Killing Tink

Ch. 36

John washed and rinsed Hope's frail body with warm water not at all concerned about the sloshing of the spray or his own clothes and shoes taking on water. He lathered her hair and even used some of his wife's fancy cream rinse on it. The kind that smelled floral and according to his wife was worth the money because it made even the most unruly hair smooth and shiny. As he lay her backward to rinse the suds and globs of conditioner he remembered bathing Sophie.

Tub time was her favorite. Mounds of bubbles matched only by the sheer squealing bursts of giggles that echoed around the room. By the time she'd finished her baths the floor would be covered in toys and her skin would squeak as he dried her turning a bright shining pink.

Hope's skin didn't pink in the heat of the tub. Perhaps it was the shock of her reflection or the state of her health, but even turning up the temperature of the water it kept the same pale shade that made her dark eyes and hair seem shocking.

When she was finally scrubbed and rinsed he led her out of the tub and dried her thoroughly with a soft fluffy white towel - Sophie's favorite, making sure to be gentle. He took the time to apply lotion to Hopes dry thin skin and slipped his wife's robe from the hook on the back of the door across Hope's shivering bony shoulders. She was chilled, but the robe was the best he could do until he leave her and to get a clean change of clothes for her.

Throughout the time in that bathroom he talked about mundane things trying to keep Hope relaxed. She'd been spooked, and there was nothing to gain from her taking a leap backwards. The trust she placed in him and the submissive nature she'd shown him made him realize just how perfect she could be with training. Just as he knew she would be, Hope was going to be perfect.

He sat her down on the lid of the toilet and combed her hair with Sophie's gentle no tangle Barbie brush working from the top of the hair to the bottom doing his best not to pull. When he was finished she smelled clean and her eyes dropped with the exhaustion that comes with emotional distress.

Without bothering to put on the blindfold he held her hand as he led her back to her temporary room. She followed his pace and when he stopped outside the door and leaned forward to put the key that wore around his neck in the lock she stayed still and mute except for a slight shiver from the cold.

He lay her down gently on the cot and without a moment of hesitation turned his back to reach for the plush soft sky blue blanket he had been saving for Alice. The one she could have gotten if she'd ever bothered to act the least bit like a human when he was around. He tucked it gently around Hope before placing a slow soft kiss on her pale thin lips.

"You're going to be just fine Hope. Things aren't as bad as they seem. The things you saw in the mirror were just fragments of the you that's in there. Fixable. Everything is fixable and I'm going to fix it. We're going to fix it. Together."

He waited for a response that didn't come. When her vacant stare disappeared behind smooth closed eyelids he waited beside her sitting on the edge of her cot resting his right hand on her breast feeling the flutter of her heart beneath.

Her breathing slowed and he placed his left around her neck remembering the feel of Alice fighting and thrashing. But not Hope. She didn't tense or panic, in her state of despair she stayed tightly within herself. He imagined she was used to that, withdrawing. Finding a safe spot somewhere in her mind. He made a mental note to ask her about it tomorrow. Wherever it was he'd replace it with himself. He was her safe spot now. That's how it had to be if she were going to survive with him.

After a few moments he applied slight pressure. Just enough to let her know he could, easily make a choice to stop the flow of air beneath his hands, but wouldn't. It filled him with pleasure and adrenaline. She never flinched but beneath her eyelids he could see movement. She knew, she understood.

Not wanting to lose control he took his hands off her and wiped them on the front of his still damp trousers. Feeling triumphant he closed the gate and let her rest. Tomorrow would be immensely important. Today he'd let her rest.

He hummed while he scrubbed the ring the from the tub and thought about how different everything would be with Hope. She was pliable. Maybe it was the age the abuse started, or the deep belief that her running away had caused the entire cycle. Whatever the case was he needed to understand it's roots.

Changing his clothes quickly he grabbed his keys from the hook. It was late afternoon and soon it would be dark. The construction workers would be finished soon and making a quick exit to return to the tiny houses that represented the size of their dreams. They didn't question or look beyond a single day and he felt confident they wouldn't bother to check the site before laying the cement. Deadlines and quitting times - these were the things they worried about.

He checked the back of the car making sure there were no dangling pieces of tarp or liquid trails and decided with the time he had left to wait he'd drive down to the market and pick up  few groceries. Now that the house was going to be lively again he'd have nice things for Hope to eat. Things she'd like and things that would be soft on her teeth until he could find someone who could fix them. She'd be happy and they'd work together to make her healthy.

Soon he'd introduce her to his family. Sophie would love the company and Hope would be a good role model. Attentive and submissive. She was a good girl. Even his wife would have to agree that Hope was a perfect fit for the family. They'd all get along, things were finally going to be the way they should be.

After the market he turned off the headlights and used the back alley to get into the work area. He carefully surveyed the area for the perfect place to leave Alice. It would have to be visible. Alice was part of him, and he needed to be able to remember her every time he passed by. It was only fitting. And soon, as he and Hope walked around the neighborhood in the sunshine Alice should be able to see them too. It would serve her right to have a reminder of all she could have had if she'd only chosen to be the girl he knew she could have. So much wasted time.

His heart sped with remembering her final moments. The warm water, the way her heartbeat sped up before it slowed and stopped, the capture of her last breath. It filled him with pleasure, and pain. Such emotions so closely tied together it was almost impossible to separate them. He searched until he saw the perfect spot. The new clock tower was already half a structure made of solid stones and hollow on the middle. The metal sheeting and giant clock face were loaded on the truck barely covered by a tarp waiting to be applied. Time! Fate couldn't have offered him a better spot.

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