But I Shall Tell

Chapter 21 - A Mad Love but A Love.

Dec 13, 2019

Josea shrinks back. The rope goes loose, a bit around her wrist. She stares at it in disbelief. She shrinks a little more, would that work? More space between her wrist and the rope.

She gathers some courage and tries the steps again and again. Finally she was able to move her wrist out of the tied rope. With more fear and effort her one arm is free.

Was it purposefully done?

She takes a deep breathe looking at the near the stairs for the basement door. No one is coming yet. There were red marks surrounding her wrist and her arm with spots of blood.

She couldn't shout for help, because no one would come. They were near a beach where houses were as far as hard feelings would go.

Nervousness was hitting her hard, she was all tensed. Her face once again turns pale. She now moves her free hand to open the rope from the chair's handle on her left wrist. Time was ticking fast. She tired, tried. The seconds moving fast. She looked at the main door then at Simon, he was breathing but for how long? She looked at Bruce's butchered body parts. "Oh! God." She said it this time. The stairs, nothing yet. The rope.

The phone rings again.

She jumps in her heart, and catches her mouth with her hand to stop the scream that just came out. Did he hear her? Did her hear her scream and then stop? Was he coming up?

The phone rang again, it was Ashley, sweet little Ashley. Her Best Friend who would definitely get some help if she could just talk to her. She stretches her hand to grab the phone, and the door to the basement opens.

Holy Shit. Just now?

She pulls her hand back and with a sudden thought keeps it on the handle just above the rope.

The phone stops ringing. The sweet little Ashley's number disappears from the screen with a missed call.

A dragging sound, her breathing was heavy, it was happening again.

Who was it this time?

Maan dragged another body and placed it beside Bruce's.

"Scott," Josea shouted. "Please get up, please get up, please get up," she moved forward and was about to lift her hand, and suddenly stopped. She stopped.

Did he see her free hand?

Maan did the stretching again. Sounds came from his knuckles. He stretched side ways to loose his tight muscles.

Scott was breathing.

He now looked at her. She looked so fragile in the eyes and scared on the face. What does she do?

"Maan," Josea said, in a soft voice. She knew he was in love with her. A mad love but a love. She saw his expressions calming down. The stress going away and a charm and a smile rising. The rectangular glasses were the mirrors for his world, she thought.

"Yes, Rain. Feeling left out, are you?" Maan said. He stood without moving. The more she talked to him, the more time she could buy which meant less killing or delayed one.

She curled up her lips, her cheeks raised, eyebrows narrowed. "It's too hot, could you open the door?" Josea said. Did she expect it to happen? What if some idiot was walking past the house in the night as an adventure and called the police or interfered with his plan?

"Of course, anything for you. But if you yell." He stared at her.

"I won't, I promise. I know the Rain from your poems. It's me, isn't it? We were destined to meet. But not like this." Josea said, and pointed to the dead body and the dying ones with her eyes.

"I agree." He sighed. "He moved away from the last body that he had dropped, Scott's towards the door."

Did he see the hand?

Did he see the blood stained hand?

Did he see his destined love playing a game with him?

The moment he walked towards the door, she streched her hand and grabbed the phone. But she couldn't keep it on the handle, it was too big to be carried and chances were 100 percent of getting caught in the act.

She quickly hid the phone between her thighs under the dress. In another moment, her hand was on the wooden handle reading to feel the cold breeze.

The door opened slightly at first, Maan looked out side like a watch dog in all the possible directions, no one. He opened the door to its full extent. The sound stopped when the door hit the wall. A wave of cold air rushed the through the door filling the room. Everything looked different in a second. The kitchen was still dark or had gotten more darker than it was before. The wall clock entirely new, was it new? The smell of the blood hit her face very hard. She almost raised her hand to cover her face but controlled herself.

"I like Canadian's winter. They make you stay at home." Maan said. He turned around and walked towards her. She was shaking, she was trembling, and mostly scared with the new plan.

"I like it too, but I like Philippine's more." Josea said, "Can I get a something to drink, something that is not water, a vine may be? I am thirsty. Please, Maan." She begged with her eyes trying to distract him from seeing her, but he was. He was seeing just her. The her that he loved.

But did he see?

"Miss. Philippines, I know." He followed her command, he walked towards the kitchen. "I tried reading 'Snow White is a Gangster' but you know what, the author wrote it in Tagalog, silly silly." Maan said, opening the door of the fridge.

Josea moved the phone from her thighs. The screen was unlocked. A relief passed through her. Whom to call, whom to call, she clicked the first thing that came on the screen. The network was good, no complain about it. The phone was functional, he maintained it well. She looked at him and then at the phone. A voice on the other side of the phone. "Hello!"