Insane - Who Are You To Judge? (Gripping Psychological Thriller)

Chapter 4 - Avery

She stopped screaming once she had taken her vow of silence.

I think she understood then why I was there. She no longer denied her transgressions; instead she accepted her fate.

I could see it in her eyes as the memories of her mistakes flashed past. She should have never left the ocean. She should have never sacrificed her tail. She should have never fallen in love. There were always consequences of decisions made in love.

I grew tired and she grew faint. The little fish had already put herself through enough; there was no need to drag this out. She'd felt the pain and I'd had my fun. It was time for our discussion to come to an end.

She was barely conscious and her little fish heart was beating so dimly that she was unaware of what was happening.

I went into my bag and hoisted out the tub of clear liquid.

I prodded her pet with the tips of my toes so that it was further away from the bed on which the little mermaid lay so lightly. Regardless of my disgust for the slobbering animal, it was nothing to do with this tale, so I saw no reason that it should suffer because of its owner's poor decisions.

I then stood 0.85 metres from the bed myself and pulled the plastic goggles down, covering the middle of my face. I gave my eyes over to her with one last glance.

Her once radiant auburn hair was now dampened by sweat and dulled by a darker shade of red. Her face, as soft as silk, was now sticky from the salted water that ran down from her eyes and nose. Her mouth that just a moment ago smiled with hopeful dreams of love and happiness, now hung low and only showed the slightest expression through its turned down corners. What was once such a beautiful creature was now a worn out ragdoll.

I sighed and shook my head as I brought my gaze away from her and unscrewed the cap before watching the liquid fall out.

I shook the last few drops from the container and then I shoved it back in my bag. Before sliding back out of the window through which I had entered, I finished off my routines and had one final scan around the flat to make certain I had not left anything unattended to.

As I pulled the glass shut behind me, I blew a kiss to the little mermaid and grinned at my work.

I exhale heavily, calming my heart rate after reliving tonight's events. As much as I enjoy the rush of recalling them, I always forget that this part takes a fair amount of time and that I can't just come home and curl up in my warm, cosy duvet and satin sheets. I guess everything has its drawbacks.

I skim read my words a few times over so as to imprint them on my brain and so that I will never forget a single detail. Then I grab the lot in one hand and rip them out at the seam.

I tear them in half and pace over to the fireplace, sitting cross-legged in front of the burning heat.

One by one, I drop the sheets into the flames and watch as they turn black and disappear into nothing. Just like the little fish.

Once I have seen the last of my words dissolve, I rearrange the logs on the fire so that the blaze will begin to die out.