Page 2 of Karma

I stand and leave the little cat behind. I can’t let it get to me. Cats are suburban apex predators, and that guy can certainly fend for himself. I also have no time to meander when today is such a big day for the society.

Tonight, the Exodus elders are hosting their ten-hour party in the very same mountains I was dragged to nearly a decade ago. Half the participants care about little more than fun and fucking, but the rest are there to participate in the old traditions.

Killing sacrificial lambs on their treasured night.

The Reckoning is a night to experience your most carnal desires, no matter how sinful they may be. Do you want to fuck your friend’s wife? Kill her, maybe? Go nuts. Just so long as those you wish to harm weren’t born into the group, that is.

The Exodus doesn’t kill off members who were born into their ranks, but people like me are and will always be fair game. Just like the rest of the town. Anyone who isn’t locked away orgone for the weekend can and will be killed by any of the men or women who choose hunting over staying behind and fucking.

That’s the dividing line within the group.

At one point, I would have been content to stay back and fuck the beautiful women who are way above my class, but since Exodus has broken me down and reshaped me into the monster I am now, I go out and kill. I have to, even if I don’t want to.

No one says no to the Exodus.

I certainly didn’t.

I check the time on my cell phone. My next appointment isn’t for thirty minutes, but at least I don’t have to kill anyone. I just have to pick up my suit from the dry cleaner. The menial task shouldn’t feel so pressing, but I need my suit for tonight, and the dry-cleaning staff are eager to get out of town. I take the winding back roads until I pull onto Main Street.

The dry cleaner is nestled among a few other shops. There’s even a grocery store in the middle—the only one in the town. I park and rush inside because I don’t know how long they’ll be open today. I’m surprised they’re open at all. Half the shops are already boarded up except for this, the daycare, and the grocery store, which will soon abandon their open-for-twenty-four-hours motto in favor of an early night.

The bell rings overhead, and cool air rushes toward me as I walk into the building. The squat old man behind the desk checks his watch before greeting me.

“Can I help you?”

“Pick up for Knox Blakely.”

The man rifles through garment bags, getting more furious with each passing bag. He better not have lost my suit. It’s the only one I have. This night has a very strict dress code, and I don’t have time to drive to another town to buy a suit. I’ll be fucked if he can’t find it.

“Is there a problem?” I ask.

“No, no, let me just check in back.” The man leaves, returning with a tag in his hand. “It hasn’t been pressed yet. If you want to wait outside, we’ll have it done in ten or fifteen minutes.”

I look at the clock above the desk and sigh. I have places to be, but I don’t have any other options. I thank the man and head back outside to the departing sound of the bell.

I sit on the bench just outside the shop. My attention idles on the curling brown flowers that are slowly succumbing to fall’s nighttime temperatures. They’ll be spread across the ground in a few more days, but tonight is supposed to stay unusually warm, so they’ll hold steadfast for one more night, at least.

The same can’t be said for many of the town’s occupants.

Wordless arguing infiltrates my ears, and I try to stop myself from turning toward the sound. It’s not my business. But the argument grows more heated, and I finally look across the parking lot.

A couple stands beside a car. I can’t hear what they’re fighting about, but based on the guy’s hostile body language, he’s the most upset. He’s got a short, blond, buzzed hairstyle and the most anger-soaked eyes I’ve ever seen. Especially looking at something as pretty as that girl.

I shake my head and try to ignore their spat, but a sudden motion draws my attention as the woman turns away from him. He rips her back by the hair and wraps the dark strands around his fist, then yanks her toward the ground. She falls with a scream, and I can’t sit idle any longer.

I get up and make my way across the parking lot, then step between them to place my body in the path of his raised arm.

“Let’s not,” I say to the man.

“Mind your business!” he snarls.

“Oh, believe me, I fucking tried. But you made it my business when you manhandled her in fucking public.” I reach down and offer my hand to her. She looks up at me with rich, dark eyes. Iswear I see the hint of a bruise on her neck, and it pisses me off further.

“I’m fine. Sam didn’t mean to knock me over,” she says, clambering to her feet and brushing the dirt off her pants.

“Sammost definitely meant that,” I say.

I put space between them as I usher her away from him. When he tries to follow me, I raise my fist at him. He recoils.

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