Dom returned to his apartment and went straight into his bare kitchen. He put his shopping bag on the counter, just as his stomach rumbled. Not only did he need fast cash to pay off the landlord, but he also needed to fill his cupboards with food. He was literally down to the bare bones. He’d already pawned any items lingering around the apartment he didn’t need: old jewelry, clothes, even a small replica of the Empire State Building he bought after a visit to New York in grade school. He thought about cashing in his lucky Zippo too but decided against it. It could come in handy...
With the small amount of cash he received, he bought emergency food: bread, cheese and a bottle of Bud, just to see him through the night. What was left, he spent on the tools he’d need for the job the next day. He opened a shopping bag and pulled out the rubber mallet and metal stake, the kind used in camping, he just bought from Home Depot and stared at them. More dreamlike reality struck him. This was the type of stuff from the movies: stakes through the heart. What he really wanted was a gun, but that was way out of his budget. Or a huge knife, but that was out of his budget too. He’d seen that vamp bleed had made him bleed. They were flesh and blood. Some type of organic creature that was susceptible to the same bodily damage as humans. But, another part of him thought it might just be an illusion. He was sure he saw Freddy Krueger bleed too, and that bastard never died... He decided it would probably be best to stick to the tried and tested methods, just in case there was some mystic, supernatural crap going on and bullets and knives didn’t kill vamps, but only a stake to the heart would. He didn’t wanna be left high and dry, so he played it safe and went for the stake and mallet. That way there was no danger. Plus it was all he could afford anyway...
He put the items safely away before grabbing a chunk of cheese and a couple of slices of bread and throwing them together in a sandwich. He grabbed his Bud and went and sat on the edge of his couch while he chowed, his hands trembling. He was edgy, nervous about the job.
He finished the last of his stale bread and cheese, the chewed lump easing down his gullet slow and steady. He washed it down with Bud. It hit his empty stomach with a groan. He wasn’t eating well, he knew it, and now wondered how it would affect his performance tomorrow. He puffed his cheeks and looked down again at his trembling hands. Nerves were starting to fray. Come on, buddy... You can do this.
From the coffee table, he grabbed his wallet. He opened it up and fished out the photo of him, Eddie, and Dad. He’d managed to tape it back together as best he could. Staring at it suddenly gave him a small burst of strength; something to help him through. He ran a finger along a taped-up tear, nodding his head, his eyes welling again. One day, he’d find them. He promised.
They were all that was left. Even the Father had deserted. Where to, who knew?
They were questions for another day. First, he had to make sure tomorrow went smoothly.
He replaced the photo in his wallet and sighed again, falling back in his couch. He stared at the ceiling while he finished his Bud, going over and over in his mind what he was going to do the next day and how.