The Obsession

Chapter 9

Newton’s search was exasperating. For the first time since I met him he didn’t answered his phone. I went to every place I thought he would be at, bars, discotheques and fine restaurants but there was no sign of him. This had never happened before; it was always so easy to find him. Newton was the most predictable man I ever knew.

I turned to face Gelsey, her face had no emotion at all but her eyes were always filled with tears. She hasn’t said a single word to me since the incident on her apartment. I sighed and looked for a place we could sit and think what our next step would be. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I stared at the small paper with Newton’s name on it trying to figure out where he could be and why he had contact with Gelsey’s father. Nothing made sense and each time I tried to solve the puzzle I got more confused.

I grabbed Gelsey’s hand laying on the bench longing it would help to calm her. She looked at me with tears escaping from her eyes. I wanted to say something to make her feel better but nothing came to my mind. I sighed deeply wishing I was better in this sort of situations. Suddenly a vague memory crossed my mind when Newton and I first met.

“So you must be ‘The guy’, huh?” Newton said as he saw me walking towards him. I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do but I needed to control my crave to kill and some money could be great too. I nodded and sat beside him waiting for him to talk first.

 

Newton drank what was left on his glass and said, “You’re making the right decision to come for my help, and you will definitely not regret it. Here’s how this will work, I’ll call you when I have a client, I give you the information needed and then you do what you do best.”

 

I smiled as this would be easier as I imagined. Newton would make the hardest part of the work and so I’m left with all the fun.

 

“The deal is for you to give me the 55% of the profits,” he said as he called a waitress to come to our table and order another drink. He was indeed trying to take advantage of me but because the money wasn’t the important topic for me I accepted without doubt. Newton was surprised for my rushed response but he just laughed.

“I really like you,” Newton said still laughing. “‘There is only one success--to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Is what Christopher Morley wrote on Where the Blue Begins, my favorite book by the way and reminds me of my private home at the most paradise island on Maui. The only place I can feel safe…”

 

I jumped off the bench in excitement. Gelsey stared at me with puzzled eyes as I stood in front of her like an idiot but I didn’t care since I already knew where Newton could be. I remembered that at that moment I didn’t care for what he was saying but he must have mentioned his house in Maui for a reason. Finding him was my only way to get answers and to save Gelsey from whoever was trying to kill her.

“We have to go to the airport,” I said to Gelsey as I grabbed her wrist and pulled her off the bench. “But we need to go to my apartment to get some stuff first. Run.”

On the way to my apartment Gelsey didn’t say a word like she had all this time, she just followed me obediently. She seemed to still be in shock for seeing her father die in such a tragic way but I need her to be capable to take a long flight tonight.

I opened the door from my apartment and ran directly to my room to find the money I had being hiding for three years. As I grabbed my passport I thought of Gelsey’s too. She must have hers on her place but, besides her apartment was almost destroyed, we could be killed by just going there. I thought for a brief second and remember the fake passports I received when I killed a powerful man some years ago before I had Newton’s services.  I ran to my wardrobe and search for the hidden compartment on one of the cabinets. Taking a fast picture of Gelsey and falsify all the information needed it took me about hour and a half to make it credible on the airport.

Gelsey sat on the couch motionless through all the time not questioning my actions at all. Her state began to worry me since a shock shouldn’t last this long. I sat beside her caressing her back.

“How do you feel?” I said to her in a low voice. She hesitated answering but finally spoke.

“I don’t know,” she said between soft sobs. “I- I don’t know what’s going on and I’m afraid to find out about the truth.” Small drops of tears streamed down her cheeks joining on her chin and finally falling to her legs. I knew how she felt, I felt the same way when I began searching about my biological parents and I regretted knowing the truth about their death but still I was somehow relieved to know the truth.

I gently moved her head for her to face me, her beautiful eyes staring at mine. “I know how you feel but it’s better to know the truth than live your life wishing you were strong enough to face it.” The corner of her mouth lifted enough for me to see a small smile. At that moment I was startled by her beauty once again.

Sitting on the plane I stared at Gelsey sleeping and wondering what she saw on me the first time we met on the hospital. She was indeed beautiful compare to me, but I was glad that she came into my life since I had more control of myself when I’m beside her. The voices were too low for them to control me as long as Gelsey stayed with me.

Then I remembered a dream I had of me killing her and the voices telling me to kill her on an alley the other night. Did that mean I really don’t have self-control even with her by my side? Or my mind was just playing tricks with me like it always does? Either of both I knew I had to be careful on my explosive temper. Though Gelsey helped me regain self-control she also made me lose control faster.

By thinking too much on my obsession brought a shred of desire to kill again. I took deep breaths as it got stronger. I glanced at everyone sitting on the plane and pictured them pleading for their life, the smell of their blood and the sound of their screams fill with pain. My body began burning from the inside as I tried to ignore the voices screaming again in my head.

Why don’t you kill everyone on this plane?

 

I wanted Gelsey to wake up and hear her voice to calm me down but I couldn’t move a muscle. I had never had a crave as strong as I had on that plane. Every thought in my head was covered with blood and death. A flight attendant walked near me and asked if I was okay but I was unable to say a word.

She must be fun to kill.

 

I took some deep breath for me to answer her but finally I told her I was fine. I closed my eyes trying to calm down and ignore the voice in my head. It kept ordering me to kill everyone in this flight one by one. Nothing I did seemed to get the voices to shut until Gelsey woke up.

“Are you all right Corbett?” she said with a low voice and placing her hand on my shoulder. Immediately my body felt at ease, my muscles began relaxing, my heart beat lowered by every second and the screams in my head began whispers once again leaving my mind in a complete silence.

Definitely Gelsey helped me regain some of the self-control I lost years ago by listening to my tricky mind but she also provokes the strongest cravings I had ever had in my life, which are almost unbearable and stoppable. The reason why Gelsey had such a big impact in my life was still a mystery but I was disposed to find out.

I looked into her eyes and smiled and said, “I am now.”