Ugly Beautiful

by Sean-Paul Thomas

  The woman glanced curiously over at Gary. There was a long and uncomfortable pause as Jason continued to breathe even deeper and harder. The woman continued to hold the sharp, roasting end of the poker close to Jason's eye, without even looking in his direction.

  'HA.' The woman yelped again. Then, as quick as she'd approached him, she backed casually away, walking over towards the cellar doorway.

  'HA.' she yelped one more time while scanning the room for something or someone that Jason still could not see. The woman let out a child like giggle again before disappearing through the dark cellar doorway.

  Jason tried to compose himself with long, deep, calm soothing breaths. He took a glance over towards the drowsy and disillusioned Gary. Eventually he allowed himself to lower his head in complete and utter exhaustion at the maddening nightmare he found himself in. Then overcome by all of his conflicting emotions at the same time, Jason quietly sobbed to himself.

  CHAPTER thirteen

  Jason slept, still bound tightly to the large wooden chair. Directly opposite him, the hideously disfigured Gary also slept, making bizarre snoring slurps from the side of his flapping cheeks. Out of the darkness a soft pale hand came towards Jason and caressed his face before running their fingers over his head and through his hair.

  Jason stirred.

  Gradually he opened his eyes feeling the strange sensation of somebody else's touch upon his skin. Caught in a half dreamy world he imagined his mother sitting in her lonely prison cell while he laid beside her, his head resting peacefully upon her lap. She stroked her fingers through his hair listening to him whisper for forgiveness. Realising that the touches upon his body were real, Jason jolted his head back in fright, awakening from the tranquil dream.

  'What are you doing?' Jason whispered fearfully and still sleepy. He felt so sure, as night follows day, that the mad crazy woman had come back to play, taunt and torture him some more. 'What the hell are you doing now? Get... away... from... me.'

  Then Jason relaxed. He breathed a deep sigh of relief once he recognised the petite and pretty figure kneeling peacefully in front of him. He knew the slim, pale and dark haired woman to be none other than Haley, his Haley. She was wearing a look of great sorrow upon every corner of her face.

  'Haley?' whispered Jason, imagining he were still asleep and dreaming peacefully. He was unable to comprehend that she was actually still alive and here by his side, like an angel swooping down from the gardens of heaven above to seek him out in that filthy bile pit of rancid hell. Haley bowed her head unable to meet Jason's eye. He really didn't believe that he would actually ever see her again.

  'Haley. Is that you? Is it really you? Am I dreaming still?'

  She raised her head and glanced back up at him. Tears swelled in her eyes. Jason fell speechless. His astounding disbelief overwhelmed him entirely.

  'How... How are you?' asked Haley softly and sounding upset.

  'What? What is going on here Haley?' Jason replied, still groggy, but with a hint of relief.

  'I... I hope she hasn't... hurt you too bad.' she continued. Jason shook his head. Haley lowered her hands gently down to his bruised and nailed feet.

  'I'm so sorry Jason.' Haley continued, but becoming more emotional. The tears swelling in her eyes soon began trickling down her cheeks.

  'I'm so, so sorry for all of this. But you must believe me Jason when I say that I had no idea that this... that this was going to be the outcome of our adventure when we first met.'

  Jason remained very quiet. He wanted to speak. He wanted to say a million and one different things swirling around his brain, begging for release and answers, but just in case none of this was real. In case he had just hallucinated the whole entire scene with Haley up, he remained quiet, for fear of shattering the pleasant illusion.

  'I knew there was something terrible at the back of my mind Jason.' Haley continued. 'But I had no idea what it actually was, none whatsoever. You must believe me. I tried so hard to block it out. All of it, and I succeeded... for a little while.'

  Haley paused for the briefest of moments.

  'But now she's come back again Jason.'

  Jason was still unsure. Was this real? Was he still dreaming. Was he imaging all of this?

  'Haley…? Is it really you Haley?' whispered Jason as if finally awakening from his nightmare. 'Is it really you?' continued Jason.

  Haley gently nodded. Jason looked anxious and relieved at the same time.

  'What happened to you baby? Where did you go? How did you escape? Who the hell is that fucking lunatic out there?' Jason raged, letting his emotions get the better of him.

  'I'm so sorry Jason. I really had no idea.' pleaded Haley desperately. 'You do believe me don't you? That I had absolutely no idea about any of this, until it was too late?'

  'What the hell is going on here Haley? What is going on? I don't understand this. I don't understand any of this. Please, just tell me what's going on? Please.'

  Haley lowered her head and sobbed. Unable to make eye contact with Jason anymore.

  'I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But she's too strong for me. I can't fight her anymore. She wares me down so, so much. I can't fight her any longer.' Haley continued to sob. She sounded more tired and emotionally drained than Jason and Gary combined.

  'What? Who wares you down Haley? Who are you talking about?' Jason replied still confused as hell. 'That psycho bitch. Is that who you're referring too? Who is she Haley? Who is that crazy fuck?'

  'She's... she's...' said Haley. She hesitated and wiped her tears, struggling to get the words out.'

  'She's what Haley? What is she? What is she too you?'

  'She's my sister Jason okay? She's my sister.' Haley replied, finally spitting out the words that tormented her mind for so long.

  'Your sister?' Jason coughed hard, shocked. 'What like your evil fucking retarded step sister? I mean what the fuck Haley. What the fuck?'

  Haley bowed her head. Jason sighed deeply trying to regain control over his frantic thoughts.

  'Okay.' said Jason, calming slightly. 'Where is she now? Where is your sister now Haley?'

  'She's... she's sleeping. She hasn't slept since she came back. It's been over three days and she hasn't even slept a wink. She knows that when she sleeps... well... that is when I can…get out.'

  Jason struggled with his ropes and handcuffs, paying only half attention to what Haley was saying.

  'Come on Haley. Cut me loose. Help me get these bloody ropes and wires off. We can get the hell out of here. We'll burn this fucking madhouse to the ground and never look back baby. Come on Haley, please, help me?'

  'I…I can't do that Jason. She won't let me. She's in control now. Even though I'm here. She's still in control.'

  'What are you talking about? You said she's sleeping. So help me get free. Come on?' said Jason getting angry and annoyed now. Haley paused. She looked deep in thought.

  'When I escaped from her for the first time Jason... It was because she was unprepared for it. But she'll never let that happen again... not ever. She'll never let me leave with you.'

  'Haley please…Please baby. Help me get out of here and I promise you…I swear to you, I will help you get away from here too. We can leave together. Just the two of us. Right now. Right this second.'

  'She's too strong for me. It took all of my energy to block her out after she captured her last victim. I just... I just finally had enough of all this death and pain and torture and insanity. I'd had enough.'

  'You mean Gary. He was her last victim before you ran away and I found you at the hill?'

  'Yes, I think it was a day or two before we met. She likes to pretend to be a hitchhiker. That's how she meets most of her victims. That's how she enticed Gary to come back here. She flirts with the men and hints at suggestions of sex inside the house. Of course Gary came in. They always come in. And then she beat him. She beat him really bad.'

  Jason glanced at the unconscious mutilated pulp figure of Gary, unable to
tell if he was even still alive. There was a comforting element of peacefulness about him as he sat, head bowed and in a seemingly dream like bliss, tucked up inside his wheelchair.

  'She beat him so bad. Worse than I've ever seen before. Worse than any of the others.

  'Tell me about it. I sat through most of it.'

  'She's getting more and more sick and twisted with every new victim.'

  'How many others Haley? How many others have there been?'

  'I've lost count over the years. Dozens maybe. But this time with your friend Gary I'd had enough... I tried so hard to stop her Jason. I really caught her off guard this time. She had no idea. We fought with each other all over the house until we fell down the stairs. When I came through she was gone. I could no longer hear her anymore. She was no longer with me. So I got up and I ran. I ran and I ran just as fast as I could. Through the dark fields, over the dark hills until... I think I managed to climb to the top of that hill where we used to sit and talk, up beside the little baby oak tree. And then, I must of blacked out through shear exhaustion... or slipped, I don't remember which. But when I awoke...'

  Haley smiled warmly at Jason. Tears formed in her eyes again until they trickled down her cheeks like a tiny faint waterfall of perfectly formed crystals.

  'I was with you and I was in your cottage. But my memory, my mind was just a blank canvas. I couldn't remember anything. I couldn't even hear her or remember her and all the sick, evil, twisted things she'd done. I thought she was gone Jason. I thought she was gone forever.'

  Jason closed his eyes and shook his head. He took a deep, hard breath before speaking again.

  'I still don't understand this Haley. I don't understand why you can't just help me and let me take you away from this fucking mad house. If your sister's sleeping she won't know what's happening. And as soon as I can get you as far and as safely away from her and this shit pit, hell hole as I possible can, I'll come back. I'll come back and I'll put that sick, twisted fuck out her goddamn misery for good. I will terminally end her presence here on this planet so she need never bother you, or any poor sucker again for that matter. I swear it. If it's the last thing I do so help me God. I fucking swear it.'

  A deathly silence crept into the cellar. Haley pondered hard over Jason's words. The harrowing silence was eventually broken by a gentle snort from the still sleeping and mutilated Gary. Jason stared intensely at Haley who remained with her head bowed. He looked for some kind of acknowledgement or reaction from her that told him she understood him. That she would help him escape. That they would leave this grim hell hole together. Haley wiped her tears and finally broke her silence.

  'You still don't understand do you?'

  'No. I don't understand. I don't understand any of this sick shit. It's a complete fucking, insane nightmare. I only understand that I want us both out of here. Out of this bloody torture chamber, right this second.'

  Haley shook her head in anguish. More tears flowed down her previous and now dry, teardrop trail.

  'It can't happen Jason. I cannot leave here with you now or ever.'

  'Why Haley? Why can't you?' Jason raised his voice, becoming more frustrated by the second. Haley glanced at him with her upset and teary eyes. She glared directly into his fractured soul.

  'Look at me Jason. Just look at me.'

  Jason stared at her. He looked deep into her eyes and peered straight into her soul, just like she had done to him.

  'What do you see Jason?' whispered Haley. 'What do you see?'

  'I...I see…I see you Haley. I see you and your love for me and my love for you. That's all I can see.'

  'Then you are truly blind. And so is your love for me. Where do you think my sister sleeps Jason? Where do you think my sick, evil, twisted sister sleeps huh?'

  Jason stared even harder at Haley. The realisation of his deepest and darkest, unspoken, unrealised and nightmarish thoughts slowly began to surface from the farthest rancid regions of his mind, gradually unfolding in front of his eyes like they had always been there. They were just on a different frequency. But now, they made absolute concrete sense.

  'She is my sister Jason.' Haley continued full of despair. 'But we are two of the same person. Two minds occupying one body.'

  Jason's face drained of all colour when Haley pointed firmly towards her head.

  'She sleeps Jason, but not for long.'

  Jason remained speechless. Too lost for words to even utter any rational thoughts. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to strike out. He scrunched his eyes up and tensely shook his head. He fought every last vein, muscle and urge inside his entire body not to explode in defeat.

  'Yes, we could run away together Jason.' said Haley gently and smiling warmly. 'We could run to the end of the Earth. But we could never truly be together. We could never, ever truly hide from her. She would always find me... always. We would never be free.'

  Haley stroked Jason's cheek while he continued to shake his head in a silent rage.

  'And when she does find me again, and she will Jason. I would never be able to protect you.'

  Haley moved closer to Jason's face, kissing him softly upon the cheek. Jason stopped shaking. He became motionless, keeping his eyes firmly shut. He too had a chance to return Haley's gesture upon her own cheek, or even to take in a deep smell of her hair, but he refrained from doing so.

  'You have... You have two personalities.' Jason spoke, breaking free from his speechless trance and opening his eyes once more to meet her gaze.

  'Yes.' Haley replied, feeling ashamed of her terrible affliction. Jason sighed, still trying to take everything in. Still fighting the tears, the torments inside his own head and the whole horrific nightmare he found himself in. The crazy psycho blonde woman, Gary's disgusting, torturous disfigurement, Haley's sudden reappearance followed by her chilling confession. But Jason’s deeply rooted stubbornness inside refused to be defeated.

  Jason spoke. Saying the first thing that entered his mind.

  'You never tried to get any help? I mean, there must be people out there who can help you Haley. How long have you been like this for?'

  Haley smiled warmly again.

  'She's too far gone for any help Jason. And this is her body too after all. As hard as this might be for you to accept. She made me. She created me first.'

  'But how? How can this even be possible? It's just so completely unreal... It's ridiculous.'

  Haley took a deep breath and glanced towards the cellar floor.

  'She made me up in her childhood Jason. It was right about the time her father forced her to kill for the very first time in her life.'

  'Her father?' Jason replied, concerned now that there were more people in the house to deal with.

  'He was an evil man. The absolute worst. He would abuse her so bad for as long as I can remember.'

  'What happened to him? Is he still alive. Is he here?'

  Haley glanced away with a distant look in her eyes.

  'She killed him... eventually. But not before she succumbed to his evil ways. Now she won't even talk about him or acknowledge him or her childhood anymore. She refuses to acknowledge anything about her past. She completely lives in the present, trapped in her own psychotic little bubble world.'

  Haley paused, thinking hard.

  'So she just made you up. Right out of thin air.'

  Haley glanced at Jason.

  'No. There's more too it than that.'

  'Well tell me?' insisted Jason.

  'She also had a real life sister. A real, living breathing twin sister, who were more close to each other than any other two little girls could ever hope to be.'

  'You were the sister?'

  'Yes. I also ended up being the first person she ever killed. We were eleven years old. Our father locked us down here in this very cellar for weeks, months on end maybe. He told us that until one of us ended the other ones life we would never be allowed to eat or see daylight again. In the end... it was only she that emerged
to see the victorious light of day.'

  Jason bowed his head in sorrow. And he thought all this time that he had such a difficult upbringing.

  'I'm so sorry Haley.'

  Haley let out a tiny half hearted smile.