Terrifying Love: A Halloween Anthology

by Serena Nova

  “We are going to put on an amazing show, my little Swanhilda,” he complimented, thankfully overlooking the red in my cheeks.

  He unlocked his apartment door and the large apartment surprised me. It was very hard to find such an accommodation in the heart of the city. It looked like they had pulled out all of the stops for their star performer. “Thank you so much for taking me in like this. I know you didn’t have to.”

  “Think nothing of it. Selfishly, it gives me a chance to spend more time with you.” He shut the door behind us and led me toward what looked like a bedroom and I stopped at the threshold, looking at him hesitantly. I wasn’t sure what he thought this meant, but sleeping with him was not it.

  He let out a sigh and took my hand gently. “I’m not going to lie, I want you in my bed. Beneath me, moaning my name. But not tonight. You have been through enough, and tonight, you need a shower, and some rest. We will get to the rest later.” He gently guided me into his room, and while the rest of the apartment was very modern, in there, it was very cozy and warm. I suddenly felt stupid for thinking he might take advantage of the situation.

  “I’m sorry,” I told him. I had spent the entire day with him, I had no reason to think that he would be anything other than nice.

  Jay led me to the bathroom and turned on the lights. “Why don’t you go get in the shower, as I’m sure you probably want one. I’ll bring you a change of clothes since we forgot that part.”

  He left me standing next to the shower, staring at his back as he left. Damn, I couldn’t help myself, and I found I was liking him more and more every moment.

  Chapter Ten - Him

  I followed the man closely, not wanting to be noticed, but not wanting to lose him either. This had been the final straw. Not only had he kept Binx from me at the Theatre, but he dared to touch her. Right in front of me, no less. He was going to pay for his insolence, and I was going to make sure that nothing stood between the two of us again.

  The others had been merely a necessity, people that kept us apart that had to be taken care of. He had done far worse, and removing him from the picture was going to bring me great joy. I knew it to my gut that taking him out of the picture would be the final thing I needed to do to show her that I would do anything to keep us together. The smile that would light up her face, as it had the first day, would make all of this worth it. Then we could be together forever.

  The apartment unit he entered didn’t surprise me. I figured he was a dancer just like Binx and would live somewhere close. I waited in the lobby, watching the numbers on the elevator go up, finally stopping and indicating the floor he had gotten off. Quickly, I followed up and the doors opened just in time for me to see him unlock the door to his apartment.

  I waited for him to close the door behind him, giving him a few minutes to settle himself in before I made my appearance. If he were too close to the door, he might yell for help and ruin my plans. Something like that was not going to do any good. Not when I was so close to having what was mine.

  The far end of the hall was shadowed a bit, not much, but I figured it would be enough to avoid drawing any unwanted attention in the meantime, so I crossed to the corner and leaned against the wall, ready to wait for a while.

  I was surprised when the guy came rushing back through the door before any significant amount of time had passed. Completely distracted as he talked into his phone, he didn’t even glance my way as tugged it closed and relocked it. The wait for the elevator was not long, as it probably still sat on this floor from when I exited. He stepped in, and still not looking in my direction, disappeared from view.

  Again, I gave it a few minutes, not wanting to be caught letting myself into his apartment, but when the elevators both remained on the ground level, I figured it was safe enough. I slipped my knife from my pocket and made quick work of the flimsy apartment lock. These places never had adequate security. I let myself in and made sure the door was locked and secure again as I shut it, turning to inspect his apartment.

  This was a strict bachelor pad, even if it looked like he didn’t do much here. There were no beer bottles on tables, or even clothes piled in the corners as I remembered from my first flat. In fact, the furniture looked barely used, and just a way to make it lived in instead of something to come home to everyday. There was no way this was the life for Binx.

  I wandered to the bedroom, searching for some sign Binx had been here, relieved when I found none. This room was much different than the living room, but still, very tidy and impersonal for the most part. There were no women's touches, the small things that made a space inviting and welcoming. The things I knew that Binx would bring to our home.

  My heart soared again at the thought. After tonight, we would have our home and be together. She clearly didn’t want to be with him. If she had, then her actions tonight would have been much different. She would have invited him up to her apartment, or come back to his place with him, but she didn’t do either. I knew it was because she was testing me. Teasing me. Wanting me to prove myself to her.

  Tonight, I would do exactly that. Prove myself. And then we could make plans to move to our small house and begin our lives together. I glanced at the stove, surprised at how much time had passed since he left. That only meant I was that much closer to him returning and us being alone, so I could take care of things once and for all.

  I inspected his kitchen, I had no clue what I was looking for, but it gave me something to occupy my time. It gave me the opportunity to think about exactly what I would do to him, to make him suffer for touching Binx when she was mine. I lined up the silverware in the drawer and turned his bottles around in the refrigerator, so they were all in a row and facing the same direction. This man was neat, I would give him that. Still, he was not what Binx needed and I was going to take care of that as soon as he returned home.

  My heart raced as the sound of the front door opening reached me and quickly, I closed the fridge, just as the lights came on and I sank back into the corner of the kitchen, hidden by the darkness there.

  “Thank you so much for taking me in like this. I know you didn’t have to.” Fury flew through me as I instantly recognized Binx’s soft voice.

  “Think nothing of it. Selfishly, it gives me a chance to spend more time with you,” the man replied as my rage came close to bubbling over.

  The two passed by the kitchen and the sight of them holding hands as they entered the bedroom was enough to snap me out of my nearly uncontrollable rage. This was it, this was her final test for me. And I intended to pass with flying colors.

  Chapter Eleven - Binx

  I made a quick work of the shower, even though the hot water and a huge rainwater shower head made me want to indulge in a much longer one. My measly apartment barely boasted lukewarm water, let alone any actual water pressure. I scrubbed my hair, letting the almost too familiar scent of his soap wash over me, wash away the dirty feeling I had been carrying with me all day. Finally clean, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven and could stay in there all night long.

  The thought pulled me from my pleasure induced trance and snapped me back to reality. People had died, and one had almost been me. Someone was dead because of me, maybe two someones, for that matter.

  I hoped they found answers, and soon. I wanted life to get back to normal and for the production of Coppélia to get underway. I knew with every fiber of my being that this was going to be an amazing show and I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity.

  At last, I turned the water off and poked my head around the frosted glass to make sure Jay wasn’t still in the bathroom. It wasn’t that I was self-conscious about my body, hell, it was quite the opposite. I just didn’t think it was a good idea to tempt either one of us any more than we already did.

  Seeing the coast was clear, I slipped the towel from the bar and dried off quickly. Grateful for the change of clothes he left on the sink, even if the sweats and top were a little large. At least they were clean, and yes, the
y smelled like him. So, if I couldn’t be with him, at least I could think about it for a few minutes to escape the reality that my life was turned upside down at the moment.

  “Jay,” I called out, spotting a hamper against the wall and dropping the damp towel in it. Hearing no response, I went to the living room to find him, thank him for his hospitality and figure out sleeping arrangements for the night. With the intent to return to my apartment first thing in the morning, and not put him out any further than I already had.

  A muffled scream had me glancing to my right, stopping in my tracks at the chilling sight that greeted me. My heart hammered in my chest as I spotted Jay bound to a chair, his hands and feet both tied to the wood, his mouth gagged, and his eyes filled with fear. Blood pooled from his temple, down his cheek, and though I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, I could tell it was bad.

  “Who the fuck did this to you?” I took a step toward him, but he started frantically shaking his head, making me stop. As I did so, a man stepped from the kitchen, laying a stark white, ceramic butcher knife on the bar top, staring at me intently, almost reverently, as he did so. For some reason he seemed familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. Though I, for sure, knew I had never seen that intent, crazy gleam in anyone’s eyes ever before.

  “How was your shower, darling?” he asked, calmly. It was the level of calm that scared me more than anything. No one could be this crazy and this calm at the same time.

  I looked between him and Jay, afraid to make a move and the recognition dawned on me where I had seen him before. “You’re the man from the café,” I breathed out in disbelief, forcing myself to not tremble. If he had been at the café, then-

  “I knew you would remember me. It was that day I knew you wanted the same thing I did. That day that I knew my search for you this whole time had not been in vain,” his voice came out breathlessly as he took a step forward and reached for me. I flinched back, not wanting him to touch me, and his dreamy grin turned to a frown.

  “It was you? You were the one in my apartment?”

  His grin returned. “You knew it was me?”

  “Not at the time, no. But I do now,” I scowled.

  “It was too soon, I know. I just couldn’t go without seeing you any longer. Without showing you that I understood.”

  “Understood what?” The blood rushed to my brain as he pulled a pocketknife from his jeans. Whatever I said, I had to be careful to not piss him off. I had to figure out a way to get us both out of this. Hopefully, not harmed any more than Jay already was.

  “That you wanted us to be together. That we were meant to be together.” His face fell and he blinked at me blankly.

  My eyebrows shot up, and quickly, I schooled my expression as I noticed his white knuckles on the handle of the knife he held. “I don’t even know who you are.”

  “But you remembered me,” he insisted. “I got rid of the obstacles that kept us apart. And after I pass this test, we can be together forever.”

  “You,” I breathed out, the realization that he had killed my friend and the person behind my building. “Why?” I shook my head in denial, the terrified trembling in my body building. I needed to keep him talking. I needed to give myself time to think.

  “For us. I did it all for us.”

  I wanted to shout at him that there was no us. That he was bat shit crazy. But I had watched enough crime shows to know that wasn’t the way to get out of here in once piece. If I called him crazy, his level of crazy now would be nothing compared to what it could be. “Tell me what you did.” I kept my eyes on him, afraid to look at Jay in case it might set him off. The butcher knife caught my attention, and I knew I would need to make my move soon if I were going to be able to use it to my advantage.

  “I removed the obstacles. The woman at the café that kept you from me. The taxi driver that took you from me. And the man in your building, I couldn’t have him touch what’s mine. Now, I will pass your test and remove him, too. Prove to you how much I love you, and then we can be together,” he said it proudly, his chest puffed out as his sandy hair shrouded his face in shadows. “We can be together like we were meant to be.”

  “There is no us. Those people were not keeping me from you, because there is no us,” I tried to tell him gently, my eyes falling to the butcher knife on the counter as he shook his head in disbelief at my words.

  “No,” he denied, taking another step toward me.

  I lunged for the knife on the counter, wanting something to defend myself with, but it slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor as he shoved me back. I scrambled backwards from him, and got back on my feet, turning to run around to the other entrance I had spotted to the kitchen. I let out a long scream as he reached out and grabbed my arm, jerking me back against his hard chest, his breath heaving against my back.

  “I did this for us!” he bellowed in my ear.

  I elbowed him hard in the ribs, meeting nothing but hard muscle before remembering my dad’s training. “Hold still!” he barked, his hot breath washing over my skin. I stomped on his foot as hard as I could, using the weight of my heel to bring the most force. Instantly, he pulled back, even if it was only a little bit, and I made a fist with one hand, and gripped it with the other. Using the combined muscle of both arms, I shoved my elbow as hard as I could into his groin, making him immediately double over and release me.

  I pivoted on the spot, ducking behind him as he struggled to catch his breath and scooped the knife from the floor. I rushed over to Jay and sawed at the ropes that bound his hand, hoping I would be quick enough.

  “No!” the man shouted, rushing for us as I pulled the gag off Jay’s mouth.

  “Run, Binx!” Jay yelled as I freed one of his hands.

  I was too late as the man grabbed my arm again and jerked me back hard, away from Jay. I cried out from the pain that radiated from my shoulder down my arm, from being pulled with such force. He twisted me around, tossing me behind him and stalked toward Jay who was still tied to the chair, his fingers frantically working to free himself.

  “I will triumph for us!” his voice filled the room as he raised his pocketknife and slashed toward Jay. He dodged the main blow and the tip barely sliced his shoulder. Without giving him another opportunity to hurt Jay, I lunged forward and sunk the butcher knife deep into his calf muscle, the feel of the ceramic cracking as it hit his bone reverberating up my arm and making me want to empty the contents of my stomach.

  There was no time to waste though as he hit the floor on all fours and his own knife clattered across the hardwood floor, the blood running down his leg and pooling around him. If we were going to get out, now was our chance as the man twisted and tried to wrench the blade free from his leg.

  I skirted around him and grabbed another knife from the butcher block that sat on the counter and quickly sliced through the remaining ropes. Jay twisted his wrists for a moment as he stood but I grabbed him anyway and pulled him forward, toward the front door. We needed to get the fuck out of there, and fast.

  Epilogue

  We stood outside of Jay’s building as police and ambulances swarmed the street and the feeling of relief flooded through me that it was finally going to be over. Still, the shock rolled through me, that he convinced himself that we were meant to be together, even killing all those people to fulfil the crazy notion that was in his head. I couldn’t quite comprehend the reasoning behind it, only that I was glad it was over.

  Thankfully, one of the neighbors had heard the shouting and was already in front of the door when we ran out. He called the cops, and within minutes they were there, rushing the building, as ready to put an end to all of this, as we were.

  EMT’s came over and insisted we got checked out, letting us know that the cops wanted to speak with us still, but in the meantime, we should really be checked out. We both agreed and sat in the back of the ambulance together as they took our vitals and bandaged Jay’s open wounds. They wanted him to go to the hospital for a sca
n, since he had taken a nasty hit to the head when the guy attacked him.

  He declined though, wanting to wait with me until this part was over. We sat hand in hand with our legs dangling off the back of the ambulance, watching as the officers came and went into the building.

  “I’m so sorry that I brought all of this on you. If I had known-” I started, but was cut off as he leaned over and kissed me gently.

  “Don’t ever be sorry. This was not your fault and you did not ask for any of this. I would gladly take a thousand hits to the head, or cuts, if it meant you were safe,” he said gently, reaching up to tap my nose, but wincing as the pain from the slice in his shoulder reminded him he had to take it easy.

  We both glanced toward the entrance at the same time, and my heart began thudding in my chest again as the man was led out in cuffs. He didn’t fight them, but he didn’t look remorseful either. Instead, he looked across the street and his eyes met mine, that dark crazy glint illuminated by the flash of red and blue lights.

  “He can’t hurt you anymore.” Jay gently squeezed my hand. “He can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

  I nodded my head and refused to look away as they loaded him into a car, his gaze holding mine as the cruiser pulled away. Jay was right, he couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. and now it was time to move onto the next chapter in my life. This whole thing made me realize life could be way too short and I intended to live it to its fullest from here on out.

  Find out what happens next with Binx and Jay in Echappé- His Dancer, Book One, coming January 2021!

  About Isobella Dunn

  Isobella Dunn is a contemporary romance author that likes to write anything from sweet love stories to suspenseful romance. Eliciting emotions in her readers, and giving them a story that they not only relate to, but can feel as well, is something she strives for. She spends her days by the lake writing with her dog, prefers tea over coffee, and lives life as if everyday is a new opportunity waiting to be found. She loves the outdoors, her family and getting lost in a great book. Find her on Facebook for more info, and to stay connected!