Part XXIV

"Shall we?" Sean says and puts one hand on my shoulder as I look up into Betty's sad eyes, a tiny voice in my head screaming for me to jump into her arms but I don't. It's better if things end this way.

Strangely, right before my very eyes, she glitches like a sonogram, fading away along with the room, my environment changing and Dylan's body disappearing painfully revealing a shiny gold coloured tiled floor instead of the dirty brown it was before.

I lift up my head and realise we're no longer in the room.

"Welcome to my home." Sean says gleefully and I lift my head up a little, squinting my eyes and trying to adjust to the bright light, I gasp in surprise as I take in my new surrounding.

We're in a living room, a somewhat massive and luxurious looking living room, with cream and gold coloured cushions sitting close to the artfully emulsioned wall beautifully. It's painted cream with unique gold patterns and designs on it glittering from the shining light emanating from the very large chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

A low medium sized brownish-gold table rests elegantly in the middle of the room on a very soft looking rug. There's a really wide television on the wall in front of the room, with a very large golden door by the right side of the wall and a wide staircase with shiny gold railings leading upstairs.

"Why do you look so shocked my angel?" Sean's deep voice brings me back from my daze but I keep mute, looking downward in silence.

"Oh", he chuckles lowly, "you were expecting an ancient petrifying place? Oh well, let's just say I like to move along with the world."

Nodding once in response to him, he walks away and asks me to follow him which I do, my legs shaky, body weak and heart frightened.

At the back of the room, I see two chairs with a counter just in front a bar arranged with so many bottles of fine wine and you can tell just by looking that they aren't cheap.

Ahead is a big dining room with a large ten sitter dining table and right here, close to the bar is a door which we enter revealing an equally luxurious kitchen, endowed with everything a kitchen should possess and more.

"Can you cook?." He asks and I nod once as he opens the freezer and brings out some things.

"That's great. She didn't know how to cook when she first got here, I had to teach her to make chicken sauce and pasta. My favorite dish. " He says and I immediately know he's talking about Betty. I remember she said that was the first dish she learnt how to make.

Who was she to him though? Did he take her captive as he did me? If he did, does he take people captive to teach them how to cook??

He walks around the kitchen and starts cooking as I stand in silence with my head bowed and my legs aching me.

Soon, the aroma of the food dominates the kitchen and my stomach grumbles violently, reminding me I haven't had anything to eat aside the pancakes Betty gave me. I really wronged her by killing the son she so much loved and cherished along with her husband. I'm such an ingrate.

"Instead of standing there in silence and regretting all that you did, why don't you join me?." He says and I look up at him smiling widely and sitting at the table in the middle of the kitchen, two plates of food served with a whole fried chicken in the middle, a bottle of wine and a jug of water. It looks really enticing but I've lost interest in anything.

Dylan can't eat anymore and it's all thanks to me, me and this evil being in front of me. How I'm i suppose to eat? I'm just a sinking ship now.

"I won't ask you twice sweetheart, it's either you come eat peacefully or I shove it down your throat." He threatens, his smile not fading away and I know he meant every single word he just said. Walking slowly, I sit at the table and pick up my fork. It looks really tasty, I can only hope he poisoned it. How blissful would it be to eat this and die right after. I have nothing to live for.

"Eat up." He urges and I do as instructed, finishing it up in a short time frame.

"I knew you were hungry," he laughs coming back to sit at the table after he did the dishes. Why is he being so nice to me? Does he think I'd love and forgive him for hypnotising me and making me kill my own husband? Oh well, I don't even have the strength to hate or fight.

"Do you have something you wanna say to me?." He asks me with a serious voice but I don't look up nor respond. I have a lot to ask him but I don't want to know anything anymore. I just want to die in my sleep.

"Say something already Crystal," he says sounding frustrated but I ignore. All this care, food and small talk is draining up what little energy I have. I certainly didn't expect him to have this kind of house, nor this kind of luxury and I certainly didn't expect his attitude towards me to be this...lenient.

I wanted torture, starvation, pain, anything to pay me for the evil I did.

Something glitters in my eyes and I look up a little to see a small shiny table knife lying on the counter and images of a knife sticking in Jake's belly play boldly in my head followed by Dylan lying lifeless on the ground with a knife in his heart. I close my eyes tightly shut, trying to rid myself of the picture but it only becomes clearer and suddenly, it's like I'm in a trance, Dylan opens his eyes and removes the knife from his chest causing blood to pour from the stab, standing up and walking towards Jake who's now sitting as Dylan helps him up to his feet.

They both look pale and lifeless but they're still moving anyways, moving slowly towards me. I scream and scurry away in fright and tears as they come closer, transforming into their beast form and clawing at me.

"Crystal!!!" A voice screams my name causing my eyes to jolt open and I wake up from the hallucination. I find myself trembling in Sean's arms on the kitchen ground and he looks at me with so much worry, "are you okay?." He asks and I stare at him dumbly, looking into his eyes for the first time in a while.

"You should rest." He suggests and touches my forehead, causing my body to relax and in the next second, I find myself dozing off to a deep slumber.

A slumber I pray I don't awake from but knowing fully well that the universe never listens to me.