Terrifying Love: A Halloween Anthology

by Serena Nova

  Taj led her inside and closed the door. Before Anna had a chance to say a word, Taj kissed her passionately, stopping only to hold her tight.

  “I was so worried about you,” Taj finally said.

  “Why? What else happened?” Anna asked her confused.

  “It was Matthew. He tried to kill you and when he failed, he hired someone to do it for him,” Taj said and continued before Anna could react. “I remembered the partial licence plate that night and I went to see my former colleague at the police. It was Matthew who rented that car. They also found the guy who attacked you last night, the knife helped. He admitted it was Matthew who hired him. We think it was Melanie who saw you taking the files, but we have nothing to tie her to whatever Matthew was doing.”

  Anna had no idea what to say to that. Then it occurred to her, “And Rudi?”

  “We are not sure, but it might have been him as well. He discovered the same thing you did.”

  “What am I supposed to do now?” Anna asked, her voice betraying her distress.

  “Just go back to work like nothing happened and watch your back. We still don’t know what the deal with Melanie is. No one knows it was you who told Norman, so as long as you keep a low profile for a little bit, you should be okay.” Taj replied and led her to the sofa. They sat down and Taj just held her for a long moment.

  “It’s gonna be okay now. You’re safe,” she finally said and Anna finally relaxed. “Let me make you dinner,” Taj added and got up slowly. She squeezed Anna’s hand reassuringly and went to the kitchen. Anna just sat there confused. She was not as tense as she was before, but she was still in disbelief, wondering what the hell happened to her quiet, boring life. She missed it a little now. But at the same time, she would not change having Taj in her life, and the excitement of seeing her in action. She was impressive. She was her hero. And Anna was glad they finally got together.

  They ate in silence and after dinner Taj took Anna home. She stayed the night and they made love for the first time and it was more than Anna had ever imagined possible. They fell asleep holding each other and Anna’s last thought before sleep took over was how perfect her life is turning out to be and how happy she was at that moment.

  Chapter Six

  A month passed by and Anna was not plagued by unhappiness as she was before. She got a new boss, someone from another department, and he was a much nicer person, so she didn’t hate her job anymore. She was still working on the same accounts as previously, but the pressure was less. Melanie quit and left a week after Matthew was arrested and no one had heard from her since. Her meeting with Norman was still a well-kept secret, so no one treated her any differently. Not that she had many friends at work. Or any, for that matter. But Anna didn’t care, because she had Taj.

  She was seeing Taj every day, well, every night after work, and things were going really well. She was caring and smart, and funny, as well as an amazing lover. Anna could not be happier. They still kept their relationship a secret at work, and they pretended every morning that they arrived separately. They even greeted each other every morning, like they didn’t just have a shower together. Anna thought it was funny, and she didn’t care. Secret or not, Taj was hers and she loved her with all her heart. And she knew Taj felt the same.

  Today, she came out of the car around the corner as usual and walked the rest of the way to work. By the time she got there, Taj was already at her post and she greeted Anna as usual. They exchanged secret smiles and Anna went up to her office. The feeling of not dreading coming into work was still new to her and she would never take for granted the fact that her new boss and his assistant were nothing like Matthew and Melanie. She turned on her computer and got ready to work, when she heard a message sound.

  You look good enough to eat.

  You look pretty yummy yourself.

  Your place or mine tonight?

  Yours. I wanna sit in the garden with a bottle of wine.

  You got yourself a date. Pick you up after work, usual spot.

  Anna sent a bunch of kissy emojis and put her phone back into her bag. Today was going to be a really good day, she thought as she focused back on her work. The days were much easier and not so slow and unbearable as before, so before she knew it, it was time for lunch. She was just about to finalise the work she did in the morning when a weird account popped up on her screen.

  She stared at her screen for a moment not knowing what to do. When she came to her senses, she made a screenshot, printed out the information and called Alexandra.

  “Hi, it’s Anna,” she said when Alexandra answered. “I need to see Norman urgently.”

  “He just got out of a meeting. If you hurry, you will catch him before he takes off for lunch.”

  Anna hung up and rushed out of her office. She caught Norman on the way out of his office. He greeted her and invited her in.

  “I’m sorry. I won’t take much of your time. I just had to show you this,” Anna said and gave him the printout.

  “Hmm… I will have to look into it,” he said and turned to leave, but she stopped him.

  “What if they got the wrong guy? What if it wasn’t Matthew?” Anna could not hide the worry in her voice.

  “Oh, it was him no doubt, but there seems to be someone else, as well,” Norman said, pursing his lips as he stared at the paper for a minute. He nodded at Anna. “I’ll see to this,” he told her before leaving, carrying the paper out with him.

  Anna went back to her office and took out her phone to text Taj when she noticed a weird message from an unknown number.

  Leave it alone.

  Anna’s heart hammered in her throat. There was no doubt what they were talking about. Who knew what she had just given to Norman? Worse, who knew how to text her like this? She grabbed her stuff and rushed out of her office. On the way out she told the new assistant that she was not feeling well, and she was going home. She called an uber and went to Taj’s house. She felt safe there and had a key. They exchanged the keys a while ago, but this was the first time she was actually going to use it. When she got in, she ran upstairs and crawled into bed. She texted Taj that she was at her place and to not wait for her but to go straight home.

  A few hours passed, and Taj finally arrived home. She called out to Anna and when she couldn’t find her, she went upstairs, and found her curled on her bed, sound asleep. She was so beautiful. And she looked so peaceful. Taj knew something was wrong and she wondered what had happened at work today.

  She sat on the bed and gently caressed Anna’s hair. It took a while before she woke up but then she pulled Taj into her arms and held on tight.

  “What’s wrong?” Taj whispered gently.

  Anna pushed herself up so she could look at her. “The transactions are back. Look.” She turned to the side and reached for her phone. Once Taj saw the message, her face changed into that of pure determination.

  “I will contact my friends at the police. I will not let anything happen to you,” she said.

  “I just want this to be over,” Anna replied.

  “I know, I know. Come, let’s have that wine in the garden,” Taj invited her and went to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine.

  They sat in the garden and enjoyed each other’s company and a bottle of white wine. Anna told Taj about the number, and the meeting with Norman, and the message, and how she ran to her place. Taj listened and comforted her. After letting out all of her fears, and Taj reassuring her that they would figure it out, she finally let herself relax enough to enjoy their time together. Even though her day had started out as shit, in the end, it had turned into a lovely evening.

  *******

  The next few days passed in a blur. Anna didn’t receive any more messages, nor did she see any more irregular accounts. The weekend came and went, and it was amazing. Taj drove her to some of her favourite places for picnics. By the time they came back home, Anna was so stuffed she couldn’t eat a bread crumb. And she could not be happier. They started talking about the
ir future and moving in together. Everything was wonderful. She hated that the weekend ended and that she had to work again the next day.

  They did their usual routine and Taj was in the lobby as expected, greeting her when she came into work. Only today, things were different. There was a sombre atmosphere that Anna couldn’t explain. Something heavy was in the air. She went to her office and turned on her computer. When she opened her email, she found a message that left her speechless.

  Dear Colleagues,

  We are saddened to inform you that our dear colleague Norman passed away last night.

  The service will be held on Friday. The book of condolences will be available for

  signing in the lobby until then.

  Kind regards,

  The Management

  Anna stared at the screen for a moment, not knowing how to react. How did he die? She was not close to him, but he seemed nice. Then she was scared because she talked to him, and now, he was dead. Just like Rudi and the colleague before him, and just like she almost was twice, had it not been for Taj. Anna made a screenshot of the email and sent it to Taj. She knew that Taj was busy and wouldn’t be able to respond immediately so she started working. She wasn’t even surprised anymore when she noticed the accounts full of the odd transactions popping up on the screen one after the other.

  At this point, she knew there was nothing she could do about it. Whoever was doing it was really good at covering their tracks and it was just a matter of time before they came for her, or even for Taj. She had to do something to protect them both. So, she got to work and did what she knew best. Accounts and numbers. And irregularities. Irregularities were her specialty. By the time the clock marked 5:30, she did all she was set to do, and she was ready to go home. She texted Taj that she was coming to their regular pick up place and with that, Anna left the office for the day.

  Chapter Seven

  By the time Anna reached their corner, Taj was already there. They were going to Anna’s place tonight and Anna was going to make dinner. She wanted to make Taj’s favourite. Just because.

  They stopped by the supermarket to get what they needed and headed to Anna’s place. It was a nice, relaxed evening, regardless of the dark cloud that seemed to follow them wherever they went and whatever they did. Anna cooked and Taj kept her company. They talked about all kinds of stuff, but they stayed away from any heavy topics. From time to time, Taj would just set her wine glass on the counter and come behind her to hold her gently and kiss her neck. Anna couldn’t wait for the dinner to be over so she could return the favour.

  They talked and ate and enjoyed each other’s company until late. Then they went to bed and made love until they couldn’t see straight anymore, and Anna fell asleep in Taj’s embrace. Taj felt restless and couldn’t fall asleep, so after a while, she got up and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and left a content, sleeping Anna in the bed.

  Her mind was full of questions and she wondered what happened to Norman. What this whole situation meant for the two of them and how would it affect them. She was so worried about the future and unsure of many things. One thing she was sure of was that she loved Anna deeply and could not imagine her life without Anna in it. Perhaps they needed to make some choices together. She stood in the kitchen for a while, thinking. Then suddenly, Taj heard a muffled yell, and she felt chills run down her spine. She had a bad feeling and she had to check on Anna.

  *******

  “Air, I need air!” was the only thing going through Anna’s head. She felt like she was restrained and suffocating, with no way to break free and get a gulp of air to save her life. She was convinced she was dying.

  Anna tried to wake up, certain if she could get out of her nightmare, she could take that breath of air her body needed so desperately. Her lungs were burning and the weight restraining her was becoming heavier and more real. She had no idea how to wake up, only that she was kicking, trying to break free as she fought her panic. When the weight stayed on her, pressing her further into the mattress, she realised this was no dream, she was awake, and this was really happening. Someone was sitting on top of her and suffocating her with the pillow and she was no match for them, not strong enough to fight them off.

  Anna was running out of air and her strength was diminishing. All kinds of thoughts were going through her head. She thought about her unfulfilled dreams, her unobtainable future, and the love she was leaving behind… All of it, the good and the bad. And as her consciousness was leaving her slowly, she could feel the tears gathering in her eyes and wetting the pillow that was to be her demise.

  Anna was about to slip into unconsciousness, and the darkness started to envelop her when suddenly she was able to drag in a breath of cool air, her lungs filling as she gasped. She was gulping air like a fish on dry land and trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t, she had no strength after being without oxygen for an extended period of time. So, she tried to crawl backwards to lean against the headboard. Her sensitive ears were assaulted with whatever commotion was happening on the bed, so she continued to drag herself up on shaky arms so she could figure out what was going on. When she finally managed to sit and look up, the scene that greeted her was nothing less than shocking.

  Norman was right there in her bedroom! And he had tried to smother her with a pillow!

  Taj’s arm was wrapped around his neck, tight, and she used her other arm to strengthen the hold, while he was struggling to loosen it. Anna watched in dread as Norman repeatedly hit Taj in the side, hitting her ribs with his elbow, each time making her wince from the impact. Her muffled groans of pain spurred Anna to get her bearings faster so she could actually do something to help. Norman was so much bigger and stronger than Taj and she was losing her grip on him slowly, despite how desperately she clung to him. It was just a matter of time before she would not be able to hold him any longer.

  He kept on hitting Taj, dislodging her more each time and Anna watched in horror as Taj was flung toward the bed, bouncing off the mattress and landing on the floor with a thud, Norman throwing himself on her. From her position, Anna could not see what was happening, but she imagined the worst as she heard Taj gasping for breath.

  Still dizzy from her brain trying to catch up with the lack of oxygen, she pushed off the bed anyway, knowing she needed to help Taj. Anna had never been this scared in her entire life. She had no idea what to do, but she knew she had to do something. She had to save Taj. Anna could not bear to lose her. Not now, not ever. She looked around for something to help her. She did not fool herself into thinking it would make any difference if she attacked the man bare-handed. Anna knew she neither had the strength nor the training, and if Taj couldn’t do it, well, she certainly didn’t stand a chance.

  As she got a better view of the situation Taj was in, terror gripped Anna. Taj was struggling under Norman who had his hands wrapped around her throat and was squeezing harder. No matter how hard she tried, Taj could not pry his fingers off and catch a breath. She was struggling with all her might, but Anna saw it for what it was, a losing battle.

  In bewilderment, she frantically searched for something that could help give her the advantage she needed, and get him off Taj. There! Her eyes fell on a heavy marble ashtray she used to keep her jewellery in. Her legs were shaky, still struggling to recover after the lack of air, but she moved as fast as she could, and ran for the ashtray. Once she grabbed it firmly, all she could think of was to hit him as hard as she could, so she did. Over and over again. Even after he fell off Taj and stopped moving, she kept smashing it against him with all the force she could, determined to keep him from hurting Taj again.

  Anna felt a gentle embrace from behind and a soft whisper, “It’s okay. I’m safe now.” She crumpled to the floor and started crying. She didn’t stop when the police came, and she didn’t stop when they left. She cried for hours, while Taj cleaned her up and helped her get in the bed, and rocked her gently until she finally fel
l asleep.

  *******

  She woke up the next morning feeling hazy and disoriented. It took her a while to remember the events of the previous night. Taj was still sleeping, so she went into the kitchen to make coffee and get something to eat. Suddenly she was so hungry. Then it hit her! I killed a man! And she started crying again.

  It didn’t take long for Taj to wake up and find her. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now. We’re both safe. He can’t hurt us anymore.”

  “I… I killed him, didn’t I?” Anna stammered out. “Why was he here? Did he come here to kill me? Why?”

  “Let’s go sit down,” Taj suggested and took her to the nearest chair. As she sat down across from her, she continued, “Norman was trying to kill you.”

  “How? How is that possible? But he died…” Anna’s voice was shaky and full of disbelief.

  “Well, that’s what he wanted everyone to think. He paid someone at the morgue to revive him after he took a pill that made it look like he had a heart attack. The person who signed off his death certificate smuggled him out and replaced his body with some poor unidentified person,” Taj explained. “Well, that’s what my friends at the police told me. Apparently, he was behind the fraud Rudi uncovered, and you followed up on. Until you gave me the copies of that file, they had nothing to go on. They suspected him for a long while but the investigation was halted because of lack of evidence.”

  “But I killed him,” Anna stated quietly and started crying again.