Incendiary

by Elisabeth

  When the little boy walked into the room with her, I took a step back. He looked like Paris except for his freckles, and his black hair matched his mother’s. I was officially freaked. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She spoke up.

  “Hi, I’m Xena McQueen, and my son Brodie told me he had a school friend that got into an accident, so he wanted to come to visit.” She came closer and held out her hand to me, but then she froze as she stared at Paris.

  It must’ve hit her too, the recognition. She was stunned stupid just as I was.

  “Hi, I’m Broderick William McQueen the third.” A voice called out to me, and I looked in the direction of the little boy who resembled Paris.

  I cleared my throat

  “Hi, I’m McKenna. Nice to meet you.”

  “Oh my God, you’re Paris’ teacher and his dad’s wife, right?” He smiled, and those deep dimples Alexander and Paris swore they didn’t have were right there on his face.

  “Uh, yeah.” I turned back to his mother who was so quiet I had forgotten she was there.

  Xena watched Paris in quiet contemplation, and then she looked back up at me.

  “Is this just as freaky for you as it is for me?” she asked with a nervous laugh.

  I let out the same nervous laugh and nodded.

  “I almost had a heart attack at how much you all look alike. You favor his father even more,” I said to her.

  She widened her eyes. “His father?”

  “Yeah, Alexander Troy? He should be back in a few days if you want to you know.” I signaled at Brodie, her and then Paris.

  She nodded and then looked at Brodie who wore a sad expression as he looked at Paris.

  “Can I come to see him every day, Mommy?” He tore his eyes away from Paris and eyed his mother. Brodie had yet to move from his position.

  “Yes,” his mother answered. “If that’s okay with his mother?” She turned over and looked at me.

  She thought I was Paris’ mother. I smiled at that, but it was a sad smile as I thought of Paris. I nodded at Xena.

  “I think Paris would really love that,” I said as I looked away trying to wipe a tear away because I really did feel like Paris was my son.

  Alexander

  “Finally.” I joyfully exclaimed as I walked into one of the many torture houses I built outside of Vegas.

  I sighed as I looked down at boots that had never been worn before, but this would all be worth it. I smiled as I looked back up and saw thirteen of Carlos Crew including the grand master himself as they were chained to the wall one right next to the other. The only one that wasn’t on the wall was Helena. Helena was in the middle of the warehouse on an X-shaped table with her arms and legs chained apart.

  I took a breath in, and then, I exhaled.

  “Welcome to the party. I’m so glad you could join me.”

  This one was my worst torture chamber. Some of the men who weren’t with us were drained of their blood.

  “Now, now.” I smiled, knowing I looked like I taught the devil how to smile.

  As I walked toward them, I removed articles of my clothing. They were all perplexed, not understanding why I did that. I placed a hand over my lips when one of them began to whimper like the helpless little dog he was. I chuckled after as I walked closer to the table where Helena was. By the time I got to her, I was stripped short of my boxers. When I looked over at her, she was in tears.

  “Hello love,” I said to her as I reached out, releasing her from her shackles. I removed the handcuffs then her ankle cuffs. “Come with me,” I ordered as I pulled her from the table.

  She was still fully clothed in her clubbing outfit, as they found her. Now, it was time for our bath.

  “Baby… It’s time for us to cleanse ourselves, don’t you think?” I said to her as we walked a bit to the left, where a big bathtub was built into the ground. It was big enough to fit everyone in the room.

  She tried to pull back from my hold, shaking as if there was something wrong with taking a bath together.

  “No!” She managed to get out.

  I laughed like the maniac I truly am. The sinister thing boiling inside of me, clawing at me, was now free. Free to the point nothing else mattered but revenge. I stepped in first, then pulled Helena in. She shrieked as I pulled her down with me.

  “What’s the matter, love?” I taunted her. “Are you afraid of a little blood? You shouldn’t be. I want to cleanse you in the blood of my enemies.” I growled in her ear with her back to me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and neck, then plunged both of us into the blood.

  After her cleansing, I got out of the tub and made her stay in it. I turned to look at the guys who were still chained to the wall. I grabbed the towel left there for me and wiped the blood off my face.

  “Well, guys, you wanted my attention? You’ve got it.”

  I walked to each man chained near a specific type of weapon. The first weapon was a simple gun.

  Oh, Target Practice.

  I looked into the man’s brown eyes, and he looked like he had seen the devil. I tsked at him as I moved back, so I could get my aim correct. I aimed and shot him in the gut, not wanting him to die right away. He deserved the slow, painful death of bleeding out. I turned to face Helena. I placed the tip of the gun near my lips as if in deep thought, then I pointed it at her.

  “If you tell me who shot Paris, I’ll be nice and let you go,” I told her.

  She knew she couldn’t run even if she wanted to. Some of my men had the pleasure of watching their mad boss. I waited as she contemplated whether I could be taken seriously or not. Either way, I didn’t care. I had the time to wait. Then, she pointed to the man next to Carlos even though her eyes went straight to Carlos.

  She cleared her throat. “He did it.”

  I tsked again, looking over at one of my men, Brazeau. I signaled him to come a little closer.

  “Brazeau dunk her back in there. She doesn’t seem to understand that lying to me only makes this worse.”

  “Yes, Boss.”

  Brazeau didn’t bother to remove his clothes as he jumped into the bath with her. Helena began screaming, and it filled me to my core. I loved it when people screamed because they were terrified of the situation they were in. I cracked my neck as I turned around and walked over to the guy she pointed at. Brown-eyed baldie. I smiled at him as he looked like he wanted to keep his tough guy act up. Good, I liked a little challenge.

  I looked down at his weapon; it was a bow & arrow.

  Awww one of my old favorite weapons.

  I smiled as I cracked my knuckles, walking away from the target almost on the other end of the warehouse. I smirked as Brazeau finally let Helena up, and I nodded. He moved out of there to give her time to breathe, and I focused on my target. This one, I wanted him to die quickly for thinking he could endure it, but as I placed the arrow right into the bow and pulled back, I changed my mind. I let the arrow go as it zipped through and bull’s eye! It landed right in brown-eyed baldie’s left eye. He screamed, and I laughed even harder. He was not expecting that to happen.

  I smiled as I walked back to man number three, this one I called, ‘Scar.’ He had a huge gash over his right eye. I was sure it intimidated some, but to me, it looked like he had a bad acting gig. The choice of weapon for him was my throwing knives. Oh my, this was getting good. I needed to give Tank a vacation because he knew exactly how I would want these men punished. I smiled as I picked up the five throwing knives, and tested my abilities again, as I moved back to the other end of the warehouse. I was having fun, and my heart was beating erratically. I bounced the first knife and threw it. It landed in the middle of his chest, the second landed in his neck, and the third in his gut. Then, for the best part of this act, I aimed both of the last knives together. I threw them, and they both landed on his member. He screamed out louder than the guy with the arrow in his eye.

  It had been hours and the other guys was all left bleeding out or already dead. I watched Ca
rlos as he had now peed his pants. I walked over to Carlos and saw my favorite carving knife, Aphrodite, was there. I picked it up giving him the same pain he gave my son. I stabbed him. Then, I turned the knife so that I could carve a wider opening. Once that happened, I placed the knife back on the little stool it was on, and I reached inside of Carlos wound and felt his intestines. By now, Carlos was sobbing like it was his mother’s funeral. I grabbed onto his intestines and pulled as much as I could. With my free hand, I grabbed my knife and cut the intestines, since all couldn’t be removed. I took his intestines and wore it as a necklace while he either passed out or died. Either way, I didn’t care.

  I walked over and began to unchain the first man then as weak as he was, he plopped to the floor, and I gritted my teeth. I dragged him near the bath where Helena was still. At that point, she shivered as her once shining, brown hair and her entire body were soaked in blood. I threw the first guy into the pool, and she yelped, trying to steer clear of the body, but I had more for her. Did she not like my gifts? I didn’t speak as I did the same to the other ones including Carlos who was probably dead by now. I smiled as the bodies floated around her, and I gracefully bowed. At that moment, everything became so clear to me. In my crazed state, I remembered who she was and what she did to me.

  “Do you not like my gifts, oh great Queen of Sparta?” I asked in a menacing voice as I looked back up at her.

  She trembled with fear in her eyes.

  “How?” She dared ask me as I stood upright.

  “You think you could fool me once and then run off by being selfish, don’t you Helena, daughter of Zeus? You, a demi-goddess, fooled me once, and then tried it again knowing my weakness for you, but now, this day is your reckoning. The most beautiful woman in the world will die by my hands.”

  “You can’t kill me!” she shrieked as if she had any right to be mad at me.

  “You forget I am Prince Paris, killer of the great warrior Achilles. The prophesied evil that was to be born into the family of King Priam. Chosen by your father to make a choice of which goddess was the most beautiful. You are nothing to me but past lust, a vessel by which my son came, and now, the reason why my son, is in a coma. You may have ruled long ago, been a great Queen, but you are nothing now and nothing you will continue to be.”

  Before she could retort, I ran toward her and jumped into the bath with the bodies in there as well. I’d seen blood, dead bodies, almost dead bodies; nothing and I mean nothing stopped me from getting to my mission. I made my way to her bathed in the blood of my enemies from head to toe, and I let out a blood curling warrior cry, thinking of my son and those moments I held him in my arms as he had his last breath. I stood in front of her and wrapped my hand around her neck and squeezed. She was choking, gasping for air as I shook my head refusing to let go. I shut my eyes and memories of us together in the past and the present replayed over and over and over again. None of it helped. It only added to my fury of her putting my son’s life at stake.

  I didn’t need her in this world, and just like I got rid of my father for Paris, I would get rid of another for him. No one and nothing would ever hurt my boy, not even me. I would never do that to him. Tears escaped my eyes as I whispered a prayer to Aphrodite,

  “I once chose you, so you could give me the most beautiful woman in the world as a prize, but deep down that is not what I wanted. I never want to have paths cross with her again. Helen of Sparta is no more. She is nothing but the dust that is beneath my feet as I walk on it.”

  I opened my eyes watching Helena as she began to fade out.

  “Don’t wait up for me in hell, sweetheart,” I said as she took her last breath. I let her go as she floated with the rest of the dead bodies.

  I knew I was indeed Paris, Alexandros of Troy.

  Chapter VIII.

  McKenna

  Alexander hadn’t been back for a month. I was worried less for myself but more for him. I wondered if he was okay. He did his best to keep in contact, but he would just call, check on me, then ask about Paris’ condition, and tell me he had to become the man I met because he had lost him. I understood because I thought about what would happen if I had to do what he did. Would I be okay with it? Yes, I was mad, livid he didn’t want me to see that side of him, but I knew he was also shielding himself from seeing his son in the hospital bed. I smiled as I looked at Paris once more. I reached my hand into the basin filled with warm water as I cleaned him up.

  “Hey, Paris, dude you need to wake up and clean yourself up. You’re missing out on everything that is going on at the school, and boy, do I have some news for you. Brodie and Xena have been coming in a lot seeing you, and we’ve been having a blast talking to you. I think the little dude Brodie likes you even more than you realize; he is quite fond of you.” I smiled as happiness mixed with sadness washed over me. “Your dad, he hasn’t called yet today, but I pray you wake soon so that he can find himself soon. I think you guys are linked in a way no one else could ever be linked. He loves you so hard; I envy it. Although my mom loved me, my dad didn’t love me as hard as yours loves you. I only wish to love someone as he loves you.”

  I wiped his forehead, and then, the machines started beeping like crazy. I moved the cloth from his head, put it on the floor, and pressed the button for the nurse to come into the room. The door opened, and I was relieved someone came in super quick. I turned around talking at the same time.

  “I don’t know what it is, but the machines are beeping like cra—” I couldn’t finish my statement as I faced Alexander.

  Alexander

  I couldn’t go back to McKenna and Paris right away. There was too much of me that I’d lost. Just like now, the bloodlust was eating away at me. Deep down in my core, I knew I had to let it all go. I had to let it go if I wanted to get back to my family. But how do I let it go?

  I growled like a wild animal when a door opened showing me some sunlight. I had been in the dark for days, and the light had come courtesy of my best friend, Tank. He tapped on the sidewall, and the light came on full blown. I shut my eyes, again hating the way it burned me to look at all the lights in there.

  “How is it today?” Tank asked. There was sadness and concern in his voice. He was the only one I trusted to help me through the process, besides Paris.

  Paris wasn’t here and still hooked to machines. I called daily to check on both of them, but each time Kenna picked up, I knew Paris was not awake, especially from the tone of her voice. I breathed in. Kenna. I missed the living hell out of that woman. Man, I never missed someone so much in my life. It felt like I ripped my heart out, and she had it in her hands just waiting for me to collect it. Even then, I wanted to run to her, but I couldn’t. The lust to maim, to kill, to disintegrate an entire state was still there. I needed to reel it in.

  “I need to speak to her, Tank. You’re late, and it’s messing with my head.” I lowly growled.

  I still didn’t open my eyes as his heavy footsteps indicated he was coming near me. I heard when he began to press buttons on the phone, and then a sweet, sweet voice floated from the device into my ear as Tank pushed the phone to it. Tank knew how to bring me back. I was still in the ice bath water he had put me in ten minutes ago.

  “Hello? Alex?”

  I moved my hand up to grab the phone as I slowly stood up and got out of the water. Still, my eyes refused to open, not wanting to face the light. I was getting too used to the darkness.

  “Kenna…” I said her name in a whisper.

  “Alex? What is it?” She knew I was distressed.

  “I just, I want to come back to you and Paris, but it’s taking longer than I thought. I can’t return to who I was. I want to be that man for you and the father that Paris knew.”

  I heard her sigh.

  “I’m going to tell you something, and I need you to listen very well, Alex, okay?” She started.

  “Yes, I’m listening.”

  “Alright. Here’s the thing, I don’t care what kind of man you
think you’ve turned into Alex. It won’t change the way Paris or I love you. You brought some crazy joy into my life I didn’t even think was possible. You got rid of Jerry for me and don’t even try to deny it. I haven’t seen or heard from him since that day, so I know he is somewhere six feet under, and do you know how I feel about that?”

  She paused waiting for an answer from me, but I had nothing to give her as I slightly opened my eyes just enough so that I could move to the nearest wall and shut them again. I heard Tank leave the room, but I didn’t bother to look at him.

  “Continue,” was all I could muster up as my back hit the wall, and I slid down to the floor in my naked state.

  “It didn’t make me feel anything, Alexander. That’s what I’m saying. I was supposed to be in love with that man, close to marrying him, but he’s gone, and I feel no way about it. If anything, all I want is my man back in my arms. I want you back. I love that you wanted to fix yourself for us, but we wouldn’t have loved you any less. You’ve done something for your son that no one could ever do. Some parents say they are capable of doing it until it comes down to doing it, but not you, baby. You told me you were going to get those who did this to Paris and you did. Now, come home and let me ease the pain for you, let me fix you, and let me show you how to get back to be the old you, or rather I’ll just love the new you. Do you understand me, Alexander of Troy?”

  My chest swelled with pride. This woman, my woman gave me a speech to envy all others, and she did it declaring just how much I meant to her. She gave me what I thought I wasn’t able of achieving through this crucial process. She gave me hope, love, and dare I say it, peace. Peace of mind was hard to come by after killing off Carlos and his whole crew, including Paris’ mother. I began to breathe in and out slowly. Then, I reluctantly opened my eyes. They burned at first. As I left them open, I started to adjust to the lighting and everything around it.