Chapter 2

Dimitri limped into the lobby of a large apartment complex. The door didn't bother latch, letting any weary soul in without a problem. He held his side that still was bleeding, along with the case of money he was promised. His white shorts were stained red and blood clung to the hairs on his leg. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of burnt cigarettes and dog piss.

"Too bad. I still have my sense of smell," Dimitri said to himself and went up the dark green stairs.

The carpet crunched under his feet, which made him feel less bad about dripping his own blood all over the floor. His landlord never bothered to get the carpets cleaned or tell Frank to stop letting his dog take a leak in the lobby. Dimitri liked animals, but he hated his neighbor's mutt. All she did was yip at him and pee everywhere. If his landlord didn't care, he should have at least put in tile for flooring. That way the cleanup would be easy.

In no time, he was up to the fourth floor. He put the suitcase down, when he noticed his kidney was wrapped around the handle. It made sense why it felt so warm in his hand. After laughing about it to himself, he fiddled with his keys at the door. The jingle at his door announced his presence and began the annoying little mutt's cries across the hall.

The door across the hall opened and out rushed a tiny black dog with fluffy hair. Her bark was reminisce of a squeaky chew toy and made Dimitri drop his keys.

"Why do you always bark at me? What did I do to you?" Dimitri asked the relentless dog.

The dog stopped once it picked up a scent. She took a few sniffs and then spotted her prize, clung to the handle of the briefcase.

"No. Don't you do it!" Dimitri ordered, but the dog was not listening. He tried to reach for it, but the dog was faster. The dog swiped the kidney off the handle and ran away with it down the stairs. Dimitri threw his hands up in defeat and sighed.

"How's my favorite neighbor?" Frank said, closing his door. He wore the bare minimum to be outside in public. A single white robe and tan sandals.

"Frank, you need to control your dog."

"She likes you."

"Maybe the taste of me," Dimitri mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Frank said, genuinely unable to hear him.

"I said maybe too much."

"Oh, you know how bitches are. Once they get their teeth in you, they never let go."

Dimitri would have rolled his eyes, but he had more pressing issues to deal with. Like the blood that was starting to pool in front of his door.

"Hey buddy, are you okay?" Frank asked.

Dimitri shrugged. "Yeah. Fake blood packet broke. What can you do?"

"Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting you are a magician or something. Well, I better make sure Princess doesn't go to the bathroom without me. I'll see you around. And good luck with the thing!" Frank said, going down the stairs.

Dimitri didn't know what was more disturbing. That Frank would go pee with his dog or that he thought magicians used blood packets. Either way, those two were out of his hair and he opened the door to his inner sanctum. Upon opening the door, his senses were blasted with incense. The whole room was hazy and there was an empty animal cage on the bar counter. He went immediately to his left where a refrigerator hugged the wall. Dimitri grabbed an ice cold beer and noticed there was nothing else in there.

"Evet, where did you put my blood pan?" Dimitri called out to the room.

"I'm using it," a woman's voice called from another room over the sound of the TV.

Dimitri popped the cap and put the briefcase on the counter next to the cage. "Does it have to do with Harold?"

There was a long pause followed by a dog whimper. "Maybe?"

"Evet, how many times must I ask you not to do your vet stuff in my apartment?" Dimitri asked, walking into the living room. "I don't want my organs contaminated."

"I'll clean it up. I swear," Evet said and came out of the only door on the right. Her long black hair was without flaw, unlike her white stained shirt and blue overalls. Harold bolted right past her, charging Dimitri, ready to unleash happy dog kisses on his face. Dimitri picked up the large golden retriever, making sure to protect his injury.

"Don't worry Harold, I'm here to protect you from the mean needle lady," Dimitri said to the dog, scratching behind his ears.

"This mean needle lady helps you collect your organs," Evet said, crossing her arms. "Which reminds me, where is my cut?"

"First, you need to patch me up."

Evet went up to him and noticed all the blood along his shorts and leg.

"You gotta be kidding me! I just had Harold cleaned," Evet said and pulled the dog away from him. "What happened? I thought you said this was going to be an easy one."

"Turns out. Easy one was much harder. Who would have thought my own coworker would have lied to me?" Dimitri said and took a swig from his beer. "And about his own babushka. Makes me wonder if we were even friends."

"Go in the bathroom. I'll get my stuff."

Dimitri rubbed Harold's head one last time and limped his way into the room Evet was in. He walked in between the bed and his closet into the tile floor bathroom. Dog hair was everywhere and his blood pan was filled with runny dog shit.

"Poor Harold," Dimitri said, stepping over the pan to get to the shower. He lowered himself into the tub and laid back against the slanted end. His bones cracked as he laid there, unwilling to take any of his clothes off. Evet came in with her medical bag and gloves, ready to work.

"Are we harvesting anything?"

Dimitri shook his head. "No. That little bitch ran away with my kidney."

"Again? How does Princess keep getting your internal organs?"

"She is a crafty bitch."

"You didn't give a demonstration to your client, did you?"

"...no…" Dimitri said, putting his beer down.

"You have to stop doing that."

"He didn't believe me. I can't have people thinking I am going around chopping up babies or something."

"What else should they be thinking? You are selling them human organs!"

"I don't know. I always considered myself more like Father Frost."

"I don't know about Father Frost, but Santa never accepted cash payments," Evet said, taking off his shirt.

"He didn't. But he did turn a girl into an icicle."

"Yeah, cause I can see you...what happened?" Evet said, revealing his body that was covered with little holes.

"What?"

"These are bullet holes, Dimitri."

"I said it wasn't easy."

"Start talking," Evet said, glaring at him.

"It happened so fast. One second I was showing him how I fillet myself, the next these men in black suits come in all guns blazing," Dimitri said, shooting his finger guns.

"Black suits? Like FBI? CIA?" Evet said, balling up his shirt out of stress.

"I don't know. I didn't ask them."

"Did you kill them?"

"No. Remember, I don't kill people."

"Dimitri," Evet said, getting in his face. "Were you followed?"

"I was not followed," Dimitri said, waving his arms.

Evet ran out of the room and over to the windows in the living room. Lights were shining in from the sky and the air outside whipped from the sound of helicopter rotors.

"Evet, I wasn't followed. Don't be such a worry wart," Dimitri called to her.

"There are helicopters outside!"

"I'm sure it is for someone else."

Evet turned to the sound of a loud bang on their door,."FBI, Open Up!"

"Dimitri, what did you do?" Evet yelled.

Before he could answer, the door was knocked in and men wearing black tactical armor came rushing into the room.

"Hands up, Don't move!" the officer ordered. Evet shook in fear, still holding Dimitri's bloody shirt. Two officers rushed her and took her to the floor, while the rest searched the apartment. Dimitri looked over and saw an officer pointing his rifle at him from the living room.

"Hands! Hands where I can see them!" the officer ordered. More came to assist, all pointing their weapons at him.

"This must be a misunderstanding. Those men shot at me. Not the other way around," Dimitri said.

"Get out of the tub now!"

Dimitri got up from the tub with his hands clear for them to see. He was mostly up, when a handgun fell out of his shorts. Dimitri waved his hands casually, realizing the source of the problem.

"Oh, you guys are here for the gun. I completely forgot I kept that thing. Let me get it for you," Dimitri said and reached down for it.

He was met with a volley of fire. Bullets peppered his body, leaving little entry holes all over. Blood splashed against the shower wall and chunks of flesh fell off his back like a badly cut turkey on Christmas. Dimitri spasmed before collapsing in the tub. Evet screamed from the other room and the officers moved in on Dimitri. His vision was getting blurry and he only had a few moments of consciousness before the blood loss and trauma would force him to sleep.

Dimitri reached out to his tipped over beer. "Damn...that was my last one."

***