Martha

The Ruined Evening

"No!"  Lucy wailed, "I can't handle this."

"You have to.  If Sable finds out that her friend is dead, she'll call the police, and we'll be finished."

"No, Martha would be finished."

"How do you think the police would feel about is keeping her in the basement for the last twenty years?"

"We had to.  She's dangerous."

"It doesn't matter.  They'll see it as imprisonment."

"Oh, God."  She repeated, grabbing her head.

Simon took her to the basement door, but not before grabbing the taser from the kitchen drawer.  "If she tries to escape, I'll have to use this on her."

"I know.  I'll back you up."

He opened the door, and they descended the stairs, both of them freezing in their tracks when they saw Martha huddled over the corpse.  She was staring at it with tears in her eyes, her hands caressing Halle's cheeks, as if to apologize for what had happened.

Simon rushed down the stairs and pushed her away, shaking his head as looked down at Halle.  Her brown eyes were void of life, and her naked chest was drenched in blood. 

The sight made his stomach twist into knots.

"What have you done, Martha!?"  He roared, causing his little sister to recoil in fear.  "Why would you do something like this?  What is wrong with you!?"

Martha tried to hide her face in her hands, but he grabbed her wrists and forced her to look at him. 

"You have destroyed us!  We will all go to prison for this!  After all we've done for you, don't you even care!?"

He raised his hand to slap her, until the sound of the front door opening caused him to freeze. 

Lucy took hold of his shoulder. "Th-they're back."

Martha used the opportunity to scurry away from him, cowering in her bed with her head buried in her knees.  Her brother had never once raised his voice to her, much less his hand, and it frightened her.

"What are we going to do?"  Lucy whispered.

Simon put his hands on his head as he thought about it.  They had to act fast, or they were screwed.

"Go back upstairs, and make sure they don't come down here.  I'll take care of the body."

"What about Martha?"

"I'll take care of her, too."

Lucy nodded and headed back up the stairs.

Simon grabbed some rope that was stashed in one of his toolboxes.  He forced Martha to put her hands behind her back, tying her up so that she couldn't move.  "You are going to have to stay like this from now on.  I can't have you killing off anymore of our guests.  I'll still bring you food, and I'll come check on you to make sure you get to use the bathroom."

He glanced at the bucket in the corner of the basement.  That's where she relieved herself every day.  He and Lucy took turns emptying the contents and washing out the remainder.

A single tear streamed down Martha's cheek, and she looked away from him, feeling betrayed by the one person who has always taken good care of her.

Simon made sure she was tied securely before tending to the dead body.  He wrapped Halle in a large tarp and dragged her into the very back of the basement, knowing that there was no way he would be able to bury her until everyone was asleep.

It reminded him of the day he was forced to bury Tania and Robert.

Only this time, there was someone would would miss the victim.  What was he going to tell Sable when she realized her friend was missing?

He shook his head and looked at his little sister one last time before leaving her alone with the corpse, wondering if she felt remorse for what she had done.