Part I

Possession

"Well damn, Ellis! Look at you!" An astonished, young man shouted as he strolled around his meticulously waxed pickup truck and up the weathered, concrete walkway of his best friend's house.

His friend stood at the doorway, wearing a bright smile and an incredible pair of dark jeans that showed off the perfectly toned lower half of his body. A black, slim fitted, collared shirt- left unbuttoned at the top- hugged his waist, and his warm brown, wavy locks were swept up with a small amount of hair gel. A tungsten necklace and a chic wristwatch completed the look.

"Always tryin' a' look my best for you, Keith." Ellis laughed, not fully joking, and indeed he looked amazing. It made Keith more than a bit worried.

"I don't even wanna know how much you spent on that getup." Keith chuckled, catching a whiff of the spicy top notes of Ellis's cologne as the two of them made their way to the truck. "You must wanna win somethin' fierce."

"Well, hell yeah! I'm goin' all out tonight!" Ellis exclaimed exuberantly, eyeing his friend quickly up and down. A blue and white cap sat atop Keith's head. His worn, light gray shirt was peppered with small but noticeable motor oil stains, and his jeans didn't fit nearly as nicely as Ellis's.

"From the looks a' things, you ain't got a chance, Keith. If the stakes weren't so high, I would feel sorry for ya'." The younger man patted Keith's shoulder before puffing out his chest and performing an exaggerated, wide-shouldered strut around to the passenger side and entering the truck.

"Pfft. Don't need no fancy clothes ta' beat you. Gonna be all the more epic when I wipe the floor with your newly-trendy ass!" Keith retorted, laughing as he sat behind the wheel.

"Oh, yeah? Well how 'bout we raise the stakes then?" Ellis suggested confidently as he rubbed his hands together.

"Fine, but no backin' down!" Keith exclaimed with equal confidence, "If I win, not only will you have to cover my shift tomorrow while I get my picture taken with Jimmy Gibbs Jr., but you're also gonna have ta' drive my little sis an' 'er friends ta' cheerleadin' practice fer a whole week!" A sinister grin spread across Keith's face as he witnessed the horrified look on Ellis's.

"Well God damn, Keith! That's jus' plain evil, man!" The twenty three year old shuddered at the thought of the four, thirteen year old girls mercilessly pinching his cheeks- both pairs- and fawning over him while squealing incessantly at illegal decibels.

"It was your idea to raise the stakes. Besides, you can't back down now," Keith scoffed, folding his arms in anticipatory triumph. He was right. Neither of them ever backed down from anything.

"Ok!" Ellis's grin was even more sinister than Keith's, but he couldn't mask the gleaming smile lighting up his blue-gray eyes, "When I win, not only will you cover for me while I get my picture taken with Jimmy Gibbs, but I will also be wearin' your hat while I do so, Mr. Baldy-pants!"

"Shit!" Keith's hands flew up to grasp his cap, clutching it tightly as he pulled it down over his eyes. The twenty four year old was indeed balding prematurely, and as such, was never seen in public without his hat.

"Fine!" Keith growled as he started up the truck, but he couldn't quite suppress a growing smile. Ellis's bubbling belly laugh was too damn contagious.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'm sure the boss'll letchu' go to work with a sock on your head!" Ellis plugged his cell phone into Keith's charger and lowered the window as they made their way through the city towards club Malaise, a trendy, new Savannah hot spot. Although it was mid October, the evening air was still warm and muggy.

Unused to fussing so much over his appearance, Ellis absent-mindedly allowed the incoming breeze to slightly ruffle his perfectly styled hair.

"Hey, turn up the radio. Maybe we can catch the Midnight Riders' new single 'afore we get to the club. Sure they won't be playin' anything good once we get inside," Ellis said as he pouted slightly.

Keith rolled his eyes as he increased the volume of the radio.

"…following the Green Flu epidemic that has been spreading swiftly across the Northeast. Reports of fatalities from that region have begun trickling in, as well as reports that hospitals here in the Southeast have begun treating patients exhibiting the bizarre symptoms associated with the Flu…"

"Oh shit!" Ellis shouted.

"…CEDA has been setting up quarantine zones throughout the Eastern seaboard and have even arranged for evacuation if the need arises, but for now they are urging the public to remain calm as the situation here in the Southeast seems stable. All public air traffic has been suspended-"

"More of that Green Flu again?" Keith shook his head as he changed the station, "Always talk of a flu. Regular flu, swine flu, bird flu, fish flu…"

"But they said people are dyin', Keith."

"People die from regular flu all the time, Ellis. Mostly old people. A couple a' young guys like us got nothin' ta' worry 'bout. Oh, look, here's your song."

A uncanny feeling of uneasiness began creeping its way into Ellis's gut, but Smitty's gritty vocals captured his attention.

"Try to enjoy yourself while we're there instead a' just focusin' on our little wager. Maybe you'll end up with a lady on your arm by the end of the night." Keith produced a cheesy wink, "I plan on endin' up with at least two."

Ellis turned to face the window. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Damn, there are a lot a' people here, Keith."

The two men stood outside of club Malaise, observing the rather impressive crowd of young men and women eagerly hoping to make it inside.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Keith yelled above the din, "You remember the rules, right?"

"Yup, whoever can attract the largest group a' ladies in one hour gets ta' see Jimmy Gibbs Jr. tomorrow!" Ellis shouted with rapidly swelling excitement- his eyes fixed firmly on the prize.

Keith's eyes, however, became transfixed on a group of young women near the back of the line, and he sauntered confidently over to them. Before Ellis could follow, a man in a white suit slammed into him from behind, nearly knocking the boy to the ground as the individual ran past.

"Ow!" Ellis rubbed the back of his arm and noticed a curious, dropped object at his feet. Whatever it was, it was encased in a thick layer of bubble wrap and sealed with industrial tape. The boy picked it up.

"Hey, sir! You dropped this!"

The man stopped in his tracks and ran back to the boy, swiping the object from his hands.

"Thanks kid," he said quickly before disappearing into the crowd.

A few moments later, Ellis watched as a group of policemen sprinted past the club.

"Hey El, come over here an' introduce yourself to these lovely girls!"

"Comin', Keith."

Meanwhile, a large, muscular bouncer was scanning the eager throng, specifically ordered to allow only the cream of the crop into the already jam-packed establishment.

"Only three spots left!" He shouted to the crowd, which responded by erupting into a cacophony of 'boo's.

The man pointed at a tall, slender, stunningly beautiful young woman in a little black dress, allowing her to walk past the velvet rope. His second choice was a shorter, curvier woman in a red dress, with an equally beautiful face.

"God damn it," Keith muttered as the rest of the crowd collectively held its breath. The bouncer scanned the crowd one last time, taking a moment to observe the sea of faces in front of him.

Finally, he pointed at Ellis.

The boy earnestly grabbed Keith by the arm and made his way hastily over to the entrance, but was quickly stopped by the bouncer.

"I pointed to you, not him."

"But we're together!" Ellis exclaimed innocently as he wrapped his arm tightly around Keith's waist. The bouncer cocked an eyebrow and Keith smacked his own forehead with the palm of his hand before pushing Ellis away from him.

"Ellis, you are so embarrassin'ly clueless sometimes!"

"Ok, then I guess that means I automatically win since you can't even get in!" Ellis grinned triumphantly, "Why don't we just go back ta' my place and have a beer now, instead?"

Keith pulled Ellis closer to him and began whispering in his ear.

"Wager aside, I actually plan on havin' a good time in there, unlike you. So just get in there and wait for me. I'll be in 'afore you know it."

The flashing lights and booming house music were more than a little overwhelming to poor Ellis, but the thought of getting to meet Jimmy Gibbs goaded him towards the dance floor. He stood awkwardly for a few moments before spotting the girl in the black dress that was allowed inside before him. Ellis flashed the brightest, most charming smile he could muster while nodding once in her direction. Instantly, the girl grabbed her friend and began to approach him. Ellis quickly glanced at his watch- 10:34. The clock had already started, and with Keith nowhere to be found, things were looking good.

Attracting a girl's attention was definitely not a problem for Ellis, and in that regard he had a distinct advantage over his friend. Keeping the girl's attention and not making a fool of himself were a little harder to do, but he was determined to defeat Keith and meet Jimmy- and that made him dangerous.

The girl stood elegantly before him as Ellis quickly picked his method of attack. The mechanic wasn't the smartest guy around, nor was he the biggest or buffest. There was however one thing that set Ellis apart from most other men, his not so secret weapon- a face blessed with almost inhuman symmetry, seemingly forged by strict adherence to a superior, golden ratio.

"Howdy, my name's Ellis, what's yours?" The boy ran a hand slowly through his hair and squinted his eyes slightly.

"I'm Erica."

"Pleasure to meet you, Erica. You're very beautiful." Ellis kept his voice at a low, throaty pitch. He stuck the tip of his tongue out ever so slightly and let it graze the surface of his impossibly perfect lips before releasing a soft breeze of cinnamon from his mouth as he exhaled.

Needless to say, Erica was completely smitten.

"Thanks, so are you." She reached out her hand and touched his cheek, but was interrupted as her friend unceremoniously elbowed her.

"This is my friend, Natalie." Erica played with her hair, slightly embarrassed.

"Pleasure to meet you, Natalie."

Keith, having successfully infiltrated the club, began to calmly make his way towards Ellis. A pang of jealousy overtook him as he watched his handsome friend effortlessly attract the two women. Keith wasn't an ugly guy, but Ellis had a way of making him look rather plain by comparison. However, Keith had tricks of his own, and they were much more complex than his friend's. There was no doubt in Keith's mind that he was going to win.

Ellis knew that he should be engaging the two women in conversation, but as he stared at Erica's beautiful face, there was only one thing on the boy's mind.

All that he could think about at that moment was how badly he wished he could bare Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s children.

The thought had hammered itself into the forefront of his brain, and it was so overwhelmingly distracting that it threw his game off completely and he couldn't stop himself from blurting out the bizarre desire to both of the women.

Erica stared at him with a look of horror before doubling over and giggling so hysterically that she lost her balance and fell flat on her ass, bringing several other people down with her. Meanwhile, the unfortunate Natalie had chosen to take a sip of her drink at the very moment of Ellis' revelation and was now coughing and sputtering as she spewed the fruity cocktail in a vaporous plume from her mouth, drenching the boy's shirt in the process.

"Oh, Lord…" Ellis sighed and watched things devolve further into chaos as Keith suddenly emerged from the crowd and grabbed Natalie, needlessly performing a Heimlich maneuver on the frightened girl-but not before he stumbled over Erica as she flailed about on the floor.

"I apologize for my friend, here." Ellis heard Keith say as he helped Erica up and kissed both women on the backs of their hands. "Please allow me ta' buy you a replacement drink miss," he said to Natalie, then to Erica, "I'll buy you a drink too, my lady." After gathering their composures, both women took Keith's offer and the trio made their way over to the bar.

Ellis was flabbergasted. Just like that, Keith had managed to steal both women away from him- and just to rub it in his face, Keith turned around and pointed at the boy, mouthing out a mocking laugh.

Frustrated, Ellis flipped Keith off just as both women turned around to look at him. Of course, they both believed the gesture was aimed at them, and Ellis cringed at the outraged death stares they hurled at him before they stormed off with Keith in tow.

"God damn it!" Ellis muttered as he turned around and headed towards the bathroom.

"…if you get your spit thick enough, y'see, y'all can hang a loogie off the overhang.."

The girl in the red dress rolled her eyes in disgusted annoyance- her ample, artificially enhanced cleavage rising and falling as she let out an exaggerated sigh. Once again, Ellis had managed to successfully attract a group of women- five to be exact, but he had quickly run out of clever things to say and was now leaning on his emergency crutch: Keith stories.

"You're cute and all," the girl interrupted him, her tone of voice ruthlessly nasty and condescending, "but you have got to be the dumbest, most immature little brat I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. Why in the hell would anyone want to listen to such a disgusting story?"

All of the women began to laugh cruelly and two of them walked away, flipping their hair as they left.

Ellis could feel the skin on his face and neck begin to sting and burn as he stared at the girl with hurt eyes. He had been nothing but kind, charming, and respectful, and this is how he was being treated in return.

Ellis thought about all of the effort and preparation he had gone through to win this bet and to try and have a good time, yet here he was melting into a quivering puddle of humiliation.

He glanced at Keith reclining in the lounge adjacent to the dance floor. The silver-tongued young man was surrounded by a harem of women, all of them contentedly laughing at his witty jokes with drinks in their hands.

Ellis fought back tears as he thought about how his mom had lovingly helped him pick out a nice shirt for the occasion, despite the fact that she had been feeling rather weak and ill.

A baseball sized lump formed in his throat. He was upset, embarrassed, frustrated, and now there was no chance in hell that he would meet Jimmy tomorrow.

"Oh, yeah?" he found himself shouting at the cruel, young woman. He knew in his heart what he was about to do was wrong, but he simply didn't care anymore, "You think that was disgustin' well chew on this! This one time, Keith and I filled up water balloons with our own PISS!" He nearly spat the word at the woman's face.

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

"Yeah!" Ellis continued, his tears falling freely now, "And we filled 'em up so good that they was' almost as big as your ridic'lous fake tits!"

The boy crumpled to the ground; his breath completely sucked from his lungs. He had been expecting a retaliatory slap in the face by a small, feminine palm- not the savage skewering of his tender groin by the pointed tip of a stiletto. He could feel the burning stares of everyone around him as he made his way once more to the bathroom, this time on his hands and knees.

Ellis found himself sulking dejectedly in the toilet stall, shifting his jeans uncomfortably in an attempt to ease the pain in his private area.

He jumped at the knocking on the stall door.

"Occupied…Jus' a minute, please." The boy wiped his eyes and breathed deeply before opening the door.

"Ok, it's all yours now."

"Sorry for disturbin' ya'." A man his age stammered nervously at Ellis, "I saw what happened out there and was just checkin' on ya' to see if ya' was alright."

"Oh…you saw," Ellis ducked his head awkwardly, "Yeah, Imma be mighty sore for a bit, but I rekon I'm ok."

"My friend shouldn't have hurt you like that, no matter what you said to 'er. She can be pretty nasty sometimes."

Ellis made his way over to the sink and began scrubbing his hands and face as the other man continued speaking.

"So…what brings you here? Never seen you around before."

"Oh, I never been here 'afore. Not a big fan a' places like this. I came here cuz my buddy, Keith wanted to. But then I got all excited ta' come along cuz we made a little wager."

"My name's Matthew, Matt for short." The young man extended his hand and as soon as Ellis had finished drying his own, he shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you, Matt. My name's Ellis." The mechanic smiled brightly.

"Pleasure's all mine I'm sure." Matt's eyes lingered on Ellis for quite some time, traveling slowly from the mechanic's face to the tribal tattoo on his bicep, and back to his face again until both men felt self-conscious and awkward. Matt suddenly stammered and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Um…a wager?"

Ellis explained the terms of his and Keith's agreement.

"I managed ta' attract seven ladies so far, but Keith's got me pretty much beat cuz he's got like, twenty of 'em around 'im. Plus, he's got lots a' phone numbers and I didn't get any." He leaned closer to Matt and whispered, "Phone numbers are worth extra."

"Would you like mine?" Matt offered softly, cringing slightly at his own forwardness as soon as the words escaped from his mouth.

"Well, Keith specifically said ladies' phone numbers," Ellis explained as he fished through the pockets of his jeans, "So technically your number wouldn't count."

"Oh…" Matt looked more than a little dejected.

"Aw shit. I left my damn phone in Keith's truck! I guess I can jus' tell you my number, if you really want it, that is," Ellis offered with the same bright smile.

Matt instantly whipped out his phone and entered the mechanic's number.

"So I'll call you sometime."

"Um, Ok."

Ellis walked out of the bathroom and looked at his watch once more- 11:17. Only thirteen minutes left, and Keith's harem had only grown larger.

Ellis was desperate. He had to meet Jimmy Gibbs- had to. The boy was willing to do pretty much anything at this point, seeing as he would take a bullet for the man if needed.

Suddenly Ellis was struck with the craziest idea. He ran over to the bar, and climbed onto the counter.

He remembered a time when he was at a mall in Atlanta with his friend Dave. The two of them came across a group of guys inexplicably dancing provocatively in the parking lot outside of the mall's toy store- of all places. Ellis had stared at them for quite a while until one of the men demanded payment from him. The mechanic only had five dollars on him but he gave the money to the guy anyway.

Now, as he stood on top of the counter, listening to the beat of the music, Ellis tried to remember the kinds of moves the guys had used.

Keith was suddenly jarred from one of his funniest jokes by the sight of his best friend vigorously shaking his ass on top of the bar at the other end of the room. Nearly everyone in the entire establishment had stopped what they were doing and were now surrounding the bar, whistling, ogling, cheering, jeering, and tossing an eclectic mixture of cash, liquor bottles, and lingerie at the dancing mechanic.

"Looks like I won, Keith!" Ellis yelled as a bra landed perfectly on top of his head.

Ellis stood on his front porch breathing in the cooling air as the last vestiges of heat dissipated up into the sky.

"Tonight was… pretty interestin' huh, Keith?"

"I saw a side a' you I ain't never seen 'afore, so yeah it was pretty damn interestin'," Keith responded as Ellis chuckled softly.

"Yeah, don't really know what came over me-" a huge yawn escaped from Ellis's mouth, interrupting him mid sentence as he arched his back into a long, satisfying stretch, "Guess that's what happens when ya' try and come between a boy an' his idol."

"Yeah," Keith removed his blue and white cap and handed it to Ellis, "He's my idol too you know."

Ellis took the hat and stared at it for a few moments before looking up at its owner. He pursed his lips as he began to feel badly for his friend.

"You don't have ta' give me your hat, Keith."

"You earned it Ellis. It was part of the deal. I'm sorry for the way I acted tonight." Keith stared at the ground as he gently rubbed at the slightly receding hair above his forehead.

"You musta' got like fifty phone numbers tonight right, buddy?" Ellis was determined to cheer his friend up.

"Yeah! Well, more like seven or eight, but still that's not so damn bad!" Keith was beaming once more.

"Better 'en me, I assure you." Ellis folded his arms and leaned against the porch railing.

"How many did you get?"

"Oh, I didn't get none, not a single one," Ellis waved his phone in the air, "Left the damn thing in your car! But I did give someone my number, though."

"Yeah? What was her name?"

"Matthew," Ellis said, with a wide grin spreading across his cheeks.

Keith slapped his knee and laughed loudly.

"He was a real nice guy, I'll have you know!" Ellis exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Well, I best be goin' El. You got a big day ahead a' you tomorrow! Enjoy yourself, man." Keith turned to head towards his truck.

"Hey, Keith. You can stay the night if you want," Ellis offered softly, "My mom aint feelin' her best, but she won't mind. She loves you."

"Thanks for the offer, but I gotta get up early for work tomorrow, remember? Gotta work double since you won't be there. But I'll see you later."

Ellis stared at Keith for a few moments, suddenly gripped by the urge to tell his friend how he truly felt about him- as though he shouldn't continue to push away those feelings anymore. However, he didn't get the chance.

"Are you happy, Ellis?"

The boy was taken aback by the sudden, strange, loaded question.

"Well yeah…pretty sure I am, why?"

"Don't know. You always seem so happy on the outside, El, but sometimes it seems like you might not be so happy on the inside. It's almost like you're hidin' somethin', or waitin' for somethin' more…somethin' bigger ta' happen…if that makes sense."

Ellis stared into Keith's eyes.

"Aw, just forget I said anything, Ellis. I just want you ta' be happy, that's all. Don't ever stop smilin', Ok?"

Ellis closed his eyes and nodded.

Both men said goodbye to one another, neither of them knowing it would be for the last time.

"Hey Keith…you look real nice without your hat. I mean it," Ellis said before entering his house and closing the door slowly behind him.

Keith stood on the porch for a moment, breathing in the woody base notes of Ellis's fading cologne before heading back down the walk way towards his truck.