Penance - Uncovering the truth, Secrets and confessions, and Twisted pasts

Chapter 59

Grayson found himself tied to an old chair in a dimly lit place with only one light bulb hanging above him. The air smelled faintly of books, which surprisingly made him feel a bit calmer, despite the situation.

Mason stood across from him, moving closer until he stood under the light. He looked tired with messy hair and worn-out eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days. He wore simple clothes - a plain shirt, black pants, and white sneakers.

"I'm sorry about this," Mason's voice echoed, and Grayson realized they were in a big warehouse, not a small place. "I had to do it to get Alison's attention."

Grayson tilted his head and felt a sharp pain on his left temple. He saw that he was bleeding, a lot.

"I believe she cares enough about you to come and save you," Mason said, knowing what Grayson might ask.

Grayson looked up at Mason with his silver eyes and raised an eyebrow, showing he didn't fully understand what was going on.

"William and Hudson," Mason clarified, circling Grayson as he spoke. "Dumb as they look, they figured out Alison's clues in her books. At first, I didn't see it as a threat until they discovered the agreement."

"You mean the social contract," Grayson corrected him. 

Mason paused for a moment before continuing. "It's an agreement designed to ensure collective decision-making and ensure everyone's welfare by following certain rules and guidelines."

"In other words, it's a contract that transfers power and control from the people to those in charge, taking away our individual will and freedom," Grayson simplified.

Mason turned to face Grayson and asked, "Has Alison taken you here yet?" The question seemed out of place and added to Grayson's confusion, perhaps worsened by his bleeding head.

To add some light to the room, Mason brought out a flashlight from one of his pockets, revealing shelves full of books. "Alison used to spend hours reading and writing, nothing else. Sometimes she used to tell me stories through songs right here in this room."

Grayson stared at Mason, unsure why he was sharing this with him.

"This was her home, where everything she wrote, thought, and lived for was. It was a room full of life." He turned off the flashlight, and Grayson's eyes had to adjust to the dim light of the bulb again.

"Alison was always different, so much that I thought we could be something more," Mason sighed deeply. "But she always had this relentless desire for more, always striving to be better and win everything. She wanted the whole world for herself, and if no one would give it to her, she was willing to take it by force. That was just the way she saw things."

Grayson tried to read between the lines of Mason's words. He was aware that Alison had been using him all along to escape from Mason, but she considered it too risky. So she cleverly dealt with her problems involving Grayson without him even knowing, until now.

"Slowly, I was losing her and I did every trick in the book to keep her," Mason whispered, his voice filled with desperation. "Nothing seemed to work... until I got her drunk enough to stay."

The puzzle pieces started fitting together for Grayson. He remembered asking Alison about the social contract terms, but she couldn't remember. He asked her why she signed it, but again, she couldn't recall. Alison seemed to have forgotten everything about the agreement, except that Mason used it to control her, because she was-

"You drugged her." Grayson figured out the missing part of the puzzle.

He squatted down in front of Grayson, bringing himself to eye level. "I got her to sign the papers, and as soon as she did-"