At one time, that name infuriated Kip. Made him feel like a loser, like a freak. But now… now it just seemed to fit, had a new meaning.
Blood covered his chest and face, and he used Jade’s shirt to sop it up. She didn’t protest, just watched him and fingered herself, her tongue never staying still as it searched the nooks and crannies of her mouth for more pus.
Kip’s body tingled from scalp to toenails, and it wasn’t until he scooted back and into a seated position that he realized he had cum in his pants. Every time he pressed the shirt to his open zit wounds, he gasped as electric pulses of pleasure zapped him.
The car’s clock told him he had about three minutes to make it to his next class.
“I’ve got to go.”
“G-go? Where? Why?” She flung herself forward like a jaguar attacking its prey, latched her claws into his thighs and held him there. “Kip, no. Don’t leave me. I don’t ever want you to leave me.”
“Relax. I’ll see you after school, okay? My mom’s out of town… you can come by.”
She looked on the verge of tears, and then her expression changed into something else. Something violent. “I need you. Do you understand? I fucking need you!”
Kip leaned forward, popped another pimple on his temple, offered the pus on the tip of his finger.
Jade gasped, sucked his finger into her mouth down to the knuckle. She moved her head back and forth, swirled her tongue over it. When she screamed with orgasm, Kip slid out of the car, hurried across the parking lot toward campus.
But there were others waiting for him. Others who had seen him in the car with Jade. They had stayed hidden, but as soon as Kip was out of the car, they started to close in like a swarm of flies on a rotting dog carcass.
“Toad… Toad come here. Please. I just… I just wanna talk to you.”
“I’ve been looking for you all day, man. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Please, Kip. Please give me another taste.”
“I have to go to class,” Kip said, throwing his hands up. “I’ll see you guys later, okay?” Kip picked up his pace, weaving his way through the kids. There was a scream from behind him, and he stopped, turned.
Jade was out of the car now, still wearing nothing, and had another girl by the hair, slamming her face into the parking lot cement again and again. Blood painted the girl’s face, but her eyes were on Kip, her hand reaching out to him.
“He’s mine,” Jade said. “He’s all mine! My Toad, my Toad, my Toad!”
Holy shit. They really need me. They need me bad.
Kip could already hear Zak’s voice in his head, telling him how bad all of this was, how they needed to get away from it. And deep down, Kip knew that would be the right thing to do. The smart thing.
But he was done doing the right thing. He couldn’t deprive his followers, his people. They needed him, wanted him, and he needed them just as bad.
“Kip!”
Kip thought he recognized the voice, and he turned to find Chuck sprinting toward him. At one time, seeing Chuck coming at him full speed would have filled him with dread, but he only smiled as Chuck pumped his arms and legs. When Chuck made it to him, he dropped to his knees, grabbed Kip’s hand, pressed his forehead against the knuckles.
“Kip… please. I need more. I have to have it, okay? Kip—”
“Call me Toad.”
And he led his flock away from the school.
—11—
School was out.
Thank god.
Zak waited by his car for Kip, but it had already been fifteen minutes since the bell rang, and the kid wasn’t showing. Zak had just finished the last cigarette, so he opened the car to fish out the fresh pack, but nearly gagged at the scent that floated out and punched him in the face.
Smelled like pussy and bad meat.
That’s when he noticed the specks of red on his window. And the discarded clothing on the floor, the shirt—which was obviously female—stained with dark blood.
Kip. And probably Jade.
Zak breathed to calm his nerves, tried to tell himself that he was jumping to conclusions, that Kip would come walking up any second. He gave it another five minute before he couldn’t take it anymore, before he jumped in the car, all the windows down, and sped toward home.
If Zak found what he thought he would, he wasn’t really sure what he would do. Whatever was in Kip’s pus, it was strong shit. No telling how it was affecting the kids, what it would make them do. After only a taste last night, they had that meth head look, like if they didn’t get another hit they would die. Or kill. It was that last part that worried Zak.
I’ll point my gun at them again if I have to. Whatever it takes to get them away from Kip.
He had a vision of walking in to the home, finding blood splashed and smeared all over the walls. The kids would have Kip on the ground, surrounding him like feasting buzzards, his torso ripped open, the kids chewing his flesh, sucking out his juices.
If any of them hurt Kip, I’ll fucking kill them.
Zak tried to understand where Kip was coming from. Living an entire life shunned by everyone, laughed at, harassed. Girls weren’t just unattracted to him, they were disgusted by him, and they did nothing to hide the fact either. And then all of a sudden he’s the most desired boy in school. The most popular. Everyone wants him now.
Zak couldn’t blame the kid. If the circumstances were different, he’d even be happy for him. But this? Zak wondered if there was something to what Kip was saying. What if he really was some kind of… monster or something? There really wasn’t any other explanation. Kids don’t just spew drugs from their skin like that. No matter how dangerous some experimental medication is… the side effects can’t be this.
Zak tried to clear his mind as he made the final turn toward the house, preparing himself for what he might find.
He tried to ignore the tingling sensation in his chest as he continued to breathe in the odor in his car. Tried to pretend that he didn’t want a taste of the Toad just like everyone else.
Chuck didn’t have time to go back and get Chelsea. He hadn’t even thought of her until after he got his taste, and by then he didn’t give a shit. She could fend for herself. It was her fault for staying home and not getting her own taste of the Toad. Chuck lay on his back in Kip’s attic while the other kids swarmed around Kip, mouths pressed against him. Feeding, slurping, moaning. Like baby pigs fighting for their mother’s teats.
Chuck couldn’t help but giggle as the other kids fought for the fat zits, craving the pus, dying for another helping of warm cream.
But Chuck got himself a mouthful of blood this last time. There were too many others, and Chuck started to toss them away, muscle his way in, but Toad gave him a look, shook his head.
“Everyone gets their share,” Toad had said.
And Chuck didn’t want to upset him. There was an open spot on Toad’s right side, just under his armpit. Chuck had dove for it, licked the trickling blood away just to wipe the spot clean so he could search for more of the pimples. But in that particular spot, there was none. The skin was dry, flaky, but no acne. No flesh grapes.
Then it was like his mouth was on fire. Like he’d taken a spoonful of ghost chili salsa. But only at first. He panicked, flopped on the ground as he scraped his nails across his tongue. But the pain blossomed into waves of pleasure, and as each wave hit him, crashed over his body like liquid lightning, he couldn’t stop himself from giggling.
“Blood…” he managed to say before more giggles took over. “B-blood is good… his blood is good too…”