The walls inside the room were all exposed brick, complimenting the hardwood floor. The bed sat directly in front of a fireplace, the absence of logs and the presence of an ornate metal screen that was securely attached across it told her that it had not been used for quite some time. A tiny desk and a white rocking chair were sitting on the right side of the bed with a white floor lamp next to it. To her left sat an old wardrobe.
Her heart instantly sank and panic rushed through her entire body when she saw that the windows were shut with wooden planks from outside.
When she made a sudden movement to get up, she hissed and immediately remembered why. She softly ran her hands over her body, passing multiple bruises and gashes, then stopped when the door opened.
“Una, finally, you’re awake! I’ll bring you lunch.” It was Will. The swell around his eyes and cut on his lower lip reminded her of the fight he told her he had had with Sinclair and the other two men.
Will reached out to hug her, but she pulled away from him.
“I’m not hungry,” her voice was cold.
Will flushed. ”But you should be. You have been asleep for days.”
Una looked away and leaned back on the cold, metal headboard. She whizzed. “Where are we?”
He smiled. “I bought this cabin a few years back, although I’ve only been here twice. The location is what made me buy this property. It’s away from the hustle and bustle of the city; it’s secluded, and there’s a small lake not far from here,” he answered proudly.
Secluded? Una remained silent. She couldn’t bear to look at him, suddenly scared.
“You’ll love the lake. We’ll go there as soon as you fully recover,” Will continued, “We could try fishing, too. I’m not sure if you’re a fan. Well, I heard fishing is fun. It should be fun, right?”
But he got no response from Una. The warmth in her face was gone, her eyes reflected no emotion other than loathing and desolation, which was something that Will felt extreme woeful for being the one who had caused it.
He shifted his weight from foot to foot, growing uncomfortable by the second. “Una, can you please talk to me? Can you please say something?”
Una’s eyes twitched, still not looking at him. “You killed…” she trailed off. “How can you act as if nothing happened.”
“Sinclair and his men?” Will made a couple of steps towards the bed and sat on the edge. “I had to do it, Una. But killing them should not change anything. They’re bad people,” he lovingly whispered. “You should have seen what Sinclair did to Liezel.”
“I saw her dead body, but did he really do it to her?”
“Yes, of course! I already told you. Why would you even doubt―look, I’m sorry I came to her rescue a little too late. Sinclair was already decapitating her when―”
“Stop it! Don’t remind me, please.” Una paused and turned to look at him this time. “And how about that poor man in the video? The one you were skinning alive?” She paused as if she was about to puke when the image rushed back to her. “You’re a monster. Get away from me!” she screamed at once, pushing him away from her.
Will slightly pulled back, stunned by her sudden outburst.
“Get away from me!” she repeated with an increasing hatred in her voice.
“Una, please, don’t do this,” he begged her, pulling her into his arms, trying to wrap his arms around her.
“Get away from me! Let me go!” She squirmed and tried to fight him, pulling and pushing away. Kicking him. Twisting and writhing in an attempt to escape his body from trapping her in an unwanted embrace. “Let me go! Let me go!” she cried.
But Will did exactly the opposite―he didn’t let go. His hold on her didn’t loosen and was even slowly disabling her movements. “I can’t, Una. I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“No. Get away from me. You’re a monster. Let me go.”
He pressed his lower half against her, pinned her arms on the bed, and nuzzled the side of her neck.
“No. Stop it, Una. Please. Stop…Shhh…stop,” he murmured softly, close to her ear. “Stop fighting…it’s no use…Shhh…” He started humming as soft sobs of defeat escaped Una’s throat.
* * *
“…and for out top story, MaxxTech CEO, Sinclair Godfrey has been declared missing…”
“Hey, I heard Mrs. Maxwell is on her way to make a quick announcement today,” Maddy said as she pulled a chair next to Glen at the small table in the breakroom. Looking down at the paused screen of the news video on Glen’s phone, she added, “God, he’s been missing for more than a week now. Do you really think he might still be alive?”
Three other employees crowding a nearby table briefly glanced at them and went back to their conversation shortly after. Glen reckoned perhaps it was the first time they saw him actually share a table with Maddy. He couldn’t blame them, though, since their prior bickering didn’t really go unnoticed.
Glen inched away from her disapprovingly. “What are you seeing? Of course! And Will too…and Liezel… and Una.” He sounded more irate as he mentioned the other three who disappeared around the same time as Sinclair.
When Maddy picked up on his tone, she arched an eyebrow. “You and both now that the chance is pretty slim. I mean, they all disappeared at the same time. And Mr. Godfrey comes from a family that owns multimillion-dollar companies. Don’t you think it’s rather odd?”
Glen remained silent. Truth be told, his concern wasn’t really centered on their company’s CEO but on his friends. He was with them when they were last seen. He had already been interrogated by a police detective about what happened that night and if he had suspected anything out of the ordinary. Aside from the earlier brawl between Will, Liezel, and Sinclair, there wasn’t any.
“A police officer Frederick Duffy asked me a few questions two days ago. I told him the same thing. And he agreed that it’s unusual for all four of them to just disappear like that.” He looked down at his phone on the table. “I wish there’s something I could do to help him.”
He wished he had been more vigilant that night, had he known that something like their disappearance was about to happen.
“I bet Belinda’s flown all the way from France to lead their own private investigation,” Maddy spoke again. “There’s no reason for her to just sit and wait. Just like how she took care of the little scandal Sinclair had gotten himself into when he was in college.”
“I heard about it, but was any of it true?” Glen’s face grew more curious now. He knew Sinclair as a really good businessman from the news he heard from the earlier times of his career, but the scandal was something he didn’t really pay much attention to. He wasn’t surprised, though. Sinclair wasn’t just rich, he also had the face that was prone to getting him into trouble.
“Pretty much of it.” Maddy stood up from the chair. “Belinda will be here any minute. Let’s go.”
Glen sighed and straightened in his chair. Ever since Will had disappeared, he’d been finding it really hard to do anything. Going to work had become hard too. “Do you think they will resort to shutting this company down?”
Maddy shook her head. “That’s very unlikely. Let’s go.”
* * *
Una never thought she’d end up being held captive again and by someone she trusted and learned to actually care for this time. She stared at the ceiling, wondering how long Will had intended to keep her. She sighed and shut her eyes close.
It had been more than a week since she learned about Will’s past; since Sinclair’s failed plan―since she lost Liezel. She wanted to cry until no more tears would come out, but her eyes refused to give in to the emotional pain of losing the only person she considered her family after losing both her parents.
As her days in the room rolled by, her wounds and bruises had started to heal; her strength was slowly coming back, her nightmares, however, had not left her. She knew it would take her months or even years to convince herself to act, feel, and think normal again.
She was s
till staring at the ceiling, thinking of ways to escape, when the door opened.
“Good afternoon, Una. I brought you lunch.” Will hurriedly closed the door behind him, setting the tray on the nightstand.
Una glanced at the food and then at him.
He stood beside her bed, his warm and usually sultry smile plastered on his face. “I went to buy some stuff while you were asleep. I bought you your favorite ice cream.”
Una didn’t say anything and pursed her lips tightly instead and continued to stare at him with contempt.
“I’ll give you a couple of scoops as soon as you finish your lunch,” Will promised. His voice was unbelievably calm which, in turn, made her more furious.
“Why don’t you start with the soup I made for you?” Will suggested.
“No,” Una answered. Her eyes narrowed.
Will sighed, the smile on his face quickly disappeared. “Una, people fuck up all the time. Can we just forget about everything and go back to the way we were before?”
He swore!
Una glared at him, shooting him daggers. “Go back? Honestly, Will, we can never go back. You killed people. How am I supposed to get over that? How can I go back after everything that I’ve gone through?” Her voice was shaking.
Don’t lose it, Una. Don’t let him see you break into pieces. She thought to her herself.
“I told you I had to do it. Please understand, as much as you possibly can, that I had to do it. And I will do it again if I have to. For you.”
She could drown in those deep blue eyes that had noticeably become darker. She felt a sudden wave of emotions but refused to show any of it, especially the fear that settled inside her.
“Tell me who you really are.” Her heart pounded in her chest as she demanded the truth from him. Despite what Sinclair had told her, there were still things she couldn’t quite grasp, questions that only Will could provide the answers to. After what happened, she had already expected the worst.
She watched him take a shaky breath, perhaps trying to stay in control and not lose his cool. “I demand that you tell me everything, Will.”
Faking an impassive sigh, she laid her head back against the headboard. She couldn’t let him know how frightened she really was inside.
Will’s breath caught in his throat. He grabbed the white rocking chair and sat right in front of her. He licked his bottom lip and sighed.
Just then, he remembered how his mother used to forcefully make him examine his conscience and made him speak to their local priest about things he might have done to offend God. Did it offend God when he killed his neighbor’s dog? Or when he killed his own pet? Did he offend God now after killing Sinclair?
He never liked confessions. He never liked examining his conscience because he had no idea how and he wasn’t really sure if he ever had one. But Una was no priest.
No, she’s far more righteous than those fake, good-for-nothing douchebags, he thought. And no, he didn’t have to examine his conscience this time to confess his so-called crimes. Telling her the truth didn’t have to involve his conscience.
He slowly looked up and met Una’s eyes. “I kill people. Sinners, to be more specific.” His voice was flat and sudden.
Una slightly flinched as her fear skyrocketed, but tried as hard as she could not show it. She asked for the truth, Will delivered it.
“Please don’t be scared of me, Una. You asked for the truth,” Will told her softly, somehow sensing the panic pulsating around his beloved girlfriend.
“You’re a murderer and a liar.”
Will bit his lower lip and inhaled deeply. “Three minutes and twenty-eight seconds. That’s how long you watched me, studied every little facial expression and movement I made when I first came to your house to inquire about the room. I could sense it then that you weren’t really after some extra cash because, just like me, you lived in a world different from everyone else, Una. And just like me, it actually discomforts you to connect and co-exist with the rest of the world.”
Una blinked at Will’s unsought insight. Could her life be really that similar to his?
“And I knew your past had something to do with it.” Will gave her a rueful smile. “Now, if I had introduced the real me to you, the son of a man who murdered women for whoring and a murderer himself, would you still have considered sharing the roof over your head with me?”
Una didn’t reply.
“Just what I thought.” He waited for her reply, let out a smirk when he heard none. “So yes, I lied. And I killed a lot of people, Una. Like a lot.”
Una sucked in air nervously as she continued to listen.
Don’t break in front of him. He cannot know how scared you are right now. Stay strong, she ordered herself.
“You know what? I have something even better for you to know everything about me. I’ll be right back.”
Before Una could protest, Will walked out of the room and returned not a minute later with a small notebook that looked more like a journal. He walked across the room and handed it to her. “The other part of me, the one that you so kindly call a monster, is all there.” Then his eyes softened. “But, please, I beg you to also understand every word that I have written in that journal. Try and understand the reasons behind those actions.”
Una held the journal in her hand and stared at it for a moment. When she heard Will’s footsteps that was followed by the closing of the door, she slowly started reading on the first entry she laid her eyes on…
Hello Journal,
How’s it going? Today, Daddy said I have a very important purpose in this world. He said that he and Mommy made me give chance to bad people become good people again. Like Mommy and Daddy. I have a purpose and meaning.
Una felt her heart sink in the pit of her stomach and her palms sweat as she continued to read.
Dear Journal,
I’m sorta pissed at Dad right now. Okay, so, next week is my 16th birthday and Dad told me he’s gotten me an early birthday present, but he said I’ll have to wait for a couple of years before I can have it. Really? Is he serious? Why did he get it this early if I’d have to wait for years before he will let me have it? One more thing, he made me promise not to tell Mom about it or they will fight again. They’ve been fighting a lot. Mom doesn’t approve of what Dad’s been teaching me. She even went livid when she learned about my camping trip with Dad. Mom’s just overreacting and weird, as usual. Can you believe she wants me to be friends with Father Ben from the church? And I hate it when she forces me to do that stupid confession thing. It forces me to spill my secrets with Dad to Father Ben. I can’t betray him and Father Ben is stupid. He wouldn’t understand my purpose. No one understands except Dad.
She flicked through a couple of entries, her palms sweating even more as she read through.
Whazzup Journal?
Mom is gone. She left me. She left Dad. Dad is at the police station to provide information that might help them find her. I overheard Father Ben telling the police to ask Dad. Stupid Father Ben thinks Dad has something to do with it. It’s clear that Mom left us because she and Dad have been fighting a lot. Am I going to miss Mom? Yes, of course. I will miss her cooking, that’s for sure. She never really accepted my purpose and I personally think it’s best for Dad and me to continue our mission without her.
Una thought there was no way Will’s mom just left him. She believed that Father Ben, whoever he was, couldn’t be more right. As she scanned in the next few entries, her stomach churned in place, and her heart started to pound harder in her chest as she read an entry that almost immediately harked her back to the darkest part of her past.
How’s it going?
Dad is gone. Father Ben called me to tell me that our house got caught on fire. Dad is dead. I can’t believe it. Everything’s gone. I’ve no home. I have let this stupid college thing distract me from my real purpose. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. Dad’s gone. I don’t think I can do this alone. I’m scared.
And as
she began to read the next entry, Una’s hands shook…
Dear Journal,
William Thomas is dead. He was an asshole and a complete slob. An absolute sinner in the making. Not only was he an utter embarrassment and failure, but he was also a total fucktard.
And guess what else happened this week? Apparently, the fire and my dad’s death became an instant headline when the investigation had led the police to find a girl who was reported missing for two years. Charlie (yes, the internet got a little creative and named the girl after Drew Barrymore’s character in the movie Firestarter for obvious reasons that authorities can’t reveal any personal information about her) was found a mile from our house.
I can’t go back home now. Not when people think my Dad had something to do with her disappearance. Dad had taught me a lot of things on how to deal with situations like this. I got to think. I can’t fail Dad now.
She gasped as she began to shake with fear, reading an entry that seemed more recent.
Hubris―
Remember how father once taught me about the cardinal sins and how humanity struggled—and fell? He taught me of self-sacrifice, of serving a purpose, of redemption and salvation. As he added, redemption is only the first step to salvation; this is the process of renewing and freeing people from their servitude to sin by acquiring back their liberty from sin at a cost.
The back of Una’s throat burned and her chest tightened painfully, recognizing the name mentioned in Will’s entry and feeling a sudden flush of torture and panic course through her. Tears drowned her heart that soon rolled down her damp cheeks. Too shocked and depleted in both body and mind, she just choked back the pain.
Will was the very son of the man who took a huge chunk of her life away from her. And she―she was the birthday present he was meant to have. His first act of absolution.
As panic filled her, she quickly got up and walked to the door. She turned the knob and just as she had thought, it was locked. She glared at the door with her fading hope and looked around. The thick wooden planks that sturdily barricaded the windows made her plan to escape through the window, somewhat bleak. She tried the door again and yanked at the handles, desperate than ever to break out.
Considerably Wicked: A Dark Romance Page 26
