ecstasy | corpse husband

chapter 13.

elowen stands rooted to the spot, stunned.

elijah stares at her with fearful eyes, his little hands gripped to the old man's wrinkled hand that's clamped over his mouth. her eyes stay trained on the knife hovering over the delicate skin of the boy's neck, her heart pounding harder every passing second.

one easy flick of his bony wrist, and elijah's throat will be sliced open and spilling for her to see.

her eyes find the man's. there's a crooked grin on his mouth that doesn't meet his small eyes, and some of his teeth are missing. hatred towards him boils in her each moment she glances at elijah's terror-stricken features.

"answer me," his voice aggressively cuts through her.

she's shaky as she speaks. "yes, his name is elijah." she wouldn't offer his nickname, wouldn't give him that permission.

"handsome name," he licks his lips. "handsome boy." he looks down at the top of his head, his nose nearly touching his hair. It irks her beyond belief.

she talks to him like she's walking on a tightrope. "we don't mean you any harm. please, let him go."

"this your son?" he brings his disturbing gaze onto her. "your baby boy?" he presses elijah firmer against his chest. the boy's chest heaves, a struggle for breath.

she nods her head without much thought or hesitation, and her bottom lip trembles. "he's just a kid."

"a bad kid, at that, I hate to say. you must think the world of him, huh, mama? think he's one of God's precious angels descended to earth to suckle at your nip."

she's unaware where this is going, only sure of the unease coursing through her. he's disturbed. she's focused on studying his every move, every twitch of his fingers on the blade. she knows if he does anything, if he goes through with it, she'd be too late to stop it from happening. and yet, she studies him desperately.

"aren't you foolish?" he laughs a grating laugh, one that makes her shiver.

the front door opens then, and corpse bursts in with concern plaguing his features. "there's a truck out back, I think someone's here. we—" it takes him only a second to follow her frightened gaze and figure out the situation at hand.

"who's that?" the old man shouts, his crazed eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them. "he tries any funny business, I slit your boy's throat right now."

"he won't," elowen reassures him immediately yet warning corpse at the same time. she holds a hand towards corpse, signaling for him to remain still and calm. "please, just tell us what you want." they had only stopped for gas and to use the bathrooms. what reason could he possibly have to be hostile towards them?

"I want you bastards to leave my store." he snarls, eyes bulging at them.

"done." elowen blurts, continuing to present herself as nothing but cooperative.

the old man chuckles obscenely. "it ain't that simple, mama. this boy of yours took something from me." he presses his hand harder against elijah's mouth, and elowen has to restrain herself from running towards him. she peeks at corpse from the corner of her eye, but he appears only calm and collected.

she knows this is what she wanted, but a deeper, more evil part of her wishes he'd react. that he'd wreak Hell on the creep.

she returns her attention to the man, hearing his words. "he took something from you? what do you mean?"

"I was watchin' him from the cameras, just as I was watchin' you. little bastard stole a pack of batteries from off one of my shelves. tucked it in this here pocket of his," he uses the blade to tap the front pocket of elijah's sweatshirt. "not so precious anymore, ain't he?"