Nadya’s Nights: Dead Girls Are Easy
Chapter One: This Is Halloween
by Indy McDaniel
Copyright © 2010 Indy McDaniel
The thumping bass line of some euro trash techno song made Nadezhda ‘Nadya’ Valentina’s ears ring. Her aquamarine eyes sparkled from the complex array of strobe lights and lasers that cut through the foggy interior of the nightclub. Much longer in the place and she had no doubt that a massive headache would creep up the back of her neck and into her skull. She scanned the crowd of flailing bodies on the dance floor, trying to spot her contact. Why did Vlad always have to send her to the most obnoxious meeting places?
Although Halloween was not a traditional Russian holiday, Nadya’s home country had developed quite an interest in it over the recent years. Instead of the Westernized ritual of sending out their young ones in costumes to go mooching candy and other treats off of dumb saps, Russian Halloween was geared more towards people Nadya’s age. Drugs, dancing and debauchery in spades. Despite the differences, carved pumpkins and dangling ghosts still filled the club. The more things change, Nadya thought, taking a long drag off her smoke.
“The more they stay the same,” a familiar voice finished.
Nadya glanced to the right to see a girl that looked just like her, minus the sour attitude. On the contrary, the Other Nadya danced happily amidst the other drugged out morons. She wore hip-hugging shorts that barely went past her crotch and proudly displayed her ass. Her top sparkled in the strobe lights but the fabric was translucent and it was clear she wore nothing underneath. Not that anyone else took notice of her.
The Other Nadya was a visual manifestation of Nadya’s own subconscious. Something that had been happening to her for a little while now, much to her displeasure. She’d been on meds to get rid of the hallucinations but the side effects were worse than the annoying mental projection. For the most part, her other – who she’d decided to refer to simply as ‘X’ – was content with remaining an auditory hallucination. But every once in a while, when X chose to be a real bitch, she showed up in the flesh. Well, not actual flesh, but it might as well have been. And speaking of flesh…
“If you insist on showing yourself, would you mind dressing a bit less…” Nadya struggled for an appropriate word. “Whoreish?”
“It’s Halloween, darling,” X shot back, flashing a Cheshire cat grin and batting her eyelids. “The night to cut loose. The night to be whatever your heart desires.” She finished the statement by throwing her head back and releasing a loud howl.
“Kinda pointless in your case,” Nadya snarled, refusing to be drawn in by her manifestation. “Seeing as I’m the only one who can see you. And I’d rather not see myself like… that.”
X’s cheery attitude simmered down. She pouted and crossed her arms, covering her small breasts – much to Nadya’s delight. “You’re really no fun.”
“I’m working,” she replied sternly. “Which – in case you’ve forgotten – is supposed to be strictly ‘No You Time’. We had a deal. You fuck off while I’m on the job and when I’m not you can bug the shit out of me all you want.”
And just like that, X’s grumpy mood disappeared. The grin returned and she shook her ass as she sauntered over to Nadya. “Yea, but tonight’s different. This is – “
“Halloween,” Nadya cut in. “Yea, yea, yea, quit reminding me.” She looked for an ash tray to flick her butt into, came up empty and dropped the smoldering cigarette to the floor. If a fire started, it started. At least it would bring an end to all the shitty music. When her hallucination started grinding her ass into the crotch of an equally scantily clad male dancer, Nadya looked away, searching desperately for her contact. “Don’t see what the point of that is,” she muttered. “You’re not real.”
“Think of it as a game of Nadya See, Nadya Do,” X giggled, not letting up in her grinding.
“Fuck this,” Nadya grumbled, pulling a fresh cigarette from her pack and lighting it. “I’m telling Vlad the contact was a no show. There are so many better ways to spend my night. Dripping boiling oil into my eyes comes to mind.”
“Kinky,” X replied as she tweaked her nipples through her translucent shirt.
Rolling her eyes, Nadya turned away, heading for the bar. She decided to wait it out long enough to finish one drink and then take off. Lonestar was supposed to have been there an hour ago. Unlike her alluring double, Nadya’s outfit didn’t put out ‘Fuck Me’ so much as ‘Fuck Off’. As usual, black was the color of the day. Jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt with her leather jacket over top. The jacket was less about style and more about concealing the shoulder holster she wore. Her Glock 29 fit snuggly inside the holster, filled with fifteen rounds of 10mm silver bullets. Enough to give any baddie pause.
As Nadya cut through the crowded club, a frail girl with pale skin and long black hair rushed headlong into her. “Watch it!” Nadya snapped, quickly averting the angle of her cigarette so as not to burn the girl or herself.
Ice blue eyes filled with fear locked onto Nadya’s. As the girl’s lower lip began to tremble, Nadya had a good idea of what was about to happen. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when the girl started to babble at her about needing help.
“Sorry,” Nadya interrupted, trying to push the girl aside. “Can’t help you. Let this be a lesson to you. Never come to a club filled with a bunch of drugged out, horny men wearing…” She looked over the girl’s outfit and blinked. “What the hell are you wearing?” A white shroud draped over the girl’s boney frame. By the look of it, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. And yet, I can still see less of her body than I can my insufferable double, Nadya thought.
“Don’t be a bitch,” X spoke up. Apparently, she’d gotten bored of bumping and grinding against people who couldn’t see her.
“It’s not my problem,” Nadya replied to both X and the girl in front of her.
“Please!” the girl shrieked, panic in her eyes. Her thin fingers clutched at the arms of Nadya’s jacket, tugging at them. “Please, he’s looking for me! He’ll find me soon!”
Disentangling herself from the girl, Nadya pushed her back a step. “Just tell him, no means no. If that doesn’t work, a swift knee to the balls never hurt anyone. Well…” Nadya shrugged. “Nobody that matters, anyway.” Glancing over the girl’s shoulder, Nadya spotted what could potentially be her salvation. Her contact had finally decided to show up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to see a man about a horse. Not an actual horse. But just because the horse is metaphorical doesn’t mean you get to hassle me with your personal bullshit. Clear?” Before waiting for the girl’s reply, Nadya pushed past her. “Awesome. Have a great night.”
Cutting through the remaining crowd at a fast pace, Nadya hoped the girl would take the hint and leave her alone. She closed the distance between herself and the squirrely cockney who went by the name of Lonestar. “Bout damn time you showed up,” she said, crossing her arms at her chest. “What took you so long?”
Lonestar ran a hand through his thinning, greasy hair, brushing his bangs away from his receding hairline. His large eyes darted around the club nervously. “Sorry, love,” he said, trying to simultaneously keep his voice low while still be heard over the music. “You’ve got me looking into some seriously scary arseholes.”
“I’m a seriously scary arsehole,” Nadya shot back. “Worry about me. Now have you got the information I need or not?”
“Yea, I got it,” Lonestar replied, retrieving a folder from his messenger bag and handing it over to her.
Nadya gave a cursory flip through the folder, confirming it was what she was after, before sliding it under her arm. “Thanks.”
Before Nadya could settle up with Lonestar, the girl returned, bumping her way in between the two of them. “He’s coming!” Her level of freaked out had escalated a half-dozen notches. Her wide eyes stared into Nadya’s, pleading for help.
“Who’s coming?” Lonestar asked, a hint of alarm in his voice. He looked around the club nervously, already tensing to make a dart for the door if need be.
Nadya rolled her eyes and let out sigh. “Nobody. She’s drunk or something.”
Just then, there was a yell. Nadya looked up as an object flew past her head. The object was the young man X had been grinding against. His body cleared the bar and smashed into the wall of liquor behind it. Shattered glass and copious amounts of alcohol rained down, cutting into the thrown man and the scantily clad bartender.
“Son of a bitch…” Nadya muttered, turning to where the man had been thrown from. It was easy to spot the perpetrator as he stood a good head or more above the rest of the alarmed partiers. His red hair curled messily around his face, blending with his thick beard. His eyes glowed like pits of fire. They scanned the crowd before him, searching for someone in particular.
“Sashenka!” he bellowed, his voice full of rage and desire. He backhanded a topless girl. Her body knocked down several people before coming to a sudden, hard stop as she collided with a support beam. The sound of bones snapping was audible over the techno. The girl collapsed and let out screams of pain.
“He’s here!” the frightened girl hissed. She clutched at Nadya’s arm, pulling at it, trying to get her to do something.
Nadya turned to the girl. “I take it you’re Sashenka.” The girl nodded. Nadya cursed under her breath. “Why does the smelliest shit always land right in my lap?” She took the file from under her arm and extended it to Lonestar. “Don’t lose this. Get to an exit. Shit’s about to get gratuitous.”
Lonestar nodded, took the file and disappeared into the crowd of people already rushing for the club’s exit. Another scream filled the air as the tall man chucked a raver girl into the DJ booth. Sparks of electricity arced across her body and with a loud pop the techno beats fell silent.
“Stay behind me,” Nadya said to Sashenka as she drew her pistol. She turned forward and took aim at the menace wreaking havoc on the club. “Hey!” she yelled to him. “Quit throwing around the locals and pick on someone your own size! Which, by the look of it, that someone doesn’t exist so just fuck off!”
The man turned to Nadya but his fiery eyes quickly looked past her to the shuddering girl behind her. “Sashenka,” he breathed. He stalked forward, shoving clubbers to the side.
“Of course not,” Nadya muttered to herself. “Why would he just fuck off when it’s so much more fun to fuck with me.” She aimed her pistol, lining the sights up with the big bastard’s head and squeezed the trigger. The gun jumped in her hands. The sound of the gunshot reverberated off of the walls. Nadya’s aim was dead on. She watched his head fly back as the slug struck him above his right eyebrow. He stumbled back, almost falling.
As he turned to glare at Nadya, she saw the gunshot wound sealing itself back up. “No, a single headshot would be way too simple, wouldn’t it?” Nadya said, annoyance clear in her voice. The gunshot was the final straw for the club patrons. They rushed the entrance, clearing the space between Nadya and the tall man, allowing her to see him fully.
His garb was old and tattered. He wore a thick belt with a variety of carved potatoes and turnips emitting burning light. Dried mud and fresh blood stained his heavy boots. Nadya wasn’t sure where the guy came from but it certainly looked as if he’d travelled a long distance. With a clear view of the man, Nadya leveled her gun at him and emptied the clip in rapid succession. Fourteen silver slugs smashed through the man’s torso. This time he did fall to the ground but only momentarily.
Ejecting the empty magazine, Nadya slipped a fresh one in. “Okay, who the fuck is this guy?”
“That’s Jack,” Sashenka whispered.
“Okay, well, Jack’s officially become a pain in my ass,” Nadya replied. “We need to get out of here. Make for the exit. I’ll hold him back.”
“How?” the pale girl whimpered. “He’s too strong!”
“I’ve dealt with these kinds of assholes before,” Nadya said. Well, maybe not these exact kind of assholes, she thought. But close enough. “It’s what I do. Now get the hell out of here!” She gave the girl a shove towards the exit and turned back to face Jack, who was now back on his feet.
Aiming low, Nadya put a bullet through each of Jack’s knees. He stumbled, crouched for a moment, then rose again, stalking towards her. The bullets weren’t doing shit. She holstered the gun and charged towards Jack. He swung at Nadya’s head. She ducked low, hooking an arm around his to pin it. She drove her knee up between his legs hard. Jack let out a cry of pain and slammed his free hand into Nadya’s gut.
The strike felt like a sledgehammer. The air in Nadya’s lungs rushed out of her but she managed to keep hold of Jack’s arm. She twisted it hard, forcing it in a direction it wasn’t meant to go. His bones snapped easier than Nadya expected them to. Twisting his arm more, the shattered edges of his bones punctured through his skin.
Jack howled out pain and rage. He brought his free arm up and attempted to backhand Nadya across the face. She ducked back but not fast enough to fully avoid the hit. Jack’s callused knuckles scrapped across her forehead, sending her falling back. Even the partial strike was enough to send sparks fluttering in Nadya’s eyes. By the time her head cleared, she found herself lying on the floor. Warm blood trickled from her eyebrow into her blonde hair.
Stepping over Nadya, Jack lifted his foot, intending to smash her face in. She rolled to the left in time to avoid the stomp then flipped to her feet. Spinning around behind him, she kicked out into the small of his back, sending him forward a few steps. She took a brief moment to glance to the exit. It had mostly cleared out. Nadya saw no sign of Sashenka.
Time to leave.
Whipping her pistol out, she drove the barrel up against the back of Jack’s head and pulled the trigger. She watched as his face transformed into a blast of blood and brains and almost instantly begin to reform. Taking the opening, Nadya turned and rushed for the door. As she cleared the exit, she spotted Sashenka and grabbed her by the arm, leading her into the parking lot and towards her car.
As they got into the little yellow Mini Cooper, a bellow of anger emanated from the deserted club. Nadya fired up the car and pulled out onto the road. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she saw Jack emerge from the club and stare after her with his fiery eyes.
“Another fine mess you’ve gotten us into,” X muttered from the backseat.
