The Corpse And The Crazy

Chapter 37

"I am the righteous hand of God

And I am the devil that you forgot

And I told you one day you will see

That I'll be back, I guarantee

And that hell's coming, 

Hell's coming with me."

- Poor man's poison (Hell's coming with me)

I met Yasmine when I first got to the mansion. She seemed to be a sweet old lady. Seemed. 

After I realized that I, in fact, had not won the lottery by being allowed into this science experiment, I looked to her for help. But she turned her back on me.

She told him that I wanted to flee the experiments and I was in isolated confinement for weeks on end. The pain was excruciating, but the boredom might well have been worse. I didn't see anyone, except for when I got food. I learned coping mechanisms in order to survive. Because I wouldn't simply give up on my freedom. 

At least, that's what I thought then. But after he was done with me, I couldn't even move an inch in the wrong direction. And if I did, if I did get angry, I would simply switch off. I'd be put in the background of my own mind. Problem solved. 

But by doing that, I only got angry more often. I got better at guessing how long I had before I lost control, and used that time to make my move. Eventually, I even got close to hurting him. It took me killing, shooting and poisoning his men for him to move me into a more secluded area. They would guard me with a small army, just so that he didn't have to give up an experiment. I didn't see Yasmine again after that. 

But the look she gave me when I needed help will stick with me forever. Let's check if she will make the same face when I show up on her doorstep. 

I ring the doorbell. Chatter comes from the living room, through the open window. They're talking about the new couple that moved in last week. The doorbell promptly interrupts the conversation. 

I don't have time for dealing with the visitors, but I'll need to if I want to get the floorplan. 

'Were you expecting more people?' a voice croaks. 

'No... I'll go look. If you want, you can pour yourself some more tea, I won't be long,' another voice replies, with a slight Persian accent. Footsteps approach the door and I can see her face through the frosted glass. The door opens and time slows down. 

Of course, I'm not the kind of person to attack old, defenceless women. However, I was once attacked by her while I was a young, defenceless woman, although not physically. So, this is my way of getting even. Besides, she's a vampire as well, it's not like any of this will actually kill her. Or at least, I hope it won't. 

I kick her just below the ribs as a greeting. She doubles over, not having expected a sudden attack. Before she's able to get upright again, I grab the back of her head and slam my knee into her face. A satisfying crack confirms that I hit my target. And finally, I sweep her feet out from under her. She falls unto the carpeted floor. 

I'm lucky that the view of the front door is fully obscured by the hedge in front of her property. Otherwise, I'd be fighting six different police officers in no time. 

The problem with well secured organizations is that they never expect to be attacked. After all, who would get it in their silly little mind to go after the biggest vampire lord in this country? But by doing this, they're not on their toes, on the lookout, constantly. And they don't expect an attack from one of their own. 

I don't wait around to see if she's actually knocked out, as her visitor probably overheard all of this and is already calling the police. I quickly pat Yasmine down, and grab the key that's hidden in the pocket of her sweater. 

I run the hallway into the living room, and I spot another old lady. It's clear that she's just an ordinary human, and no vampire. This means that I can't just beat the living shit out of her without consequences. 

'Drop the phone,' I say, 'the police won't be able to save Yasmine, nor will they save you if you press call.'

The woman is shaking and keeps looking from the phone to me and back. 'What did you do to her?' she whispers, her lower lip quivering. 

'She'll be fine. Now put down the phone.'

A tear falls down from her cheek, but she puts down the phone anyway. I walk over and break it in half. 'Close your eyes and count to a thousand, out loud. When you're finished, you can move again. If you get up any time earlier than that, I will end you. Understood?'

She nods quickly and closes her eyes. 'One, two, three..' I can hear her crying quietly when I make my way upstairs. 

I know that there's an alarm, but who cares. After I get the papers, I'll be out of here. So, I kick down the door with all of my Alekti power, and it goes flying. It breaks through the window and falls onto the lawn. After it lands, a tiny squeak comes from the woman downstairs, who's probably going to be having a heart attack sometime soon. 

I look around the office but there's not much to see. There's an enormous bookcase, but that's about all of the interesting things in this room. I suppose it's fitting for a member of a book club, though. 

Yasmine is a mostly old-fashioned woman. She always refused to use online platforms to contact her children and she refused to get high-tech locks for her valuables. Lucky for me, that means that I can easily break in. I walk over to the desk and unlock the biggest drawer with the key I took from Yasmine. 

You see, every member of the Duke's organization carries a master key that can override some of the locks in the mansion. The more important the member, the more locks this key can open. And Yasmine is incredibly important to the Duke. 

I grab the key-card and jump out of the window. I land in the front-yard and I see that Yasmine's still laying in the dooropening. 

A beginner would've ran and thought the plan to be well done. But I'm no beginner. 

When I look closer, I see that Yasmine's hand has moved since I left her there. Which means she is in now way unconscious. I don't stop to wonder how she managed to keep conscious. I grab a knife and squat down beside her. I lower my face a mere inch from her face. 

'You thought I wouldn't notice?' I whisper. For the first couple seconds, she keeps acting as if she's knocked out cold. But I saw her eyelids flutter when I started speaking. 

She tries a sudden attack by trying to headbutt me, but I slam her against the floor by her throat. 'Don't go after him,' she struggles to say while fighting my grip. 

I chuckle and allow her some more air, 'oh? And why is that?' I ask, lightly amused. 

'He has good intentions.'

'You know what they did to me, right?' I start to get angry, 'You saw it all! He just wanted to continue the experiments!'

Yasmine's face starts to go red and her struggles grow weaker by the second. 'Don't kill him just because you couldn't get the revenge you wanted,' she manages to get out. 

I refuse to listen to her any longer, so I slam her head against the ground. I know she won't be awake after that. 

I go back to the truck with the keycard tucked away safely in my pocket. When I start the truck, I hear a soft 'Thousand.'. I'm glad she didn't get a heart attack after all.