The Evil Within-The Final Showdown

Into Turmoil

I remember when Myra and I had been put on a case together regarding a mentally unstable suspect who had gone on a shooting rampage inside a crowded mall. We pursued the fleeing suspect on foot as he leaped over fences, assault rifle in hand. As I aimed my handgun at the moving target, attempting to subdue him with a bullet to the leg, his assault rifle had targeted us and a lone shot was fired. The bullet had narrowly skimmed past me but had come into contact with Myra. The gunman continued his escape as I threw myself to the ground, cradling a wounded Myra in my arms. The bullet had gone through her abdomen, a patch of crimson blood staining her white blouse. I remember shakily requesting back up and ordering them to dispatch an ambulance immediately. I had done my best to clean the wound and reassure her despite my pounding heart and the suffocating fear that I might lose her. It was long before I had become romantically involved with her, my true feelings yet to be revealed to her. My constant fear as I had waited as nurses attended to her was that I may never tell her how I truly felt. Which was why as she recovered from the bullet wound and her attacker had been captured, I had taken her aside and told her my true feelings. Fear of rejection turned to hope as she accepted my confession of love and the story of our romance began.

The memory dissolved as reality slammed into me. My eyes fell from Ruvik's expression of satisfaction to Myra bleeding on the floor, the knife stuck in her abdomen. A look of shock had washed over her delicate features, disbelieving of the sadistic turn of events and the decision she had made.

"MYRA!" I screamed, falling to my knees.

Her mesmerising eyes which used to pull me in so easily were tearing up as they wandered to the knife. Ruvik knelt down and extracted the knife with a sharp pull, causing Myra to scream with pain. He clutched the knife, slick with blood and wore a cruel smile. He flicked the knife, causing blood droplets to splatter my face. Anger and grief twisted my heart.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I screamed at him.

"Sebastian," Ruvik feigned pity. "This was her choice. This is what she wanted."

"This is what you wanted!" I was hysterical at this point, tears running down my face as I put pressure on Myra's wound. "You made her do this!"

"You should be moved that she spared your life," Ruvik explained. "One sacrifice for the safety of another. Perhaps she does love you after all."

I shot him an angered glare which softened when I saw Myra's pained expression. My fingers desperately fumbled, trying to staunch the blood but it only seeped through, painting the shining tiles a sickening shade of crimson. I had saved her life once but to accomplish the same result again was proving too advanced for my first aid skills. Myra's eyes fluttered close.

"Myra, baby! Please! Stay with me!" I begged her dying form.

Her eyes opened a slit, a line of blood escaping her parted lips.

"Please. Don't leave me," I whispered to her.

She raised a hand and gently stroked my cheek, her lips closing into a faint smile.

"Sebastian, I love you," she said, her voice barely audible.

Her hand dropped limply and her eyes shut again, death eager to consume her.

"Myra!" I screamed again, trying to rouse her.

"I've had enough of this!" Ruvik spoke in his harsh voice.

I was pulled from Myra as Ruvik grabbed me roughly, slamming me to the floor. He kicked me hard in the abdomen, sending spikes of pain radiating through me. As he knelt down, I tried to attack him but he wrapped his slender fingers around my wrists, pinning me down. I thought I could overpower Leslie's strength but Ruvik's own power may have influenced it to an extent. He pressed his knee against my chest, holding me still as he retrieved the knife that had taken Myra away. His promise to spare one life was clearly a lie. He was going to kill me. In the most sadistic way possible.

"So, how would you like to die, Sebastian?" Ruvik asked, his cruel smirk dominating his face once more. "Quick and painless? Or would you prefer the slow and painful route, my personal favourite?"

"What do you care?" I hissed at him, the tears incessant. "Just get it over with!"

"Oh come now, Seb," Ruvik laughed. "Aren't you going to beg for your life?"

"You killed Myra," I struggled to say. "You've already killed me."

"Oh, please," Ruvik dismissed this. "Why so dramatic? I am growing bored of this. So, let's move on, shall we?"

I fell silent, ready to welcome death. I would be with Myra. Could die right next to her.

"Excellent!" Ruvik was pleased with my silence. "But because I'm an upstanding gentleman, I will give you time to say your last words. So, what will they be?"

I thought about this for a few moments before saying, "Fuck you," and spitting in his face.

Ruvik groaned in disgust, wiping the spit away with the back of his hand. He tightened the grip on his knife and put it close to my cheek.

"Very well," his displeasure clear in his voice. "Slow and painful it is."

His sharp blade lightly grazed my cheekbone as he considered me with a frown.

"Such a handsome face," Ruvik remarked, almost to himself. "It will be a shame to ruin it. But a few of my own alterations shouldn't hurt. So, how about it, Seb? I think it's torture time."

I refused to break eye contact with him. I chose to stare him down until death finally allowed me to escape. I wouldn't scream no matter how much it hurt.

"Yes, let's start with the cheekbones," Ruvik finally made a decision. "Let's make them a little higher."

I tried not to scream as he cut under my left cheekbone, warm blood coating my cheek. I felt the flesh tear and the pain radiate through my body. My bravery was beginning to crumble as the tears continued to fall.

"Are you crying, Seb?" Ruvik taunted, cutting into my other cheek. "Does it hurt? Let's see if I can make you scream."

The blade was cutting deep and the desire to scream was heightening. I only whimpered pathetically which only made Ruvik cackle with delight. Eventually, the pain became too much to bear and the scream I had been stifling erupted. Ruvik laughed with satisfaction and to my horror, licked the blood from the knife.

"That's the way, Seb," Ruvik encouraged me. "Good boy. I love to hear the screams of my victims before I kill them. Yours is one I will remember for a long time. So much fear and anguish. Oh, how I missed this!"

"You're sick," I spat at him. "So heartless and cruel. I hope you......."

He cut off my sentence by plastering his cold hand over my mouth, muffling the rest of the sentence.

"Uh uh," Ruvik warned. "I thought I already gave you the chance to say your last words."

His eyes wandered over his handiwork and he nodded his head.

"That's much better," Ruvik showed his approval. "But don't get too excited. You will get a chance to glance at my work once I'm finished."

He moved the bloodstained knife down my face and started to carve the outline of my lips.

"Let's make that smile a little wider, shall we?" Ruvik continued his sickening act.

The knife moved to the corner of my mouth and I felt the small cut appear as he dragged the knife. I let out a bloodcurdling scream and finally, I was heard. The double doors flung open and Mobius officials stood in the doorway, shouting and pointing their weapons. To my surprise, Ruvik stood up, the knife dropping from his hand. They swarmed as strong arms grabbed me and guards managed to wrestle Ruvik to the ground. I didn't struggle or protest this time as they plunged yet another syringe into my arm. As unconsciousness started to claim me, I took a final look at my surroundings. Ruvik screaming obscenities as the guards attempted to slip the same sedative into him. Officials rushing over to my beautiful wife. And just before the darkness swept me away, Myra's chest rising and falling.