Chapter 3 –
How long have I been walking to nowhere already? I’ve been searching for a place to help me, but I don’t know which place to go into. I’m not sure if I can enter anywhere looking like this. If only someone would just take me off the streets and give me somewhere to start. It doesn’t matter if they take me in as their own. I just want someplace to call home for a little. I want someone to care for me, but I’m not sure if I deserve that.
We’re all sinners and I’m just as hypocritical as everyone else in the world, but somehow, I might be worse.
“No, you aren’t.”
Oh, you’re back, little elephant.
“That’s me!”
Why do you keep following me?
“Because you need a friend!”
I need a human friend with me, not a little elephant.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to do for now. Why do you hate yourself so much?”
Because I hurt people that I care about.
“Everyone’s done that. You even said it yourself that you’re just as hypocritical as everyone else in the world. No one is perfect. What separates the good from the bad people is who makes up for what they did and who doesn’t.”
I can’t make up for what I did besides never seeing the people I know, so I can’t hurt them anymore.
“Is running away from your mistakes really the way to fix them?”
I don’t know. I’m not strong enough to do anything.
“You’re stronger than you think. Remember when you were with that woman? What was her name again?”
“Mrs. Serenity, here is the boy you requested.”
There was one day that she forced me to dress up in a French maid outfit for her viewing pleasure as she sat by her pool. Her servant had brought me out after I dressed.
“Thank you. Do you like the outfit I got for you, Michael? I picked it out myself.”
“It’s too tight and showy.”
“That’s just how I like it. You know you’ve been defying me ever since I brought you here. Why is that? I’ve fed you, given you drinks, a nice place to stay, and of course the woman of your dreams.”
“My wants are more than my fetishes.”
“Your internet history says differently. I watched you for a while before taking you in. You know you’re not the only child I’ve given this opportunity to. Do you see that river down the hill? Dozens of bodies have floated down that river only to be eaten by my piranhas. You’re going to be another if you make the wrong decision.”
Serenity points a pistol at me.
“You have two choices. Forever confess your love and willingly have sex with me or die here and never be heard from again.”
“I’d rather you kill me than be your pathetic sex slave.”
I’m afraid, but I’m not going to let this woman use me like a toy.
“I’ll give you three seconds to reconsider. One…Two…”
I closed my eyes.
“Three…”
Nothing happened. No gunshot. Nothing. I was thinking she would pull the trigger when I open my eyes, but she doesn’t. Instead, she smiles.
“That’s my boy. You’re more of a man than my husband is. Most kids usually got for the gun or get shot when they approach me, but you’re different. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for. For that, you get your reward.”
I don’t want to remember what happened after that. There was another day when had me by her side all day.
“You’ve been extra bad to me these past couple days. Even though I like my girls bad and my boys worse, you’ve been starting to get on my nerves. Why won’t you submit to me?”
“Kidnapping, beatings, rape, just to name a few.”
“You’ll learn to submit to me. My husband will see to that.”
Her husband comes closer and tries to beat me like always when she can’t. Of all the times this has happened, this hasn’t happened in a place where I could use sharp knives to defend myself. I don’t care if her butlers shoot me. I just want justice for all the lives she’s taken and the things she’s done to me. By the time the fight was almost done, I put five or so knives in her husband. I take the last butcher’s knife and hold it above his head.
“Stop, Michael. You don’t want to do this.” Serenity points her pistol at me while the other butlers were doing the same. “We’ll shoot your arms and legs then kill you. Painfully. Do you really want that?”
“I’m willing to die to avenge the people you killed. I don’t care what happens after.”
I scream as I plunge the knife down, but it’s quickly shot out of my hand. It was Serenity that did it.
“Thank goodness I didn’t shoot your precious hand.”
I don’t like the look on her face. She looks hornier than usual.
“I knew you were manlier than my husband. You’re going to get extra special treatment. Right now!”
The butlers tie my hands and feet together then threw me upstairs onto her bed. That was the longest time I endure her abuse. It was for at least for the entire afternoon until the early morning hours. I had to rest for the entire next day so I could recover. Huh? What’s happening now?
I’m dressed up in a white short wedding dress. I thought I was dressed in black? Here Serenity comes. She’s doing my hair while my makeup is already on. The first few times this happened I got my face beaten in. Now, I just let it happen so I have the energy to resist in some other way. This is weird, I can barely move by myself. I’m moving automatically as if I’m possessed.
Serenity says close to my ear, “Today’s our big day.”
No, I’m not.
“I’m excited.”
Why are my lips moving by themselves? I thought I was going to get married to her husband. He still had a thing for me even though I almost killed him. I’m not sure if Serenity or he was sicker.
“Let’s make it our most memorable day, shall we?”
Serenity puts some kind of white choker on my neck. Stop kissing me there! Why aren’t I reacting to it? My body’s leaning into her instead. Stop! I don’t want this! Huh? We’re already at the satanic church? Why does it look so white in here? Did I dream about going to Hillside City? What is going on here?
“Do you, Michael, take Serenity to be your wife, now until the day you die?”
I plead the fifth.
“I do.”
No, I don’t!
“You may kiss your wife.”
Stop! Don’t! Damn it! What’s going on now? I’m at the wedding party now? I’m dancing like an idiot who’s trying to be a stripper right now. Wait, why did someone pull up a chair for me to sit on? Why is Serenity going under-Hey! Get your mouth off that! Why is everyone laughing and cheering? You’re all a bunch of sickos! Hey, don’t take away my underwear! I barely had anything to cover me, to begin with.
What? We’re back home now. She’s carrying me back inside to the bedroom. No! I’m not going to do this! I’m not going to be her new husband! I’m not going to father her children! Stop! Huh? What’s going on now?
We’re trapped in a glass coffin together. Serenity is on top of me with her hands all over me while I’m facing down. I can’t move at all. This better be all in my head, but is it really? It’s just so much. Huh? Is that the elephant?
“Do you see? You’re resistant to her. You’re stronger than you think. You’re also willing to be the instrument of revenge for the other kids who were wronged at the cost of your life. Without resisting until the end, those people couldn’t have all been executed at once.”
Tell me, if you somehow know, who started that fire in the satanic church?
“God did and your guardian angel was His instrument.”
Haha, my guardian angel. Right. Where was he when I was being abused during all that time?
“Patiently but sorrowfully waiting for you to endure it all. He’s still with you and happy that you made it through that ordeal.”
Right. You might want to help me more if something like this ever happens again. I’m not mad at you. I’m just…whatever. So, what happens now?
“Let go of the past.”
What? Argh! Serenity puts her hands in my chest and her hands are on my heart. The glass coffin shatters beneath us, so I’m finally free from it.
“Give into me, Michael. We could be so happy together.”
I’m not going to burn in Hell with you.
I take the glass shards scattered around me and stab them into Serenity until she lets me go. When she does, I turn around to see her for what she truly is. Her skin is completely white now. She has black and red eyes, with an eye on her breast and belly button, and a mouth on her other breast and crotch. She’s basically what I imagined her to always be. I take the pieces of shattered glass and stab her in her new mutated areas then stab her in the throat. She holds onto me as she fades into a puddle of blood.
“I’m not done with you yet.”
Yes, you are.
After I blink my eye a few times, I see that I’m kneeling in the rain. I’m still in Hillside City and it’s nighttime right now. I feel a bit freer, but…it could be worse. There’s a girl about my age looking at me right now in these empty streets. She probably thinks I’m another weirdo. I think I recognize her.
She comes up to me and asks, “Michael, is that you?”
“Uh. My name is Michael, but who are you?”
“I’m Alexa. Remember? I moved here a couple of months ago with my family. You…look like you’ve been through a lot. Do you want to come over my house to get cleaned up?”
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
Alexa smiles as she leads me to her house. This could be a new start for me. Even though the past is still tugging at me, I’m going to move forward into a bright new day.
End of Phase 0
The song for this chapter is Rot by Lacey Strum.
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