A Taste of Evil - Maria Carvalho
Todd’s stomach grumbled as he pictured the foot-long ham and Swiss grinder he’d stupidly left behind in his mad rush to leave the apartment after sleeping through his alarm. Goddamned Mondays. It wouldn’t have been a big deal had there been any place decent to eat near the old office building he was helping convert into swanky condos, but the greasy spoon on the corner had given him the runs the one time he’d tried it, and the only other option was a sushi place. Why anyone in their right mind would want to eat that shit was beyond him.
He remembered seeing a vending machine when he’d done the first-floor wiring a few weeks back. At the time, he’d thought how nasty the stuff inside it must’ve been considering the building had been vacant for years. But now, with hunger gnawing at his gut, he wondered whether it might have something edible. A bag of stale chips or pretzels would be better than nothing.
His work boots echoed on the chipped concrete stairs as Todd descended to the first floor, where he was greeted by the clamor of sawing and hammering. Heading down the main corridor, he wound his way around stacks of drywall panels, quickening his pace when he spotted the alcove that held the vending machine. Its dark woodgrain façade gave him a flashback to the basement paneling of his childhood home.
Peering through the dusty glass, he rolled his eyes when he saw that the only thing in the top row was a box of Dots. He’d rather starve than eat those vile-tasting gumdrops. Beneath it was a bag of Planter’s Peanuts, which would’ve been great had they not been coated in green fuzz. Gross.
Hope fading, Todd dropped his gaze to the bottom row, then broke into a grin at the sight of its lone occupant: a Devil Dog. Man, he’d loved them as a kid. How long had it been since he’d had one?
He leaned down to take a closer look. The Devil Dog appeared to be okay—at least there was no visible fuzz on it—and hell, those things were like 99% preservatives anyway, right? They’d probably be good for decades.
Todd reached to get some singles from his wallet but then saw that the price was only fifty cents. Jesus, just how old was this thing? Digging the quarters out of his front pocket, he fed them into the slot—clang, clang—and pulled the lever, doubtful it would work. But the machine whirred to life, the package pushing forward and dropping to the bottom with a satisfying thud.
Snatching it up, he looked for an expiry date but didn’t see one. Screw it. With a practiced hand, he pulled the wrapper apart along the seam, releasing a familiar chocolatey scent that made his mouth water.
Tentatively, he took a nibble. The dark cake was pretty hard but the sweet filling melted in his mouth and tasted exactly as he remembered. Todd gulped the rest of it down in a few greedy bites, wishing there were more. At least it would help get him through the afternoon. He’d swing into Vinnie’s on the way home and pick up an extra-large pizza with double everything.
He chucked the wrapper into an empty box on the floor and let out a burp. As Todd turned to leave, he was overcome by a wave of dizziness and leaned against the vending machine for support. It felt like his heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest, and a stinging cold was creeping across his body.
“Oh fuck,” he groaned, collapsing to the floor.
***
Ed was nailing in the bay window trim when he saw Todd approaching through the partially-framed end unit.
“Hey, man—what brings you down here?” Ed asked. “I thought you finished wiring this floor a while ago.”
Todd, his eyes downcast, didn’t respond. It wasn’t until the electrician was a few feet away that he looked up; that’s when Ed saw that his eyes were glowing a deep purple, like a black light was shining on them.
“Jesus Christ!” Ed stammered, backpedaling in terror, the hammer slipping from his hand. Todd grabbed it off the tarped floor and gave Ed a strange sort of smile before smashing it into the carpenter’s forehead. Ed let out an agonized scream and tried to cover his head with his hands when he saw Todd raising the hammer again.
The last sound Ed heard was Todd’s laughter as he delivered the next brutal strike. Fortunately for Ed, it rendered him unable to feel the rest of the onslaught that followed.
***
Todd surveyed the mangled remains lying at his feet with satisfaction. He was splattered in blood flecked with bits of internal organs and ran his fingers over his skin, enjoying the sticky feel. Was he imagining the sweet smell hanging in the air? Breathing in deeply, he was hit by a rush of ecstasy—a heady blend of euphoria and omnipotence radiating down to his core. How had he lived without this feeling of perfect bliss? He savored the new sensation, not wanting it to end, the taste making him ravenous for more.
Gripping the bloody hammer, Todd strode off to satisfy his hunger.
***
Maria Carvalho is a multi-genre writer from Connecticut whose published work includes the children’s book Hamster in Space!, flash fiction, poetry, and short stories that run the gamut from science fiction to fairy tale. Her work has been featured in a variety of books and magazines including several titles in the Owl Hollow Press Anthology Series, the fantasy anthology "Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice", and the collection “Falling into the Five Senses”, which she co-edited. Find her on Twitter at @ImMCarvalho.