The Broken

by A. L. Frances

  “Yeah, it’s Eve, leave a message, or don’t, not really bothered.”

  Beep.

  “Eve, it’s Dad, call me when you get this, darling.”

  Suddenly, the front door bangs!

  Chapter Thirteen

  Let’s Start Again…

  Matthew rushes down the stairs to see Eve and Jess stood in the hallway surrounded by shopping bags. They both look extremely pleased with themselves. Slightly relieved, Matthew smiles as he makes his way over to Eve. Squeezing her tight and kissing her on the head, he instantly feels her happiness.

  “Darling, I was getting worried, your phone kept going to voicemail.”

  “Sorry, Dad.”

  “It’s okay, you’re home now. Where’ve you both been?” Making his way over to Jess, he reaches out and gently kisses her on the cheek. “Hey, you.”

  “Hey, handsome.”

  “Oh my goodness, Dad – we’ve literally had the best time. Jess took me shopping and helped me pick out some new clothes. Then we had lunch and, oh, sorry, my battery died. I didn’t take my charger.”

  “Evelyn Jade, I wish you’d change your voicemail message.”

  “Why, what’s wrong with it?”

  “Erm, yeah, it’s Eve, leave a message or whatever, not bothered.”

  “Dad, what you see is what you get. I’m as blunt as they come.” Laughing, she continues, “Plus it’s the truth, I’m not bothered. You always told me never to lie. So technically it’s your fault.”

  “It’s always somehow my bloody fault.” He gently shakes his head. “What have we got here, then? Looks like you two have been on a mission, wow.”

  “We really have had a lot of fun together, haven’t we, Evelyn Jade?”

  “The best.”

  “So, come on, then, show me what you’ve spent my money on.”

  “Oh no, Dad – Jess bought all this.”

  Mortified, Matthew says, “Wow, Jess, erm, thank you so much for the gesture, but please, how much do I owe you?”

  “Don’t be silly, Matthew, please, it’s my treat.”

  Eve’s smiling away. “Dad, let me show you what I’ve got.”

  Making her way into the day room, Eve starts pulling out items excitedly. Stopping in his tracks, Matthew turns to Jess and grabs hold of her hands. He looks deep into her eyes and says, “Thank you. Honestly, I haven’t seen Eve this happy and chatty in a long time. Please let me take you and Eve out this evening, it’s my treat. Actually, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  “Thank you, Mr Honey – I mean, Matthew – that would be lovely.”

  As they enter the room Matthew and Jess can hear Eve wittering on to herself. She’s pulling out all the items in the bags and placing them on the couch.

  “Eek, I forgot I got that. Dad, you’ve got to see this dress that Jess picked out for me, it’s ruby red.”

  “They’re all amazing, darling. Listen, I’ve decided I’m taking us all out this evening. Maybe you can wear one of those beautiful dresses since I missed the ultimate changing room catwalk show, which of course I’ve become accustomed to.”

  Shoving the items back in the bag, she says, “This day’s just getting better and better.” Making her way over to her dad, she kisses him. “Oh, look, here’s what we got for you.”

  Eve pulls out a solid gold picture frame and passes it to her dad. Beautifully positioned inside the frame is the picture which had gone missing from the entry table. Holding the frame in his hands, Matthew’s unsure of what to say or do.

  “Look, see, I put the picture in for you already.”

  “Darling, where’s the old frame?”

  “Well, I went to get breakfast this morning and the old one was broken on the kitchen side. The glass was shattered and everything.” Holding her hands up in the air, she says, “I didn’t do it. It was Jess who suggested we should get you a new one as a surprise.”

  He looks at the image inside of the frame, trying to digest Eve’s words. Not wanting to look too shocked, he says, “Yeah, of course, that’s great, thank you, darling.”

  With all her new possessions crumpled up and shoved back into the bags, Eve piles these up in her hands and begins making her way upstairs. Her energy is beaming brighter than the stars and she’s full of life, practically skipping up the staircase. Smiling, Jess goes to follow, and as she reaches the door, Matthew holds her arm, gently stopping her in her tracks.

  “Jess, can I have a word, please?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Looking out into the hallway, Matthew shuts the door. As he puts out his hand, he says, “Please, sit down.”

  Jess sits, looking slightly alarmed and confused by Matthew’s actions.

  “I wanted to say something about my choice of words last night.”

  “Oh, Matthew, honestly, it’s fine. You really don’t have to explain anything.”

  “No, I do. Really, I do.” He takes a deep breath and prepares himself for the words he’s about to say. “So, I haven’t been myself recently. I truly thought I was getting to a point where I was rebuilding my life in all areas and, well… not fully, but slowly beginning to accept and move forward from the murder of my wife. Yet the more I’ve thought about this being my reality, the worse my state of mind has become.”

  “Because of me?”

  “Oh, good lord, no, not because of you. No, no, no, no, no. Please don’t think that. It’s not coming out right at all this. What I’m trying to say is, well… erm, since I met you I’ve not been sleeping too great. This isn’t to do with you, honestly.” Holding her hands, he continues, “Today I decided enough is enough and I went to see the doctor. I haven’t been to the doctors for a long time. Do you remember last night when you asked me why I was soaked?”

  “Yes.”

  “Recently, I’ve been experiencing bad dreams of sorts, but they feel real. The broken picture frame, well… I broke that last night while I was sleeping.” He gently shakes his head as he knows this is making no sense and making him sound slightly insane. “Look, I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I think I’m sleep walking. I’m hoping I’ve now found a solution, so I guess why I’m telling you this is because I’m truly surprised you’ve not run a mile. Both me and Eve haven’t been the easiest to deal with. And I suppose I just want to thank you for your graciousness.”

  Throwing her arms around his neck, Jess gazes deep into his eyes. She climbs on top of his lap, leans over and whispers onto his lips, “All is forgiven, Mr Honey.”

  She kisses him passionately. They both become aroused as they receive one another’s energy. Running her fingers through his hair and feeling him growing inside of his pants, Jess whispers into his ear, “Mi temono.”

  Suddenly, Matthew feels an unknown energy radiating at a rapid rate throughout his body. His nerves are awakened by this mysterious and unexplainable tingling sensation. Feeling both pleasure and pain, Matthew is confused as he tries to accept this new-found orgasmic energy which is taking over his body. But it’s hard. His natural urge is to fight against this, but his body, which is surrendering, won’t allow his mind to take control. Powerless, Matthew begins moaning out loud as Jess tugs at his hair. Gradually giving in to this intense sense of euphoria, his eyes close.

  As she sees and feels his submission, her eyes start to change. Her deep black pupils appear to have taken over. No white is visible. Her eyes are like gaping holes in her face. She’s taking possession of Matthew’s soul, bit by bit, and she’s now absorbing him through the windows of her eyes.

  An intense grey mist surfaces slowly from the darkest and deepest parts of her eyes. It takes the form of a cross, a cross that is upside down. As she feels Matthew submissively embracing her presence and becoming more aroused by the second, she reveals her true intention. Taking ultimate control of the moment, she unzips his pants and instan
tly places him securely inside of her. Grinding her body on top of his, she leans and bites his lips. Drawing his blood, she embeds her teeth deep inside of his skin. Clenching her legs tight, she begins sucking the DNA from Matthew’s body. As his blood travels down her throat and as they become one, the orgasmic pleasure accelerates her into her true form. As Matthew’s erect penis moves deeper and deeper inside of her, she commands, “Aperto.”

  Matthew’s eyes snap open. Suddenly his phone begins vibrating, breaking their connection. Matthew is somewhat confused, unaware of how they have ended up having intercourse. Jess climbs off him, and as his erect penis slides out of her body and lands on his trousers, he moans.

  Jess whispers, “Next time.”

  Regaining control of his mind, Matthew coughs. He shakes his head, trying to work out what’s just happened. As he pulls away from Jess, his phone once again begins vibrating and beeping loudly. Reaching into his pocket, he sees he has an email from Daniel, and the heading reads: “Appointment Confirmation – Hades Account.”

  Making her way out of the day room, Jess leaves a very flustered and confused Matthew behind. Trying to regain control of himself, he clicks on the email, which reads:

  Sent: Daniel Thompson

  To: Matthew Honey, Christina Hart, Bill Hades, Vera Jenson

  Subject: Appointment Confirmation – Hades Account

  Dear All,

  Re: Appointment Confirmation – Hades Account

  Further to my conversation today with Vera, I am pleased to confirm the following appointment has been booked:

  Date: Sunday 7th July

  Time: 14:30

  Location: Honey Productions, Canterbury

  Meeting Room 5

  On arrival, please make your way to the reception area and ask for Daniel Thompson.

  If you require any further assistance, or if for any reason you need to rearrange the appointment, please do not hesitate to contact me on either my direct dial or email.

  With kindest regards,

  Daniel Thompson

  Receptionist

  Honey Productions

  Eve is wrapped up in her own delightful little world in her bedroom. Wearing a huge smile, she’s unloading all her new items. Carefully taking each expensive designer piece of clothing out of the bags, she sets about placing the garments individually onto matching gold padded silk hangers. Oozing excitement, Eve can’t wait to add her newest additions to her already amazing clothing collection. She makes her way over to her gorgeous uniquely crafted, built-in white wooden wardrobes on the far side of the room. She opens the double doors, revealing the wonderfully organised contents. All Eve’s clothes are arranged not only by colour, but by season too. It’s like a work of art. Admiring each individual piece as she places it in the correct order, Eve feels spoilt and completely fabulous.

  Once her work of art is complete, and her new clothes have a confirmed spot in their new home, Eve grabs her diary and sits at her desk. The thick, red, leather-backed book, which is filled with all her deepest secrets and true thoughts, is her most sacred possession. Flicking through until she lands at an empty page, Eve grabs her blue-ink fountain pen and begins writing a new entry:

  “Today I got my wish, today I got to spend the day with a woman!!! A woman who could very well be the figure I’ve been searching for. We went shopping, a real girl’s day shopping, it has been amazing. I literally feel on top of the world.”

  Before Eve has time to finish her entry, a cold breeze blows through her room. Shivering, Eve feels the hairs on her body quickly standing to attention. The temperature is sub-zero and it carries with it a nauseating stench. As it hits the back of her throat, Eve begins to retch. All her senses are awakened by this overpowering, disturbing manifestation, which is developing at a rapid rate. Dropping her pen onto the page, Eve splashes ink across the paper. Suddenly she no longer feels alone. She feels someone breathing over her shoulder and blowing directly down her ear. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly turns… but no one is there.

  Exhaling with relief, Eve gets up from her desk and walks into the en-suite. Switching the light on, she makes her way to the ceramic white sink. She turns on the taps and splashes the freezing cold water onto her face. With her head in her hands, Eve slowly begins to hear a symphony of humming. The water which is flowing freely from the tap and gathering in Eve’s hands unexpectedly turns black. Jumping with fright as the black liquid takes over her once innocent skin tone, Eve hears the hummed tune being repeated over and over, getting louder and louder. Suddenly, the light begins to flicker on and off. She stands completely stiff as her sense of fear takes over. Alongside the eerie and yet enchanting rhythm, Eve can hear the sound of each deep breath as it leaves her body. The light stays off, it feels as though the darkness she’s surrounded by is her new light. Too frightened to speak, and aware of the unnatural energy radiating from behind her, Eve’s unable to contemplate running out of the bathroom.

  The bathroom suddenly fills with light. Eve looks up. Staring at her reflection, Eve sees that the mirror tells no lies. Behind her stands the most horrific and terrifying demonic grey woman. Her jet-black hair is hanging heavy on either side of her face, and black blood is seeping from the cracks around her mouth. Her whole body is oozing the same black substance. She’s back! Eve’s heart is racing. “Please stop it!” She shouts.

  Suddenly, Eve manages to regain the use of her legs and run. Without looking back, she flings her bedroom door open and bursts out of her room on to the landing and bumps into her dad.

  “Oh, you okay kidda?” Matthew says as he catches her.

  “Yeah. Erm, sorry.” Eve says in a fluster.

  “Are you sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “Yeah – I’m fine Dad.”

  “Okay.” Matthew replies with a smile.

  Not looking back, Eve then rushes down the staircase.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Medication Time

  Night has fallen. Just a few hours ago the village of Hythe was filled with laughter and life – now, the same pathways are silent and still. There is not a soul on the streets, not a seagull in the sky. No form of life can be seen. The lampposts are lined up symmetrically and one or two of the lamps are flickering. Grey waves begin mounting with each gust of wind that blows, becoming fiercer and stronger with every descent as they crash against the sand. The tide is right in, pushing closer to the man-made grey brick wall that stands solid and separates the beautiful English beach from the streets. The moon is out, beaming up high in the jet-black sky. This magnificent sphere is captivating, stealing all the attention, without a star in sight.

  Inside the Honey residence, a dark energy is making its way around the silent building. The mood throughout is eerie and the sleeping inhabitants’ body hairs stand to attention. Travelling at a rapid rate, this dark energy has made its way into Eve’s room, once again making the temperature sub-zero in readiness for the arrival of the Dark Empress.

  Eve becomes unsettled in her sleep. She mumbles, “Mum…” She gets tangled in the bedsheets as she pulls them up to her neck, trying desperately to shield herself from the freezing energy circulating her room, though she remains unaware of the unpleasant force that is gradually invading her space.

  The walls of the room begin to vibrate slightly. As the dark energy grows in power, they begin to shake. The solid wooden bed also begins to tremble, and then to rock violently back and forth. Eve’s body shakes in-sync with the aggressive vibration, as if she’s having multiple seizures, one after the other.

  The grey, deceitful mist once again appears and begins to take ownership of the room. The mist becomes thicker with each second that passes, forcing its way through the gaps around the door and trickling through the golden keyhole. Eve is powerless. She’s unable to wake and remains trapped against her own will, a victim to her own mind, being thrown forcef
ully around the bed.

  Suddenly the rocking stops and the bed, along with Eve, becomes still. The heavy curtains begin to slide open unaided. Peering through the glass of the window is a single black raven. The intimidating creature stands stiff, staring intently at Eve. It is almost as big as the window itself, and with eyes that are the deepest red, this creature is a true reflection of its proud owner. The raven abruptly begins pecking at the glass. The sound reaches sleeping Eve’s ears and she becomes emotional at the disturbance. She cries out, “Mum!”

  “It is time, my child. Non temere di me,” says a dulcet, eerie female voice. Eve’s expression changes at the sound of the voice. Scrunching her eyes, Eve appears to be in pain. Suddenly she gasps as she begins to fight for her breath and her hands go to her throat. Her body is now limp. The vibration once again takes over Eve’s bed and forcibly shakes the frame. Her lifeless body is thrown aggressively from one side to the other. As the spoken words develop in her mind, the evil energy attached to the sound begins to take ownership of Eve’s living cells. With the transition almost complete, her facial features spasm.

  Eve now lies motionless, her hands no longer holding her throat. Her eyes are open and she foams at the mouth. An unearthly grey tinge begins to spread rapidly across her once pure skin. Eve is no longer Eve. Her features slowly begin to showcase the evil that has devoured her soul. A deep crack spontaneously appears through the centre of her face and rips its way through her grey, lifeless lips. Black blood oozes from the rip, slowly dripping down Eve’s face and rolling under her chin. It travels like a magnet to the necklace and locket hanging around Eve’s neck, embedding itself all over the precious piece of jewellery. It no longer glistens. Much like its owner, this object has been tainted by evil.