Short stories by Jade Crispy

Ashes of Evil Part 3

I stared at the knife in my unstable hand. All I could think about was what I'd needed to remove the blood residue from the blade. Probably bleach, which I was sure Edna kept in the bottom left cabinet next to the washer in the laundry room. I walked to the laundry room, and sure enough, there it was in the bottom left cabinet. It was a new bottle too, Edna had probably just gone shopping at 5:30pm earlier that day, like she always does. I shrugged, all the more convenient. I washed my hands before putting on a pair of plastic gloves.

I walked back to the living room and cocked my head to the side, glancing at the body Due to her petite frame, it wasn't hard to life her by her shoulders and drag her into the back patio, where my car was. I made my way back to the living room to clean the evidence. I grabbed the bleach and dabbed it onto a washcloth to make the process a little easier. It didn't take me long, less than an hour, 6:45pm. The corpse must be starting to rot, I can't use it if I don't hurry. The room's aroma wasn't exactly the replica of Chanel No. 5; I unlatched the windows to allow the scent to escape.

Without anything else to do, it was finally time. With Edna's body in the trunk of my car, I drove to a nearby abandoned apartment unit. It didn't strike me as the type of place children would visit, but it wasn't eerie enough to be a common hangout for dares or pranks. Perfect. I smiled as I carried the body to the back alley behind the apartment unit. It was deserted, exactly what I'd hoped for. It even had a small street lamp hanging on the wall. It was a beautiful setting for a beautiful act of happiness.

I dropped the body on the ground and walked back to my car to retrieve the bottle of kerosene I'd brought with me. I poured it onto the body and with a nervous but exhilarating rush of excitement, I lit a match. No turning back now, I thought. A smile creeped up my face. I glance at my phone. 8pm. 

I dropped the match on the body and with a lurch of my heart, watched as the body lit up into a beautiful majestic flame that seemed to dance in the night sky. It didn't last long, slowly the fire began to subside until it was almost nothing. The overhead light allowed me to see the ashes left behind. I laughed. This was so easy I had no idea why I'd waited this long to do this. I carefully used my credit card to sweep the ashes into a plastic bag. I carefully placed the bag in my jacket pocket, making sure the ashes don't spill, and walked back to my car before driving off.

I smiled. Edna would have wanted to do this for me. She would have wanted me to be happy. She would have been proud.

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I went to the freezer of my mini fridge and checked on my pills. The new drug that had a mix of chemicals and Edna's ashes seemed to be done. I could feel the thrill within me. Will this new ingredient work? Will the love of Edna satisfy my needs? My hands shivered as I pulled the pills in the small box out of the freezer.

I couldn't wait, the excitement of this new drug is killing me. I quickly opened the box and threw the cover away. I popped the drug into my mouth and swallowed. At first, nothing much happened. The I felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement. The shivers and heat flowed through my body. I dropped the box and hugged myself. I laughed. The rush. The bliss. It's wonderful! I took another pill, and another. Then I looked at the box. Only three left. My hands gripped tighter. This wasn't enough.

I need more.

My phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, Xavier. This is strange. I looked at the clock, 2pm. He is calling 2 hours earlier than usual. I slowly calmed myself down and answered the phone.

"Finally! I've been trying to call you for eight days, 22 hours and 18 minutes! How have you been? Are you okay? There is nothing wrong going on right?" Xavier's rushed voice trembled in my ear. 

"I'm fine." I answered in a monotonous tone. 

"Good... can you meet me at 3pm, at the usual cafe?" Xavier asked.

"You know I have yoga class at 3pm Xav-"

"Cancel it then. I will see you there." The call ended. This was too much. Since he left the campus he's been disrupting my schedule too much. I quickly shoved the remaining pills into my purse and stormed out of my dorm to confront him.