𝔈𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔉𝔞𝔱𝔢

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝕺𝖇𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 //𝕻𝖆𝖗𝖙 2

He looked down at Kayla, who was crouched beside the Cadillac, her back pressed against the black metal and her arms protectively wrapped around her legs. Avoiding his gaze, a sob escaped her throat; in the moonlight filtering through the pines, her crystal-clear tears sparkled on her cheeks, mingling with traces of dried blood. Her body shivered slightly, from cold, shock, and fear of him.

He sighed softly and crossed his arms over his chest, his once immaculate gray suit now adorned with bloodstains. "Get up, I'm tired, let's go home."

"What did you do to her?" Her voice was barely more than a pain-filled whisper, laden with guilt, remorse, fear.

"What do you think I did to her?" He looked at her expressionlessly. As if she didn't know what he was capable of.

She wanted to deny what had happened, yet she couldn't. She wished to delude herself that the man before her was her prince charming, yet she questioned him about his deeds. She knew it would be a lie to claim he wasn't a monster, yet she harbored hope that he still had a spark of humanity, that he couldn't be as cruel as she feared. As she knew he was.

She sobbed quietly and buried her face in her hands. She didn't want to see him anymore, didn't want to see anything; she wished to believe this was all a dream, not real, that this couldn't be happening. She longed to wake up, to undo all of this, her wish, yet she couldn't. Be careful what you wish for, or your dream might turn into a nightmare.

"Come on, she's dead, she doesn't care what I do to her." She heard the soft rustle of fabric as he knelt before her, his voice now closer to her ear. She could almost feel his intense gaze on her body, his warm breath on her skin. "She's dead. Because of you. Don't act like I'm the monster here. You can't run from what you are now, my sweet little murderer. But I'm here to take care of you, flee to me and I'll give you a future. You are bound to me now, obey me and I'll give you what you need."

His fingers gently caressed her cheek, feeling her flinch slightly under his touch, yet she did not turn away, her face still hidden in her delicate hands. "You can't undo what has been done, no matter how much you wish for it, no matter how much you try to forget. Run if you want, leave, I won't force you to stay with me. But you'll have no one to tell the truth to, and even if you do, no one will believe you. No one will catch you if you fall. Stay with me, and I'll help you. Trust me, and I'll save you."

She wished she could cover her ears, block out his voice, a seductive whisper, sweet poison fogging her mind, so desirable yet so deadly. False promises she so desperately wanted to give into, to let herself fall into his voice, his arms, a future with him.

"Are you trying to manipulate me?" she murmured, lifting her head from her hands to look into his clear, blue eyes. His blue eyes, a glimmer of hope in the darkness of the night, the only anchor in the chaos that her life had become.

"Is it that obvious?" His eyes twinkled mischievously as he curved his lips into a slight smile. "Damn, I guess I'm a bit rusty." He released her face, stood up, and stretched, yawning softly. "I'm honest, I like you and I feel you could be quite useful to me, so get up and get in the car."

He stepped beside her and leaned slightly against the Cadillac, idly drumming his fingers against the metal. "Or I'll make you. Because I lied. I would never let you go." He smiled at her.

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"You should take a shower, your whole face is covered in blood," he said, wiping her cheek with his thumb to remove the dried blood, holding her chin in his hand as he examined her face. Exhausted and unable to resist Ted, she had resolved to follow his commands, hoping that the murder of Sam had satisfied him enough to spare her life for now. They had returned to the cabin in the woods, which had become something like their shared home. Stepping out of the car and into the house, it was the middle of the night, and Kayla felt completely drained and overwhelmed by the day's events. By now, she felt almost trance-like, a mix of fatigue, fear, powerlessness, and shock consuming her. She just wanted to sleep, to surrender to the merciful darkness, even though she feared the nightmares that would likely haunt her for the rest of her life.