Tortured Souls and other stories

Psychopath (Part 1)

Authors Note:  This is the first part of a story I built out of my drabble Psychopath from a few weeks ago.  Hope you enjoy it! 

The year is 2099, I was driving my hoverbike to work at the new towering building complex in Southie.  Working for the engineering firm CDL Engineering, I was helping with the architectural details for the new multiuse complex.  Multiuse meaning apartments, shops, restaurants and bars all to be ready for the gigantic New Year’s Eve party this year to end the century.  Southie used to be a cramped burrow covered in run down double and triple decker residential homes built over 100 years ago.  The new mayor relocated most of the residents to new housing built just north of the city and ordered this complex to be built. However, some residents refused to leave their homes and as a result there was sporadic residential housing scattered about the construction zone. 

I passed by one of the few remaining double decker homes that used to blanket this area.  I saw a young woman, dressed up in a knee length light blue dress, white sandals and a white cotton blouse.  She stands in front of a condemned house, I saw the large red X on the second floor door.  The woman’s head faced the ground in dejection.   She was totally out of the place.  So I pulled around quickly, parking the bike in front of her.  I looked up the stairs, our eyes locked together for what seems like eternity.  I felt a strange feeling that we had met before.

“Can I help you?”

“Your very kind, but no one can help me now.”  She said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I can listen if you want to talk about it.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start.” She trails off sitting down on a rickety old couch on the front porch.

“What’s your name? “

“Alyssa.”

“Hi Alyssa, I’m David, nice to meet you.”

“Hi.” She says looking at me.

“Why don’t you start with why you’re here?  This house is condemned and will be cleared away soon.”

“Umm ok.  Yes I know, this was Daddy’s house.  He refused to move from his home when they relocated everyone.  But he died last week.” Tears started down her cheeks again.

“Oh Ok I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be.  I don’t want your pity.  I just stopped here to get some things.”  She glared at me with her deep dark brown eyes, jumped up from the couch and stormed through the front door.

“Hey don’t be like that.   Where are you going?  We just started talking.” 

“Come in if you want.  You can wait in the living room.  If not that’s no problem, maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”  She said from inside the house.

               I hesitated a minute outside the door.  I heard her rustling around inside the house.  I thought I shouldn’t leave her here alone.   She was acting strange, but who can say how anyone will act after losing a loved one.  Either way this area was dangerous.  Police barely came down here anymore.  Also I was late for work.  I’ll call to let them know from inside, I told myself.

 walked in the front door into dimly lit hallway with ancient pine wood floors.  The air was musty but a powerful sour smell invaded my nostrils. In front of me wooden stairs led to the second floor.  I took a few steps towards the door on the right, assuming it was the living room.  Suddenly the front door slammed behind me.  Before I could turn around, an arm reached around my neck and I felt cold steel against my windpipe.