Considerably Wicked: A Dark Romance

by Leigh Frankie

  Una turned slightly red in an instant. “Drugs do not equate to crime. Being addicted to drugs, technically, is not a crime, but what one does while under the influence could result to commiting crime in multiple ways. Addicts get locked up and are forced to atone for their sins. Addiction is a choice. You had a choice. We all do.”

  “I certainly did not have a choice, Una. I grew up listening to my father and his deranged ideology and my mother treating me like I was possessed. I told you already.”

  And with that, she shot him a look which he could not quite measure.

  “Do you really think you could stop?” she spoke again, somewhat sympathetic this time.

  “Of course.” Will knew she needed to be assured time and time again. “With you, I know I could do it.”

  “What if something happens to me? What happens when I’m gone?”

  He was instantly pissed at the thought. He didn’t like it. Not one bit. “Don’t say that, Una. Nothing will happen to you as long as I’m here. I wouldn’t let anything or anyone harm you.”

  She was staring blankly at him again, sending her intermittent curiosity into overdrive. ”Did you know about the girl your father kept in the basement?” she blurted.

  Sitting across the table from her, Will wasn’t quite taken aback by her implied question. He studied the expression on her face for anything that could have motivated her to ask it. When she looked back at him, he could see tears brewing in her eyes.

  “No,” he muttered, then frowned. “But I don’t think my father kept―”

  “He did!” Una yelled and slammed her fist on the table.

  This immediately brought Will to a confused standstill.

  “Your father kidnapped her for one unspeakable purpose and for a revolting reason. Your father had judged her mother unworthy and filthy. He was supposed to kill her, but death came to her first. She died from a car crash. Your dad kidnapped her daughter instead to take her place. And you were supposed to kill that girl on her 16th birthday. She was supposed to be your first human kill!” Una said fitfully, gasping for air while rubbing warm tears angrily from her eyes.

  Shocked, Will sat in silence for a long minute, his mind struggling to grasp what Una really meant with what she just said. “How did you…” he trailed off. Or maybe he already knew but was hoping so hard he was wrong.

  “I was the girl in your basement.”

  Una thought he had to finally know. He had to know that their paths had already crossed before. He had to know that he was doing now what his father had done before. He had to know why it was extremely hard for her to just accept him back and move on.

  Will’s shoulders dropped and sank in his seat.

  “Your father kidnapped me on my 14th birthday,” Una’s voice cracked as she continued. “Dad tried to stop him, but he got to him first and stabbed him to death. My dad and I were supposed to leave for South Korea that week to start a new life after my mom’s death.” She smiled a little. “A second chance. But your dad took that chance from us. He even blamed my father and said he wouldn’t have taken me a little too early had it not for my father’s decision to relocate to someplace he wouldn’t be able to go. You were supposed to kill me when I’m old enough to understand―at 16. So, he waited, and I…I waited for my death in your basement.”

  This utterly left Will speechless and slightly shaken up.

  He had no idea.

  He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t prepared for this. How come he didn’t see it before? How come he never wondered about Una’s stint at Aishcliff? How come he never asked?

  “But you never got the chance to kill me. I escaped. I burned your house and killed your father,” Una’s voice was tight. She pursed her lips with tears welling up in her eyes.

  “You were my early birthday present.” He finally understood. He finally got it now.

  “Yes. Your father kept me alive so you could kill me.”

  He could feel his heart aching as he learned the truth. His heart ached to go to her. But he knew better. Pulling her into him wouldn’t make the situation any better. He could tell that she was angry and in so much pain right now.

  “Your father used to scare me with your aunt’s dog.” She sighed, closing her eyes to his appearance. When she looked at him again, she saw sadness, despair, and hurt.

  Now he understood the fourth rule.

  “I didn’t know, Una,” he whispered, still shocked. “I have no idea.”

  “Your father kept me in the dark, long enough that I almost lost my mind. Eight years after and I still can’t sleep with the lights off, scared that your father would come out in the dark just like how he did on the night he kidnapped me.”

  “Your fifth rule…”

  “Can’t you see? I became so scared of the dark that until now, I still carry the fear with me. And do you know what I really think? You may prolong the craving, put it off for as long as you can, but the itching and the wanting will never stop. And I will eventually suffer the same demise as your victims because that’s what you’re supposed to do. You are your father.”

  Will sighed. He knew he had to stretch the limit of her patience as far as he could. And he had to time and again remind himself that she was the kind of woman who would not hold her tongue.

  “Una, you are my life now. Killing you would be suicide.” His lower lip quivered as he tried to hold back the mixture of emotions swirling inside him.

  His eyes locked with hers and he noticed she was staring right at him. Her heart broke a little at seeing the pain and misery in her eyes.

  “I’m tired. I want to back to my private prison now,” she spoke quietly.

  And for a second, he thought he saw the old Una back, but just as quickly, the coldness in her eyes came back. She looked at him for a second longer then looked and stood up from her seat. “Oh, I met your mom, you know. She found me. And she didn’t really run away.”

  “What?” Will gulped.

  “Your father killed her. I know this because I was standing in a corner when he bludgeoned her to death.”

  Chapter 28

  Cuba

  Today, Una decided to take control. It had been three days since she had revealed her secrets to Will and for days, Will had kept on trying to win her trust over by telling her over and over again that he could still be someone better than who he was in the past.

  Slowly, Una had allowed herself to talk gently with him, and Will immediately took notice of this slight change from her, but she also understood that he would not let her freely walk around in fear that she would run away. But to where? She had no idea where in the middle of nowhere he’d kept her.

  On the flip side, however, it had also been three days since Will had been restless. For days, his first waking thought had been for the fact that he needed one more kill before he could finally be at peace.

  Lust. Yes, that was what he was lacking. But could he do it now that he made Una a promise? He promised to change…for her. It’s all for her.

  He turned wearily at the locked door he had kept Una in before settling himself on the couch that had also become his bed in the dark living room of the cabin. He sat there, opening his laptop in his lap and booted it up and started his deep web exploration before getting to his own site.

  Welcome to The Deliverer!

  He felt his stomach churned as he learned he had twenty-six unread messages waiting for him. He scrolled down, and a shockwave ran through his body. All those messages were from different clients, offering him an appetizing kill with a generous amount of money. His hands felt clammy, and his throat quickly turned dry.

  It sure wouldn’t hurt to know what some of these clients had requested from him, would it?

  Will pushed the thoughts away, his thumb hovering over the screen. He hesitated for a moment before highlighting all twenty-six messages.

  Are you sure you want to permanently delete the selected items?

  He couldn’t possibly break
his promise to Una. He couldn’t possibly leave her alone in the cabin, in the middle of the woods to go look for his clients’ projects. No! He made a promise. He promised her that he would be good now. He promised her that he would no longer cater to his purpose. He promised her that he would change and stop.

  He gazed intently at the screen in front of him. Am I sure I want to permanently delete this part of me?

  Could he really shut the demons out for the rest of his life? Could he really pretend that seeing people choke on their own blood wouldn’t captivate his entire being at all? But he had been addicted to pleasing his own demons for as long as he could remember. Could he really play the good guy that Una wanted him to be?

  He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, then cursed himself for his uncertainties and clicked yes.

  He almost jumped off the couch when he heard the new message notification sound. He clicked on the first message quickly, barely checking the sender’s name.

  Your documents are ready. Transfer payment to bitcoin before noon then meet up.

  After processing the fee through BitWallet, he quickly typed his reply:

  Tomorrow. Bring docs. Same time. Same Place.

  As soon as he sent his reply, he clicked on the second message. His stomach stirred as he read the subject.

  Byron Windsor, 29 years old ―Lust.

  Click to read more

  Fuck! What now?

  ***

  “Fuck!” Will pounded his fists against his head. “Fuck! Fuck!” he kept whispering loudly, pacing back and forth. He looked over to Una who was sound asleep. Who wouldn’t be? It was almost 2 AM.

  Unable to control the strong wave of emotions radiating around him, he fell on his knees and pressed his head against the floorboard, and although he clenched his eyes shut, the built-up tears still escaped them.

  Una would never forgive him this time. It was clear to him that this was not a game anymore. As it turned out, he was not open to change. After what he just did, maybe he wasn’t built for change after all. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be normal. Maybe people like him could never change.

  However, if he was given a choice of how he would want to function, he would want to be normal. And maybe then it wouldn’t be too hard for him to be what Una had wanted him to be and he wouldn’t have to deal with all the demons in his mind.

  “I’m fucked up. Fuck,” he sobbed.

  “Will?”

  His pulse vibrated within his ears at the sound of Una’s sleepy voice.

  Una yawned and rubbed her eyes, her mind still trying to figure out what was going on.

  “I’m sorry, Una,” she heard Will said in between sobs which surprised her.

  “Come here. What’s wrong?” she asked, completely puzzled.

  When she noticed that Will did not move, she slowly crawled from the bed and joined him instead.

  Will turned onto his side, curling in on himself and laid his head in Una’s lap. “I’m sorry, Una. I’m sorry. I tried so hard,” he cried.

  “I don’t understand. What are you trying to tell me?”

  “I failed you. I tried to fight it…but I failed you.” He was already crying loudly, tears flowing freely and onto Una’s lap.

  Will didn’t have to be more specific. Una already knew why he was asking her forgiveness for. “You killed someone,” she said softly that it almost sounded like a whisper filled with astounding disappointment.

  Will nodded.

  She froze in her place. Looking down at him and the blood on his shirt that had dried up, it was clear what Will had done that night.

  Will quickly sat up. He cupped Una’s face between his cold hands. Tears kept pooling rapidly in his eyes. “I swear, that was my last. I just had to finish what I started. That’s all. You have to believe me. I love you. You have to understand that I had to finish the cycle.” He broke down again. “It won’t let me rest if I left it unfinished. I had to do it.”

  Una took a deep breath. She chose not to say anything. Well, she thought there was nothing else to say. Will failed his promise, but in the corner of her mind, she somehow knew it would happen. Maybe she was just too naive to even think that people like him could actually leave their past behind them and become someone they’re totally not.

  “I had to finish it,” he repeated. “I can stop. I didn’t lose control, Una. I just had to finish what I started.”

  By killing another innocent human being, Una thought.

  “I’m sorry, Una. I’m done. You gotta believe me. I love you. I love you so much and I feel miserable. Please,” Will begged like a child.

  Una thought that whatever she would say wouldn’t even matter. Whether she chose not to forgive him, it wouldn’t make any difference. She knew Will wouldn’t let her go. Her strength that night was fading from little to almost nothing.

  “Shhh…that’s enough. That’s enough. Let’s try and sleep,” she said, sighing slowly.

  She stared at the closed window as she was stroking Will’s damp head for as long as she could remember that night, until Will, finally exhausted himself from crying, fell asleep on the floor with her.

  ***

  “May I help you?”

  “Good morning, Doctor. My name is Frederick Duffy, and I’m a police detective,” Frederick said, pointing at the badge under his coat. “I’m here to―”

  “Ask a few questions about one of my patients?”

  Frederick briefly smiled and nodded. “Yes. May I come in?”

  Dr. Larson hesitated for a second before she let him in. “Yes, you may. Have a seat.” She led him to her very much orderly office. She motioned him to sit on the couch, which was obviously for her patients.

  Frederick looked around. It wasn’t his first time visiting a psychiatrist, not that he was ever obliged to visit one. It was all a part of his investigation, including that particular visit.

  He had noticed that Dr. Larson had fewer bookcases than most of the other shrinks he had visited in the past. The decor was rather dull too, with nothing that would interest a patient except maybe for the certificates and a painting of a bored English woman hanging on the wall. There was a box of Kleenex on the small table between the chairs. “Nice office you got here.”

  Dr. Larson sat down opposite to him. “Thank you. I can give you ten minutes.” She looked up at the clock which was positioned behind, on the wall only she could see. “I have an appointment with an impatient patient who always arrives five minutes early.”

  “I understand,” Frederick said. He took a deep breath.

  Dr. Larson waited.

  “I’m here to ask some questions about Ms. Una Miller. I believe she’s one of your…patients?”

  “Yes. Actually, Detective Duffy, I just got a phone call from the police a few days ago. They said they were just inquiring. Asked me three questions and the phone call ended in less than five minutes.”

  Frederick let out another sigh. “Dr. Larson, unless we don’t really see any motives or foul play, there’s nothing we can really do. However, Mr. Glen Russo, a friend of Una’s boyfriend, Will, thinks that they’re actually may be in danger.”

  “I am not very much familiar with Una’s relationship with Will, if that’s what you’re trying to ask. I haven’t met him. There is nothing I can tell you about him.”

  “How about Ms. Miller?”

  Dr. Larson sighed. “This isn’t really the first time Una left without telling anyone. The first time she did it, she went missing for more than two weeks. Upon considering her past, a team was organized to look for her. She went to Orlando. I asked her why she did it, she said Boston made her sick.”

  Frederick looked surprised. “I see.”

  “She then disappeared again. This time, police officers were pretty hesitant to do something drastic like organizing a unit again to track her. But that didn’t change the fear that Liezel felt that second time around.”

  Frederick pulled out a notepad and started writing things down. “Where did she
go this time?”

  “She went to visit a friend who lived in Denver.”

  “And do you think Una went to see her friend again, this time?”

  Dr. Larson shook her head. “To be honest with you, I don’t know.”

  “Dr. Larson, they’re not the only ones missing. Mr. Sinclair Godfrey, Will’s boss, as well as Ms. Liezel Anne Blanco, Una’s friend, are missing too. It just doesn’t make any sense.” Frederick straightened his coat and stared, a bit more serious this time to add some sense of gravity in the conversation.

  Dr. Larson pursed her lips with understanding.

  “How long has she been seeing you?” Frederick said.

  “Long.”

  He nodded slowly. “Like… how long? A few months? A year?”

  “For a few years now,” Dr. Larson said, answering his question a little vaguely.

  Frederick’s eyes widened. “A few years? Why has she been seeing you?”

  “Detective…” Dr. Larson looked away.

  “Come on, Dr. Larson. Don’t even think of giving me that doctor-patient confidentiality horse shit now.”

  Dr. Larson pressed her lips together. “Are you here because you’re doing a proper investigation, Detective? Or are you just here to ask me questions so you could have something to tell Will’s friend that you have done your part?”

  Frederick stood up and interrupted her with a sarcastic laugh. “Well, Mr. Russo firmly believes that his friend may be in danger that means your patient could be in danger too.”

  Dr. Larson crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, staring back at the young detective thoughtfully before she let out a long, ragged sigh. “Una was a patient at Aishcliff for two years. She started seeing me after she was released.”

  “How did she end up at the Aishcliffe Facility in the first place?” Frederick asked., His interest immediately piqued.

  The doctor thought for a second.

  “Doctor Larson, Ms. Miller, Ms. Blanco, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Godfrey have been missing for weeks now. You have to tell me everything you know…even the smallest information…” Frederick told her when she didn’t say anything.