JONAS CARDONA - ROTTEN ALLURE

Raised in Western Nebraska, USA, twenty-five year old entrepreneur, artist, writer, and athlete, Jonas Cardona, strives to impact as many people’s hearts, minds, and souls worldwide- by creating inspirational content. After five years in the United States Army, Cardona gave up his career to pursue a new mission.
This young creator focuses primarily on art but has continued to develop his skills in writing, athletics, and graphic design. In the future, Cardona plans to use these skills to create a novel and clothing line. In the meantime, he continues to share art, insightful life stories, fictional stories, along with fitness and health advice.
Cardona’s primary mission is to allow the grace of God to shine through him in creating content that entertains, motivates, inspires, teaches, and excites. His main goal is to ultimately impel others to recognize the power, peace, and happiness within themselves. He knows that the only way to change the world is to change the individual.
Contact via email at jdecardona5634@gmail.com

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​Rotten Allure

Shelly sat up from the bed and rotated her head from one side to the other. Matching comforters covered both beds and the orange wallpaper was cracked and faded. The scent of cigarettes and air freshener lingered in the room as flies buzzed around.

The bathroom door across from her opened and a familiar musky cologne entered her nose. A heavyset young man stepped from the bathroom and adjusted his red, striped dress shirt. Then he cupped his mouth, breathed, and sniffed. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Shelly was up. He looked at her and his face grew red with a smile.

“You're finally awake. I’ve planned a special evening for us,” he said. His voice wavered and drops of sweat formed on his acne-covered face.

“Adam, where are we? How did I get here?” Shelly asked. She stood up and moved toward the door. Before she could reach it, Adam blocked her. 

“Oh.. Don’t worry about that. Can I get you something to drink? I brought us a couple bottles of cola.” 

She reached for the door knob and Adam grabbed her by the wrist. He took ahold of her other arm and moved her backward. Shelly opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. Adam looked passed her and dragged her toward the back patio. 

Shelly pulled against him, “Please. No, Adam. I want to go home.” Beyond the doorway she observed a table set for two. In the middle, was a bouquet of half-dead red roses inside a white vase. On each side, sat two plates piled with a mixture of elbow noodles, ground beef, and tomatoes. Flies swarmed the food and roaches crawled along the edges of the high fence. The smell of garlic and cologne sat in the air. 

Adam grabbed her by both hands and looked into her eyes, “Ever since the first day I saw you, I knew you would be a special person in my life. I haven’t been the same since you stopped and sat with me at the diner to talk. So, I planned the perfect date for you and I.”

Shelly yanked her hands from his, “Look, Adam, I was just trying to be nice and you always give me a really good tip so it’s the least I could do. You seem like a nice guy but I don’t like you like that. I’m sorry but I have to leave.”

“Do you realize what I had to do to set this up?” he said. He turned toward the table, grabbed the vase, and heaved it through the window. Glass scattered throughout the room and roses laid across the hard, brown carpet. 

Shelly stepped backward and moved inside the room. As soon as she made it in, she turned around and ran for the door. Adam chased after her and wrapped his hands around her waist. She reached for the knob and got pulled away. Shelly looked down and grabbed a piece of glass. With a shard of glass in hand, she turned around and threw her arm downward at Adam.

Adam grabbed her forearm as the tip of the glass almost touched his throat. Adam pushed her against the wall and snatched the glass from her. He put his body against hers and covered her mouth. Adam turned the shard around and pressed the tip of it against her stomach. 

Shelly put her hands on his shoulders and pushed. She shook her head to uncover her mouth but all that could be heard were muffled gasps. The glass pinched harder the more she fought. She reached over and pried his fingers away from her mouth, “ I love you.” 

The pressure from the glass released, “You do? Then why did you run from me?” Adam said.

Shelly placed her hands on his chest, “I was just nervous because no one has ever done this for me before.” She went on her tippy toes and gave his cheek a gentle kiss. “I’ll take that cola now,” she said and gave him a wink. 

Adam dropped his arm and released the glass shard. He smiled, turned around, and rushed for her drink. Shelly followed right behind him and in the middle of the room laid the white vase. Adam reached for the cola and Shelly reached for the vase. He popped the cap off and Shelly bashed him in the head. White pieces of ceramic flew through the air and Adam crashed to the ground. Shelly ran for the door, opened it, and never stopped. ​