American Monsters Read online

  AMERICAN MONSTERS

  by

  Sezin Koehler

  I dedicate this book, my first,

  to Wendy Soltero.

  I love you, I miss you,

  my darling Wendy-bird.

  All rights reserved

  For electronic distribution only

  No part or whole of this book may be reproduced without express permission from the author or publisher, with the exception of reviewers for quotation and citation purposes.

  Images ©2011 Rose Deniz. www.RoseDeniz.com

  Everything else ©2011 Sezin Koehler. www.Sezin.org.

  Executive Editor: Tim Dedopulos, www.gwdbooks.com.

  Copy Editor: Salomé Jones , www.salomejones.com.

  Cover & Interior Art: Rose Deniz

  Second Edition, illustrated and extended, published August 2011

  Represented by:

  Ghostwoods Books

  Maida Vale

  London W9, United Kingdom

  www.AmericanMonsters.org

  Please do not make a writer’s life any more difficult by pirating this book.

  Acknowledgements

  An overwhelming wave of thanks to my mother, Marty, for putting me through university and always making sure I had the best education possible. If it weren’t for her I never would have had the means to create this.

  A million and one thanks to Jeff Tobin for his dauntless faith in me in completing this project during some of the worst times in my life. His help was indispensable and I absolutely could not have done it without him. Jeff’s never-ending supply of books, articles and knowledge guided me down one of the craziest and most interesting endeavors of my life. He continues to be an inspiration in my life to this day.

  My fantastic team of editors and first-draft readers were vital to the huge rewriting and layout process. I can’t offer enough gratitude to them: Stacey Rapp, Stacey McKenna, Matthew Petrarca, Helen Southcott, Salomé Jones, and my mom, Marty. You are awesome.

  I would also like to thank the following incredible beings whose creativity inspired me greatly. In no particular order: Abra Huff, Sarah McDowell, Rosie Mariscal, Martha Ronk, Gabrielle Foreman, Jessica Parlanti, Tom Burkdall, Elmer Griffin, Monique Taylor, Jane Jaquette, Sarah Nussbaum, Sara Clinehans, Rob Kopiac, Artineh Samkian, Sasha Hallisey Sajovic, Rachel Brubaker, and Kirsten Westby.

  And of course, many thanks to my beloved husband, Steven Koehler, without whose encouragement I never would have gotten up off my butt and finally gotten this book finished.

  Finally, a monster thank you to Tim Dedopulos of Ghostwoods Books for taking a chance with my story and to Rose Deniz for bringing the characters to life. You have both made a dream come true.

  Even though I wrote this book ten years ago, I must make a special mention of Lady Gaga, the woman who has singlehandedly made the world a monster-friendly place. Finally my monsters and I can comfortably call this world our home. Paws up!

  CONTENTS

  Author’s Note

  Part One: Fiction

  Volume 1: The Succubi Sideshow

  Volume 2: The Phantastic Carnival

  Part Two: Non-fiction

  The Night the Sky Opened Up: The Murder of Wendy Soltero

  The Compiler: An Essay on Truth and Synchronicity

  What Horror Means, an Essay

  Can There Be a Feminist Ethnography?

  Afterword: 10 Years Later

  Inspirations & Essay References

  Author’s Note

  This book’s format is a bit unorthodox, so a few words of explanation are in order:

  The first volume, The Succubi Sideshow, is a horror comic script introducing a number of different characters. It very occasionally ranges into movie script. The second volume, The Phantastic Carnival, is a horror movie script with all the previously introduced characters in action (and then some).

  Also, this book, with the exception of “The Night the Sky Opened Up” essay and the Afterword, was put together in the year 2001, and so all homage, obvious and otherwise, relate to film, theory and art that had been released up to that point.

  A complete list of my inspirations as well as several essays on the theoretical issues surrounding horror that inspired American Monsters follows the story.

  PART ONE:

  FICTION

  VOLUME 1:

  THE SUCCUBI SIDESHOW

  —EXHIBIT NO. 1—

  DENTATA

  You don’t care that the overwhelming euphoria coursing through your body came from a little white pill with a smiley face on it. You’re in love with the amazing shag rug you are lying on and stroking; you’ve never seen a shade of burgundy so beautiful in your life or felt fur so soft. You can feel the music through the floor, traveling through your veins and exiting your fingertips. You thrum with life and feel connected to everyone in this room in a way you have never ever felt linked to others before. Calmness and peace fill you with a pleasure unlike anything you have ever known as these sensations wash over your body. You are in a dangerous oblivion of ecstasy.

  You are newer to this experience than most of the people at this little house party. They are the frequent attendees of all-night gatherings that have been in the news so often recently. You’ve heard horrible things about raves, like when that guy laced sno-cones with LSD, which led to six kids driving off a hill. You don’t know if those kids even ate the sno-cones that supposedly led to their demise, but either way, related or not, acid spiked sno-cones and high-schoolers driving off cliffs are not great PR for any event. When your friends told you they would be having a little happy Be-In at their friend’s home you thought it would be a better idea to try the drug in a comfortable and safe place first, and then see how you felt about actually going to a rave. This was a good idea. You feel wonderful right now. Like nothing will ever be wrong in your life ever again, and all of the petty little problems have melted away. This is perfect. Life is flawless.

  Lying on the shag carpet, your violet eyes watching the ceiling breathe just a tiny little bit. Its ululation matches the music, and it is so much fun seeing an animated ceiling. Alive instead of inert. What could it be thinking about as it breathes in and out? You could definitely get used to this. A boy walks over and lies beside you.

  ― Do you mind if I sit here?

  ― Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

  Is all you can manage in this supremely blissful state. You don’t mind, though. It’s actually really nice to be by someone. You hold hands, he squirts some lotion on his palm and he massages your fingers. As he does this the waves of energy that surge through your body are nothing short of amazing. Who on Earth invented this stuff? You would love to hug them right now.

  His hand travels up your arm and now massages from your shoulder to your palm. On the turn of a dime you begin to feel lightheaded and sick. It’s too much, you need him to stop. You pull your arm away saying nothing, as you don’t want to be mean or hurt his feelings. He grunts and pulls your arm back.

  ― What’s the matter, don’t you like it?

  ― Maaaan. Cooome ooooon. I’m waaaay too fucked up, it’s toooo much.

  ― Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take care of you. I won’t hurt you.

  It is too much to argue. You let him continue. And really, you figure, he isn’t doing anything, it’s just your arm, you know these party people. Wait, you don’t know this guy.

  ― What’s your name?

  ― Jason Mars.

  ― Why are you wearing a hockey mask?

  ― It’s not a mask, they’re birthmarks. I was born with them.

  ― Oh.

  You are a little creeped out now. The vibe that was flowing from his fingers into yours becomes oppressively heavy. His face takes on an ominous cast,
like he has his own bad-guy movie music playing that you can’t hear but you can sense. You need to get away from him.

  ― I’m going out onto the porch. It was nice meeting you.

  ― I’m rolling too, man! Come on, I don’t want to be by myself.

  What can you do? Just don’t get weird, you say to yourself. Okay? You’ll be fine. There are so many people around. On rising from the carpet you can’t make out anybody. As your purple eyes adjust away from the ceiling you make out lumps dotting the living room. Everyone is floored, and you are getting a really weird vibe from this room. This is a little strange, all of these people on drugs lying like logs on the floor, some stacked, very few moving.

  ― Is everyone okay?

  Assorted grunts, moans, and giggles follow your question. Cool. Yup.

  He tries to grab your hand to help you up but you use it instead to push yourself off the ground. You walk towards the door, staggering just the slightest bit as you make your way to the porch. Who ever would have thought walking could feel so good? In spite of your strange new companion, you are positively floating.

  The house has a huge veranda that wraps around the right side of the building. There is a hammock, a swinging chair and pillows and blankets lining the ground. More groups of drugged-out ecstatics. You hear talking from the wrap-around side. Good, at least some other people are up. You begin to walk over, careful not to step on anyone when Jason grabs your arm, hard. You gasp and wheel around, violet eyes sparking with anger.

  ― Dude, what is your problem?

  You are so annoyed right now.

  ― Nothing, can I have a hug?

  This is getting ridiculous. You still don’t want to say anything mean because it looks like everyone else is having a brilliant time, and why would you want to ruin their trips?

  ― You know, I really need a cigarette.

  ― No. I want a hug.

  He glares at you as if somehow you owed him something and he’s expecting payment right now.

  ― I’m sorry but I don’t think I want to talk to you anymore. Please just leave me alone.

  He has death in his eyes and his hockey mask face vibrates with anger. Oh my God, you’re getting scared. What is happening? Did you do something to make him think anything at all? You don’t remember saying much to him, but he has taken something the wrong way. That killer gaze. You can’t look away, you can’t say anything else. You simply stare.

  ― Give me a hug you little bitch tease.

  The death is in his voice now too. Oh my God, are you tripping? Are you imagining this? Why would you imagine such a horrible scene? Did he really just say that? He did. He did. You are shocked silent, the way most good women go.

  Shaking, you turn to walk towards the voices and he grabs you by the hair, pulling you to the ground. This isn’t happening. This is not happening. Say something, say something. Scream! You can’t, your mouth doesn’t work. The only thing that seems to be working are your legs, which you squeeze tightly together. He’s tries to open them, you squeeze harder, your hands are pinned above your head. Say something! Say something! A curdled yell issues from your mouth. There’s a monster lodged in your throat who wants to help him do this thing. You scream again, better and louder this time. To stop you he puts his mouth over yours and bites.

  The shock of the new attack zone distracts you from your squeezing legs, and as you feel and taste the blood in your mouth, you feel him on top of you, between your legs. He removes one of his hands from the handcuff pose and begins undoing his pants. You try to squeeze him with your legs, maybe suffocate him like anacondas or that part in Tank Girl where she snaps the guy’s neck with her legs. It just seems to make him want it more. He giggles and mutters to himself. You’re still gurgle-screaming, ready for the moment when he gets off your mouth to let loose the mother of all bloodcurdling screams. You hear a rip as your pants are torn, and another stinging tear as he pulls your underwear off.

  The drugs accentuate the pain just as much as they accentuated the good that was quickly becoming a dream. As he does his thing you feel like you are splitting in half, and you wish you could just unzip that shell of your body and walk out unscathed. But mostly you hear the sounds of the other people in the house, the laughter from around the corner, the music being turned up and the thumping of dancing feet. The taste of the blood rolls around your mouth, and you almost like that taste, anything to distract you from the pain of his body heaving inside you. You want to kill him.

  He finishes and thanks you. You wipe the drool and blood from your mouth and scream. You grab a planter from the porch and throw it at him, hitting him square in the back. He falls on a few people-logs, who screech and ask what the fuck his problem is.

  You are screaming at the top of your lungs hurling expletives along with whatever can be thrown, blood punctuating each statement with thick red droplets in people’s faces, on their arms. You launch another planter that hits him in the face. He is down for the count. You rush him, still screaming at the top of your lungs and begin kicking. You kick his face until it is unrecognizable; you kick his stomach, his kidneys, his chest, and most importantly the monstrous space between his thighs that has torn you up in more ways than one.

  Someone lifts you off of him. You punch him; he goes wheeling.

  ― FUCK ALL OF YOU.

  You begin to walk home, leaving a trail of blood.

  —EXHIBIT NO. 2—

  JASON MARS

  You are lying on a porch, bloody and oozing. You were invited to a house party where everyone dropped little pills and you waited to find a woman with whom to mate. You have been unsuccessful in your attempts for a few days now and you felt an almost painful desire to procreate. You finally did, but the woman reacted differently than others afterwards. Usually they just cried and cried, and if the ritual occurred anywhere other than their homes, they have run off. But this one hurt you, she actually did. It makes you want her again, but you know it is a useless venture. This ritual has no end result. These women are not of your kind, your presence here on this planet is an accident and now you must suffer an unfruitful life.

  Doctors held you in a laboratory for years, performing test after test, poking and prodding at your alien body, trying to find the secret to your healing powers, but all to no avail. In the end the Doctors decided you were a threat to no one, and since they are unable to send you home, they comfortably set up your life on Earth.

  But freedom has compounded your urges, and what you were once able to control in the sterile lab can no longer be contained. You have no idea how many females you have tried to copulate with, but it will never be productive. The seed is incompatible, but the craving remains.

  You lie on the porch, stunned. People have crowded around you; they ask you if you are okay. You have blood in your mouth, which you swallow. You gurgle a response and wait as your wounds heal themselves. You don’t worry about what these people see since they are all on drugs and will assume this part, if not the entire scene, was some sort of chemically induced mass hallucination. You swallow a few more mouthfuls of blood, enjoying its crisp metallic taste. You feel healed. You sit up.

  ― It’s okay. I’m fine. I’m fine.

  ― What happened man, there was screaming.

  ― There was?

  ― What the fuck man, we heard it, we all heard it. Didn’t we?

  Assorted voices reply in affirmatives.

  ― It’s nothing, really. She’s having a bad trip or something and freaked out, then she just ran off. I don’t know, I didn’t do anything to her.

  ― Whoa, that’s some good shit, huh?

  Assorted affirmatives. The party carries on as before. You got what you came for and decide to go walking. You notice a trail. Is it blood? You kneel and rub your fingers in it, then raise it to your nose to smell it. Yes, blood. It peters out ahead of you, so you walk around where it ends, wondering if the creature stopped bleeding or is close by. There is a park ahead, so you decide to look ar
ound.

  You spy a woman lying supine. You aren’t sure if she’s drunk, or homeless, or both. You think, what good luck to find two accessible women in one night. You walk over quietly and peer down at her with your strange and pale spotted face. She’s awake, her eyes widen in fear: It is the woman you had at the party.

  ― What the fuck are you doing here.

  It is not a question and she has murder in her voice. Her violet eyes flash with rage. You feel an uncertain tingle of fear emanating from between your legs. Her eyes. For the first time since you arrived on this planet you are afraid. You are not immortal. You have healing capabilities, but that’s the brunt of it. You cannot regenerate, evidenced by your missing toes and the pinky finger of your left hand. You do not have super human strength. But neither does she, and she has no weapons.

  ― Well, we meet again. What was your name?

  ― Fuck you asshole.

  She begins getting to her feet. Her face is streaked with tears and blood.

  ― You stay the fuck away from me or I swear to God. I. Will. Kill. You.

  ― Really now. It certainly would be fun to see you try.

  It’s sweet, to you, actually. You have not seen a female with so much spirit. What’s the word...spunky. She doesn’t want to give up. It’s refreshing to you, it makes it more like a game.

  You push her down again. You know that her bottoms are already torn, this won’t even be much work and a second go would be exhilarating. You can’t even remember the last time you copulated twice in one night. What a treat!

  Just as you thought. Easy as a pie. You look down at her and you are terrified. There is something in those plum-colored eyes that makes you uncomfortable. What is it? Is it that she isn’t afraid this time? There is no fear. What is that in her eyes? Then, out of nowhere, you feel something resembling pain.