A rose should be red: Part 1 - Secrets

by Akaku Red

  I looked down on the floor and sighed.

  At least Dean was going to be safe.

  But he stopped…

  Everything stopped for a moment when we heard footsteps coming from behind the door.

  “Who told you to let him go?”

  Another voice appeared.

  A voice I thought I would never hear again.

  A voice … I wished to disappear forever.

  I raised my head.

  My eyes swung wide open when I saw the middle-aged man who was supposed to have been dead for a long time.

  “Surprised to see me, my love?”

  Daniel Wilson.

  How?

  Our eyes met. His ordinary smile on his face got bigger.

  Impulsively, I started to blink with my lids… hoping that what I was seeing wasn’t real.

  Wishing that this person in front of me would vanish— but he was still there!

  My tears started to fall when I realised it was over for me.

  This psychopath was here.

  This cruel man … was here!

  “Now, now you don’t need to cry for joy!”

  This man … he was back.

  How? He isn’t dead?

  Or did I die?

  Am I in hell?

  Why does everything feel so real?

  Oh god!

  Hell or reality … I was in his trap.

  I was here again … In this dark room!

  I am about to die.

  Daniel took his time. He stepped towards me and greedily licked his lower lip. He knew his hunger would soon be satisfied.

  “How long have I waited for this to happen?”

  He wanted to touch me, but he stopped when he heard Walter continue to untie Dean.

  “Excuse me, but we need to postpone our reunion. I need to talk to Walter for a second.”

  His tone was normal and monotone, but his eyes were quivering.

  Daniel was mad, really mad.

  “Walter, let’s step outside for a minute!”

  His demand was harsh. He didn’t want to be disobeyed, that was clear.

  Walter stopped what he was doing. He had only managed to free Dean’s legs. The boy’s arms were still tied up.

  Without protest, Walter stumbled out of the room, Daniel followed behind him and closed the door.

  We were alone again, but it didn’t matter. In fact, I didn’t care anymore, nothing mattered anymore. I was in the fangs of evil again.

  My heart was beating like crazy, I felt sick. I struggled over to the wooden bucket, puked my guts out, and secretly hoped that I would choke to death.

  Dean was yelling something, he wanted to get my attention.

  But what could I do?

  I wanted to be strong, yet I couldn’t.

  Desperately, my tears started to flow when a reflection of my horrible past flashed into my mind. How I got beaten, how I was forced, how I got raped, how I was brutally abused.

  “I-I am sorry, Dean.”

  I lay back down on the ground… made myself as small as possible.

  “I-I don’t know how I am able to help you. B-But if he thinks that we know each other well, then he will do something bad to you. He is … insanely jealous. S-So if he comes, act like you don’t know me. Act like you would hate me, don’t show any sympathy.”

  I looked at him briefly before I turned to look down at the ground again.

  Seeing his teary brown eyes made me feel more miserable. He looked helpless.

  “I-It won’t be pleasant to watch. B-But I am sure you will make it.”

  I tried to make him believe that he was safe.

  Even though this situation seemed hopeless, I was sure he would make it.

  Because I would do anything to help him out.

  A moment passed when everything was silent.

  But then we heard the door open again.

  “It is … I guess, a sort of discourtesy on my part to deal with people who never do as I say. But well, he won’t be able to stay. Now, we can continue with our conversation.”

  He closed the door and approached me slowly.

  I pressed myself harder against the wall, trying to melt into the wall so this person couldn’t reach me. But of course, that was impossible.

  “You probably have a lot of questions,” he said as he took the chair and sat down in front of me again.

  His eyes were checking me out as if he was scanning every corner of my body, of my soul.

  “You look good, but I prefer your old self.”

  His hands were covered in blood which made me shiver hard.

  Where did this come from?

  He noticed my stare and waved his hands.

  “You don’t need to be afraid. I just killed an insect that had gotten on my nerves. He won’t be getting in our way now.”

  Then he ran his hand through his short brown hair. The blood was now all over his head.

  “I would like to give you some answers since you will be with me forever now.”

  My heart stopped beating for a moment after hearing those words.

  I’d rather die.

  “You wouldn’t believe this stupid plot, but you better do because there won’t be another answer to all of your questions.”

  His tone changed for a second. He was amused to see me helpless and vulnerable.

  It satisfied him, but then he switched into his monotone voice again.

  “Well, the story starts long before you were born.”

  His smile didn’t fade.

  “Your mother never wanted to receive my love. She ignored me and hurt me deeply by rejecting my heart.”

  His smile had left his face.

  It was the first time in my life that I saw him make this expression.

  “She ditched me for a punk, and you know what? I felt like dying inside which made me really angry because I wasn’t over my love… Yet she didn’t care. And while I was dying, she got married and … pregnant. I wanted to have her, but she was scared of me— so scared. She was scared to the point that she wanted to give me the unborn child just to let her go. Not really fair, though! Yet, I was thinking of accepting the offer, but you father was against it. He fought back, even wanted to divorce the woman and keep you. He wanted you so badly that he went to the best lawyer of the country to get everything settled. Well, and this was when I realised that the woman wasn’t worth it. She didn’t deserve my love … But you, you needed my love. And this is where my plan started. She wouldn’t take me, so I was going to take her child. Well, I knew your father wouldn’t hand you over to me… so I needed to get rid of both your father and your mother.”

  His smile returned.

  Hearing his sick story was confusing and disgusting at the same time.

  And to make matters worse, I didn’t understand what he was talking about!

  It didn’t make any sense. My mother was still alive.

  I was sure about that.

  Cindy was alive and was present at the court day when he was supposed to be dead!

  “No, don’t think too much! Just listen!”

  He tapped against my stomach with his feet and while doing that, he closed his eyes.

  Enjoying the sight of my fear.

  “Your mother and father, I killed them. Well, I guess I should say that they were killed by a car accident.”

  He chuckled.

  “Yeah… They died miserably, and I needed to hide for a while before I could get to you.”

  His hands were balled into fists when he appeared to remember that time.

  “My brother helped me out a bit, so I was able to cover my tracks. In the meantime, Cindy took care of you. Your father’s stupid sister. She tried to take you away from me, but faith brought us back together. A friend of my brother’s got together with that lonely woman who was seeking love and affection from a man. Nothing else mattered. She lost her brother who had taken care of her, and now she had a kid in her care who was keeping all the men away from her
since they didn’t want to bother with a child.”

  More tears slid down my face at the shocking news.

  Cindy wasn’t my real mother?

  Everything that had happened had been because of revenge?— Above all, all of this happened because of a man who was obsessed with my real mother?

  “Don’t think!”

  He pushed harder against my stomach. The pressure made me gasp.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he apologised and removed his foot.

  “But you need to look at me while I am talking!”

  I did as I was told because I didn’t want to make him even angrier.

  “Thank you. So … Your new mother Cindy was a pretty bad mother. To let this trashy man touch you… It was driving me crazy! But he was a friend of my brother’s, so I couldn’t hurt him.”

  He stomped with his feet and started to laugh about something I didn’t understand.

  Well, right now I no longer understand this world, anyway.

  “And then this stupid lover of hers lost you because of an immature child.”

  He clicked his tongue, displeased about the past events.

  “Everybody got on my nerves, everyone! Those two idiots and this little girl!”

  He shook his head.

  “I needed to fake my death since my brother wouldn’t be able to get me out of prison, which I would have needed to face had we ended up in court.”

  Now he looked down.

  “A long time passed during which I tried to find you. Finding out that you got adopted and even moved away was shocking news to me. I wanted to get you back without hurting your new parents. But, well, I found out that your new father was investigating your past. So, I needed to get rid of him, too. It took me a lot of effort to return to London since the police were looking for me. But here I am now!”

  He was laughing when confessed the brutal murder.

  “Well, the story is not over, but I don’t want to waste any more time. Explaining everything is tiring.”

  He got up with a stretch as if he had just told me a bedtime story.

  “Okay, I think I need to tell you about just one more thing, but first you need to answer a question.”

  Now he moved over to Dean who looked furious.

  He wanted to hit Daniel, but he couldn’t because he was still tied to the chair.

  Daniel enjoyed Dean’s glare. He loved it, but right now it wasn’t important to him. His anger took over. He roughly grabbed Dean by his hair and pulled his head back.

  He took out a knife and pointed it at his neck.

  “Jenny… Or should I say Rosalie? Either way! Did you have an intimate relationship with this guy?”

  He pressed the knife harder against Dean’s neck, and blood started to flow.

  My heart was beating out of my chest.

  I couldn’t speak.

  “DID YOU FUCK THIS GUY?”

  Dean gasped, and a sudden sob escaped my lips.

  I was frightened as I shook my head hard from side to side.

  Dean’s eyes turned red from anger. Slowly, Daniel let go of him and moved back to me.

  “Good girl! Really good…”

  He patted my head and knelt down next to me.

  I smelled the scent of blood mixed with his perfume.

  “I will let him see everything, and after this, I will kill him.”

  He laughed like a crazy psychopath.

  “Aw! Don’t stare at me like this.”

  He brushed over my cheek which made me nearly throw up again.

  “This little girl… grew up, just like you. She was hidden well, too, but I found her! As I needed to fake my death because of her, it was only fair to let her die, too.”

  He licked his lower lip again and got closer— I closed my eyes, hoping he would disappear, but I still could hear him, feel him, and smell him.

  “I needed to do it.”

  Kissing my ear, he whispered the next words, and my world stopped.

  “I think … Alice was her name.”

  My eyes flew open.

  Chapter 21

  “She was as stupid as the other people who wanted to take you away from me. So, I needed to get rid of her, too. Well, she chose death since she wanted to help you out.”

  My tears continued to flow.

  “Her adoptive parents, Olivia and Walter, were mad. They thought she had killed herself because of you. Since she tried to find you desperately. Little did they know that I killed her. And you know, the funny part is that they helped me because they thought they would get back at you like this.”

  Olivia and Walter were the ones who had adopted Alice?

  And all this time they had been together with me!

  How could I be so blind?

  “They all treated you so badly…”

  He sighed.

  “The ones who really loved you… They are all dead. You are hated by society, hated by your real relatives, and don’t have any real friends. But it’s okay, because I am the one who loves you! I will take care of you!”

  I was shaking badly. All the information I had just received was too hard to process.

  All the information was too horrible for me to believe.

  It was my worst nightmare, mixed with the darkest reality.

  My life was coming crashing down, my heart was broken.

  I felt like dying inside.

  “I told you before, I liked your old self.”

  The knife was still in his hand— and then it all started.

  I couldn’t react as he dug in the knife to free me from my sweatshirt.

  With harsh pressure he went along one arm, across my chest to the end of the other arm as if he was cutting up some bread.

  He didn’t care if he cut through my skin, he didn’t care about my pain at all.

  The knife made me bleed— barbaric, yeah … That was what he was.

  The fabric was mixed with my blood and my tears.

  He tore it away, so I only had my bra and trousers on.

  The cold air touched my body.

  With a greedy look in his eyes, he looked at my scars and touched them, smeared the blood all over my skin while hitting the new wounds.

  The touches on my opened wound burned like hell.

  “Keep firmly in mind that you are only mine!”

  He kissed my neck and bit me as hard as he could. A faint scream escaped my mouth which seemed to make him hungrier for more.

  “Yeah! That’s right, scream louder!”

  He pushed the knife into my arm, the piercing cut made me cry out loud.

  “Beautiful! Beautiful!”

  I bit my lower lip as hard as I could to hold back another scream.

  Until I tasted a metallic liquid.

  The only thing I didn’t want to give him was my voice.

  The only thing that could still leave me with at least some pride.

  Even though right now, I don’t even want to live anymore.

  I kept going because of Dean. He was crying.

  And seeing him cry was heartbreaking. It was too much.

  So, at least I had to make it bearable for him.

  “Do you remember the time when this asshole Thomas hit you with a bottle and it broke? If you forgot… No problem! I will make sure to remind you. And I will treat you as I did before.”

  His monotone voice was disgusting— in fact, his whole being was, his nasty hands, which seemed small, were strong and rough.

  My whole body was aching, my scars were pounding hard.

  All the memories came back that caged me… Drew me into a darkness that I had thought I had escaped from.

  I lost all my senses when he started to open up all the scars with a shard of glass.

  ‘You should have died.’

  ‘You are nothing.’

  ‘A thing that never should have been born.’

  ‘Great misfortune, this is what you brought me.’

  I never knew about my parents. My fami
ly has been dead all along.

  Cindy wasn’t my mother— and because she needed to take care of me, she hated me.

  Why? What did I do to deserve such a life?

  Alice is dead … Because of me.

  Rick died because of me.

  Tyler, Dean … everybody got hurt because of me.

  The pain was excruciating. It made me numb.

  I was drowning in my tears, suffocating from my fate…

  My God, it hurts.

  It hurt so damn much.

  A loud knock on the door made Daniel stop.

  “Whoever might this person be, I am not going to let this interruption go!”

  He got up and left without hesitation.

  There was a moment of peace when he moved away from me. I let go of my lip and looked down on myself.

  I noticed all the blood on me, on the floor, and on the clothes…

  My bra was torn apart, same for the rope.

  It seemed like he didn’t need to tie me up anymore since I was a wreck.

  I was weak.

  I dug my nails into my thighs.

  I couldn’t understand this.

  My heart couldn’t take this damage.

  Dean was screaming. I guessed he was calling my name, but he wasn’t really audible.

  It felt like a cloth was pushed against my ears. Everything sounded muffled.

  Daniel had left the room, but he hadn’t closed the door…

  Cold air blew in, but I didn’t feel the cold… I only felt something brush over my skin, making my open wounds burn and prickle.

  My breath was getting slower.

  I still perceived Deans muted screams, and in that moment, I came up with something…

  The door is left open.

  My hands are free.

  I can …

  With a shaking body, I tried to lift myself up.

  I breathed heavily as I overtaxed my body.

  Every move was painful, my wounds were burning up as soon as I started to turn.

  But my legs didn’t want to react. My body was weak….

  The knife was still stuck in my arm. It seemed as if Daniel hadn’t bothered at all with it.

  Was his plan to disable me?

  I clenched my teeth as I grabbed it.

  With a loud groan, I pulled out the knife and started to crawl over to Dean.

  Well, I tried.

  And the first try was rather painful. I slipped on my own blood and fell to the ground with my face first.