** Warning: Graphic depictions of violence. **
"Tell me just how deep you would dig
If you could bury me
I'd claw my way back through hell to bring you to your knees
I want to see your face as you watch the world fall apart at the seems"
(No Resolve - What You Deserve)
Before stepping foot outside The Room, I peeled off my bloodied shoes and splattered clothing—leaving me in my boxers. The bottom of my warm feet stuck to the tile as I walked down the hallway and into the kitchen.
Underneath the sink, in the moldy cabinet, there was a box of black trash bags. I grabbed four of them, hearing them ruffle as I marched back to the crime scene.
Inside the door, I put my shoes back on and walked across The Room, passing Melody. Her head was down and shoulders were pushed up. She was trembling—daring not to look at me.
I sighed, tossing the bags to clean part of the floor. Even though I knew I loved her, nothing in my chest moved. My heart didn't feel like it was being shredded; it didn't leap with empathy. My pulse and breathing stayed the same, never spiking.
I sauntered to the nugget, grabbing him by the hair, and dragged him towards the trash bags. His shoulders squeegeed blood across the floor until I lifted him up and plopped him next to the bags. My sticky fingers aided me in opening one of them and I waved it through the air, inflating it.
I stepped over his body, leaning towards the bench and flipped the plastic sheet off. A pair of pliers laid at the edge and I switched the bag for them, then bent down to open his mouth. Sticking the pliers inside, I gripped an incisor. My other hand was on his forehead, bracing him as I tugged.
There was a loud pop and I lifted the tooth up to my view, noticing the root was still intact. I dropped it on the floor next to his head and went in for more.
The incisors and canines were easy, but the others were making me strain. As a result, I placed the bottom of my bloody vans on his jaw and pushed down with all my weight. The corners of his mouth tore as his jaw pushed into his trachea.
From there, I was able to get a good grip on the rest of his molars—the ones that didn't fall out—and extract them from his head. His body wasn't stiff yet, so I could see his lips cave a little, searching for the support that was no longer there.
I grabbed the bag again and shimmied Daniel's torso inside. Two others were used for his limbs, stuffing an arm and leg in each one to make the most of the limited space. His blood coated my hands and forearms like birthday frosting on a fat kid's face.
If I had to guess, his death was caused by exsanguination, which isn't much of a guess considering the paint job. It made me stare at my arms, wondering what he saw in his last moments. He found out the truth—the real truth—and nobody could argue with it.
I often ponder what happened in my head when I was strung up, minutes away from dying myself, but I couldn't remember any of it. Perhaps my work was a way of trying to get a glimpse—a memory of what my subconscious forgot. Although, it would be a lie to assume it was my only objective.
As immoral as it was to admit, I found no greater accomplishment than to snuff out someone's existence. I didn't care who it was; I'd do it. Sometimes free of charge for a little distraction. It was always better than lingering in thoughts of regret and fear of abandonment.
I had Ben to thank for this.
"Why?" Melody's voice trembled in question. "Tell me why."
I groaned, hauling his remains to the door. "Why what?"
Her face was bright red as she looked up at me with snot running down her chin. "Why did you do this? Why couldn't you just leave? Everything would be fine if you never existed!"
Pain swelled in my chest and my blood pressure began to rise. I dropped the bags and snatched the now bloodied gag off the floor.
"I didn't ask for this life and it's not my fault your family couldn't hack the game." I forced her mouth open and shoved the ball between her teeth.
They could have called the police but no. Families like them care about image. His wife's façade was too important to debase with an adulterous scandal, so they did the next best thing.
Melody's deadened screams sent orange slobber flying from the corners of her mouth. I paused, standing there a moment before taking off my shoes and going to the bathroom. I turned on the faucet and scrubbed my arms with a bar of soap. The bubbles had a light red tint and as I rinsed my arms, flakes of coagulated blood swam around the drain.
Even though I scrubbed so hard—hard enough to burn my skin—when I wiped myself with a hand towel, there was orange pigment. I sighed and took a hand towel off the back of the toilet to wet it.
When I got back to The Room, I scooted my untied shoes across the floor and gently cleansed her face from all bodily fluids, wiping off as much of Daniel's blood as I could.
"I wasn't going to let your mom or your dad walk all over me—not like my father. I hate myself for allowing it, so I'm sorry you were caught in the middle. You're just collateral damage."
Just like my sister.
I stepped back and felt my mouth drop into a frown. Melody saw the shift and I was lost in the forest of her eyes as they embraced me. It was as though she could see the deepest parts of my soul and I turned away.
I lifted parts of her father's dismembered corpse over my shoulders and murmured, "Don't look at me like that"—I paused, forcing myself to keep my back to her—"ever again."
Instead of facing whatever regrets I had, I casted them in the file of denial far from my present thoughts. Compartmentalizing gave me time to bring Dan's car into my garage and throw his body in the back. Yet, I still had to return to her gaze.
"I can't waver from my course. Everything was decided when you stepped foot inside my house." There was doubt in my voice; I couldn't find my confidence.
I picked up the aluminum bat and raised it, ready to swing. My face grimaced as I looked at her. A tear rolled down her cheek as she clasped her eyes shut.
You have to live with this... There is only moving forward, so do it you fucking coward!
I cried out with an amalgam of emotions and struck the side of Melody's head. Her hair whipped to the left and fell pendulous in front of her face. A streak of blood leaked down her cheek and dribbled onto her leg.
My grip loosened and the barrel of the bat clanged against the concrete. I doubled over with a desolate feeling in my stomach as I reached for the wall.
"Fuck!" I wailed out. "Fuck!"
Get your shit together. Get it together!
I stood tall, only to stagger to the chair and collapse to my knees. I carefully untied the knots and pulled Melody to the floor. She laid on her stomach as I tied her hands then ankles together. With the leftover slack, I completed the hogtie.
She was over my shoulder when I stepped back into a puddle and almost slipped. I leaned against the wall for support until I could make my way to the door. Once there, I stepped out of my shoes and walked back to the garage.
Making sure not to bang her head against anything, I laid her in the trunk next to Daniel. "I hope she doesn't wake up anytime soon," I thought aloud, then slammed it shut.
A loud exhale brought relief over my body and I went back inside. There were spots of blood throughout the house, yet weren't very noticeable; I could get away with leaving them until I had more time. Instead of cleaning, I went back to my room and got dressed in my usual dark attire.
As soon as I made it back to the garage, I grabbed a roll of duct tape and threw it on the passenger's seat. My entire body relaxed into the seat when I plopped down behind the steering wheel.
I lifted my hood and the tips of my fingers were clammy as they rubbed against my cheeks. It reminded me of the gloves and procedure in my pocket; I put them on to obscure my identity from the dozens of traffic cameras. It was still dark out, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Fear always had a way of overwhelming my mind, yet whenever I pushed past the threshold of doubt, that fear would dissipate. It'd leave me feeling accomplished, like I conquered one of my demons. This was no different, except it wasn't myself I was battling...
It was everyone else.
On my way to their house, I passed through multiple intersections and navigated their neighborhood with ease. The car lurched when it came to a stop in their driveway and I pulled the keys out of the ignition. The keys clinked against each other while I reached for the glove compartment.
My eyebrows shot up when I found CZ 75 staring back at me. I threw the keys on the passenger seat, hitting the tape, and took the pistol out. It was small in my hand, therefore easy to conceal.
A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth, remembering what I said to Daniel. Perhaps if he didn't give into his fear, he'd still be alive. I couldn't blame him though; he was worried about his daughter.
He should have detached himself, which was the difference between Daniel and I. It was also why I was still alive and he was just a pile of limbs stuffed together in the trunk of a Nissan.
I got out of the car and prior to making it to their front door, I peeked inside their dining window to spot Evan sitting across from Alice. My teeth grinded against each other and I started to fumble through Daniel's keychain. I quietly tried every key on the door until I found the one that let me inside.
The hinges squealed loudly until I made enough room to wiggle my body through. Suddenly, the house fell dead silent, so quiet that the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat.
"Babe, is that you?" I heard Alice call from the living room.
I creeped down the creamy-porcelain corridor, making the first right, and continued walking until I was standing next to the dining room table. I listened carefully before peaking around the corner and on the other side of the wall, Alice sat on the couch with her knees curled into her chest.
Her hair was up in a ponytail with her bangs combed to the side. The purple blouse she was wearing was nearly see-through and her slacks were taut, tight against her skin.
"Melody?" Evan called out as he rounded the corner and I grabbed him by the shirt.
He yelled, lifting his arm, and I spotted the hot poker in his hand. He pulled in the opposite direction as he swung. My face grimaced as the iron made contact with my arm and the neck of his shirt began to tear.
I yanked him towards me and repositioned my hand on his throat. He dropped the poker when I shoved the gun under his jaw and his hands flew up.
I pushed him back into the living room and peaked at Alice. Her eyes were wide and mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
I sighed. "So you're fucking your daughter's exes now? Why is that not a surprise?"
Evan was trembling in my grip. "It's not like that, man"—he choked—"I came over to wait for Mel. They were going to have a family dinner."
"Then she called Dan, asking him to pick her up," Alice added softly. She couldn't stop staring.
"Yeah, sorry about that," I said, then shoved Evan away from me and held the gun with both hands. He staggered a moment, but quickly found his footing. "It was me."
"What did you do to her?" Evan snarled, looking like he was about to lunge.
"Why don't you go sit next to Alice? Then I'll tell you." I didn't break eye contact. Even for being a jock, he wasn't intimidating.
Evan leaned back into a normal stance and slowly walked over to the couch. He plopped down right next to Alice and she reached for his hand.
"Tell us, please," Alice implored. Her entire body shook like a fearful bitch.
"Toss me your phones," I commanded. "Don't need anyone doing something stupid."
Alice tightly gripped hers before handing it to Evan. He quickly reached into his back pocket and I took a step forward.
"Slowly!" I yelled and Evan halted. "Slowly."
He gradually pulled something out and lifted it up, showing me his phone. He tossed both of them over to me. I squatted down, glancing at them up as I held the gun steady.
The screens were dark and I wondered if they sent out an SOS. Doubtful... since they didn't know who it was.
"Melody is fine. Safe and sound," I said, throwing their phones behind me in a corner.
Alice's eyes relaxed and chest dropped. She tore her hand away from Evan.
"How do we know that's true?" He was suspicious and I knew every moment I stood here under his glare, his hate for me grew.
"You're just going to have to take my word for it, Evan. You weren't supposed to be here tonight. I bet you feel like a fucking idiot." I smiled, hoping to antagonize him.
"No, I'd say I'm right where I need to be," he fired back.
"Cute." I shifted the gun to Alice. "Now, why don't we talk?"
Alice was desperate. "Please don't hurt her, Alistair. I know what I did was wrong—everything we did was wrong, but you have to look at it from our point of view. I—"
"Shut the fuck up, you cunt!" I interrupted her. "I got to see your point of view during the trial. I got to see what kind of disgusting whore you are."
Tears formed in her eyes. "I was scared! You killed someone for fuck's sake! I was worried about what you would do to my family. Please..."
"You could have told the police that I killed your lover out of jealousy and they would have done an investigation but you couldn't, could you? Your downfall was caring too much about your public image." I scoffed. "All of it looked good for you though. I mean a husband who's willing to go to such lengths to make his wife's rapist pay? What jury would frown upon that?"
"That's what you think?" she asked, abruptly getting off the couch. I lifted the gun to her head and her face lit up with fear. "I-I didn't want my daughter to know what a horrible person I became—what I allowed. I was scared... Can't you understand that?" She searched for sympathy.
Unfortunately, I could. I didn't want my sister to see the monster I had become, but even I knew I couldn't hide it from her forever.
"It doesn't change what you've done, Alice. Your decisions cost your family their lives."
Her expression fell and twisted with regret. At that moment, she realized there was no way out and turned around, running for the window. Anticipating some reaction, the gun went off, jumping in my hands. The sound was ear-shattering as the bullet whizzed through the air. When it went through the back of her head, she fell forward into the curtains.
I quickly turned to Evan, who had already made his way off the couch. As I went to fire, nothing came out and I noticed the slide had pulled back. I dropped the gun as Evan dove for the poker and I pounced on top of him. He yelped, reaching for the handle and I grabbed it before he could.
I sat on top of him and raised both my arms. The tip of the poker came down on his face, pushing through the cartilage of his nose. I pulled it out and raised it again, striking him repeatedly.
With my last swing, I left it in his ground-beef of a face, took the gun and raced for the door. It was only after I backed out of the driveway that people started leaving their homes.
I wanted to make Alice suffer with more than words, but I couldn't let their whole family drop off the face of the planet. I needed it to appear as though Daniel murdered his wife and skipped town with his daughter.
I couldn't let them find him. Otherwise, I'd be their prime suspect.