Page 26

Evil

Here it is, the day I’ve been waiting for. It feels as if I’ve been waiting a lifetime, and in a lot of ways I have.

I linger at the doorway for a moment, clasping my hand over the knob. The profound silence stretching between my captive and me feels like a relief, but the reality is I need to hear her suffer. True relief won’t be here until I’ve had my fill of her torment.

I give the door a light rattle, alerting her to my presence, and the sounds of Brittney’s whimpering breaks through. A testament to the fear permeating through her. And what a rush it is to hear it.

Adrenaline courses through my veins and empowers me, assuring me that I’m making all the right moves.

I’ve dreamed of this, played it out in my mind as a fantasy for years, and here it is. I need to savor it, drink in all of her terror, and let it fuel me for what I need to do next.

“What do you want?” she cries out as if she were in pain. “Please, let me go,” her voice trails off into a sob. The irony of her situation—the once Queen of Mean, now reduced to begging for mercy, doesn’t escape me. “I won’t say anything. I won’t tell anyone what happened. Just—just take off these shackles, open the window, and I’ll crawl out.”

“Brittney, Brittney.” My voice comes out deeper than I could ever hope to get it with the instrument I’m using to enhance it. I’ll admit, it gave me chills just to hear it the first time as well. It’s perfect for our little game. “You know that can’t happen. The next time you leave this room, it will be in pieces.”

A scream rips from her and I can’t help but chuckle once more.

“Please,” she cries out as I open the door and step inside. I made certain her shackles wouldn’t allow for her to reach the exit, and judging by the fact she’s cowering in the corner of the bed, she has no plans to.

I’m covered from head to foot, clad in black, not one stitch of my flesh is visible. And I’ve got a megawatt flashlight shining right at her in the event she tries to get a good look at me regardless.

Her hands fly to her face and her eyes struggle to squint at the bright light. It’s chronically dark in here, save for the weak nightlight, so this explosion of illumination can’t feel too good.

Her hair is matted on one side, her clothes look disheveled, and her eyes are wild with fright.

Brittney Walker has officially gone feral and I couldn’t be more pleased to have played a part. In truth, she’s always been feral on the inside. I just helped the outside match for once.

Something squirms in her lap and I squint that way.

“What’s going on?” I take another step toward her until I see exactly what’s happening and groan at the sight. “I can’t believe this. You’ve made pets of the rats. Of course, you have. You’ve always had the ability to manipulate anyone into loving you. It’s your wicked gift. Finally, you have the friends you deserve. Although the friends you had in high school were no better.”

“Is that what this is about?” Her head searches wildly in my direction to get a better look at me. “Is this about something I’ve done in the past? Oh, please forgive me! I’m not the same person. I don’t even talk to those people anymore. Or at least I try not to. I never liked anyone back then anyway. And that’s the truth.” She sobs as she cradles those rats as if she had given birth to them.

“Claiming change is convenient when you’re no longer causing the pain. This isn’t just about your past actions, Brittney.” I pause to savor the sound of my voice reverberating off the walls. “It’s deeper than that.” Although not by much. “It’s about what you represent. You and your friends became symbols of heartache and disdain to so many. You took our lives and stomped on them. Extinguishing our spirits as if you were putting out a kitchen fire. You did the work of the devil because you are the devil. And the devil always gets his comeuppance. But the world wasn’t going to give it. So it was up to me. I have to make sure you pay the price just like Robin and Sophie have already paid.”

Her eyes double in size. She all but stops breathing. I had already shared the news about Robin during our last little visit. I hope she’s been revisiting the past, remembering their commonalities. After all, it’s their commonalities that have landed them in peril.

“Wha-what happened to Sophie? Please not her.”

“That’s right. You haven’t heard the news, have you? I guess you’ve been a little tied up, haven’t you?” A dark laugh rumbles through me. “Sophie is dead now, too.”

A sickly scream evicts from her.

“I stabbed them both in the heart, just the way they stabbed me in the heart all those years ago. Nobody tears me to pieces and gets away with it. Sure, I’ve allowed some time to pass, but only because I gave the universe a chance to make things right. But that didn’t happen. Not one of you was punished. And that’s exactly why I needed to step in.” My speech is pressured and filled with rage. I need to get out of here before I jump the gun and slaughter her preemptively. “I wrote their names on their foreheads so the authorities would be able to identify them. I’ll write your name on your forehead as well once I’m through with you.”

She cowers and sobs uncontrollably as both rats scamper out of her lap.

“After the reunion, the full truth will emerge. You’ll confront the aftermath of your cruelty, just as Robin and Sophie did. But for now, I’ve got a party to get to. All the star players will be there. Don’t worry, Brittney. I plan on making them pay as well. Let’s just say tonight is going to be a gas.”

I step out of the room and bolt it shut once again.

“The game is nearing its conclusion,” I whisper to myself as her whimpers grow from the other side of the door.

“Why? Why me?” she cries out and her voice trembles with the weight of her words.

That’s funny. It’s the same question I asked so many years ago when the shoe was on the other foot.

As I make my way out, the echo of her sobs follows me and I soak it all in.

Such a lovely, lovely melody.

The endgame is set and the final chapter is ready to be written by my hand.

The game is almost over indeed, but tonight’s crescendo will echo far beyond this night. And it will be a testament to the lengths one will go to right the wrongs of the past.