DESPERATE

10

Randall felt a surge of impatience. He couldn't stand having Michael and Latoya in his house any longer. He had to get rid of them, even if it meant leaving his secret room in the basement. He waited for a moment of silence, then lifted the cover and crawled out. He searched for anything he could use as a weapon. He was determined to reclaim his peaceful life. Tonight would be their last night here. He gathered what he needed and slipped back into his secret room.

The house was quiet; everyone had gone to bed. Randall wrapped the rope around his arm and ran to the spare room. He opened the door, but it creaked loudly. He stopped and held his breath. No one stirred in the room. He exhaled and thought, I can't mess this up. He looked inside and saw the couple sleeping soundly. Michael was snoring, his face flushed from alcohol. Latoya had one foot hanging over the bed, her mouth open and drooling on the pillow.

Totally disgusted, Randall snatched LaToya's phone from the nightstand and recorded a quick video of her. He crept out of the room with the phone and headed to the living room. He was baffled by the number of apps on her phone. His eyes ached from squinting at the screen. He ran out of patience and decided to post the video of Latoya sleeping on all her social media accounts. He captioned the video Drooling Bitch. The self-centered wench deserves to be humiliated.

Randall returned to the spare room and put the phone back where he found it. He tied a rope into a loop and slipped it over her dangling foot. He wrapped the rope around her ankle and pulled it tight. Latoya stayed still, not giving him any satisfaction. He yanked the rope with a sudden force, making her lose her balance and fall to the floor. She felt a sharp pain in her lower back. "Ouch!" she cried out. He wasted no time and leaped on her, jabbing his fingers into her eyes. He wanted to blind her, to keep her from seeing his face.

Randall grabbed Latoya's nightcap and gagged her with it. Her screams were loud enough to wake the dead. Michael groaned in his sleep, "Turn it down, for God's sake." He buried his head under a pillow and snored. Randall had to silence Latoya before she alerted the whole house. He hauled the terrified woman to the living room and tightened the rope around her neck.

Her vision was blurred. Latoya only saw a small dark shadow sitting on top of her chest. As Randall tightened the rope around her neck, she faded in and out of consciousness until her body became limp. He kicked her several times to make sure she was gone for good. Her lifeless body lay on the floor. He dragged her back to the spare room and undressed her. She was left stark naked beside the bed. It's all your fault, Michael. You wanted to get rid of her and your unborn child. His muscles ached from dragging the annoying woman in and out of the spare room. It was time for a good night's sleep.

In the morning, Michael rolled over to cuddle his girlfriend, Latoya. She wasn't there; her side of the bed was empty and cold. Disappointed, he slowly got out of bed to take a leak. He banged on the bathroom door, but no one answered. He opened it. Latoya wasn't even in the shower. "She's probably in the kitchen," he thought. The veins in his temple throbbed. "I need to make myself some strong black coffee.”

Michael rubbed his sticky eyes and tripped over something. He landed face-first on the floor. He groaned and rolled on his back, "Dammit, that hurt!" He turned his head and saw a figure lying next to the bed.

"Latoya? Is that you? What are you doing there?" He crawled towards his girlfriend, still confused from the fall.

Latoya was naked, with a rope around her neck and her feet bound. "Latoya, wake up!" Michael yelled, poking her in the ribs. She didn't move.

Michael's eyes widened as he realized his girlfriend was dead. "What did I do last night? I didn't drink that much. Did we have a fight? I can't remember anything." He felt sick to his stomach.

Michael's knees and arms trembled as he stared at the lifeless body of his girlfriend. "How could I have killed her and our baby? What did I do last night?" He sobbed uncontrollably and covered her with a bed sheet. He ran upstairs to his brother and the rest of the family and begged them to call the police.

The paramedics arrived and zipped up Latoya in a body bag. They carried her out of the Andera's house as Michael collapsed on the floor in a corner. He kept mumbling, "I would never hurt them.”

Randall watched with a twisted smile as the same homicide detective interrogated Michael and the Andera family about Latoya's death. You picked the wrong house, Michael. You're not welcome here. I'm the protector of this family.

The detective considered Michael the prime suspect of Latoya's murder. He was the last one to see her alive. He didn't buy Michael's claim that he was too drunk to remember anything. He branded him as a heartless murderer who wanted to get rid of his girlfriend and their unborn child. The Andera family was innocent. They were sound asleep upstairs while Michael tortured Latoya.

The house was inspected for signs of home invasion. There was no evidence of anyone breaking into the house and killing Latoya. The interrogation was too overwhelming for Michael, so he finally broke down and confessed to a crime that he didn't commit. He received a life sentence without parole.

Randall listened attentively as Tom and Jillian talked about Michael's lifelong incarceration. Tom couldn't understand what made his brother snap and murder his girlfriend. Jillian was relieved that her family was safe. Michael could have killed them all. Randall chuckled and stretched his aching arms. I did a pretty good job of getting rid of them. I won't have to see their faces around here anymore.

Randall went back upstairs to spy on Dionah. She was looking out the window and talking flirtatiously to someone on the phone.
His ears perked up when he heard the name Vinny mentioned. Who the hell is Vinny? Why is my princess flirting with another guy? He pressed his ear against the hole, not caring about the dust entering it.

Dionah giggled in the phone, her voice dripping with anticipation. "I can't wait to see you, Vinny... I don't like online relationships... Awe, you're so sweet... Don't worry, I know how to sneak out my bedroom window... I hope you're ready for a special night."

Rage flowed through him like lava, Randall wagged his finger at the teenage girl. Don't you dare do something stupid, Dionah. I'm going to keep a close eye on you. Vinny, you encountered the wrong girl. I have to protect my family.

Dionah's younger siblings, Gail and Jordan  barged into her room. Dionah glared at them and ended her call. Jordan sat on the edge of her bed and swung his legs, "You already got a new boyfriend? That was quick.”

"It's none of your business!" Dionah snapped back, opening her laptop and continued chatting with Vinny online.

"Her last online boyfriend was a burglar, murderer, and junkie. What is this one a mental asylum escapee?" Jordan teased his irritated sister.

"Get out of my room, both of you!" Dionah screamed.

Jordan flopped on the bed with a smug grin on his face. Gail pointed under the bed, "You better not look under there. The boogeyman is waiting for you. And he's not very friendly."

Jordan snorted, "You act as if you've met the boogeyman in person."

The little girl frowned and shook her head, "I haven't met him, but I know he's real. He's wicked and ruthless. Don't cross his path if you value your life.”

Randall despised the child. She gave him a creepy feeling. She seems to sense me, he thought. She keeps calling me the boogeyman. He couldn't let Gail expose him. The nosy brat had to learn her lesson like the rest.