ever move beyond the observation phase! I had to stay close to Shirley, but never get too close to become suspicious. If I’d talked the way I really talk and acted the way I really am, you guys would never have accepted me!”

“So that’s all this has ever been?” Squiggy clenched the steering wheel. “We’ve all been tools to you, means to an end. The whole friends act was just a way of tricking all of us.”

“No, Squig….”

“Well, it must be quite a relief, not having to pretend to like us anymore,” said Laverne, her voice cracking. “Hangin’ out with us crumb bums must’ve really made you sick!”

“No…wait…oh, I’m not saying this right!” He buried his face in his hands.

“Oh, you’re sayin’ it just fine,” sneered Squiggy. “In fact, I ain’t never heard you talk so smooth and fancy in your whole life!”

Lenny let his hands drop into his lap, collecting his thoughts. Before he could respond, Shirley spoke softly, “Are you sure, Lenny? About me, about all of this. You have to be sure.”

He turned to face her, his heart breaking at her vulnerability. “Yes, Shirley, I’m sure. What you’ve been experiencing in the past few days – the dreams, the rush of strength – it’s all the proof I need. You have been chosen.”

She nodded, biting her lower lip. “Is that why…is that why this happened to Carmine? Because of me?”

“No!” he said quickly. “No, Shirl, don’t think that. What happened to him, it was just an awful coincidence. The fact that Spike killed your predecessor right when Carmine stumbled into a vampire in Sunnydale had nothing at all to do with you.”

She looked a little relieved. “So this Spike? Is he coming out here now to look for me?”

Lenny hesitated. “I’d doubt it. Word from the Council has it that he’s gone back over to England to hook up with his girlfriend, Drucilla. But Shirley, that doesn’t mean you’re safe.”

“What’re you saying?” snapped Laverne.

“He’s saying that as the Slayer, I’m always going to be a target. Right, Lenny?” Shirley’s dark eyes flashed.

“There will always be danger around you, yes, I’m afraid so. But you don’t have to be a target, that’s not the point of being a Slayer. You’re meant to be a hunter, and the demons your prey, not vice-versa.”

“Demons? There are demons, too?” Squiggy shook his head. “The world’s a lot more complicated than it oughta be.”

Lenny nodded, his eyes still on Shirley’s. “I have to admit, I didn’t think it would come to this. The previous Slayer lived a long time. I figured it would be years yet before another was activated, and the odds that you of all the Potentials would ever be chosen….”

“How old?” Shirley asked.

“Excuse me?”

“How old was this long-lived Slayer?” When he didn’t answer, she leaned forward, clutching his shoulder tight enough to make him wince. “How old, Lenny?”

“About twenty-eight,” he replied softly.

She blinked, then fell back in her seat. “Twenty-eight. That’s all she got, and she was considered long-lived.” Her eyes met his again briefly. “I’m already twenty-five, Lenny.”

“Yes, but you’re starting a whole lot later than she did,” he said, forcing a confident smile. “She was the Slayer since she was in high school.”

“Still.” Shirley folded her hands in her lap and stared at them.

“Look, I’m going to train you. I have to admit to being kind of rusty myself, but my father and the Council are going to give me a tune-up. Then I’ll be able to help you….”

“There isn’t time!” Laverne exclaimed. “Carmine is out there, right now, doin’ God knows what to God knows who! If it’s Shirley’s destiny or whatever to stop him, she can’t wait for you to go through college, Len!”

He sighed. He knew she was right, but, “Look, it’s not like college. I’ll get a crash-course…it isn’t like I never learned any of it before, it’s just been awhile. In the meantime, my father’s sent me the books we’ll need to research whatever comes at us.”

“Books? Research?” Squiggy glanced over at him, frowning. “I really don’t know you even a little bit, do I?”

Lenny pressed his lips together, then said, “Look, you guys, one thing I never faked was how I felt about you all. I really do like you, a lot. Squig, you’re still the best friend I ever had, and you girls know how feel about you.” He stared at Laverne pointedly, but she folded her arms over her chest and looked away. He sighed. “Our friendship is real, and I’m going to see to it that you’re all safe. I know I haven’t earned the right to ask this, but I’m going to say it, anyway: trust me. Please, I need to know you all can trust me.”

“Trust is earned, pal,” muttered Squiggy.

“I have earned it, for the past decade! I’m still me, I’m still Lenny Kosnowski!”

“And who exactly is that?” Laverne retorted. “Every word out of your mouth to us every single day was a lie! You got a lot of nerve, asking for our trust now!”

“I never lied about my feelings!” he cried.

“Haven’t you?” Her green eyes were filled with unshed tears.

Shirley cleared her throat and they fell silent. “Lenny’s right. We have to trust him.”

“Shirl!” Laverne began but her friend shushed her.

“Laverne, of all of us, he is the only one with the knowledge of how to fight these creatures. We need him to tell us what to do to stay safe. I can’t explain how or why, but I know this is true. So if you can’t trust Lenny right now, trust me. Our lives are at stake, and Carmine’s very soul.” She trailed off, wrapping her arms around herself.

Laverne wiped at her eyes, but nodded. “Fine. Shirl, whatever you say. But it’s you I’m believing in, not him.”

Lenny winced, and looked over at Squiggy. “So? What do you say?”

He took a moment or two before replying. “I ain’t got any other ideas right now.”

“Good enough.” Lenny settled back into his seat, his heart weighing him down like a lead paperweight. He’d hurt all the people he cared about most in the world, and shot to hell any slight chance he’d ever had for connecting with Laverne. None of that is important right now, he reminded himself. Keeping them all safe, making sure Shirley’s prepared to face whatever the powers that be throw at her, that’s all that matters.

He spent the rest of the trip in silence, trying to force himself to believe it.

To Part Three
To Part Five