It was late, Mercy knew it, but she had little power to force herself to sleep. Her mind reeled and wouldn’t relent. With her blank eyes, she stared up into the black ceiling while she lay on the hotel bed’s comforter, fully dressed in the dark.
Why had she felt Alex’s pain when she touched her? Only when Mercy resisted the call, did a phantom pain similar to the injury of the suffering distress her. Like when she had tried to resist killing the cat when she was 5, she had then felt gashes in her side. To a small extent, Mercy absorbed everyone’s pain. Their distress was like a musky perfume in the scents of anger, depression, fear, loneliness, concern, and physical pain. She would catch whiffs of it, enough to know which ‘scent’ it was, but mostly she would ignore it.
This mission of hers was so strange. At least in the way that it affected her. Typically she felt a constant pain in her chest until she ended the misery of whatever she had been sent after. This was not the case, the closer she became to Alex, and the more she wanted to help her, the less she was pained from the curse. It hurt her in a different way. It was her own aching that she felt, and her need for the truth of her mission to free Alex from what was tormenting her.
It was possible that the fates had taken an even crueler turn and brought her here to sympathize with the girl but not be able to aid her. A new way for them to plague Mercy, but she snuffed that thought hoping the fates weren’t that sadistic.
When she ran into Alex tomorrow she would get her answers, and she wasn’t going to let her go until she agreed to let Mercy help her. She would hold that girl as long as it took, even if that meant pouring Alex’s pain into her. Mercy would be strong, and she would take it.
Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzz.
The cellphone on the nightstand beside her bed buzzed to life. She glanced over and then shot up. A number Mercy didn’t recognize was on the screen of the disposable phone.
“Hello?” Mercy answered.
“Mercy,” a girl’s voice whispered.
“Alex?”
“Mercy, I need you to come get me. I need to get out of here. My mom got called into work for an emergency. But… it’s different this time. I think he’s going-“ Alex cut short, the only proof of her continued presence was her quick breathing.
“Alex? What’s going on? Where are you?” Mercy demanded.
Then the cause of the silence became clear when she heard a man calling Alex’s name. Mercy’s heart raced, she could hear him too distinctly for him not to be close to Alex. Her ears strained to pick up any other sounds over the phone. Neither one of them spoke or barely breathed for several seconds. Mercy opened her mouth to ask Alex if he was gone when she heard a shuffling noise, and then a scream.
”ALEX!?” Mercy yelled.
Alex’s cries for help rang in Mercy’s head, and she could hear thumping noises, but Alex’s shrieks were becoming more distant as if she was being dragged away.
“DAMNIT!” spat Mercy as she grabbed her jacket and brown bag, and then raced out the door practically flying down the hotel stairs to the parking level. In record time she was on her scooter and flying out of the parking garage.
She had never been so reckless weaving in and out of traffic and up sidewalks. For the first time she was racing against time, her rental scooter frustratingly slow.
It took her 45 minutes to reach a gravel path that she almost missed. She followed it a short way down until she saw a ghost of a cabin peeking out from the trees. Turning off the scooter she pushed it into the dark tree line and made her way down.
She proceeded with stealth and caution, and within the cover of the trees, she pulled up her black hood to hide her hair luminous light hair. The driveway appeared to be deserted, but she kept her guarded pursuit slow. Crossing behind a shed she studied the dark cabin that looked unoccupied. She moved through the woods silently until she rounded the back of the cabin.
The windows were pools of blackness as she approached them and her hands began to tingle. Mercy tested a window, it seemed loose and she used her fingers to pry it back. The old hinges creaking as the window opened causing her to wince at the sound. She listened, and it was silent aside from the singing insects. Easily she popped out the screen and then eased herself through the windowsill with such deliberate care that only a small groan of the wood beneath her feet could be heard.
Again she paused to listen if her presence had been detected, and thankfully she was returned with silence once more. Using her fingertips along the wall to guide her, Mercy moved around the cabin on the balls of her feet. Stopping at every creak she heard or made.
Her hand brushed a door knob in what appeared to be the kitchen and began to tingle. She eased the door open and peered into the black nothingness. Two wooden steps were distinguishable in the gloom, she assumed they lead down to a basement. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. With a shaking hand, she reached into her brown side bag and withdrew a flashlight. She gave one final listen and look before she clicked it on and head down.
The descent was cold and it made her stomach sick with dread. Her insides twisted and her heart raced painfully fast. There was so much pain in the basement that it was suffocating; it grasped at her through the darkness and left her gasping for air, causing Mercy to bend over and take deep breaths. I have to keep moving.
She pushed herself forward until she was eyeing a giant painting next to a filthy laundry tub. Unsure of herself she stood before it and traced her fingertips along it. There was something here, but she saw nothing. With her flashlight she analyzed the entire painting. It depicted a large tree with a little girl on a wooden swing. The colours were cheerful but the child was not smiling, her small face was solemn and pinched.
“Alex.” Mercy hissed, and then repeated her name louder, “Alex.”
“Mercy?” a muffled voice called. Mercy stumbled back a step and almost dropped her flashlight. With no control of her own, her hands flew out in front of her and pushed. The painting swung backward and an invisible door gave way to a dimly lit corridor. With careful footsteps, Mercy made her way down a short hall towards another door with light snaking through its cracks. She eased it open, and took in a sight that was difficult for her to comprehend. On the right side of the room was a desktop computer. Shelves lining the back wall had VHS on some, and CDs on others. At the top of each case was a white paper with a word scrawled on it, and with something long dangling beneath. Dangerous intuitions wormed their through the back of her mind as she tried to piece together what she was seeing.
“Mercy!” pleaded a high voice, accompanied by the jingling of metal. Mercy snapped out of her trance and looked to her left. Her preoccupation with the shelves extinguished. With a gasp, Mercy rushed towards Alex, and she could feel a sickening anger bubbling inside of her.
“Who did this?” Mercy barked, as she gawked at the terrible sight before her. With all the gore Mercy had witness she had doubted she could be shocked again until this moment. Alex shook in a large dog cage sealed by a large padlock, the girl’s body looking impossibly small within. Her fingers were gripping the grating so tightly her knuckles were white. Alex kneeled in her prison in nothing more than a blood-spattered training bra and underwear. Half of the girls flesh was marred with scratches, cuts, and black bruises. The right side of her mouth was cut and swollen.
Mercy placed her fingers over Alex’s through the cage. A wave of pain, terror, and violation washed over her, making tears stream down Mercy’s cheeks. It was almost too much for her, but it was worth it to see Alex stop trembling.
“Did Frank do this?” she questioned barely able to find her voice. Alex looked directly into Mercy’s eyes,
“Yes.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“Four months ago he started…”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“He threatened to kill my mom if I did or hunt us down if we tried to run,” Alex shuddered dropping her eyes ashamed. “How’d you find me?�
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“Not important. I’m getting you out of here,” Mercy retorted firmly.
“How? He has the key.”
At this Mercy smiled and closed her hand around the lock. A fire burned in her palm and she gave the padlock a yank. With a snap, the lock gave way and Mercy jerked the crate open.
“How did you…?”
“Doesn’t matter. We need to get out of here before he comes back,” Mercy urged as she lifted Alex to her feet. She moved to take off her jacket when something caught her eye. A dark lock of hair dangled from the case next to the cage. Mercy reached out and touched it. Her body buckled when a surge of pain flowed through her, her hand flying down to clutch her stomach. Her eyes watered and she looked at the writing above the hair: ‘Sandra.’
She grabbed a CD from one of the shelves and studied it. It had ‘Sandra, August 15, 2009’ written on it. She grabbed the next one and it had a similar message with a different date. Placing the cd’s back on the shelf she finished removing her jacket and handed it to Alex.
As Alex slid on the jacket, Mercy glanced at the other shelves. The one next to ‘Sandra’ said ‘Olivia’, then ‘Kate, then ‘Beth’, and ‘Alex’. There were still 2 more shelves she couldn’t read.
“I’ve seen him record me when he….” Alex muttered and trailed off, but Mercy understood.
Turning to leave the grotesque shelves something caught Mercy’s eye, and she stopped. A silver box sat on one of the lower shelves of ‘Sandra’s’, and she noticed a similar one on the case next to it. Mercy bent down and picked up the box, and opened the lid. She regretted doing so immediately. Within the ornate silver box were soiled and bloody underwear. In shock and revulsion, Mercy’s hands jerked back and she dropped it. The delicate box cracked on the cement floor and spewed an obscure powder out of its bottom. Mercy flicked her flashlight over the grey dust.
Ash.
Blindly she pawed backward at Alex until she grabbed a hold of her arm, and then turned running tugging the girl to the door.
“We need to go NOW!” Mercy hissed. Together they ran to the stairs until Mercy put her finger over her mouth as a sign for them to move quietly up them.
The two of the crept through the ominous house and to the window Mercy had originally entered through. She helped Alex through it to the outside and away the poisonous atmosphere of the cabin. As she rounded the house Mercy heard the rumble of a car, the crunching of gravel, and saw a vehicle's lights peeking across the corner of the cabin. She pulled Alex down into a crouch behind her.
“Alex, I need you to go into the trees and head up the driveway. I have a bike up there. Whatever you hear don’t come back. If I’m not there in 15 minutes call 9-1-1 and head to the right once you’re through the trees. Keep going until you find a house or another car.” whispered Mercy. She grabbed her disposable cellphone from her bag and handed it to Alex along with her flashlight.
“What are you going to do?” Alex asked bewildered.
“I don’t know… I just, I have to stop him.” Mercy muttered.
“Mercy-“
“GO!” Mercy hissed and looked into the girl’s face, her contours barely visible in the moonlight. Giving Alex’s shoulder a squeeze, she then nudged her towards the trees.
Crouching low so the jacket would cover her legs, Alex then disappeared into the forest. Mercy crept forward to peer around the corner of the cabin as the man stepped out of the car. The sight of him roiled her stomach making her seethe.
The gravel crunched under his shoes as he moved towards the shed in the direction of Alex. She could just make out Alex’s frozen form through the trees. Mercy held her breath and clenched her jaw as she watched. He paused and glanced around before entering the shed. Mercy counted to three and then began to move. The shed door was still open a bit and she could hear him rooting through it.
Keeping to the grass Mercy darted across the lawn to the back of the shed. Her heart hammered in her chest. She had no idea what to do. There was no plan. She tried to stifle her quick breaths before she passed out, or worse before he heard her. What am I doing!? I can’t jump him! Her brain screamed. The man was twice her size, and could easily overpower her. Talking to him was out of the question, and she doubted she could get close enough to needle him. Blood thundered in her ears and her heart jerked viciously in her chest. But before the panic could consume her, the burning sensation returned to her hand, and she felt it start to drift behind her. Mercy pivoted and noticed a stack of wood behind her. Then she saw the gleam and understood.
Shuffling sideways she eyed the deadly weapon. Her hand enclosed around the wooden handle of the axe, and with the quietness of a shadow, she moved around the side of the shed keeping close to the wall. A creaking sound and a thud signified the closing of the shed door that was soon followed by shoes scuffing against the ground. Mercy waited for a beat before she rounded the wood structure.
A deadly calm washed over her as she brought the large axe up. It felt light in her hands. She was ice, and she was the end. She moved as silently as a panther until he was within her reach. With a crunch, she hit the man with the blunt side of the axe in the ribs, and she heard the wind gush out of him. She brought it down again on his kidneys and he staggered dropping to his knees. Another crack to the side of his head and he spun falling onto his back.
She watched as his eyes swam having trouble to focus. “You are sick man. A monster,” she spat through gritted teeth. She pulled back her hood, he would see her, and he would know that a young girl would be the one to bring his end.
“You sensed it didn’t you? At the park, you knew I would come for you. That’s why you grabbed Alex tonight?” she questioned him rhetorically with a sharp edge to her voice. His eyes narrowed angrily as recognition of her face entered them. He blinked rapidly attempting to keep his eyes steady and locked on her. “There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will,” she added evenly as she circled around him.
“All those girls… all the pain you caused them. I won’t let you do it Alex.” Mercy hissed and twirled the axe handle so the blunt side was no longer forward. His beady eyes were in focus now and wide with terror. Within her icy eyes he saw his end, but this time they offered him no compassion. They didn’t promise he wouldn’t suffer.
“No…. Please…. HAVE MERCY!” he cried, and feebly tried to back away while holding side.
“I am,” she sneered, and swung the axe down.
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Mercy Page 4
