The Braille Killer (An Alice Bergman Novel Book 1)

by Daniel Kuhnley

  “Not from the beginning. It became personal when you killed Denise.” He cocks his head. “Ah, you haven’t figured out why we targeted you to begin with, have you?”

  I snarl. “Why do sick people do anything? I guess you perverts thought you could take advantage of a blind girl.”

  He shakes his head. “Does it make you feel superior to call us names and label us? Crazies, psychos, sickos, perverts. Do you sleep better at night thinking it’s true?”

  My left leg aches, so I shift my weight. “It is true.”

  “You are blind to everything, Alice. We are no different than you in that we serve a higher purpose.”

  “How does torturing and killing young girls serve a higher purpose? Do you worship the devil or something?”

  He laughs again. “Would it help if I said I belonged to some cult of the damned? I think not. What I am is so much more than that. I’m part of a society of likeminded individuals with a higher calling. Our sole purpose is to rid the world of people like you. You don’t belong here.”

  My fists tremble with rage. “Why is that? Because we were born blind and you find that somehow offensive?”

  He scoffs. “No, because you’re not from our world.”

  In that moment time comes to a screeching halt and I’m left breathless. It’s the second time in as many days that I’ve been told as much. My father believed it so adamantly that they locked him up in a psychiatric ward. Now I can’t help but believe it might be true and the implications of such a revelation leave me without words.

  “Alice don’t listen to him.” Twice now I’ve forgotten about Seth. “He’s nothing more than a psychotic killer. He’s trying to pull you down into his twisted world to make himself sound rational.”

  I look up at Seth. “It’s okay, Seth. I know what I’m doing.”

  The world conjured in my mind fades to black once again, leaving me blind. I surmise that Esther’s effects only last so long. It doesn’t matter though because I have Russell right where I want him.

  I focus my attention back on Russell. I need answers. “And how would you know this? What craziness drove you to the conclusion that those like me are from another world?”

  “You saw the Shadow Mirror. It doesn’t lie. Only your kind can be seen with it.”

  “What the hell is he talking about, Alice? Can’t you hear how crazy he sounds?”

  I ignore Seth. “You only see blind people through it?”

  “Don’t be naïve, Alice. You’re far more than just a blind woman.”

  “My God…” My mind spins with so many questions.

  “Yes, Alice. Whether I live or die makes little difference. The killings won’t stop until every last one of your kind has been eradicated.”

  Then this is just the beginning.

  I probe deeper. “Who are you?”

  He sneers. “I am a Shadow Priest, and you’ll never find the rest of us.”

  Something about his story makes no sense. He’s had his chance to kill me on several occasions. “So why didn’t you kill me ten years ago?”

  “Simple. I hadn’t prepared myself to break Denise’s heart as well.”

  He coughs and chokes again before continuing. “She loved you and begged me to wait, so I did. As you know, that decision cost her life. We were going to finish the job the day you killed her. That’s why we were there at your doctor’s office. But you ruined everything, and I had to wait ten long years.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve said enough. You’ll learn nothing more from me.”

  “Back away from him, Alice. He’s insane. You’re not from some other world. You’re no different than me or anyone else.”

  I shake my head. “You know that’s not true, Seth. You’ve seen what I can do.”

  “No, Alice. There’s a rational explanation for everything. We just haven’t found it yet.”

  “I’ve found my answer.”

  “You kill him, and we’ll never find her. There’s no going back from that. It’s not too late.”

  “You know me, Seth. The thought of killing him in cold blood sickens me, but it’s the only way we’ll find her. She dies if he lives. That’s what I wouldn’t be able to come back from. I can’t have another girl’s blood on my hands.”

  My soul is on fire and I hate myself for what I must do. I rip off my necklace and toss it on the floor. “It’s too late for him.”

  I pull Esther’s ends tight.

  Russell gasps and convulses for nearly a minute before going still. I unwrap Esther from around his neck, press the button atop her handle, and she becomes rigid once more. I try to stand but my legs are weak, so I drop Esther and crawl back over to Seth.

  Seth’s cheeks are wet and he’s shivering. “What have you done?”

  I kiss his forehead. “What was necessary.”

  “Listen to yourself, Alice. How are you any better than him?”

  “I had to do it to save her… and I wanted to see again.”

  “See again? You’re crazy! How could you let your father fill your head with such nonsense?”

  “It’s not nonsense!”

  “So it worked then? You can see?”

  Everything around me is still black as night. Did my father lie to me? My heart thunders and I think I might puke. “No…”

  “Then you’ve gained nothing!” His anger drills into my mind.

  “That’s not true.” I hold his face and can feel the heat radiating from his cheeks. “You know he was never going to tell us where to find the girl. Now I can find out, just like I found things out with Sarah and Cara.”

  Seth shakes his head until I let go of his face. His voice is frantic. “What gives you the right to take the law into your own hands? You aren’t judge and jury. You can’t just determine someone’s fate like that. And you don’t know that he wouldn’t have told us anything. How are you going to find the girl now that he’s dead? Even if you are able to see his last moments before death, they’d only be of you killing him!”

  “No, Seth. I don’t believe that. I can’t allow myself to. My father isn’t insane. Everything he told me must be true. Russell confirmed as much. My father says that I have the ability to see into someone’s memories far beyond the moments before their death. Not only can I save this next girl, but I can bring down the entire Shadow Priest society Russell spoke of.”

  Seth groans. “Two insane people in agreement doesn’t validate what they tell you. They’re both crazy. Russell got one thing right though: you truly are blind. You can’t see the truth through your pain. And your father was wrong about you getting your sight back. He’s wrong about everything. It’s insane to think otherwise.”

  I understand the logic of what Seth says, but some things are illogical. “I just do. Maybe it takes some time for me to regain my vision.”

  “Is that what he told you? You’ll eventually get your sight back if you kill someone?”

  “No, but—”

  “There’s not buts, Alice. Do you know how crazy all this sounds? How crazy you sound?”

  “I do, but I also know it’s true. I can feel it in my heart. You need to trust me on this.”

  “Trust you? I’m not sure I even know you anymore. Did I ever?”

  “Don’t be like that, Seth.”

  “Like what? Hurt that you’ve lied to me for two years?” He growls. “What do you expect? You’ve changed. You’re not the woman I met two years ago.”

  “Look, I’m sorry I withheld so much from you. I can’t change that now, but what I can do is promise you that I will never keep anything from you again. You have my word. You have my love. Don’t push me away again. I need you more than ever.”

  “Dammit! I can’t even think straight right now, let alone make life-altering decisions. Can you get me down from here? I think my brain might explode if I hang upside down much longer.”

  I nod. “Okay, but you’ll have to tell me how. I can�
�t see anything.”

  “The rope I’m hanging from is on a pulley system. It looks like it’s tied off on a hook on the wall to your right.”

  I stand, and Seth guides me over to the wall. I locate the rope.

  “That’s—Alice look out!”

  It’s too late. My side explodes with pain and I’m lifted off my feet. We crash into the wall and slide to the floor. Garlic, pickles, and cigarettes sting my nose. My mind reels. I killed him!

  His weight crushes me. “Should’ve finished the job when you had the chance.”

  My mind returns to 2008 but this time it doesn’t debilitate me. My ninjutsu training kicks in and I land a palm right up through his nose. He grunts and blood sprays everywhere, but it doesn’t stop him from punching me in the face. I land another blow right across his throat and he grabs my arm.

  I locate his left shoulder with my free hand and dig my nails and fingers into the wound. I gag, and he screams. He lets go of my other arm and falls to the side. I punch and bite everything I can until I free my legs. I get to my knees, but the pain is excruciating. I can hardly think through it, but I can’t let him win.

  “Behind you!” yells Seth.

  Russell grabs my foot, so I twist and kick as hard as I can with my other leg. My foot connects with his arm and bones crunch. We both cry out and Russell releases my foot. I think I might’ve broken my foot and I’m certain I broke his arm.

  I crawl over to Russell and take his head in my hands. His breathing is shallow, and he doesn’t resist. I don’t think he has any strength left and I’m not sure I do either. I twist Russell’s head with everything I have but it isn’t enough. I don’t even know why I tried.

  I clamp my hand over his mouth and nose but feel no breath. He doesn’t stir, so I check his pulse and find none. “He’s dead this time.”

  I collapse on the floor and stare at the vaulted ceiling and the colored light from the stained-glass windows. My heart skips a beat and I scream with joy. “I can see again!”

  “Really?”

  Ever the skeptic.

  I look over at Seth and remember that I hadn’t freed him. I crawl over to the wall again and claw my way to my knees. The rope is bound another foot beyond my reach. “I don’t think I can do it, Seth. I’ve got nothing left in me.”

  “Yes you can. You’re the strongest woman I know. You just need to reach a bit deeper and find that last reserve of strength.”

  I yell as loud as I can and push myself to my feet. I grab the rope, untie it, and Seth drops to the ground with a loud thud. He groans.

  I collapse against the wall, slide down until my butt rests on the floor, and close my eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drop you. It’s all I could do. Are you injured?”

  “Bruised, but okay. He injected me with something that knocked me out cold. How about you?”

  “I’ve suffered worse.” I lie.

  Seth unties the rope from his ankles and hands and gets up. He walks over to me and sits down next to me. “We can’t keep doing this.”

  I turn my head. “Doing what?”

  “Lying to each other.”

  “But I haven’t lied… have I?”

  “Several of your ribs are probably broken, your foot might be broken, and you’re going to have bruises all over your body for weeks. You’re telling me that you’ve suffered worse injuries?”

  “It’s no lie. I really have suffered far worse. Physical injuries heal over time, but mental ones last forever.” I take his hand, but he pulls it away.

  He stares at the ceiling. “Look, what happened last night shouldn’t have. And what you just did to Russell sickens me.”

  “Sickens you?” I ball my fists and scream. I want to punch him in the face. “You didn’t live through what he did to me and to Sarah and to Cara. You have no right to be sickened by what I did. He was a disgusting, twisted monster. And he attacked me and tried to make me kill you. If anything, I killed him in self-defense. I can’t help it if you don’t understand that, but don’t judge me for it. Don’t ever judge me!”

  Seth stands. “I need to go call for backup. Russell smashed my walkie-talkie.”

  Russell’s dead eyes stare at me and the thought of entering his memories scares the hell out of me. The last thing I want is to relive my nightmare through his eyes, but I’ll do it if it means saving someone. “Fine, but first I need to find the girl.”

  “That, and nothing more.”

  I crawl over next to Russell’s head and look back at Seth. There’s no way I can stop with just finding the girl and he knows it.

  “I’m serious, Alice. You don’t know what a mind like his will do to you.”

  No, but I’m about to find out. I place my hands on Russell’s scarred face. It’s repulsive and the thought of touching my forehead to his leaves me nauseous. Even worse is the thought of being in his head and experiencing the world the way he saw it. But I have no choice. Lives are at stake.

  I swallow hard, close my eyes, lean over him, and touch my forehead to his. As with Sarah and Cara, a shift within me occurs, my birthmark on my left wrist burns with fire, and I enter the twisted mind of Russell.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  I am myself, yet I am Russell. He is dead, yet he lives. I am a bleating lamb lost in the shadowlands, hunted by a dire wolf. Hunted by him.

  Time and again he attacks me, slashing and biting at my neck with his razor-sharp claws and teeth. I fend him off and run as fast as my legs will carry me, but the ground turns to quicksand and my little feet sink deeper with every step. I look back and he stands at its edge, teeth gleaming and snout dripping.

  “Where is the girl?” I ask.

  He growls deep in his throat. “You’ll get nothing from me.”

  * * * * *

  I rise from the depths of Russell’s mind like Jesus from the grave and gasp.

  “Well?” asks Seth.

  My mind is numb and fatigued. I can’t process what just happened.

  “Did you see anything beyond his last moments?” asks Seth.

  I shake my head. “Not even that much. It wasn’t the same as with the others.” I close my eyes and search for the right words to express what happened. I focus on what I felt: hostility. “He’s got some kind of defense mechanism on his memories or something. I don’t even know how to explain it.”

  “Alice, that can’t be it. We need to know how to find the girl and you’re the last hope for that.”

  I groan. “You think I don’t know that?”

  “Sorry. What can I do?”

  I open my eyes. “I just remembered that Bill told me Russell has two other storage units.”

  “I’ll call it in along with everything else, but who is Bill?”

  “The manager at the storage facility. It doesn’t matter.” I wave him off. “I’m gonna try again.”

  I take a deep breath, and dive deep once again…

  * * * * *

  Memories rise from the soil of his mind like rotten trees with hollowed trunks and decrepit branches; a landscape of the hell he has made for himself. I dash from tree to tree plucking their leaves of memories, but they rot in my hands as fast as I can grab them.

  “What have you done with the girl? Where is she?” I ask.

  I am alone.

  * * * * *

  Once again, I rise from the depths, lost for answers. I lift my head and let go of Russell’s face.

  Seth still leans against the chapel wall, his eyes trained on me. “Have you found what you’re looking for? Do you know where she is?”

  “What do you think?” My voice is full of venom and my heart bleeds with hate but not for Seth. “Forgive me, that wasn’t aimed at you. He won’t let me in.”

  “What do you mean? He’s dead. Perhaps you’re trying too hard.” Seth holds his side where I beat him with Esther and guilt fills me past full.

  Tears fill my eyes. “I’m sorry I had to h
it you.”

  Seth gets up and moves over next to me. He puts his hand on my shoulder. “I forgive you, Alice.”

  My lips tremble and I look away. “It was the only way I knew to draw him close.”

  Seth gently takes my chin and turns my head back toward him. “No, Alice, I forgive you for everything.” He leans in and touches his lips to my cheek, stirring up a torrent of emotions.

  I rest my head against Seth’s for several minutes. I breathe deep and allow my heart to settle. “How can I get past Russell’s defenses?”

  Seth strokes the back of my hand. “Maybe he feeds on your fear. Or your hate. You know, your defensiveness fuels his or something.”

  Sometimes Seth is a genius, but he’ll never hear it from my lips. At least not today. The answer is so simple, yet so very difficult.

  I raise my head and look into Seth’s grayish-blue eyes. “I know what I must do.” He nods and backs away without a word.

  I look back to the crucifix and then up to the window where Jesus looks down on me with a crown of thorns upon his head. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand why Christians worship a dead man. I take another deep breath and exhale.

  I look down at Russell and his scarred face and I pity him for the first time. I forgive you for everything you did to me, but I’ll never forget. A burden that I could not possibly bear a moment longer lifts from my shoulders. I breathe deep again, this time unencumbered. I’ve not felt so good in more than a decade.

  I wipe my eyes with the backs of my hands and then place my hands on Russell’s cheeks once more but this time I’m no longer repulsed by the scars left by his father. I lean forward, press my forehead against his, and dive deep one last time.

  * * * * *

  I am the wolf and she’s invaded my territory once again. Through the woods I chase her until we come to a dead end. I’ve got her trapped between me and sheer rock walls. I move in for the kill.

  “No!” she screams.

  Her voice startles me and gives me pause. “Why are you here?”