The open doorway revealed the overly chubby, ageing baker. His plump frame strained against the confines of his faded baking uniform which, on its own, triggered a flood of unsettling memories for Alexis, memories she had tried hard to bury.
As his eyes met hers, there was a moment of recognition that flickered across his face, followed by a twisted smile that stretched his cheeks into an unsettling grin.
In stark contrast to the disdain Alexis felt, he greeted her with a falsely warm.
"Well, if it isn't Alexis! What brings you to my humble bakery?"
His words oozed with insincerity, each syllable cutting through the air like a knife.
Alexis faltered as she thought of an excuse. Her mind had been so clouded with fear that she hadn't anticipated the moment when the eyes of her nightmares would be staring right through her.
"I'm hungry," she said, reverting to the sentence she had often uttered to the man she once believed was her friend.
His cold, blue eyes narrowed as they slowly travelled down her body, igniting sparks of fear throughout her.
"You don't look hungry," he said, squinting into my eyes before becoming distracted by something sending his gaze in search through the alley behind her.
It could only have been the clacking of Thomas' shoes, as soft as they were, that caused him to lean through the opening of his door and glance down the alley to where Thomas was coming from.
"Well, sorry about that, little lady. I can't help you," he finally said, gripping the door and pushing it closed.
Thomas who had reached the doorway by then reached forward, slamming his hand against the door and pushing it back open.
The baker's eyebrows furrowed deeply as he glared at Thomas.
"What do you want?" the baker snarled.
Alexis felt the involuntary clench of her fists as the voice of the baker penetrated her, and tentatively she took a step back.
Thomas' free hand pressed gently, but firmly against her back, coaxing her to stand her ground as he glared back at the baker. Though it wasn't so much his touch that held her together in that moment, it was the complete defeat that emanated from the baker's eye the moment before he broke Thomas' gaze and took his own backward step.
"Wha ... what do you want?" he repeated a lot less confidently than he had the first time.
"Take us somewhere we can talk," Thomas said, pushing Alexis into the house and stepping in behind her.
Alexis jumped at the sound of the door banging shut behind them. Despite feeling completely protected in Thomas' company, she couldn't shake the lingering embers of fear.
The baker too seemed to be in fright as he backed slowly down the corridor, his eyes rapidly scanning the area in search of an escape, or maybe a weapon he could use to defend himself. Thomas, however, wasn't phased in the slightest, he slowly surveyed the landing before asking Alexis, "Where did it happen?"
Without looking in the direction of a door that was under the staircase, Alexis pointed to it.
"Whatever she told you, she lied," the baker rambled. "She's never been in here."
"Open the door," Thomas said, nudging the baker in the direction of the door and completely disregarding the baker and his plea.
"I'm telling you she's never ..."
"I don't like to ask twice," Thomas interrupted, adding a sharp hammer fist into the back of the baker's head.
The next moment, as the baker began to grovel while searching his pockets for his key, filled Alexis with an unexpected delight.
That man who, even the thought of, once sent relentless chills through Alexis' body, was now begging and on the verge of crying as he feared the intentions behind Thomas' visit.
Does he know how afraid I felt that night? she thought as a smile hinted at the corner of her lips.
Eventually, he pulled the key from his trouser pocket and opened the basement door before turning to Thomas, who simply gave a flick of his head gesturing for the baker to enter.
Reluctantly, and with no alternative, the baker entered, and gripping the hem of Thomas' jacket, Alexis followed them both down into the basement, which served as his storage room.
"Whatever you want you can take," the baker said when they'd stopped in the middle of the basement. "I have money too. You can have it all."
"It's nice to know you're willing to pay for what you did," Thomas said, his words slicing through the air with a chilling precision, yet delivered with a smooth and unnerving calmness. "But that won't be with money."
Before the baker could question Thomas, Thomas' fist swung out and struck him dead in the face. The baker stumbled back, and after two more blows was on his knees, begging once more.
"What made you think you could get away with what you did to her?" Thomas asked.
"She's lying," the baker moaned. "She's a thief and a liar. I only ever tried to help her by giving her ..."
In a sudden burst of action, Thomas lunged forward, seizing the baker by his shirt collar, and Alexis recoiled, startled, as he began delivering forceful blows to the baker's face.
Justice, long overdue, unfolded before Alexis, yet it threatened to conclude too swiftly in her eyes as Thomas pressed on with relentless speed and force. Her thoughts raced to the debt that baker owed her, to what he had taken from her and to the fear he had replaced it with; and in that thought her eyes fixated on the tool shelf where the knife that had left its mark on her face rested.
"Thomas, stop," she called and reached for his arm.
Upon feeling Alexis' touch, Thomas instantly froze, turning to face her before giving a small nod.
"You're right, princess," he said, releasing the baker and straightening himself back up. "I apologize."
"I didn't mean to stop completely," she said, rushing to grab the knife from the shelf. "I just meant to slow down."
A surge of power and pride ran through Alexis as Thomas took a step back to allow her to approach the baker, and suddenly all of those years of hiding and cowering were worth it. If only for that moment when she knew the baker would no longer be the demon of her nightmares.
"Do you remember this?" Alexis said as she waved the knife in front of the baker before pressing it against his throat. "Do you remember what you told me you would do with this?"
"I didn't ... I didn't... It was just words," the baker protested.
"Really?" she said as she pressed the knife deeply into his chin and gave it a quick slice. "If they were only words, why do we now have matching scars?"
"What the hell are you doing?" the baker shouted as if a new surge of energy had taken hold of him, a surge that died quickly on the sound of Thomas clearing his throat.
"She's crazy, you've got to believe me," the baker called to Thomas.
"And here's your twin's twin," Alexis laughed dragging the knife along the other side of his chin.
"Okay, Alexis," Thomas said, momentarily drawing Alexis from her hysteria. "As for you," he said to the baker. "Get up and sit over there."
"Wait," Alexis cried. "Let's do triplets," she laughed, bringing the knife up against the baker's face again.
"Alexis," Thomas cut sharply. "I lost my temper earlier, but we don't need to lower ourselves for scum like him."
Alexis shifted her attention back to Thomas, ready with a complaint on her lips, but held her words in check as she observed him drawing his revolver from its holster.
She had never seen Thomas' gun before and had never seen a gun so magnificent as the sleek, midnight-black revolver that he cradled in his hand. The gun's grip, crafted from rich mahogany, bore intricate etchings that mesmerised Alexis and brought a subconscious smile to her face. His revolver, though deadly, possessed an alluring elegance, a sleek blend of danger and beauty that captivated the Alexis – The Reaper truly was a name worthy of someone who held a gun of such prestige.
Thomas gave a small flick of his gun in the direction of the crate and the baker on his feet now quickly backed over to it.
"Please, sir ... Whatever you want," he grovelled.
"First, I believe an apology is in order," Thomas said.
"Apologise?" the baker said, a slight look of confusion crossing his face. "She was the one who kept showing up in the middle of the night begging for food."
"I was hungry," Alexis screamed. "You said you would help me."
"Well, you never complained when we had our little fun, as long as you had some freshly baked buns."
"Stop lying," she screamed as she darted over to where he sat. "That was never fun."
Alexis lifted the knife again and pushed it roughly against his neck causing him to lash out and hit her. Alexis stumbled back slightly, but unfazed, due to the knowledge that Thomas was with her, she rushed back to the baker.
"I'd stay very still if I were you," Thomas warned the baker.
"I never wanted you to put your hands on me," Alexis said, pressing the knife once more against his neck.
"It was nothing." His voice came out thickly, just as she'd remembered it that last night with him. "You always laughed."
"I thought it was a game," Alexis continued, her voice starting to falter while growing shrill at the same time. "I only did it because I thought you were my friend."
"And I thought you enjoyed it," the baker shouted back.
"Did I sound like I was enjoying it when I was screaming for you to stop?" she screamed. "Did it sound like that? Is that why you were holding my mouth so tightly so I could barely breathe? Is that why you threatened to slit my throat if I didn't shut up?"
Alexis lifted the knife and slashed it across his cheek. "How about I slit your throat?" she said pressing the knife back against his throat.
"Alexis," Thomas called calmly.
Alexis turned to glare at Thomas who gave a small gesture for her to come to him.
The hype and hysteria were already on complete build-up in Alexis, but as usual, she couldn't deny Thomas' call, so lowered the knife and walked over to him.
"Stop with the knife," he said as he attached a thin tip to the front of his revolver. "We should always be merciful when enacting justice."
"He doesn't deserve mercy."
"Not for him, Alexis. For you."
Thomas gave a second gesture with his head for Alexis to come nearer, before turning her back to him and putting his gun in her hands. "They rarely deserve mercy, or I wouldn't be doing this, but don't let your soul die with them."
Thomas secured Alexis' hands around the revolver and aimed towards the baker.
"If you prefer, I can do this," he said into her ear.
"I'll do it," she rushed.
"No, please," the baker shouted. "Please I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"What do you think, princess?" Thomas asked. "Is that good enough for you?"
Alexis' mother had always taught Alexis to apologise. It was supposed to make the bad better and soothe any pain that had been caused. But the baker's apology had done nothing. Even as he continued to beg and grovel, that tender pain that she had kept contained deep within her, remained.
"I just want you to know," Thomas continued, "that pulling this trigger probably won't make you feel any better. It won't solve anything other than ridding the world of scum. But whatever you choose, I'll completely stand by your decision."
And then, the soft blast of the gun came just as Thomas completed his sentence.