I swallowed hard.  The man who answered Jerry's phone could only be...

     "My name is Darius and I'm sorely disappointed that you ignored my warning."  The voice was deep, smooth with a slight accent - British, I thought.  He was obviously waiting for a response and I hesitated, fighting down my panic.  Another couple of seconds, just when I thought he would say something more, I decided to go tough.

     "If you harm Jerry in any way, I swear you'll be the next to die, ****."  I took a deep breath and held it.  I had no idea what I was going to say when I put my mouth in gear and now that it was out...I was a bit worried that I'd gone too far.

     Darius laughed.  ****.  I guess I hadn't gone far enough.  "You are truly amusing, Michael...dangerous, but amusing.  You are also nieve, ignorant of what you've started and a pain in the ****."  His voice, to this point was light; he switched to dark and threatening.  "I have Jerry's phone but not Jerry.  The two ladies you saw earlier in the bar are playing with him at the moment."

     Playing?  What the **** did that mean?  I couldn't back down.  "I'm still holding you responsible, asswipe.  I want him brought back to the bar in fifteen minutes or I'm calling the cops and....I'm going to go hunting."

     I hit a nerve.  "Enough of your boyish machoism!  I do not play games, boy.  Pay attention!"  He roared through the earpiece and I had to move the phone away from my ear. 

     Yep.  I'd definitely pissed him off.  I hoped that was a good thing. ****, I was playing with Jerry's life, here.  I couldn't back down now.  I leaned over and in my best, threatening tone, I whispered, "I am not playing, either, monster.  The clock starts...now.  Fifteen minutes."

     No hesitation from Darius, this time.  "Julie," was all he said and my breath whooshed out of me.  I slumped back against the cold bricks of the bar's outside wall.

     "Wha...what did you say?"  I didn't want to hear.  I didn't want to hear her name on his tongue.  Instantly, I had a very bad feeling about what it meant.

     "I don't have Jerry.  I do have Julie."

     I burst up from the wall.  I screamed through the cell phone, "You sorry **** ****.  DON'T, don't you ever say her name again.  You're a lying sack of **** and I'm going to...."

     His calm voice interrupted my rant.  "You're going to do exactly as I say."  We both paused.  I was sweating, my knees...my entire body was trembling in pent up rage, but I controlled myself.  I forced a blank wall to enter my brain.  I waited for his next words and they came quickly, deliberately and oh, so horribly.

     "Lucius and Marcello had so much fun with your precious Julie that they wanted her back.  They pulled her from her grave and begged me to....bring her back to life.  I did and ......"

     "NOOOOOO...."  My scream echoed through the alley.  Tears burst from my eyes and I collapsed to the ground.  I grovelled there like a dunken bum, unable to find the slightest semblence of reality.  It couldn't be true...this could not be happening.  Julie's face flashed across my mind.  I saw her smiling face and, in my fantasy, I leaned forward to kiss her.  But, as my lips touched hers, I felt icy cold.  I pulled back and watched, horrified as her face shrivelled.  Blisters formed on her cheeks, burst and dripped viscuous fluid that ran down to fall from her chin.  Her eyes blazed golden and then rotted out of their sockets.

     I staggered to my feet and fell, standing but supported by the wall.  I shook her vission from my mind and he spoke again.  His voice was far away and I realized the phone was in my hand, hanging limply at my side.  Slowly, I pulled it back to my ear.

     "...deliver her to you in exchange for your secret.  Jerry, however, will join us as punishment for Selena."

     I threw the phone against the opposite wall.  It shattered in several pieces.  "**** you," I whispered.  "**** YOU, **** YOU , **** YOU," I screamed.  "Oh, Julie, sweet Julie," I moaned.  I turned and slammed my fist into the bricks and crumpled in agony as my broken hand send waves of electrifying signals throughout my body and nausea struck.

     On my hands and knees, I retched and in between the stomach convulsions I promised myself that I would kill them all.