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 that big of a deal had there been any decent food 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. The only other nearby option was a sushi place, and he couldn’t fathom why anyone in their right mind would want to eat that shit.
He remembered seeing a vending machine when he’d worked on the first-floor wiring a few weeks earlier. 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 wood-grain façade gave him a flashback to the basement paneling in 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. The middle row offered 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 and 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, they were like 99% preservatives anyway, right? They were probably good for decades.
Todd was reaching for his wallet to get some singles when he noticed 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 hit 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 down 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 and Ed saw that his eyes had a deep purple glow, 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, 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 felt Ed’s blood running down his skin and ran his fingers through it, enjoying the sticky feel. Was he imagining the sweet smell hanging in the air? Breathing in deeply, he was overcome by a rush of ecstasy — a heady blend of euphoria and omnipotence radiating down to his core. He savored the delicious sensation, not wanting it to end, the taste of perfect bliss making him ravenous for more.
Gripping the bloody hammer, Todd strode off in search of something to satisfy his hunger.
This story previously appeared in Twin Pines Literary, 2023.
Edited by Marie Ginga
Maria Carvalho’s published work includes stories with Roi Fainéant Press, 101 Words, Twin Pies Literary, and many anthologies such as The Pelagic Zone: Uncharted Waters and the Owl Hollow Press Anthology Series. She is also the author of the children’s book Hamster in Space! which was praised by Kirkus Indie Reviews for its "sharp understanding of kids' wacky sense of humor." Find her at Bluesky and Twitter: @ImMCarvalho,and Amazon.