Dragoln's and KZ's Short Stories

Malicious Smile

He wanted her job, and it would be easy enough to discredit her. All Damian needed to do was slip the false documents into her desk drawer. Nobody around was to witness his crime. He constructed his elaborate plan to lead him to this one moment: the moment of truth.

Reaching out his shaking hand, Damian clutched the metallic frigid knob to get to the insides of the drawer. It was the irrevocable step. The room was still; the pens, papers and books on her desk didn't move an inch.

A deep breath in. A deep breath out.

The documents would ruin the life of Belinda Lime, although he would claim her lucrative position as a high-ranking company member. Damian had nothing against her. He knew Belinda to be quite the compassionate, graceful woman. Of course, she had to be smart too, otherwise the position would have long left her hands. Too bad she wasn't careful enough.

He tore open the drawer, ready to place the documents. The moment his eyes landed on the contents, he halted in an instant. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Almost making Damian double down into a coughing fit was the iron scent of blood bursting into his nostrils full throttle. It was like she had not opened the drawer for some time, causing a horrid, putrid smell to build up. It didn't help that the pungent rot came next, urging his stomach to discharge its load.

Dried red stains tainted his vision. A mangled mess of... flesh stuffed itself into the drawer. Damian couldn't make out the rest of it, and he didn't want to. Even glancing at the horrid blotch repulsed his entire being; his hand shot to his mouth like a bullet.

He slammed the drawer closed as fast as his body allowed him to move, not caring about the sound it made. The fight-or-flight response kicked in as he burst toward the exit door. Thoughts came later, action came now.

His worst nightmare rang true. The handle turned, and a woman sauntered in, just as he was about to step out onto the safety of the corridor. Seeing that someone was already there, her expression lit up in surprise.

"Mr Kyles, I didn't expect to see you in my office," Belinda Lime said in that sweet tone of hers. After what he witnessed, Damian sensed something darker contained within her voice, no longer hidden by her facade.

"I-I just arrived to look for you." Damian's words wavered as his eyes danced around Belinda's figure, not daring to look her in the eyes.

The moment Belinda glanced at Damian's face, she seemed to know what happened. Despite trying his best to hide it, traces of fear and disgust lingered within Damian's micro-expressions.

Belinda's keen eyes saw through him, studying Damian for a moment before grasping his intentions.

"I see." This time, her speech clipped, something different coloured her tone, but Damian couldn't make it out. She must have realised what he did. Agitation overflowed in his mind as he seized the door handle in turbid desperation.

Before the tip of his finger contacted the handle, Belinda's hand grasped onto his arm at an alarming speed.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Her lips curled into a malicious smile.