Ruthless and Deadly

by ML BINELLI

  "I knew I could not trust you! Go to hell with your dear lord, the king of excrement!"

  She let go of the knife and her legs turned to jelly. She fell to the floor.

  "I killed Vidal because of this pile of shit!"

  She cried, not for having killed James and Marie, but for no longer having Vidal by her side. She continued to cry out of regret for having lost her accomplice by defending a worthless man, but nothing she could do would undo what had already been done.

  She recovered. She began to reason once more. What to do now? How to get rid of the bodies. She went upstairs and threw a few changes of clothes in a bag. She took what was left of her money and went down to the living room. She grabbed the bottles of aguardente that James had sent to the kitchen. She poured the contents around the room and on top of both bodies, set them on fire and left. She crossed the street and watched the flames consume the house.

  A few diamonds had gone. She had given them to James to send to the captain Edward’s widow and daughter in exchange for the house and the mill. She could not stay here for she had not yet formalized her entry into the company and, therefore, could not claim she owned any part of it. A crowd started to gather in the street, watching the house burn. The fire had spread to the neighboring houses. Soldiers were called to contain the fire, but it is too late, the upper story had already collapsed. It would take some time for them to find the two bodies, if they had not already turned to ash. She turned around and went looking for a carriage to take her to the Union Hotel.

  She entered the hotel and asked for a room. She went to the bedroom and asked the servant to prepare a bath for her. Inside the bathtub in complete relaxation she felt a strange peace of mind, considering what she had just been through. It was the first time in her life that she was alone and the sense of freedom she felt was making her feel euphoric.

  She realized that she alone was now responsible for her destiny. Until now, she had only followed orders. The orders of her mother, who had given her away and the orders of Leonardo. She only got rid of his bullying with Torres' help. She found an accomplice in Vidal and was betrayed by James. All her paths were changed because of the influence of others. Not anymore! Now she was on her own and responsible for the paths that her life would take. Despite feeling a touch of fear, the excitement of what was to come and the fact that the reins were now in her hands gave her intense joy. Her body shook, she moaned, the hot water seemed to massage her muscles and relax them.

  She sank her body down and leaned her neck on the edge of the tub. She looked in the mirror positioned in the front of the tub and saw herself as a queen having her daily bath. But she was not comfortable. She grabbed a towel and rolled it up to use as a backrest for her neck. Her legs floated, she saw the tip of her toes emerge out of the water as if they had a will of their own. The water level was at the height of her chin. She felt like she could do anything, as if she were God. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in a state of grace.

  While she slept, her body slid down the bathtub until the water reached her nostrils. She breathed in water and woke up frightened, her hands were at the bottom of the tub supporting her body. But she felt a pressure on her shoulders and when she looked to the right, she saw a hand pressing her down. When she looked up at the mirror, she saw Leonardo standing behind her, partly scorched. His disgusting mouth approached her ear.

  "I told you, you were mine! You will keep me company throughout eternity in the depths of hell!" he said.

  She tried to move her legs, but they were bound as if chained. Slowly, the shapes of Torres appeared holding down her right foot and James on the left holding down her left foot. Both had hate in their eyes. James still had the wound she had inflicted on his chest and it was gushing blood. They held her as she struggled to get rid of them. Both pulling her legs while Leonardo pushed her shoulders down. She tried to fight them by holding onto the edge of the bath but she didn't have enough strength. Her head was submerged, only her terror-filled eyes were now out of the water. In the mirror, she saw a figure approaching Leonardo from behind and thrusting a dagger into his neck, which came out at the front of his throat. She screamed but no sound came from her mouth. His image began to disappear as if he were made of smoke and behind him emerged a smiling woman, a mirror image of herself. Her fingers were black. She immediately realized that it was her mother. The figure of Jonas in wet clothes and empty sockets for eyes appeared in the middle of both apparitions holding down her legs. He grabbed both by the neck and threw himself back, dragging them back with him to the abyss. She woke up frightened with a shiver running down her spine. She pushed her feet against the tub until her body rose and the water returned to the level of your shoulders. She lifted her body out of the water. When she looked again at the mirror, she saw Vidal, his head cracked open and a look of hurt that tore her heart out. She woke up again with another cry. A dream inside another dream. "Dreams?" She realized then that they would never leave her.

  END

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