Simon examined himself in the mirror with a sly grin as he finished brushing his hair. This was the first time any girl had shown interest in him, and he was going to take advantage of it.
He didn't care what his sister thought. He deserved to be happy, even if it was only for one night.
He whistled a happy tune and walked down the hallway, sucking in a deep breath as he prepared to knock on Halle's door. The two other guests were gone for the evening, and his sister was most likely already asleep; so he had no worries about anyone eavesdropping on their spontaneous love session.
He knocked on the door and waited for an answer, but none came. The smile on his face widened. She was probably waiting for him to take charge and go into the room without an invitation.
Wanting to please her, he used his key to unlock the door. He stepped into the dark room. "Halle." He said, taking a step toward the bed.
She was hiding underneath the blanket; at least that was his assumption. But when he pulled the blanket back, she was no where to be seen. In her place was a pool of blood, covering the white sheets.
Simon gasped and threw his hand over his mouth, turning on the light switch so he could see the awful mess that was left behind. There was blood all over the floor and footprints that lead into the closet.
"Oh, God." He moaned into his hand. "Please, no."
He slowly pulled open the closet door, but there was nothing inside except Halle's clothes.
Where the hell was she?
He went back into the hallway and headed to Lucy's room, quietly knocking on her door. She answered a few seconds later, wearing a pink night gown, curlers in her blonde hair, green goop on her face.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Lucy," He choked, leaning his hand against the wall to keep himself steady. "Halle is gone."
"What do you mean she's gone?"
"She's disappeared," He had to suck in a long breath of air. "And there's blood all over her sheets."
"What!?" Lucy cried, "Tell me you're joking!"
"Why would I joke about something like that!?"
"I-I don't know. I guess you wouldn't."
Simon grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into Halle's room, showing her the blood.
Lucy wrapped her arms around her stomach and looked away. "This cannot be happening."
"It is happening." Simon said, "And we both know who is responsible."
"But how? She's locked in the basement."
"She must've gotten out somehow."
"Oh, God."
"Let's not panic. The others are gone and probably won't be back for a couple more hours. We need to search for the body."
"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.