Dark Corners - Twelve Tales of Terror

by Bray, Michael

  “We were fooling around at his place, when there was a knock at the door. We had ordered in pizza so we assumed that’s what it was. Paul was drunk, or at least well on his way, so I opened the door—and there he was, your man Monde.”

  Tina searched her friends face for a lie, hoping desperately to find one. She was horrified to see nothing but truth, and suddenly felt sick.

  “Go on,” she said, with a voice that didn’t even sound like her own.

  “So I asked him what he wanted. I mean, why would he be there, right? He didn’t get mad or anything, he just calmly asked to speak to Paul, who by that time had heard the commotion and come to the door. Well, you know how he is when he’s drunk.”

  She most certainly did.

  “So Paul starts getting in Monde’s face, or more his chest because he’s so big. I mean holy fuck, is he tall. Anyway, Paul was ranting and raving and Monde just stood there—stood there with a crazy look in his eye and an amused smile on his face. Now, I’m trying to calm things down, because I figure these two are about to get into it right there on the doorstep. So I’m in the middle, and then he…”

  Lexi swallowed and Tina noticed that she could no longer look her in the eye.

  “He—he moved so fast that I didn’t really see him move, you know? One minute Paul was pointing and shouting, and the next he was on the floor holding his face, and there was blood, good God there was so much blood.”

  Lexi had grown pale and Tina thought she had aged at least ten years in the last few minutes.

  “I wasn’t really sure what had happened until after, but Monde kneeled down and whispered something to Paul when he was on the floor. And I heard him, I swear I heard him as clear as day.”

  “What did he say?” Tina asked, trying to ignore her somersaulting stomach.

  “He said ‘she’s mine now.’ And he was calm, so calm, even though he had it in his hand and it was still moving….”

  “What happened, Lexi? TELL ME!” Tina demanded.

  Tears began to roll down Lexi’s cheeks, but there was no accompanying sobbing or wailing, just a lost and neutral look on her face. Tina wondered if something in Lexi’s mind had broken.

  “He pulled out Paul’s tongue... I don’t know how he did it, or how he could move so fast, but… he yanked it out with one fucking hand. Oh God, he looked at me and his eyes were black… I swear they were black as night.”

  Tina was repulsed, but also felt a sense of pride that both surprised and emboldened her. Nobody had ever gone to such extremes on her behalf before.

  “And the thing I will never forget, the thing I can’t get out of my mind, is that Paul’s tongue was still moving. Like it was still trying to talk or something... Now you see why you have to leave him. Leave and get as far away as you can.”

  Lexi was borderline hysterical, but Tina wasn’t listening. She was imagining Monde deep inside her, both of them covered in fresh, hot blood. She saw it vividly in her mind; her tied naked to the bed, Monde licking her breasts and her belly, moving down, down, down—not using his own mouth, but Paul’s severed tongue, which he held in his right hand like some bizarre phallus, still twisting and writhing. She found herself becoming aroused and wished she were with him now. Lexi was looking at her pleadingly, openly crying, but Tina could only think of that severed tongue exploring her. She smiled.

  Lexi’s face screwed up into an expression of disgust and anger.

  “Why are you smiling? What’s wrong with you?!” she wailed, the pair now had the full attention of the neighbouring patrons.

  “Did you tell him to do it?”

  Tina blinked in shock, and her depraved thoughts were gone from her mind in an instant.

  “Of course I didn’t! I didn’t know anything about it! How can you even ask me that?”

  “Then leave him. Get away from him, whilst you still can. You aren’t safe with him.”

  “He looks after me, Lexi. You don’t have the right to try and wreck things for me!”

  “I’m trying to help you, Tina!”

  “No, that’s not it. You want him for yourself, don’t you?! You want Monde!”

  “Of course not, what the hell are you talking about?!”

  “Poor little depressed Tina finally gets a man. Well it’s no joke now, is it? Now that I’m doing well, you’re just jealous!”

  “He’s changed you! You aren’t yourself!”

  “And how would you know? You were never there when I was crying myself to sleep at night, when that animal you’ve been sleeping with was fucking raping me! Monde is the only one who cares about me! I love him and none of your lies will change a fucking thing!” Tina was shaking now and gripping the edges of the table so hard that her knuckles had turned white. Lexi shook her head slowly, wiping her hand across her nose in a childlike gesture.

  “He’s brainwashed you, Tina. Why can’t you see it?”

  “Look,” Tina said as she stood quickly, tipping her chair backwards onto the floor. Even the staff were looking now and had joined the rest of the customers in watching the show. Tina pointed at Lexi and spoke through gritted teeth.

  “You and I are through. Don’t contact me again. I love Monde and that’s all there is to it. He’s no monster. You keep away from me and you keep away from him, or I swear to God, I’ll kill you!”

  Not one to back down, Lexi also stood and put on her leather jacket, which had been hanging off the back of her chair.

  “You know what, that’s fine. I tried to warn you, but you don’t want to listen, and that’s fine. But if our friendship ever meant anything to you, Tina, then think about what I said. How much do you really know this guy?”

  “Enough to know he’s no monster.”

  Lexi smiled and Tina went cold. It looked oddly false, and reminded her of the grinning rictus of a Halloween mask.

  “Try rearranging the letters of his name. Then you’ll see what I think he is.”

  Tina gave Lexi a disgusted sneer and left, sweeping out of the coffee shop and away from the judgemental eyes of the customers.

  Six

  Rhodes looked up at Tina, but couldn’t get a fix on her expression. He returned to his notepad, running his eyes over the scrawled arrangements of Monde’s name.

  Do men.

  Mod en.

  Em don.

  Demon.

  Rhodes snorted an uneasy bark of laughter, then turned back to Tina. “Demon? Lexi thought Monde was a Demon?”

  He was anxious to hear Tina's response, but she simply sat and watched him with half a smile on her face. Rhodes’ mind buzzed with the bounty of information he had taken in.

  “Tina, are you still with me?”

  “Yes. I’m just resting my voice. I’m tired of talking now.”

  “I understand, but we have to continue. Would you like another drink?”

  “You got any Vodka?” she asked with a teasing smile. He felt a quiver in his groin at the flirtatious way in which she had said it, and he wondered if she was deliberately trying to tease him. He pushed aside the images of being with her that had begun to form in his mind, and continued with his questions.

  “What happened to Paul?”

  “He couldn’t handle what had happened to him. I guess he didn’t like being on the receiving end for a change.”

  “What do you mean?” Rhodes pressed.

  “He’s dead. Suicide apparently. I only heard the rumours, same as everyone else. But by all accounts, Paul went and bought himself a big old dirt sandwich. And good riddance too, if you ask me.”

  She was so nonchalant, so matter of fact that it made goosebumps pop up on Rhodes’ arms.

  “What happened?”

  “What do you mean what happened? He died,” she said with a chuckle.

  “Come on, Tina. You know what I mean.”

  “Sorry, Tom. Just messing with you. I don’t know exactly. I heard that he filled a bath, took a bunch of sleeping pills, tied a plastic bag over his head with duct tape, and then sl
it his wrists.”

  “Jesus...”

  “He clearly wasn’t fucking around. Not a cry for help, if you catch my drift.”

  She was still smiling at him, and began to pick away at the edge of her polystyrene cup. Rhodes took a deep breath and tried to get things back on track.

  “I’d like to hear more about Monde.” Rhodes chose his next words carefully, knowing that Tina’s reaction could spell the end of their conversation.

  “Tina…Do you think Monde was a demon?”

  She laughed again and shook her head.

  “I’m not crazy, Detective Rhodes.”

  “You still haven’t answered the question.”

  She considered for a moment, flicking her top lip with her tongue, which didn’t help Rhodes’ efforts to suppress his attraction towards her. He looked at her neckline, and sure enough, he could see the ghosts of finger-shaped bruises. At last, she responded.

  “I think it’s best if you save questions like that until the end.”

  “That’s fair enough, but I’m almost out of paper here. How much more is there to tell?”

  “Not much. We’re nearing the end of the road now.”

  The way she said it sent a chill through him.

  “Then please, continue.”

  She smiled at him, and again there was a seductive element to the way she looked across the table. Baby’s growing up, he thought to himself, although he had no idea where the quote came from, or why it came to him at all.

  “You don’t quite know what to make of me, do you Tom?”

  It was becoming more and more difficult for him to ignore his physical attraction to her. It was the way she kept calling him by his first name, the way she kept looking at him, even the seductive secrecy of her smile. There was an innocence to her, but it only served to magnify the explosive sexuality simmering beneath. To his horror, he felt himself stiffening under the table. Stabs of images flashed through his mind; of her coming close, those full, red-painted lips slightly open as she repeated his name.

  Tom, I know what you want to do to me…. so just do it.

  He forced the thoughts out of his head and collected himself. Her question was a good one—did he really know what to make of her?

  “Honestly? No. I don’t. But that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

  It was his turn to smile now, and he was pleased with how well he’d managed to hide his growing uneasiness. She faltered, just a slight frown, but nonetheless a chink in the armour. He decided to press on.

  “Tell me what happened next,” Rhodes said as he picked up his pen and prepared to start writing.

  “Well, after I calmed down, I started to feel guilty about what happened with Lexi. I hadn’t wanted to fall out with her—it’s just that Monde has this way of driving me crazy, you know? I mean, obsession is too weak a word. Anyway, I dwelled on it and decided to ask him about everything outright. We had words and things got heated, but when it was all said and done, we understood each other, and he sat me down and told me everything. It was a lot to take in, so I went out to get some air afterward. I don’t know if it was deliberate or just by accident, but I found myself outside Lexi’s place.”

  Seven

  Lexi lived in a small ground floor apartment. The walls were whitewashed, and beside each white panelled door there was a mailbox and gold painted number. Lexi lived at number six, and as Tina knocked, she hoped that it wasn’t too late to put things right. She waited and was about to leave, when she heard the chain rattle on the other side of the door. It swung open, the acrid smell of cannabis drifting out. There was no welcome, no excited hello, just a strained silence as the two friends stared at each other awkwardly.

  “Lexi... We need to talk.”

  “I’m listening,” she replied, watching Tina with glassy, half-baked eyes.

  “I spoke to Monde about the things you told me...” She barely finished the words before breaking down, and in an instant the argument was forgotten as Lexi draped her arm around her friend, ushering her inside.

  “Hey, hey, come on in.”

  Tina allowed herself to be led as Lexi kicked the door closed behind them. She was wearing black leggings and an oversized Iron Maiden vest. The apartment was cluttered but cosy, one wall devoted to a large shelving unit filled with records and an extensive CD collection. Tina sat in an armchair and Lexi perched on the sofa opposite, quickly putting out her large, oddly shaped joint in the overflowing ashtray on the table.

  “Sorry about that. I was feeling down in the dumps,” Lexi said with a shrug as she waved away the smoke. “So what happened?”

  “I confronted Monde. I asked him about Paul. He didn’t deny it. Lexi, I’m so sorry for doubting you.”

  “Forget about that, hon,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m just glad you came to your senses. Look, here’s the thing, I’ve been doing some research on Monde.”

  “Lexi…”

  “I’m sorry, but I needed to know. I was worried about you. Hell, I’m still worried about you.”

  Although she felt a prickle of anger stir within, Tina let it slide. She didn’t want to get into another fight. Besides, her curiosity was piqued

  “What did you find out?”

  “Nothing that will put your mind at ease. I made a few calls, did some independent research of my own... Tina, he doesn’t exist. No social security, no traceable history. It’s like he just appeared out of thin fuckin’ air.”

  Tina said nothing. She felt sick with nerves.

  “And to top it off, his fucking name! Did you get it, when you rearrange his name it spells...?”

  “Demon,” Tina said with a smile on her face. It felt good to say it aloud. Those two syllables rolled easily off the tongue. De-mon. She watched Lexi carefully as a look of realisation came over her.

  “You already knew, didn’t you...”

  Tina nodded.

  “I think I suspected something right from the start. I knew there was something about him, I just wasn’t sure what it was.”

  Lexi looked as if she wanted to say something, but instead she simply sat motionless and stared at Tina, her revulsion barely hidden.

  “But you argued with me, you defended him…”

  “I didn’t know what he was then, not completely anyway. But I suspected something... It was the little things that added up, Lexi. The way his skin is always hot to the touch. The way he can make anyone bend to his will. And the way he is in bed… the way he snarls and bites and hurts me…”

  “You’re sick,” Lexi whispered, her eyes flicking towards the door. She wanted to run. Tina could sense it, almost smell it in the air.

  “When I asked him about what he was, and he finally told me, I asked him to show me his true self. How he really looked behind the human mask.”

  Tina smiled to herself, sitting back and crossing her legs as if she was discussing the news or a movie she watched the night before.

  “He didn’t want to, but I insisted, and when he did I was glad. You would have screamed, of course. Screamed and run away because you don’t understand. But when I looked at him, I could still see how beautiful he was. I let him take me then. Not as Monde, but as the thing that lives underneath. His skin was so hot it burned, and his nails tore at my flesh. Here, look at this.”

  She lifted up her shirt to show her ribcage, which was lined with deep scratches, and just below her navel there was a deep bite mark, still weeping blood.

  “He has branded me, Lexi. I’m his. You know what he told me? He said he chose me because I was just as lost and as dark a soul as he.”

  Lexi leaned across the table and grabbed Tina’s hands.

  “Tina, you need help. You’re delusional.”

  “I’m pregnant, Lexi. He told me. Our baby will be born half of our world and half of his.”

  Lexi let go of Tina’s hands and half rose.

  “This is sick. I won’t listen to it anymore.” Lexi marched to the door on rubber legs that
wobbled beneath her.

  “I want you to leave,” she said as she opened the door.

  Monde was standing outside. Lexi shrieked and backed away. Her eyes darted from Monde to Tina, then back to Monde as she back-pedaled away from the door.

  “What is he doing here? Why did you bring him here?” Lexi shrieked.

  “Lexi, just relax. I wanted to explain, to make sure you understand that this is what I want.”

  “Tina, snap out of it! Think about what you’re saying!”

  Monde smiled at Lexi then, and his teeth were needle-like daggers, his eyes black pools of hate. He casually walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

  “I want to go with him, Lexi. Back down there.”

  Tina pointed to the floor, and Lexi knew she didn’t mean the maintenance basement. She licked her lips nervously, her eyes bulging out of her head as she backed away from Monde. Lexi thought she could see the tip of a forked tongue flicking between his partly open lips.

  “Tina, don’t do this! Tell him to leave me alone. I know you are a good person. Please!”

  “I’m not a good person, Lexi. I pretend to be, but I’m not,” Tina said with a sad shake of her head.

  Lexi was now backed into a corner with Monde’s six-foot-seven frame looming over her.

  “I asked him to do it quick, Lexi. It’s all I can do.”

  “Tina, please!”

  “Goodbye, Lexi.”

  Tina watched as Monde went to work, the violence and frenzy exciting her. She tried to hold back for as long as she could, but the wet ripping and tearing sounds and the sheared copper smell of the blood overcame her ability to hold back, and she loosed herself upon him, pushing her tongue into his mouth, pulling the heat of his body towards her. They rolled in what was left of Lexi, smearing it on each other, lost in the primal act. Tina knew that somewhere deep down she should feel some sense of guilt or remorse, but there was none to be found. All she could think of was Monde. They finished, climaxing together as she held Lexi’s severed hand in her own, their fingers interlocked.