The Sadian Chronicles: Book 2: From Mercury To Venus

Chapter Twenty-One: Final Confrontation: Part 3

The living room looked normal, but it wasn't like Vanessa to leave the door unlocked. She walked slowly into the kitchen and saw that again things were normal, a tad untidy but nothing sinister. She peeked into the bathroom and saw that it was excessively clean. Vanessa and Dusk weren't clean freaks, so she wondered what might have happened here. There wasn't even a smudge on the medicine cabinet mirror. There was just one more place she hadn't checked, and it was the one place she didn't want to enter. She hesitantly opened the door to the bedroom and saw someone lying in the bed.

She couldn't see their face and she quietly walked into the room. She hoped more than anything that it was Vanessa, and that she was just sleeping. She walked quietly around the bed and found that only one of her hopes was true.

"Vanessa," she whispered and lifted her arm to search for a pulse, but there was none. Her eyes were wide open but there was no life in them. She noticed that there were red marks around her neck. She had realized that Marcus must have strangled her. She reached her hand over and closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

She tried to hold back the tears when she heard footsteps. She recognized the rhythm as belonging to Dusk. She shot back to reality not wanting him to see Vanessa like this. Seeing her dead would hurt him more than anything, and wanted to spare him that pain.

She left the bedroom and shut the door, hoping she could prepare him before letting him see the deceased body of his fiancé. He entered the cabin screaming Vanessa's name. Marianna ran into the living room to try to calm him down.

"Stop yelling," she said putting her hands in front of her.

"She's here, isn't she?" Dusk asked but Marianna wouldn't answer. "M.J., be straight with me." Still, she wouldn't say anything. "Fanta!"

"Don't..." she tried to speak but Dusk pushed her out of the way. "Vanessa!"

She chased after him as he made a beeline for the bedroom. "Don't go in there."

He pushed her aside and entered the room. There was a body lying on the bed and the person was not moving. He didn't have to see the face to know who it is. He came over to the other side of the bed and saw the face of the woman he loved. Marianna thought he would cry, scream out or even punch the wall, but he did none of those things.

"Vanessa, you sleeping, baby," he said in a soft voice. She never heard him speak like that before. "Time to wake up, I'm home, and I promise I ain't leaving again. Just wake up and tell me you're happy to see me."

Her body was still, and Marianna didn't want to see Dusk like this. It was like he believed that Vanessa was still alive.

"Come one, baby, wake up. Remember that wedding you wanted. Well, I'll wear that monkey suit if you want me too, and invite as many people as you want. Do you hear me? You just have to wake up." He picked up her body and cradled it in his arms. "Van, please!' He sounded more upset.

Marianna walked over next to him and tried to reason with him. "Dusk, please, don't do this. She's gone."

"No!' he shouted. "She just needs rest," he insisted. He started singing her favorite lullaby and rocking her in his arms, but by the end of it he was crying. "NOOOOOO!!!!!!!" screamed so loud that the whole cabin shook.