Horror Moderately Short Stories(Compilation)

Musk(Part II)

*Prosopagnosia is disorder which disrupts face recognition, the patient experiences inability to differentiate faces and recognize people.*

She rang the doorbell of her boyfriend's house and waited outside, burying her face in her scarf, letting out a deep sigh. She was going to end it tonight, her relationship with him, so that she can finally do what she needed to do in order to get rid of the man who harassed her every day. She didn't care how far she'd have to go this time to make him stop, but she also didn't want her boyfriend to be associated with any of it.

The door opened and her boyfriend emerged, his hair wet and disheveled, wearing a mere T-shirt and trousers. He hugged her immediately and pulled
her in, shutting the door behind them, and she smiled best she could, even though she didn't know what expression he had at the moment. She sat on the couch as he excused himself to go wear a sweater, picking up the photograph of him and his father. She smiled to herself as she saw his younger self, clad from head to toe in black, his pierced earlobe and lip and a tiny raven tattoo on the back of his hand.

He came back with two coffee cups in his hand and handed one to her and sat down beside her, taking the photo from her hand and letting out an embarrassed sigh.

"Hey! I told you not to look at this didn't I?" He pouted and drank a sip of his cinnamon coffee.

"It was too tempting, how could I not see little Mr. Gothic Boy? I think you should try the getup all over again?" She said teasingly and he nudged her with his elbow.

"Oh no, I'm never doing that again" He laughed and she too burst out laughing. It felt good to laugh freely beside him, but it also hurt to remember that this is the last time she'd ever do this.

"You know I love you, right?" She said almost suddenly, staring deep into his eyes, inexplicable emotions laced through the words. He was taken aback, she was never this outspoken, rarely so bold as to say something like this out of the blue. But he smiled at this.

"Yeah. And I do too" It made her feel joyous and sad at the same time. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

He got up to go get the cookies he had found in a local store, came back with them and offered one to her. They sat there, eating and talking, enjoying each other's company. And he didn't even realise when he fell asleep.

He woke up with sore muscles and a faint ringing in his head, which immediately made him realise something was very wrong. When he found himself in his own basement, tied meticulously to the chair he was sitting on, panic hit.

Did anyone break in?

No. He had surely locked the door.

Did he leave a window open?

Not that he remembered.

That's when it hit him, a possibility out of thousands that he had pushed down, never expecting it in the least.

Did she find out?

And almost as if on cue, she walked down the the stairs, his kitchen knife sitting idly in her hand. She smiled when she saw he was finally awake and sat across him on another chair.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" He asked, he had mixed feelings, he was relieved that it was her because the girl couldn't hurt a fly to save her life, and yet afraid at the same time if his assumptions about her were right or just an act.

"Let's drop the act now, shall we? You've played this game alone for too long, I want to play it too..."

"What are you talking about?" He feigned ignorance, hoping she was bluffing about knowing.

"You know I always found it peculiar why you came to my house, threatened me and made me live in fear for all this time when I loved you. But it wasn't enough, was it? You didn't want just love, did you? You wanted me to think of you and only you, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." He was trying to come up with a lie when she spoke again.

"You really did think that a mask and gloves could hide your identity, didn't you?" She leaned closer and whispered in his ears now, "Your musk is distinct, I knew you from the moment I met you in the hospital room where I was in for treatment. I knew you knew about my condition and I knew that it was you who posed as the intruder in my house. I have to ask though, was it fun?"

"I don't understand..."

"Do you remember that day when you came in as the intruder, pushed me to the couch and forced yourself on me while I tried to break free, I felt the piercing spot on your lip when I shoved at you, I knew it was you after all."

Now he didn't say anything, he quickly tried to break free from the chains he was tied up in. But he knew it would be of no use, he had bought these chains for the very purpose and they won't break no matter what he did. What was worse that his basement was empty, he couldn't find anything to cut the chains, nor could he scream for help.

He realised he could never get out on his own, so he decided to do what made most sense in the moment.

"I'm so sorry, I...I love you so much and I..."

"Oh please, cut the crap. Stop it with the act already."

"No really I feel so sorry about it and..." He stopped when she put the knife against his throat and leaned to look him in the eyes, her own eyes brimming with tears.

"Do you think I don't know that my mother didn't kill herself?"

Hey guys,
I don't know where to begin, I apologise for the late update, I have had som health issues this year( not COVID) and hence I wasn't able to upload this even though I had it written down.

I'm fine now and I will update more soon. Thank you for reading my works and for all the love.

Love,
Catalyst.