by Yume
8. The Traitor’s Regrets
Erica
Love is dangerous, so she heard. Yet, she would give away anything to possess it regardless what it cost her.
The fiery ball of light was shining exceptionally brightly and the cloudless sky was as blue as the sea below. It was humid and the air was filled with strong pungent scent of salty sea water. She took a quick glimpse at the seagulls landing on a rock and went back to stirring the liquid in the pot.
The room was stuffy and choking. Still, a smile emerged on her face as she continued to stir the fluid. Every time a bubble burst, she breathed hard. It was getting closer. The time when she and her beloved man got together was drawing nearer with each second passed.
When the liquid boiled, she poured the brown sticky thing into an old, dirty bowl, not bothering to clean the container first. She blew the “medicine” and ambled out of the kitchen.
“Erica?” A weak, trembling voice whined.
Despite being called several times, Erica took the step upstairs at an extremely slow pace. It was as though the more the patient called for her, the more unhurriedly she headed towards the room. With the warm bowl in her hands, Erica grinned.
“Erica…” The voice was getting softer as Erica got closer to the room. When the door finally opened, the young girl lying in bed was in utter pain.
“Erica…” The pale girl whimpered. “My head hurts… my limbs…can barely move…”
“Here, Valerie.” Erica handed over the “medicine” to the patient. Valerie could hardly steady her shuddering hands.
“I’ll help you.” Erica held the bowl for Valerie to drink the liquid contained.
The poor girl scowled as she consumed the terribly bitter thing. She had been drinking the same thing for the past two weeks and yet, her illness seemed to get no better. She started having this unexpected headache one day and then things went down the hill. Her condition aggravated from a mere headache to being unable to walk. Every now and then, she had to lean on Erica in order to get up or move.
“Thank you, Erica.” Valerie said after having the “medicine”. “For taking care of me always.”
“Of course, I care for you, Valerie.” Erica smiled. “You are my best friend.”
Valerie made a faint smile and returned to her long sleep.
Just then, the front door opened downstairs. Elated, Erica rushed down right away.
“Hello?” A man asked in a low, deep voice.
“Jesse, welcome home.” Erica smiled and gave the man a hug. And as usual, he backed away a little.
“How’s Valerie?” He asked his usual question.
“Well,” Erica’s smiled faded as she shook her head. “The same.”
Jesse sighed and took off his coat. Swiftly, he ran up stairs and stormed right into his lover’s room. Erica, standing in the hall, stared with much disgust and woe.
Indisputably, they were best friends. They had met each other for what seemed like forever. They spent the entire childhood sticking with each other, drowning in fantasy, fairytales and ecstasy. She loved her dearly. Yet, things seemed to have changed recently. Since when? Oh yeah, it was when Erica found out they were so different. She was a girl of the aggressive and vain kind, always crazy about challenges and mischief. Valerie, on the other hand, was rather practical and down-to-earth. Her cheerful nature brought her lots of attention, either from other girls of the same age or boys in the neighborhood. Was it jealousy? Or just simply envy and adore. It had been so long that Erica could no longer comprehend her true feeling towards Valerie. She remembered they used to hang out like inseparable twins, share secrets like soul mates and laugh together at the most foolish things. Somehow, these passionate and wondrous feelings wandered off, drifting away from Erica. Even though they remained as same as could be in Valerie’s heart, they no longer subsisted within Erica.
Two years ago, the friends’ life was caught by an inevitable change. Erica had expected that long ago and it was only a matter of time when the difference between them eventually parted them. Jesse’s appearance was the key to everything. She used to go to the church with Valerie. No, it was Valerie’s idea. She was always the loyal and faithful one. Erica just tagged along because she feared boredom. Loneliness, by far, was the most terrible thing that she could ever think of. Perhaps from the very beginning, despite knowing they were utterly different, Erica still befriended with Valerie in grounds of preventing loneliness. She loathed being left alone. Why was that? Oh, she remembered now. Her father was another man that changed her entire life. Once and forever, she dreaded being lonesome. He had this unendurably horrendous temper that often drove him crazy when she was small. Her mother was the first victim to suffer from his never-ending blows and slaps. When the woman finally figured out the way to escape, she abandoned Erica and her bad-tempered husband, fleeing to the far end of this world. Erica was crestfallen and frustrated, indeed. Yet, she was too young to fight back. Fighting against her fate was never the point. She wished she could be stronger and only when she found a company, she had the courage to stand up for herself. Weird but true, she was a strong-willed woman but also a wimpy helpless little girl at the same time. She had secrets she could not tell.
“Erica, look!” She still heard Valerie’s voice echoing in her head. When her dearest companion first saw Jesse, she was so charmed and touched. The problem was that Valerie was not the only one attracted. Erica, too, found this young boy exceptionally and alluringly gorgeous. His smile was always as bright as the sun and his kind, friendly nature was just as warm. He treated everyone equally and cared for the unprivileged unconditionally. His beautiful heart made him loved by many. In a fleeting moment, going to church every Sunday became Erica’s favorite routine. She thought of him in daytime and dreamt of him at night. She longed badly for him to be hers and the one ambition she had ever had in her whole life was to be with him. Forever. Or more…
Why? Why did it happen? These days, she kept asking herself silently. She had done everything she could. She courted him, which a girl wasn’t supposed to do. She changed for him, doing things she had never done before. She learnt to be obedient, kind-hearted and amiable because of him. And yet, all she got in return was a hollow feeling. He chose Valerie.
She wouldn’t have minded so much if it wasn’t Valerie. But why? Why did it have to be her? She felt as though her heart was torn apart in a flash. In a split second, she lost both her best friend and the man she loved most at the same time. No one could fathom how awful and distressed she was. Everyone was busy cheering for the new couple. Valerie was always popular among the group. People just thought it would only make sense for someone as good as Valerie to match with Jesse. As for Erica, she had long been forgotten. Abandoned. Unwanted. Again.
That down-heated night, as Erica walked back home, she wept quietly. She had never felt so crushed before. The moment she stepped into the house, the old man returned to his usual self, shrieking and throwing things. She was not in the mood to listen to anything he said. Once, Erica had dreamt of being rescued by Jesse. She dreamt that he might be able to lead her out of this mad, dreadful place. He was the only one to do that anyway. However, all her dreams were shattered in a blink of an eye. Because of Valerie. One thing she could not agree more was that the best friend could be the worst enemy.
She didn’t do it on purpose. She just couldn’t control herself. She detested his father very much and things had been that way for years. Still, he had only himself to blame. If only he hadn’t shouted, hit her and smacked her, he wouldn’t have ended up dead. That very same night, Erica was both furious and melancholy. When the man was asleep, she crept into the kitchen silently and grabbed a knife. Her mouth was split into a wide smile as she started stabbing him. Blood filled the room and spread all over the place. The bed sheet was soaked with blood. The more the man cried in agony, the better Erica felt. It suddenly occurred to her that the frenzy of killing was turning her on. She wanted more. For the past few years
, this irresponsible and brutal father had been ruining her childhood, draining every single piece of beautiful memory available for her. And now, she was taking her revenge. On him. On everyone that caused her pain.
As the dawn came, she cleaned up everything. Wrapping the corpse in blankets and tied with heavy rocks, she threw her dead father into the lake.
“Good bye, papa.” She grinned as she witnessed the corpse sank deeper and deeper into the water, faded from the surface forever.
No one ever suspected her, which was a relief. Her father was the type that seldom got home. When he did, he was often mad. People in the neighborhood never liked him. Some of them even sympathized with Erica. No one questioned about his disappearance. Erica acted as innocently as could be. Valerie believed her, indeed. When she was still crying badly for Erica, Valerie probably missed the cunning smile on her friend’s face.
Life returned to normal after the incident. To Erica, the business was not yet finished. The game was not over though. There was one thing she had to deal with no matter what.
Jesse.
He was so handsome and perfect. If only his love for Valerie could be hers…If only he would only smile for her but not Valerie…If only he had never met Valerie…If only Valerie was never there…
And then, Erica got it. Jesse would never leave Valerie under any circumstances. But if she was gone and nothing could be helped, there was no other choice for him then.
She did not fear murder anymore, for she had already killed the most hateful person on this earth. She moved on with her plan. To kill her best friend was never an easy task. However, she had overcome her own morals lone ago, ever since the day she decided to destroy Valerie. There was simply no feeling left for her friend. Well, perhaps some. Was it disappointment? Or sorrow? She did not care. She had even thought of the possibility that Jesse was so devoted to Valerie that he could die for her. If he wouldn’t bother to accept her when his lover was gone, Erica could only kill him as well.
Right now, her only goal was happiness. And in her view, the happiness was obtained by eliminating anyone who caused her pain. Even if that meant to take her best friend’s life.
She spent a rather long time figuring out the perfect plan. Just then, she was inspired by a neighbor. She was married to a doctor. Her infamous past was known by everyone in the village. She had lost her reputation playing love games and fooling around with men. Her marriage to the doctor was never quite predicted. Perhaps it was because she was far too sad to lose her beloved husband so that she turned to seek reassurance from his brother, the doctor. Mrs. Lefebvre, as Erica remembered her, she encountered her one morning in the street a month ago.
“Erica, why are you looking so sad?” Mrs. Lefebvre could be friendly at times.
She did not know why but she blurted out the secret to her. Mrs. Lefebvre’s reaction was far beyond her expectation though. She did not reckon this notorious woman would actually offer help to her. It didn’t really matter anyway, as long as her plan could carry on.
The woman brought her to her clinic once and she came back with a pack of drugs. These were all she needed.
“One drop each time.” Mrs. Lefebvre said, holding up the potion. It was no ordinary drug to be sure. One drop each time was enough to eat away the organs gradually. The poison spread slowly through the blood, way to the heart and the brain. The nervous system of the victim was ruptured and the coordination was in no way to escape from severe damage. The limbs went lame and with each passing day, the pain just added up. The only one result of this would be coma or death.
Erica had no regrets doing what she was doing, for she had long made up her mind to break the vow. Ever since the day she saw her beloved man embracing her best friend, she pledged to destroy the couple. Ever since the moment she saw them kiss, her heart was broken into pieces and could never mend. And ever since the time she met Mrs. Lefebvre, she was just more certain that this was the right thing to do. To kill her best friend was never an option. By chance, she might have Jesse to herself.
As Jesse went upstairs to see Valerie, Erica pondered in silence for some time. And then, she walked back into the kitchen. Carefully, she lifted the giant pot and dumped it into the sink. The water ran down from the pipe, splashing and tapping against the metal surface. So far, everything was going well. Valerie had been taking the poisonous medicine for two weeks already and every day, she got weaker and worse. What surprised her was that Valerie still had faith in her. Jesse suggested calling for the doctor but Valerie was stupid enough to believe what Erica fed her was the best medicine of all. Anyway, the doctor in the village was gone. Not long ago, Mrs. Lefebvre died mysteriously and no one had seen Mr. Lefebvre since. That was not the point though. Erica could see something- success drawing closer. With no other doctors available in the neighborhood and Valerie drinking her medicine every day, her plan would soon succeed.
She would win.
She would possess Jesse wholly.
She would kill Valerie.
BANG! The sudden crack broke the silence. Erica turned abruptly. The noise came from upstairs. There was no fear or shock in her face. Still, she rushed back to Valerie’s room.
Blood was found nearly everywhere. Valerie was coughing badly and her face had turned pale green. Her eyes were welled up with a mixture of tears and blood. Her nose bled and her mouth was washed with blood.
“Erica!” Jesse shouted. “Give me a towel! Quick!”
Erica turned and walked away. She came back with a towel, still looking emotionless though.
“Valerie! Hold on!” Jesse sobbed, grabbing his lover’s hand.
“Erica! Go and get water!” Jesse commanded angrily. “What are you still standing here for? Go and do something!”
On being scolded by Jesse, Erica was even more irritated. She narrowed her eyes, holding back her tears and ran away. She rushed down stairs and darted out of the house.
She stopped in front of the well and breathed hard. The scene of Valerie coughing out blood still remained in her head. She was not a bit astonished but disgusted. Her heart felt a sudden pain of shock even though she did not know why. Was it guilt? Surely not. Pity? No, she forced herself not to pity someone she wanted to kill so much. So, why was she feeling painful?
“Sin.” A voice whispered from behind. An instant chill went down Erica’s spine as she looked around.
Standing right beside her was a woman in black. The enormous black hat and the net covering her face made it hard to see her appearance clearly. Still, her existence gave Erica a weird cold feeling.
“Who are you?” Erica asked, stepping backward from the woman.
“Sin, Erica.” The woman said. “Your pain is the evidence of your sin. You won’t feel guilty but you will regret it.”
The voice sounded familiar enough but Erica could not remember whose it was. The woman faded slowly into a gust of wind. Erica blinked her eyes twice as though she had seen an illusion.
“No!” A frightening shriek was so loud that Erica’s heart almost skipped a beat.
She went back into the house but it was too late.
Valerie was dead.
In Jesse’s hands…