by Riley Moreno
4
“Did you get a good look at him?” Mark asked the next day. When Melissa had returned home she'd shut everything, turned off all the lights, and pulled the sheets over her head, creating a cocoon. All through the night she had strained her ears, trying to hear if this man was outside. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was beating like thunder. It was hot under the covers and soon enough there was a sheen of sweat covering her. Eventually she fell asleep, but it was not a restful slumber, and when she woke she looked around with panic. Even now she felt groggy, and her head throbbed with a dull ache. Mark looked at her with concern and repeated the question.
“No, I think he was just caught in the headlights. I didn't see anything.”
“You can't stay here Melissa, come with me. There's plenty of room.”
“And what am I going to do for work? I can't just up and leave at the first sign of trouble. This is my home. I'm not going to be scared away. I have to learn to live by myself,” she said.
“Then at least let me put a watch on you to make sure that no-one comes near you. I hate to think of you like this.”
“Mark, it's alright, I'm just a little shaken, that's all. It's sweet that you're this worried but you really shouldn't be.”
“Damn right I'm worried. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.” Melissa squeezed his hand and smiled at him.
“Let's just go to this cooking class. It'll help take my mind off it,” Melissa said, as she grabbed her coat and walked to the door. Mark didn't have any choice but to follow her, and although he was still worried he decided to leave the matter for the moment. They walked down the drive, and as they did so, Melissa glanced to either side, looking down the stretch of the road to see if anyone was there, but it was deserted. Mark pretended not to notice, but he was already deeply worried for her safety.
They drove to the middle of the city. The sprawling skyscrapers and buildings glittered in the early evening twilight. The air was sweet and warm as they made their way to the community college. It had been a long time since either of them had been in education, so to be there now was a strange sensation. They made their way through the corridors to the cooking class. It was already filled with people, and they took their space towards the back of the room, where they had their own counter with a sink, cooker, and other implements. The teacher was an elderly woman with dyed dark scarlet hair, and stern eyes. The rest of the class was made up of people of all ages. Some were obviously here because they found themselves in unexpected circumstances and had to learn how to cook, while others were there for fun. Melissa felt most sorry for a few of the older gentlemen. By the way they dressed and carried themselves she could see that they had either been widowed or divorced, and were evidently having to learn something that had previously been taken care of for them. It must have been a shock to the system, but at least they were able to set aside their ego and go to a class like this.
“There doesn't seem to be anyone for you to hit on,” Melissa said, for the only women there were either not Mark's type at all, or they were with their boyfriends.
“Yeah, this could have been a miscalculation in judgment,” he said, “ah well, at least I might learn something.”
The class got underway and the teacher gave them strict instructions. Melissa was happy to let Mark take the lead because she already knew the basics, and she enjoyed seeing Mark struggle. He was successful in most areas of his life but there were certain things she'd never seen him do, like cook, and he wasn't proving to be a natural.
“You could try and help me rather than just standing there laughing,” he said as he struggled to pick out some fragments of egg shell that had dropped into the mix. Melissa pushed him aside and dug them out, then took over and showed him how to do it. They were causing quite a ruckus as they guffawed loudly, and the other students looked at them with interest. The teacher kept clearing her throat and glaring at them, and at one point she even had to come over and ask the two of them to tone it down, otherwise she would have to ask them to leave. This only made Melissa and Mark laugh more, however, and they felt like scolded school children. But as the evening wore on they worked hard and worked together to bake a cake. As they mixed the ingredients together their hands rubbed against each other, and they laughed gleefully as they teased each other by flicking flour at each other.
When it was finally ready the teacher inspected their cake and turned her nose up at it.
“It's not that bad,” Melissa said, although it was in a sorry state. Mark looked down at the lopsided cake and the crumbling edges.
“It's lucky I can afford a chef,” he said, and the two of them left with their cake in two.
“I can't believe we almost got thrown out of a cookery class,” Melissa said, looking back at the college as they walked out into the night.
“I know, it was totally your fault though,” he said.
“What?” Melissa said incredulously, slapping his arm.
“I was there to learn, you were the one who went in all high and mighty saying that you knew everything anyway so you didn't even have to try,” as he said this he did an exaggerated impression of her, and this made her hit him again, although he skipped away. However, he almost dropped the cake, and had to adjust his balance to ensure that it didn't fall on the floor.
“Real smooth there,” Melissa said, “it's lucky there weren't any eligible women, I think you should rely on flashing the cash, it seems to have worked for you so far.”
“We'll see, I might spend some time practicing at home. I could surprise you one of these days.”
“Hmm, well, if you do just make sure to alert the emergency services first. I'd hate to see a report on the news about your mansion burning down.”
They fell into step with each other and went back to Melissa's place. Things were so natural between them that Mark didn't even question whether they were going to continue the night or not, he simply followed her inside. Once inside, he went to the kitchen and cut each of them a slice of the cake. When they ate it they found that it wasn't as bad as it looked, although it was a little dry. Melissa picked the crumbs off her chest and then collected the plates, while Mark picked up a magazine and flicked through to the television listings to see if there was anything on to watch. But then he heard a sharp crash and ran to the kitchen, finding Melissa standing facing the window with shards of a broken plate around her feet.
“What's wrong?” Mark asked, walking forward, being careful not to step on the fragments of the plate.
“I s-saw something,” she said, and then turned around. Mark warned her against stepping on the sharp shards, but he reached out a hand and led her to safety.
“I'm going to go outside and take a look around, okay?” he said. She nodded, and he walked around the perimeter while she stayed hunched against the wall, afraid that even her own home wasn't safe. The tension was building inside, and she hated how she could be enjoying a pleasant evening one minute only for it to be ruined by a bump in the night. She could brush it off as a trick of the mind if only she hadn't seen the outline in the headlights...
The door handle twisted and the breath caught in her throat. She reached into the drawer and felt her hands curl around the sharp metal blade of a knife, only to relax her till Mark came in.
“Well, I didn't see anything out there,” he said. Melissa, looking desolate, went into the front room and slumped down on the couch. Mark followed her slowly and took a seat beside her.
“Look, I'm going to tell you this just to get it out of the way. I'm going to say it and you're going to answer me and then we're going to leave it like that, okay?”
She nodded.
“Are you sure that you saw something and that this isn't all in your head? You've been through a lot recently and I know you haven't been sleeping well. These sorts of things can lead to emotional trauma. I'm no expert in psychology but it's not the first time something like this would have happened,” he said carefully.
“I know what I saw,” Melissa replied through gritted teeth, “I heard him and I saw him in the headlights, and I just saw something outside in the darkness. I don't know who he is or what he wants but he's out there and for some reason he's stalking me. Are you going to help me or are you going to question my sanity?”
“I'm going to help you of course, I just wanted to make sure,” he said, holding out his hands in a supplicating gesture. “I'm here for whatever you need. I've told you that before, I just want to make sure we know what we're dealing with here. Now, do you want me to call the police?”
Melissa chewed her lip, and looked as though she was lost in another world. Mark had to prod her with his finger to pull her back.
“I don't know, do you think I should?”
“If there's someone out there stalking you then yes, you should.”
“But we don't know anything concrete. I don't even have a description of him. And I don't want to have a police watch on me all the time, it'll only bring up questions. I want my life to go back to normal, I don't want this,” she said, and leaned in to Mark. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, giving her all the comfort he had.
“I'm going to stay here tonight,” he said, and she didn't resist. As they lay there holding each other they remained silent. Their breathing found the same rhythm and occasionally Melissa would adjust herself, but otherwise they stayed perfectly still.
“Are you awake?” she said at some point around midnight. The room was perfectly dark, and they couldn't see each other.
“Yeah, I thought I'd better stay awake, just in case,” Mark replied. “Are you okay?”
“I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done. You didn't have to stay as close to me as you have, but I really appreciate it. You're one of the only people to make this whole thing bearable. I don't know how I'd cope without you, I just wanted to let you know that.” Her words were soft and her voice was breathy. It was the time of night that had an almost mystical quality, where the tendrils of sleep were just creeping around them, and secrets came out.
“It's my pleasure, honestly, like I said I've always valued you as a friend and I was never going to just let you go through this alone. It's been difficult for me as well. Steven was my best friend as well as my brother and ever since he died it's like there's been a hole in my life. I guess I figure it's time to start searching for some meaning. We both know he wasn't perfect but at least he had things figured out, he knew what he wanted to do with his life and he had you. I'd trade all my money for that kind of certainty. Well...most of money.”
This brought a soft laugh from Melissa and she felt herself drawn to Mark. She was sleepy and he was so warm and comfortable. She could feel his heart beating through his chest. She ran her hand across and as she did so his heart quickened. She pressed her curves against him, enjoying the comfort he brought. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could see his milky skin in contrast to her own ebony, and in the drowsiness she tilted her head up as he looked down at her. Their eyes met and gleamed in the darkness, and suddenly they were seized by the moment. It was wrong, they both knew it, but then again it seemed so right as well. Their clothes rustled as they adjusted their positions and they moved tentatively towards each other. Both of them were hoping that the other would stop it, but neither of them did, and then their lips met and explosion burst through their souls. Their breath mingled as their hands fell around each other and they moved their lips in a hot, passionate embrace. It was sweet agony to feel that closeness with someone again, to feel the heat of another's body, to feel something other than pain and misery, but just as their tongues started to twist and dance together Melissa was overwhelmed with guilt and she pulled away.
“Oh my God, I'm so sorry, we can't do this,” she said. Mark bolted up and held her shoulder, although she pulled away from him.
“It's okay Melissa, we're not doing anything wrong,” he said.
“We are, this is wrong. It's all wrong. I shouldn't...we shouldn't...” she said, and then ran off to her room sobbing. Mark hung his head and followed her, banging on her door to try and talk but it was no use. She wouldn't see him.
He left.
5
Over the following few days Melissa was a guilt-ridden wreck. Rationally she knew she hadn't done anything wrong. She and Mark were two single adults that shared a lot in common, and yet there was something inherently wrong about it all. It would have felt wrong with anybody, but with Mark...it was impossible to think about it. He tried calling her though, but she ignored him, and was just thankful that he didn't come to her house to try and press the issue for she didn't know what she could say to him, but perhaps it was better that she was just alone forever. And yet despite all this she couldn't help thinking about him, about the way he made her laugh and how he was always there for her when she needed it. Just like Steven would have been...
It was insane to develop feelings for the stepbrother and yet it was a hard fight within her. The best course of action was to just deny her feelings and hope that eventually she would move on, as hard as it was because she genuinely missed Mark's company, but eventually the days slipped by, and she even managed to escape any signs of her stalker. She was even starting to believe that it could just have been a trick of her mind when she returned home and found that the back window was open. She swore she left it closed, and she remembered she would have because it always drove her crazy that Steven left it open. She was always worried that someone would come in and rob them, but Steven had always told her that she was crazy. She tiptoed into the house and crept around the front room. There was someone sitting on her couch, someone that looked familiar, but surely it couldn't be him...
Feeling freaked out, Melissa left the house and called up Mark, who sounded surprised that he called her.
“It's him Mark, he's here, Steven's come home!”
Melissa was sitting on the sidewalk when Mark arrived. He jumped out of the car.
“What is going on?” he said, concern etched on his face.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I think he's been my stalker. Somehow he's survived and he's come home to me, to us,” she said, a broad smile on her face.
“Have you spoken to him,” Mark said, glancing at the apartment.
“No, I thought I'd wait for you,” she said. They both walked up and entered the apartment. Mark tried to hold Melissa back but she ran forward, ready to fling her at the man she loved, the man she had built her life around. Only when she saw him she screamed, and turned away in horror. His skin was mottled and sagged down his face, making it appear as though he was melting. His eyes were rolled back in his head, and his lips were contorted together. His ears were hanging down lower than usual, and when he spoke it was with wheezing breath. His body was lumpy and his feet were turned inwards. His hands looked gnarled, as though he was an eighty year old man suffering from arthritis.
He looked unnatural.
“What did they do to you,” Melissa gasped, falling to her knees. Mark circled around the edge of the room, and didn't speak when he saw his brother, or at least the man that used to be his brother.
“Mel...iss...a,” he said, every word a constant strain, as if he was putting all his energy into speaking, “help me,” he said. Melissa looked at him and fell to her knees, taking his hands in hers.
“Who did this baby? Who's responsible?”
“Mom, dad.”
“Yeah, I'll tell them, you'll see them soon. Mark is here too, just tell us who did this and how we can help you,” she said. Steven turned his head towards his brother, and he repeated his need for his parents.
“Melissa, he means mom and dad did this to him,” Mark said gravely.
“What do you mean?”
“Their research. I don't know much about it but what little I know is that they were working on ways to extend lifespan, somehow they brought Steven back to life, if you can call this life.”
“I...nee...ded to see you,”
he said, “you...are...my...love. I...will...al...ways...re...mem...ber...you...but...I...can...not...live...like...this. Mel...iss...a...you...must...for...get...me...please...live. Live,” he said, and Melissa's eyes welled up with tears.
“I...just...had...to...see...you...one...last...time...be...fore...I...leave. Do...not...try...and...find...me. Be...happy,” he said, and pushed himself up. If he could have cried he would have, but he no longer had that capability. He was more a monster than a man, and he shuffled away from Melissa. As he passed Mark, Steven nodded to his brother, and when Melissa tried to run after him Mark held her back. She fought and struggled, but Mark would not let go until Steven was out of the door. Only then did he let Melissa go. She ran after Steven, but there was no sign of him. When she came back into the apartment she was boiling with rage.
“Why did you not let me go after him?!” she yelled.
“You heard what he said. We should respect his wishes. Whatever you may think he's not the same man as he once was. Whatever my parents did to him changed him, and you can bet that I will not let them get away with it.”
“But he's out there somewhere, alive.”
