A woman named Emily falls asleep after having read Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft...
The tentacle wrapped around her head, the suckers latching onto her already ruined face with the power and finality of the vacuum. The pain was excruciating, as pieces of her skin strained to move away from muscles, the sounds of her voice were smothered by the overlarge turban of cephalopod muscle. Then, like the starting cord of a lawn mower, the tentacle jerked away and her face unpeeled. It was not a smooth continuous string of flesh and hair. It was a miniature explosion of viscera and bone. Blood gushed from the stump of her neck, part of her oesophagus was stretched and collapsed over her bare breasts. While her skull was gone, what remained of her spine stuck out like a bit of shattered porcelain. The dying piece of meat hit the blood soaked concrete in a twitching writhing mess. What was once was a very promising sample lay in an undeserving heap. More tentacles ripped the corpse's limbs off and mashed the torso to a pulp. The eggs laid inside could not be allowed to gestate and so a very powerful acid was sprayed over every inch of the gore stewn floor.
As the meat pile liquefied, the nameless creator of its destruction allowed a moment for disappointment. New stock would have to be acquired, and that was always a thankless task. Then the moment expired and was replaced by a lusty greed. New stock that would be worthy this time, a much greater sample size would be collected and surely one of them would survive.
A white tomb in a New Orleans graveyard opens and out steps a man with a briefcase. He is stunning. Short brown hair frames a chiselled face, strong broad features hold two deep brown eyes. His posture is ram rod straight and his suit is expertly tailored to him. He begins to move through the tombstones towards the lights and screaming car horns of the city. When he is at the graveyard gates, a decrepit mortician in a moth eaten evening jacket is waiting at the guard post and hands him a wallet and key ring wordlessly. The man opens and observes the wallet's content: a driver's license for Herman Shaw, $10,000 in crisp greenbacks. The keys are to a 1938 AC Coupe and to a former dance studio, now an office, in the French quarter. The man with the briefcase nods to the mortician and walks over to his car. He gets in and drives the car to the new office. He opens up the office. It is pitch black and there are dust coverings over the furnishings. In the absolute darkness he begins to take the coverings off and clean the place. There is a push broom, a mop, floor wax and a duster in the cupboard. He selects the broom and beings to sweep the floors in perfect lines, with no overlap. Then uses the mop to apply a fresh coat of floor wax in a graceful dance of arcs and swoops. When it is done, he stands in the center, still as a mannequin until 7am. Then, he goes to a phonebooth outside, and organises water and power to be restored to the dance studio.
The switch board operator is a middle aged woman Odette. Everything about her is full, full lips, full hips, a full plate and full of regret. She has two kids at home and a husband off at war. Her eyes are the same colour as the bitter coffee she has to inhale to keep up. She wants nothing more than for her husband to return home and for things to get back to normal, until she hears the voice on the other end of the connection. 'How may I connect you?' is the last thing she ever says before that voice ruins her life. It is like the sound of thunder far away and all she wants to do was to listen to it. She feels her shoulders loosen and she sits up a bit in her seat.
"Hello?"
"Yessir, How may I connect your call?"
"I'm new in town and I need my water and power turned on. Can you help me?" A shiver runs down her spine. He sounds friendly as well as polite.
"I most certainly can sugar, let me connect you to the state electric".
"Hold on a second"
Thank goodness the man wanted to talk to her! The relief was a physical shudder through her body.
"How would you like a job?".
She started sweating, what was this?
"What sir?"
"I asked how you would like a job, I need someone who can make connections and you seem to fit the bill, plus you've got a voice like molasses".
She nearly said yes on the spot,
"Sir, would you still like to connect to the state electric?"
She could practically hear the smile in his voice "Sure thing darling, but do you have a pen on you?"
She did, he gave her the address for the dance studio.
"Now, when do you finish work?"
"My shift ends at 6 sir"
"Alright, now please come to the address as soon as you finish. I can't really detail anything about the job over the phone, other than it pays well and the hours are flexible. Swing by and I promise a more detailed explanation".
Her heart is racing now. Imagining getting to meet the face of that voice is almost incentive enough.
"I can be there around 630, Mr.?"
"Shaw. I look forward to meeting you."
With that she put him through to the state electric and releases a breath she did not realise she had been holding in. It takes her a few moments to settle down again. She almost wishes he would call back so that she could talk to him more. 630 seems too far away.
6 comes around and Odette leaves work in a mad rush. The very moment the clock ticks over, she seizes her handbag, jams her time card into the slot and strides as fast as her stockings and frock would allow. Going from the nice cool brick building to the New Orleans pavement in July is like having a hot wet towel pressed over your mouth. She feels herself starting to sweat, but continues her rapid pace down the sidewalk. The bustling warehouse district that had once roared with activity is now merely humming with the war on. She continues her bustle and the cramped french quarter with its shop signs and iron lattices balconies coming into view.
It is getting later in the evening, not so much that the street lamps are on, but the alleys are getting darker. Odette is keeping her eyes ahead and walking with purpose, she is feeling a bit nervous even still. It is generally a very bad idea to be an unaccompanied woman of colour in this area of town with night approaching. Not as bad as the old days, but still bad enough that when she sees the dance studio there is a feeling of the spring inside her unwinding and easing her mind.
As she gets to the door, she takes a moment to smooth down her frock. She is feeling a tingling sensation as her own hand moves over the rayon fabric. What is happening to her? Here she is all flustered over a man's voice on the other end of a phone and a job she knows nothing about.