Ep. 06 Misled by Beauty

[This story was heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. Since most of my stories take place in Lovecraft country, I felt it was time I finally came up with a horror-oriented story with some of my old characters. The following contains elements of incest, so if that offends you, please read no further.]

La'Tonya Morse looked at the clock as her car sped past the Massachusetts state line on I-84 east. It was only 11 a.m. She never quite got over how small the New England states were in comparison to the southern states where she was originally from. Like so many others, the horrid storm that devastated New Orleans two years back left her without a home, and after much searching, she forced herself to realize that Hurricane Katrina claimed her mother as well. La'Tonya spent the past two years couch surfing at the homes of various friends, acquaintances, and old girlfriends. Her travels took her all across the south, leading her inexplicably to the northeast. She couldn't put her finger on exactly why she was going in that direction. She remembered fondly her tenure at the University of Southern Maine, and how the time not consumed by her studies was enjoyed in the arms of her attractive roommate, a voluptuous brunette named Rachel.

She felt a familiar tingle at the thought of her former lover, and the memory of how she helped soothe the girl's broken heart. They parted amicably, and last she had heard, Rachel and her boyfriend had reconciled. Apparently, their breakup was the result of a terrible deception by her mother. They lost touch due to the storm, and even then, the news was a year old when La'Tonya finally learned it. That was the only time La'Tonya had heard from her friend. She assumed that Rachel had been busy with her new place and new job, and with rebuilding her old relationship. She could also feel her friend drifting away, as old school friends often do. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had happened.

* * * * *

La'Tonya awoke in her hotel bed drenched in sweat. It was the same nightmare she had been having since the hurricane, and it had been getting worse with each passing day. She would be submerged in briny water, but yet she could breathe. She'd feel the current pulling her inexplicably to a bizarre city, with unusual angles, domes, and crooked spires. Then someone would swim towards her in the distance. It was only last night that she was able to see the city or the man. She never saw that city before, and it unnerved her. The terrifying part for her was that it seemed vaguely familiar. Reaching into her day-bag, she pulled out a vial of eye drops and squeezed some into her eyes. They had started to itch so badly that it was beginning to hurt.

After stumbling out of bed and showering, she appraised her appearance in the mirror. La'Tonya had always been a very large woman, but she carried herself well and had always been considered beautiful by men and women alike. She dried and combed her long, black, curly hair and put on her makeup, accentuating her sea-foam green eyes. Her mother, an equally beautiful woman of African descent, had always told her that she had inherited her father's eyes. Curiously, she'd shudder when mentioning this; La'Tonya had always chalked it up to her father being abusive to her mother, which was why she had never met him.

She dressed and then dialed Rachel's phone number, but to no avail. Her father said that Rachel had moved to a town called "Dunnich".

"You mean 'Dunwich'?" La'Tonya asked.

"Yeah, that's right. I wish you people from away would learn how to talk right," he said with a heavy Yankee accent and a laugh. "Anyway, that was the last me or the wife heard from her."

La'Tonya could tell that he wasn't telling her the truth, or at least the whole truth. Still, he seemed nice enough…hardly the ogre Rachel had made him out to be. She thanked him and hung up. La'Tonya then proceeded to look for her friend in the phone book, but found no 'Tarunens' in Dunwich. She had a thought and looked under 'Cho', Randy's family name. She found none in Dunwich, but found an 'HJ Cho' in Arkham and an 'RJ Cho' in New Innsmouth Beach.

Innsmouth.

The name made La'Tonya's skin crawl, but she couldn't figure out why. She entertained the notion of calling the number and, if it was in fact Randy and Rachel's phone number, she'd meet them in a neighboring city. However, she had no way of knowing whether it was Randy or someone else. She then realized that she was being very childish, and decided that Innsmouth was to be her destination.

* * * * *

She checked into the Best Western in the heart of New Innsmouth Beach a little past 1 p.m. She discovered that the town was really a tourist trap with seafood shacks, hotels, various bars and taverns, and even a fairground complete with video arcades. She was surprised at how much ground the Innsmouth area covered. Most of the inland area was taken up by a quaint little suburb while the southern tip was clearly where the well-to-do lived, not unlike Newport, RI. At any case, she felt that the worst she'd have to deal with was a group of rowdy frat boys or an over amorous drunk, both of which she could easily contend with.

She walked into one of the bars and ordered a beer. Each sip eased away the last of her jitters, and eventually she felt the corners of her mouth curl into a smile. She scanned the crowd and saw a fair amount of tourists, and even a couple of locals. One of them, a heavy-set black man with wiry grey hair, nodded and smiled. She got off the stool and approached the man, and asked if she could take the chair across from him. "Of course, darlin'," he said in a raspy voice, his Southern accent readily apparent. "Not too often I meet a gal from back home."

"Where's home?" she asked.

"Memphis," he said in a slow drawl. "Born and raised. Moved here with the wife back in '72, God rest her soul."

"I'm from N'Awlins," she said. "Kinda passin' through." She passed an old picture she had of Rachel and Randy to the man and said, "Would you have seen these two around here?"

"The girl, no. But the boy, hell yeah. That's Randy Joe Cho. I've seen a lot of cats play, but I never thought I hear the blues played so well from a Chinese kid," he said with a chuckle.

"I think he's actually Korean," La'Tonya said, returning the laugh.

"Bah," he rasped. "Don't matter none. Point is he can make a Stratocaster sit up and beg for mercy. Nice kid, too. He an' his band usually play at the Stinky Fish Face. It's on the other side o' town, kinda close to the bad section. You watch yourself 'round there. They ain't friendly."

"I think I can handle myself," she said. "So when are they playin'?"

"Tonight, I reckon," the old man said. "I'd go, but I don't really like goin' there. Usually I see them play at Empty Belly's in Arkham."

"Merci beau coups, mon ami," she said as she stood up.

"Pleasure's all mine, darlin'," the man said, kissing her hand. "Aw reservoir!"

As she left the bar, she looked at a nearby map and easily found the Stinky Fish Face. It was close to the northern section of town on the coast, just before the coastline formed an open circle. Walking along the coast, she could see in the northern horizon that the town started to become more and more decrepit, the buildings much older and run down. Looking out to sea, she could see the dim outline of a black reef that cut like a hole in the otherwise calm ocean. All along the beach, she could see warnings posted of a strong undercurrent, and for parents to be mindful of their children lest they get pulled under. She could also see young people ignoring the warnings on their body boards. Nevertheless, the beach was beautiful, if a bit empty. La'Tonya figured it was because of the undercurrent, and the fact that the sun was very hot, making the heat reflections off the sand nearly unbearable. She turned around and could see that it didn't prevent people from coming to the town to have fun. She resumed her stroll towards the bar, and as she got closer, she could see posters depicting missing persons appearing in greater frequency, as well as a thinning of the general populace. She walked for nearly two hours until she finally arrived at her destination.

It was an old, weathered building with a sign hanging over the door bearing a sea bass with a clothespin over his nose, flanked on both sides by guitars. She could barely see the worn letters depicting the name of the establishment. One of the outside walls was practically wallpapered with Missing Persons posters and advertisements for local bands. Despite her better judgment, she stepped inside and proceeded to find a clean table, with a great deal of difficulty. The inside of the tavern could be politely called a shithole. She wondered how many Health Code violations could be levied at this establishment, and was thankful that she went to the bathroom before she got there.

At around 7 p.m., after nearly an hour, she could see people start to shuffle in, mostly locals. Most appeared normal; others had wide eyes that didn't seem to blink enough, flat noses, and non-existent chins. She couldn't put her finger on why, but these people filled her with unnamable dread. She was ready to get up and walk out when she heard people on stage starting their sound check. 'Well, I've come this far,' she thought to herself, then sat back down.

She immediately saw a very handsome man with long, straight black hair and almond-shaped eyes wearing a shirt depicting a three-headed dragon blasting a city on the stage. Immediately, she recognized him as Randy Cho. He was talking to his band-mates, oblivious to her presence. After a moment's consideration, she decided against talking to him, feeling that it would be better to wait until his band's set. She looked around, but curiously, she didn't see Rachel anywhere.

"Check, check," Randy said into his microphone. "Hello everyone! To those who are coming back, we thank you. To the tourists….WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE," this last part provoked raucous laughter from the crowd, "welcome to the Stinky Fish Face in beautiful downtown Innsmouth. I am Randy Cho and together, we are the RJC Four."

He turned to the drummer, a stocky Hispanic man with a shaved head, and said, "Hit it!"

The band began playing a mixture of old rhythm and blues, classic rock, and Southern rock. 'The old man was right,' La'Tonya thought to herself, 'Randy's damned good.' Indeed, he was playing his dark red Stratocaster as if it was an extension of his own body. He sang with in slightly scratchy tenor, occasionally dipping into a rich baritone and then into an ear-splitting wail, betraying his heavy metal roots. Occasionally, the organist, a petite blonde with numerous piercings, would sing in a deep, sultry purr that belied her diminutive stature and made La'Tonya's thighs melt. 'If I don't get me some action with him,' La'Tonya thought, 'I'm gonna have some of that pretty blonde.'

An hour later, La'Tonya decided that it was high time she started drinking, and soon she had a frosted stein in front of her. Randy stepped up to the mic and said, "Okay, this here's a new song. I started writin' this about a year ago, and I figured tonight, you folks should hear it! This little number's called 'Devil Reef Blues'."

The name caused a cheer to erupt from the locals in the crowd. The song was very slow and melancholy, telling the typical blues story of a man who's lover was untrue. La'Tonya could tell from Randy's facial expression that he was singing the song from experience, and immediately figured out why Rachel never showed up. Then, Randy sang a verse that nearly broke her heart:

"And now my baby's gone

On the 3:15, Tacoma bound

At the bottom of Devil Reef

Is where I can be found"

The song erupted into a huge climax, telling how the undertow pulled his body out to sea after jumping from the dock and that it ended up at the bottom of Devil Reef. With that, the song ended. The crowd all cheered and clapped…all except for La'Tonya, who stared in silence. Her eyes then met Randy's. He turned away quickly, then announced that the next song was going to be their last, and the last song they were ever going to play at the Stinky Fish Face. "Thank you all for showing up. We'll be at Empty Belly's in two weeks and then at the Skybar two days later! Anyways, this last song is one written by a 'down on his luck' black man who allegedly sold his soul to the devil. This one's called 'Me And The Devil Blues'. Keep drinkin' people!!"

The band then erupted into a rocking rendition of the Robert Johnson classic, one that La'Tonya knew by heart. After the song ended, and after the band finished loading up their equipment in a late 90's model station wagon, she approached Randy with an extended hand and said, "That was an amazing show tonight."

"Hey thanks!" he said, shaking her hand. "Hey, I noticed you were the only one who didn't cheer the new one. Didn't like it?"

"Actually, that was the best song you guys played," La'Tonya said. "However, my momma always told me never to applaud a man's broken heart."

"I'm okay, really," he said, smiling warmly. "Actually, this was the first time I could bring myself to play it. However, the guys had been bugging me for months to add it to our set, so I figured it was time to do it, especially since we won't be playing in Innsmouth anymore."

After a pause, Randy said, "I have to ask, how did you know I was singing from experience?"

La'Tonya looked down, and then looked Randy straight in the eye. "Rachel was my roommate in college. She's told me a lot about you, a lot of good at first, then…well, then she got that email from her momma, then you became known as 'that asshole' and 'that lyin' son of a bitch'. Looks like the truth can cause a huge change o' heart, don't it?"

"I never-" Randy began, and then La'Tonya cut him off.

"I meant finding out that her momma was a mean-spirited old hag who's got a problem with people bein' happy. By the way, my name's La'Tonya Morse."

"Cho Ran-Jong," he said, "but everyone calls me Randy. Everyone, that is, except my mother and my grandmother. Them and my little sister, who calls me names that are quite frankly unrepeatable and would lose something in the translation from Korean."

"A pleasure to finally meet you," La'Tonya said sincerely. "Would it be okay if I got your phone number? I'm gonna be in town for a few days and I want to find out what happened, and how I could've misjudged someone so badly."

"Not much to tell, but okay," he said. He then ripped off a nearby poster and wrote down his phone number. "Gimme a call anytime," he said. "I live alone, so it's okay."

"Yo, Jongzilla!" a tall, skinny man with curly hair called from a distance. "You're my designated driver, man! Quit scoring with the chicks and get me outta this dump!"

"And that eloquent gent is Mark, and that would also be my cue to leave." He took her hand and kissed it. "It was a pleasure meeting you, really."

La'Tonya wrapped him in a hug, kissing his cheek quickly. "Au revoir, chéri," she whispered.

With that, Randy ran to his car and drove off. La'Tonya smiled to herself, then walked back to the hotel after waving Randy off.

* * * * *

La'Tonya bolted upright in her bed and screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What am I doing in this town?" she said aloud.

The phone soon started ringing, and La'Tonya picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Yes, Ms Morse, this is the front desk," a friendly female voice said from the other end. "Is everything okay? One of the guests heard screaming from your room."

"I'm fine," La'Tonya lied. "I was just having a nightmare."

"Yeah, this town'll do that to ya," the woman said with a chuckle. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Yeah, get me a plane ticket to somewhere else…I hear Bolivia's nice this time of year, she thought to herself. "No, thank you," she said. "I'm sorry for any trouble." With that, she hung up the phone.

La'Tonya cried for several minutes. Part of her wanted to pack her things, get in the car, and drive as far away from this place as possible. The other part, however, knew that there was nowhere for her to go. Her car was running low on gas and the funds from her inheritance was almost depleted. She was barely even able to afford this room. La'Tonya rifled through her purse and found Randy's phone number. She stared at it, and remembered Rachel telling her that Randy was a vault of useless trivia dealing with local legends. 'Maybe he knows something about Innsmouth,' she thought to herself. She looked at the clock, which read "3:12" on the display. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said aloud, "but I need your help."

* * * * *

Riiiiiiiiiing.

"Meow."

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

"Meeeeeoooooooow."

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

Randy felt a furry head nudging his chin, to which he grumbled sleepily in reply.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

Claws lightly scratched his back, startling Randy. "Dammit Gary, you stupid cat," he said as a sleek Siamese cat bolted into the kitchen.

It was then that he became aware that the phone was ringing. "Goddammit," he grumbled as he picked up the phone. "Okay, there had better be blood," he spat out.

"Randy, it's La'Tonya," a voice said on the other end. "I'm so sorry to be calling you this late, but I really need your help."

Randy was going to snap at her, but he could hear the desperation in her voice. "What's up?" he asked.

"I have a terrible feeling that I shouldn't tell you over the phone. I dunno, call me paranoid, but I really need to talk to you in person. Can I come over?"

Randy looked around for nothing in particular. Randy wanted to read her the Riot Act and tell her to call in a few hours, but didn't. He never liked turning people away when they needed help, and from the sheer terror in La'Tonya's voice, he knew he couldn't refuse her with a clean conscience. "Sure, come on down. You got a pen and paper?"

He heard rustling from the other end, then heard her reply in the affirmative. With that, Randy gave her detailed directions to his apartment. "Thank you so much, Randy," she said.

"No sweat," he said. "Just get here safely." With that, he hung up the phone.

He looked down at his cat, who was staring back at him with huge blue eyes. "Well, buddy, let's get this place cleaned up," he said. "Looks like we're having company.

Fifteen minutes later, Randy heard a knock on the door. He looked through the peephole. Although the fish-eye lens distorted the image, he recognized the large, curvy frame, long black hair in tight curls, and dark skin of La'Tonya Morse. He could also see that her striking green eyes were bloodshot from crying and lack of sleep. He opened the door and was immediately greeted with a crushing hug. Tears soaked his red tank top. "Shh," Randy said, stroking her hair with one hand while closing the door with his foot. "You're safe here. Safe from what, I'm not sure, but you are safe."

La'Tonya chuckled weakly, then looked in his eyes. "In all honesty, I don't know either. But thank you. I'm so sorry for waking you up."

"Actually, you didn't wake me, technically. Yonggary did."

"Yonggary?"

"This handsome guy here," Randy said, gesturing to his cat. "Meows like a fuckin' air-raid siren. Best alarm clock a man can have."

On cue, Yonggary began purring loudly and nuzzled against La'Tonya's leg. La'Tonya crouched down, and Yonggary leapt into her arms. "Oh, but you are a handsome thing," she cooed into the cat's ear, stroking his fur. He purred louder in response.