The Land Where Sinners Atone

by Mason, V. F.

  Sebastian shouts for Daisy and then wraps his arm around Felicia, ushering her to the building. “Honey, come with us. The ceremony is about to start.” The little girl darts to them, munching on her ice cream while the boys come back to us.

  They frown, and I follow their gaze only to blink in shock when I see Emmaline bursting into tears, although she tries to stop it by wiping away every single one of them before they can ruin her makeup. “Hey,” Ian says, running toward her and hugging her from one side while Wyatt does the same from the other, fishing for a tissue from his pocket and catching all the tears while she fans her face, taking deep breaths. “Don’t cry, pretty girl,” he says, and Ian nods, tightening his hold on her. “We can go and quickly change into suits if you want.” They almost squash her between them. She might be older, but you wouldn’t know by how tall and muscled they are compared to her.

  She is tiny in their arms.

  “I don’t care about your clothes,” she whispers, and once I’m in front of her, I palm her head, lifting her face to me and silently asking what’s wrong. “I wish Dad was here to see me graduate.”

  My heart pangs painfully in my chest, and my breath hitches, hating to see my daughter this sad on her special day, but at the same time knowing I can’t do anything about it.

  No matter how many years pass, she’ll always be Zachary’s little girl.

  The twins tense as well, wincing, because they know whatever they say will be useless, although Ian tries anyway. “He won’t be at our graduation either. At least everyone else is here, huh?” He squeezes her one more time. “We’re here. And we are freaking awesome.”

  We all freeze though when a deep and husky voice speaks, almost booming in the open space, and, as always, it sends shivers down my spine, awakening everything inside me. “Your belief in me astonishes me sometimes.” I spin around to face Zachary standing a few feet away from us, wearing a gray suit that hugs him like a second skin, and I sigh inwardly thinking how handsome he still is; not to mention how his overpowering presence has intensified with the years.

  He has a bouquet of roses in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. He opens his arms wide, addressing Emmaline, “How could I miss it, baby girl? Come here.”

  Emmaline squeals, rushing toward him, and jumps on him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he catches her, hugging her tight, and she shouts, “Daddy, you’re here!” Holding on to him for a few moments longer before leaning back and smiling wide. “You made it.”

  “Of course.” He looks over her head at the twins. “And I’ll make it to yours as well. If you graduate, that is.”

  One of the company buildings the Kings own had a fire in it yesterday, so he had to fly there to check on the damage, and thankfully no one was hurt, but we weren’t sure if he’d be able to make it back in time for Emmaline.

  I hoped with all my heart he could, but I wouldn’t have held it against him if he didn’t.

  Collective groans fill the air, and they quickly stand behind me. “Come on, Dad. Lay off with this education talk.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have told me you have no intention of going to college for at least two years after you graduate,” he snaps back and then kisses Emmaline on the forehead. “Go inside, child of mine. I bet everyone is waiting for you.” He gives her the present and the flowers. “Wear it before your valedictorian speech.” She squeezes him one last time before dancing off to the building, and shoving the flowers into Ian’s arms.

  I don’t have to see the present. After all, we both picked out the sapphire necklace for her the other day.

  They salute us and follow her quickly while I stand still, waiting for my husband to come to me.

  He doesn’t do it right away, oh no. He scans me from head to toe, his eyes flashing in appreciation as he says with his husky voice, “You are gorgeous, Mrs. King.” He steps closer until the tips of his shoes touch mine. “Your husband would have been a fool to leave you alone here.”

  My brows rise, and I play along. “At a graduation party? I think the crowd is a bit too young for me.”

  Possessiveness crosses his face as he wraps his hand around my waist, pressing us so close his muscles dig into my curves, and he tips my head back before trapping my chin between his fingers. “There are always single dads.” He swallows my laughter with his mouth, opening mine for his kiss as our tongues brush against each other, goose bumps rising on my skin, and I fist his shirt, not caring about the audience.

  The kiss is deep, passionate, and hungry, yet gentle too, because I haven’t seen my husband in an awfully long time.

  At least for us.

  After Lydia shot him, the paramedics arrived in record time, and I kept on pressing on the wound on the way to the hospital so more blood wouldn’t spill, praying for a miracle, because the loss was so severe even the medics didn’t seem hopeful.

  The surgery took hours. I later found out no major arteries were hit, but the internal bleeding might have been catastrophic. Thankfully, the surgeon took care of that, and Zach woke up two days later to my teary-eyed face.

  We got married three months later—shortly after I found out we were pregnant with twins—in a quiet ceremony among his family and friends.

  I went back to work when the twins turned two, while Zachary continued to expand his empire, making sure he could still spend quality time with us.

  Zach and Sebastian still don’t like each other much; however, they stay civil, and when Zach held the twins for the first time in his arms, he understood the error of his ways. He couldn’t have imagined anyone not ever telling him about his boys.

  So, for the sake of our daughter, there is a cold peace among them, and he finally has a normal relationship with his father and his family.

  All in all, life has been wonderful, and I can’t wait to see what more it has in store for us.

  “You are impossible, Zach,” I murmur against his mouth, and he grins, winking at me. “That’s why you love me.”

  “I do.” He stays silent, so I hit his chest with a fist, and he chuckles. “I love you too, darling. How could I fucking not?” He leans down to give me another toe-curling kiss, and this time we are interrupted by loud whistles and catcalls. “God give me strength not to kill my children,” he growls, and I giggle as he turns around to face the kids who stand on the stairs, waiting for us.

  “Are you guys coming or not? I can’t graduate without my parents!” Emmaline shouts, and we start walking, while I drink in my family and this beautiful life I’m living, going hand in hand with this amazing man.

  “Come, darling. Let’s watch our daughter during her speech and pray the twins won’t pull some stunt I’ll have to pay for.”

  My laughter fills the air all the way to the building.

  Zachary

  I sit on the couch next to my wife, who is watching our kids laugh as Wyatt snaps pics of Emmaline while she holds her diploma up in the air. I wrap my hand around her shoulder, and she sighs in pleasure, resting her cheek on my chest. “I think we did good,” she whispers, “for two damaged people, huh?”

  A smile curves my mouth, and I place a kiss on the side of her head, while listening to my kids bicker.

  “Emmaline, my arm is asleep from snapping so many pics.” Wyatt wiggles his brows to his twin. “Wanna abandon this ship and do something really fun?”

  Ian sighs in relief. “Fu—” He must quickly remember we are in the room with them, because he changes it to “Hell, yeah. What do you have in mind?”

  “You suck, guys.” She places her diploma on the table before removing her gown and cap, ruffling her hair.

  The twins gasp, and one of them puts his hand on his heart, exclaiming dramatically, “Oh no. You shot an arrow straight to my heart.” He groans and falls on his knees and closes his eyes. “I’m not gonna survive it.” He peeks one eye open and asks Ian, “What are you waiting for? Kneel!”

  He shrugs. “I don’t want to die, so let’s assume her arrow missed me and
went straight to you.”

  Emmaline says, “Well, you deserve it.”

  “Since no one appreciates my sacrifices, I’m gonna bounce.” Wyatt gets up and snaps his fingers. “Now, who wants to enjoy some ice cream on the terrace until we go to the after party?”

  “You’re not invited to it.”

  “Do you really want to break our hearts like that?” he whines back.

  Fed up with this, Ian grabs their elbows and drags them into the hallway while his siblings continue to argue, although we know it’s just for fun.

  Emmaline will take them to the party, where they’ll probably quickly turn it around, and I’ll have to pray the police won’t show up at my door because of another one of their pranks.

  I’ve lost count of the shit they’ve pulled through the years, yet I couldn’t love them more even if I tried. I sometimes think God graced me with a perfect daughter to balanced it out with my sons whose middle names are trouble and mischief.

  Yeah, we did good, because no matter what happens… our kids know they are loved and always have our protection.

  The walls of this house will forever welcome them with open arms, ready to listen to their happiness and sorrow no matter what their sins.

  Although, I won’t mind for them to empty the nest, so I can spend the rest of my life with the woman who I love so much that sometimes it scares me.

  Life taught me though that it has the power to change so quickly, so why waste time on fear? Instead, love and happiness fill me to the brim, enjoying every single moment, as I never know when it might be my last.

  The land where sinners atone.

  I think Phoenix was right all those years ago.

  The land exists here on earth, and if we are lucky enough… it will give us a chance to atone for our mistakes and get something beautiful out of it in return.

  My family is a gift from heaven, and I will never take them for granted, or the woman who gave me a chance when most probably would have told her she shouldn’t.

  If you ever have the chance between hell and the land where sinners atone…

  Go to the land where sinners atone.

  It’s pretty fucking good here.

  The End

  Turn the page to read an excerpt from Psychopath’s Prey, a dark and twisted love story about a criminal psychologist(Agent Ella) and a serial killer.

  Psychopath’s Prey Excerpt

  New York, New York

  Psychopath

  Monday

  Leaning on the brick wall, my eyes scan the neighborhood around me as I admire the beauty of suburban life.

  Neatly cut grass covered in light snowflakes, toys lying around for kids to play with and not have a care in the world. Some porches have swings and other comfortable furniture to rest on after a hard day of work.

  People laugh loudly at something their friends say while kids run around in the snow, engaging in snowball wars or sledding down the icy road.

  Dogs bark loudly while jumping in happiness around their owners who treat them as part of the family.

  What’s not to like about this life?

  Especially when it gives me enough victims to hunt, as no one has more secrets than those living in the suburbs.

  Mark my words.

  Finally, my eyes rest on the tall, blond man who drinks his coffee while he watches his pregnant wife on the swing. A smile spreads across his mouth and happiness clearly shines brightly on his face. He sets his mug on the floor and leans down to give her a deep kiss while she clings to him tightly.

  They don’t seem older than thirty; recently moved here, if the various boxes around are anything to go by.

  Then my mind clicks as I reach a decision.

  He is perfect.

  Who is a better victim than the one completely in love with his spouse?

  Tuesday

  The man exits the bar while several guys call after him. “See you around, man.” He waves at them, slightly swaying to the side as he digs for his phone in the back of his pants, then curses loudly when the thing drops on the concrete with a loud clatter.

  Sometimes fools create an easy opportunity to catch them. I don’t even have to try.

  He looks around and huffs in frustration, running his fingers through his hair as he tries to turn on his phone, but it’s useless.

  I get out of the car, bored with all this. When my shoes make an unmistakable sound in the otherwise silent night, he raises his eyes to me as relief crosses his face. “Hey, man! Can I use your phone? Mine is broken, so I can’t call a cab.”

  The bar is located on the outskirts of the city in a secluded area, which allows people to relax without listening to cars constantly passing.

  Instead of answering him, I grab him by the neck, as he exclaims, “What the hell—” His words die on his lips as I press on his artery until he passes out, sagging in my arms. Then I pick him up and throw him into my trunk.

  Not a soul is in sight near my car, which is parked in the darkest place here.

  Whistling, I get inside and start the engine, as electricity zaps through me, reminding me of the satisfaction I will soon get.

  Wednesday

  “Please, I have a wife. We’re expecting a baby,” begs the man, while I silently lash him to a metal table, securing his arms and legs with leather straps. Not that he’ll have much strength, since he has been injected with a serum to keep him awake for the torture but prevent him from moving a muscle or talking.

  Gone are the days when I beat the crap out of them before inflicting my dark desires on their flesh. I’ve learned the art of destroying their body in ways they never see coming, all while they’re awake for the torture. At least my ears don't have to bleed listening to their shitty cries.

  I almost chuckle when I think about it. But it’ll work in a few minutes; until then, I can have my fun.

  I take a pair of blue latex gloves from the nearby surgical table. I love the sound of them snapping on my wrists as his eyes widen and he whimpers in fear.

  My brows furrow at his cowardice. If you are stupid enough to get caught by me, at least act like a man.

  I’ve never cried while experiencing pain—guess that comes with practice.

  “Please.” He tries again, but as before, I ignore his words and slide my finger through the many devices displayed for all kinds of torture. I usually like to switch around my methods, but this time I decide to start with the scalpel.

  I place it over his liver, the skin dipping with the pressure, and the first drop of blood appears while his screams echo through the room. I’ve already broken his ribs, so I’d have easy access.

  I zone out as adrenaline rushes through my body, awakening everything inside me to the point of goosebumps showing on my skin and pleasure consuming me.

  Finally, the smell of a fresh kill.

  “What are you going to do? What?” He breathes heavily and winces in pain.

  This time, I decide to indulge him.

  “I’ll cut you up… piece by piece.” Before another scream issues from his mouth, I place tape over it so he’ll shut up and let me enjoy this moment.

  These kinds of moments are everything I have.

  Thursday

  Placing the last parts into a black garbage bag, I load it into the truck and come back inside to open the windows and clean everything with antiseptic. I take my time with my devices and table, using bleach everywhere, because I don’t want any evidence of what has happened here to come back at me.

  DNA is everything, after all.

  Finally, once it’s done, I place the Polaroid picture I took in a metal box. I don’t collect trophies as most of those like me do, but time to time, I love to gaze at my collection of killings and remember the thrills they brought me. Then I snap it shut, hide it under the table in the special case that no one can crack, and leave the place that brings me the most joy.

  Once I’m behind the wheel, I dial the phone as I drive down the narrow path that leads to the woods wh
ere the animals will take care of the rest of the work for me.

  “Finally, you called me back!” My friend’s voice fills the space in the car and a smirk tugs on my lips.

  “I’m sorry. I got held up with work.”

  He sighs heavily. “Don’t tell me you won’t be able to make it tonight?” he asks, displeasure lacing his tone. I barely restrain myself from bursting out laughing.

  I’m crazy, but not to the point of missing a meeting with him. “I’ll be there in two hours.”

  “Sure, see you there.” He hangs up, clearly done with this conversation.

  Soon, I stop at my destination, get all the parts out, and scatter them around the place.

  I quickly stop by my apartment, take a shower, and arrive right on time for dinner.

  It’s interesting how people talk with serial killers and never know about them, isn't it?

  Friday

  The phone buzzing snaps me out of sleep; annoyance fills my mind when a woman next to me groans in displeasure.

  Her warm body presses against me harder, her hand traveling across my chest and sliding lower, but I push her back, sending a warning stare that causes her eyes to widen.

  I fucked her, but the fun is over now. She is gorgeous as fuck with unbelievable tits and ass, but I don’t dip my dick into the same pussy twice.

  Rising, I turn on the light on the nightstand, wondering how the fuck I ended up sleeping with her, because I never let them stay longer than the sex.

  Probably all the booze we consumed last night. Then Jo—I think that’s her name—proceeded to show me the various talents she possessed.