by Sue Allerton
“I heard screams, I didn’t know if they had found someone else to beat up” he shrugged and took a sip of coffee
“Did you see anyone else?” the officer questioned sounding more and more suspicious.
“No, it’s dark, I could have missed them” he replied trying to keep his voice collected.
“How soon after you found the bodies did you call the police?” the other officer continued
“Straight away, well, I threw up first and then I called” he told them and they looked to each other.
“Where did you throw up?” the taller one asked
“Over there, on the wall” he shrugged and pointed to where the vomit was. One of the officers grabbed a couple of swabs from the ambulance, he gave one to Axel and asked him to swab the inside his mouth and put it inside a tube, and he swabbed the vomit with the other.
“Can I go now?” Axel asked suddenly feeling exhausted.
“I think it’s better you stay with us” the officer suggested, it was an order. Axel sighed and slouched back onto the hood of the car. Forensics and detectives showed up not long after. A plastic tape was set up around the entire arear and before he knew it, people were crowding around the tape trying to get a good view. He asked the same questions again by detectives, they seemed a bit more understanding. Until one man walked up to him. He was tall and lanky with thin greasy, black hair. He had beady eyes and a suit that was too big for him. He had a long scar across his cheek, it was faded after years of healing, but you could still see it from a mile away. Axel watched the man as he looked around the scene. After a while he noticed Axel sitting on the hood of the police car and made his way over.
“You’re the witness?” he asked in a much deeper voice than Axel expected.
“I wouldn’t say a witness, I didn’t see what happened” Axel told him, his eyes were aching for sleep and his muscles burned from the running earlier in the night.
“I’m Detective Kavanagh, tell me what you saw” he asked as he pulled a recorder from his inside jacket pocket. Axel went through the story again for what felt like the hundredth time. Detective Kavanagh was a relentless man, he asked the same questions in different ways and tones trying to trip Axel up over his own words, to try and make him make a mistake so he could unravel his story. Axel kept his cool as best he could, he told them exactly what happened. The detective seemed almost disappointed he hadn’t caused Axel to make a mistake. Once he was satisfied with his answers he let him go. It was five in the morning and Axel was feeling dead on his feet.
He got back to his apartment and stripped naked before climbing into his bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
He was woken by the sound of his phone buzzing. Molly’s number flashed up on the screen and he pressed the green button.
“Hello?” he mumbled groggily
“Oh…um, did I wake you?” she asked on the other end sounding nervous
“No, it’s fine. What’s up?” he answered, not wanting to make her feel bad.
“I was wondering if you wanted to do some studying today? The exams are only in a few weeks” she explained
“Yeah, coffee shop in an hour?” he asked and she agreed. He jumped in the shower and cursed himself. If he hadn’t of stayed late after work hoping Elise would turn up, he might not have been chased and then had to spend hours talking to the police. He checked his phone but she hadn’t replied to him. He shrugged and went out to meet Molly. She had put a little weight on since the last time they spoke, she no longer looked gaunt in the face, but healthy. They hugged when they saw each other and he bought them both coffee. They spent an hour or so studying before they got distracted with talking about other things. Since they had sat down she had relaxed and she was talking about when she was taken.
“I know it was a woman” she began and that surprised Axel. He didn’t think women were beyond things like that, but it was much less heard of than a man kidnapping someone.
“Do you remember what she looked like?” he asked, he felt suddenly as if he was interrogating her.
“She was beautiful, she had long black hair and black eyes, and it was as if she wanted to live in the darkness” she told him “It was weird though, she called herself Eris” she shrugged and Axel’s eyes widened.
“Eris? You don’t mean…?” he trailed off not being able to find the right words.
“I assume that’s what she meant, the Goddess of discord, I think it was just to keep us from knowing her real name. It would be far too crazy to think it could have actually been the real Eris” she said almost smiling. She didn’t believe it, but Axel thought what if it could be true? What if all those stories about Gods were true? What could that mean for them? He sunk down in his chair and looked out of the window. He saw a blur of red in the side of his vision, he looked around but there was nothing. He looked back to Molly who was as white as snow. Her eyes were wide and she spilled her coffee.
“Molly? What is it?” he asked as he sat up straight and put a hand on her shoulder.
“That’s her” she muttered, she was staring out of the window. Across the street stood a tall, thin girl wearing a black leather jacket, jeans and boots. She had fiery red hair. She wasn’t looking toward them. She was watching a group of people in the park. He didn’t need to see her face to know it was Elise.
“What? No! You said she had black hair?” he protested, not wanting to believe it could actually be her.
“Maybe she dyed it? I don’t know but that’s definitely her. The way she holds herself and walks…it’s her” she muttered as tears sprang to her eyes. He watched Elise walk toward the group of people. Her hips swung from side to side and she held her shoulders back in an almost queen like fashion. She looked over to the coffee shop. She saw him. She stopped and turned toward them. Molly whimpered but he couldn’t take his eyes off Elise. If it was true, if she really was the one who kidnapped Molly; she was a monster. Axel pushed out of his chair, it clattered to the floor and Molly jumped. He stroked her shoulder as he left the shop and stormed across the road toward Elise. She stood still facing him. He got close to her and he could see how wide her eyes were. She looked scared.
“Are you…? I don’t even know what to say” he stuttered
“What’s wrong, Axel?” she asked in a small voice
“Molly said…she said you’re the one who kidnapped her?” he replied and she smiled lightly.
“Molly? As in Molly Radway who got kidnapped when she was a kid? She must be mistaken, if it was me, I’d be in what my late thirties by now?” she answered suddenly serious, her eyes wide with worry.
“So it wasn’t you?” he continued, he wanted to believe her. He didn’t want to believe that he could fall for a person who would do such a thing.
“Of course it wasn’t me” she whispered and she wrapped her arms around him. She nestled her face in his neck and he held her. He didn’t want to get involved with her again. He couldn’t help himself. He loved this girl and she knew it, he felt like she loved him too. But something was keeping her away and he wanted to know what.
“Don’t leave” he muttered, he didn’t mean to say it. But when he did he instantly regretted it. He didn’t want to seem pathetic or desperate. She pulled back to look him in the eye. She placed her hand on the side of his face and stroked his cheek.
“I can’t promise that. But I’ll do my best. For you” she said quietly, her eyes were watery and honest. He believed her.
“I need to go, come over later?” he asked and she promised she would. He turned back to the coffee shop to see Molly walking briskly down the street. He ran after her and soon caught up.
“You! You hugged her! What the hell?!” she screamed at him, he was shocked. Nobody had ever shouted at him like that before.
“It wasn’t her; it couldn’t have been. She’d be old now if it was her” he told her and she stared at him in disbelief.
“You believe her?” she said quietly, he couldn’t deny that.
>
“I do. Look, you went through a hard time, the worst, hell I can’t even imagine what you went through. But blaming someone won’t help anything. You’ll probably never see that woman again. It wasn’t her, it couldn’t have been her” he explained to her. Molly’s blood rushed to her face, she was bright red and her lips clamped together.
“Do not make me out to be crazy. It was her, Axel! Why would I lie to you?” she begged as tears sprang back to her eyes.
“Where were you kept?” he asked, that took her by surprise. She looked wide eyed at him and told him she wasn’t sure, she thought it was a basement. She told him about the room being black stone with about twenty of them packed in with a glass window on the front wall.
“If I try and find out for you, will that help?” he asked and she shook her head violently
“No! If you go down there you may never come back out” she sobbed. He hugged her. A part of him wanted to know for sure. He believed them both in a way. He thought maybe it was just wishful thinking that he didn’t want to believe Elise was capable was such a thing. On the other hand, he believed how much Molly believed it was her. He didn’t want to call either of them a liar and he wanted to get evidence before accusing either one.
***
Chapter 9
After leaving Helen’s house, Elise felt rotten inside. She went on a rampage. She torched someone’s car and drank herself into oblivion. She lay on the hood of the Mustang drinking a bottle of whiskey. Someone went up to her, she couldn’t remember who. They asked if she was okay because she was lying on the car laughing hysterically at nothing. She punched them in the face, she thought it was a woman. She remembered the body on the ground. She left the person there and sped down the road. She pulled up to her house and left the car in the drive. She felt as if it was Axel’s favourite thing and for some reason she wanted to keep it close.
Her made ran her a bath. Scolding hot, exactly how she liked it. She submerged herself in the water. She cursed herself over and over and over until she cried. It wasn’t like her to cry and that made her even angrier. She thought she was losing herself.
That night she had a visitor. Her father. She laughed when she saw him and wondered how many others of her family was going to show up to try get her to go home. He was tall and muscular with thick silver hair slicked back with gel. His skin was slightly tanned and his suit was expensive and fitted him perfectly.
“You look like hell” he said as he sat on one of the stools at the breakfast counter. She sniggered as she grabbed a bottle of rum from the cupboard and began chucking it back.
“What are you doing?” he sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“As if you care” she muttered as she sat on the kitchen counter.
“I’m your father, of course I care” he replied gently
“It takes more than giving it to mum to be a father” she laughed, he stood abruptly from his seat and crossed the room to snatch the bottle away from her, she was too quick for him, despite her drunken state.
“You’re out of control” he spat in anger and she laughed as she stumbled across the floor.
“And you wonder why? You kicked me out!” she shouted angrily and her dad looked at her, confused.
“Oh! That, that was years ago” he said brushing it off. Of course he would brush off anything bad he had ever done, most of the time he can’t remember and the rest of the time it’s for a ‘righteous’ reason. She hated him, more than her mother.
“See? You don’t even remember when you hurt me” she smirked
“Hurt you? Nobody can hurt you. That’s what you told me isn’t it? Nobody could ever hurt your feelings because you don’t have any” he protested and she glared at him through narrowed eyes. She did say that, it’s what she so desperately wanted to believe.
“The truth is; I don’t want you to come home. I came to say that if you continue on this path, I’ll have to stop you” he smiled before heading for the door. Elise said nothing, her dad couldn’t stop her and she thought maybe deep down he knew that.
She spent the rest of the night playing with her playthings in the basement. She drank and found herself more generous than usual. Once the match was done, she called her maid down and asked her to order food. A huge spread of curries, burgers, pizzas and chicken. They eat greedily but thankfully. When all the food was gone, she asked if they wanted more. They looked at her confused, as if it was a trick. She sat on the floor with them. She asked them again if they wanted more and they nodded. More food was ordered and she had her maid bring bedding and clothes down from the bedroom. Maybe it was the alcohol making her soft. They seemed confused and scared, they were grateful. They never stopped thanking her. She ate what was left. She offered them alcohol and once the bottle was empty. She lay on the ground and cried. They were quiet. The only sound was her sobs. She didn’t want them to see her like that. The bottle rolled away from her and one of the bigger men grabbed it. He smashed it against the wall to reveal a sharp edge. He scooted over to her, some tried to stop him. The others just stared in disbelief. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and hauled her to her knees. She had stopped crying. She didn’t whimper or cry out. He knelt high above her and made her look him in the eye. He pressed the glass to her throat. They stared each other in the eye.
“Let us go” he ordered in a low broken voice. She looked at him, all she could see in his eyes was years and years of torture and agony. She had done this. She had done all of this. She caused these people pain because she believed it’s what she had to do.
“Do it” she whispered and the man looked at her wide eyed in shock.
“Wha…what?” he stuttered and she smiled lightly
“Do it, shove that glass into my neck” she urged and he let her hair go. The glass fell out of his hand and he stumbled back against the wall.
“I can’t. I’m not a monster. I’m not like you” he spat through gritted teeth. He was a big man, bald headed with muscles sticking out all over the place.
“Yes, I am a monster. I am the worst person you will ever meet. Which is why I’m letting you all go” she muttered. None of them said anything. They just sat their silently. Not knowing what to say or do.
“Do we have to fight for it?” one of them asked, she smiled to herself and shook her head.
“No, I’m just going to let you go” she mumbled and she rose to her feet. She walked to the door of the room and they were escorted upstairs by the guards where they were drugged and shoved in the back of a van and taken to their homes where she first captured them. She felt lighter. She felt as if she no longer had a huge secret beneath her house. Her thirst for chaos wasn’t satisfied. Maybe that was why she let them go. They were no longer fulfilling their original purpose. She sighed as she watched the van pull away.
A few days later she was walking down the street. Dragging her feet, trying to look forward to something. She was trying to find something to satisfy her needs. She was near a coffee shop when she got a strange feeling. She walked by the glass to see Axel and a blonde haired girl sat together. They looked in deep conversation. Elise was jealous. She recognised the girl as Molly, the first girl she had let go. Axel must have felt sorry for her and that’s why he was with her.
New Year had been and gone and still her plans hadn’t gone ahead because she was still wrapped up with her feelings for Axel. She spotted a group of people across the road and she willed them to start a fight. For something to go wrong. She could feel their gaze burning into the side of her. Axel crossed the road to her and all she could think was how much she wanted to run to him.
His eyes were wide and scared. He was scared, maybe of her? What had Molly told her? She lied to him, she told him it couldn’t have been her. To her surprise, he believed her. His whole body relaxed when she wrapped her arms around him and she sunk into him. She wanted to be with him more than ever before. She felt like she was changing. That she didn’t have to be this person she thought she needed to
be. More importantly, because of her feelings for Axel; she wanted to be a better person. She wanted to be the kind of person who deserved a man like him. He was loyal, decent and kind. He tried to see the best in everyone and he kept letting her go back to him. She felt as if she was taking advantage of him but she knew he wouldn’t allow it if he knew what she was really like.
He asked her to go to his place later that night. Excitement bubbled within her as she thought about it. Just to be in his presence was enough for her. She knocked on his door that night and he answered with a warm smile. He had the kind of huge cheesy smile that spread across his face, which would usually annoy her. He hugged her tight as he closed the door behind her and bent his head down to kiss her on the lips. She moaned into his mouth and grinned into the kiss. They sat down on the sofa and she was determined she was going to tell him everything. Well, maybe not everything. But she was going to tell him who she really was.
“Can we go to your place?” he asked before he did anything else. She looked at him, confused at first as to why he wanted to go there. Then she thought about Molly and maybe she convinced him it was her and he wanted to see for himself.
“Sure” she smiled, he looked surprised but happy. Outside she tossed him the keys to the Mustang and he made an excitable noise before jumping into the car. She directed him back to her house. He didn’t look surprised when he saw the gate out front. He muttered something under his breath and gave her a puzzled look.
“You live here?” he asked in disbelief
“It’s my mum’s” she shrugged and got out of the car. He followed her into the house. He looked around trying to find the right words she thought. She walked through the hall into the kitchen, he followed her like a lost puppy.
“What’s through there?” he asked as he came to the basement door.
“The basement” she answered; she had everything changed in the small space of time. The builders had worked tirelessly to alter the basement. She had it turned into an almost library. Shelves after shelves lined the walls filled to the brim with books. Plush carpet lined the floors and armchairs and sofas sat in the centre of the room.
