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Phase 14

I woke to the smell of banana bread and the feeling of warmth.  I slowly rolled out of bed and headed to the kitchen.  When I opened the bedroom door I was overwhelmed with the beautiful breakfast laid out neatly on the counter.  I walked to the counter to find Lucas pop up from behind it and say “surprise”, awkwardly.  “I want to apologize for last night.  I know I seemed rude.” He swallowed as I continued listening, “It was a rough few days.”

“I know.” I said, “court was really, uh-.”

“Not that.” He said.  “Mercy knows I didn’t get a fair trial.  She knows that I killed more people than they said.  She knows everything about me, and she knows that I deserve to be locked up much longer than that.”

“What did she do?” I stepped closer, concerned.  Lucas hesitated.  It was so obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it.  I stepped back from him and said, “Look, uh, sorry, it’s ok, um…”  I was surprised when Lucas began to lift up his shirt.  It felt awkward, but I couldn’t help to just look.  My eyes fell down to see a large, thick cut across his stomach.  He then covered it up quickly and smoothed out his shirt.  “Oh my God, does it hurt?” I asked.

“Not if I don’t think about it.” He was quick to answer, as if he had been rehearsing the lines in his mind for hours.  He probably was.  “I’m going to be completely honest.  You’ve helped me so much, it’s hard for me to say this, but no more lies…”

His ‘no more lies’ statement reminded me of when I was witnessing his point of view.  It reminded me of what Mercy’s ‘lesson’ to him was.

“I almost got hit by a van last night.” He bit his lip.  “It was the same one.  You know, the black van.  Uhh…  They obviously know me, uh, obviously.”  His speech became panicked, “And they obviously want to kill me.  Whether they know about my three murders or something else, I don’t know, but I didn’t know where else to go.  That’s why I came here…  I’m really sorry for putting you into this position.  If you don’t want to get involved, then I can leave.”

“And go where?”  I paused for a moment.  “I’m already involved.”  Lucas slammed his fist onto the counter and cursed.

“I’m so sorry.”

I was already involved.  I was in so deep, I was drenched and starting to turn pruny.

I sat on the counter stool quietly and looked at the food before me.  It was a beautifully prepared meal with sliced strawberries and banana on top of a small bowl of cereal.  The fruit was placed in a circular arrangement, like something you’d see on the front cover of a mom’s “home cooking” magazine.  Next to the bowl of cereal on the plate was a fresh steaming roll.  A tall, skinny glass of chilled water was to the right of the plate, with cold beads of water forming along the outside, slowly slipping downwards onto the marble counter, getting larger and larger as it fell.

“I know a lot is on your mind.” His finger scratched at an imperfection in the marble.  “That’s my fault.  Take your time.”  He walked to the couch and sat on it, probably a little tired and flustered.  I ate the breakfast quickly and silently.

The morning seemed to last forever as I filled out my taxes alone in my bedroom.  It seemed like a good day to get it done.  With the papers spread across the bed, it helped me to get my mind off the current situation.  As I was finishing up the last form for the taxes, I heard a tap to my door and Lucas asked, “would you want to go out for lunch?  …My treat?”

I thought he’d never ask.

 After slipping into some comfortable dark jeans and a dress shirt top, I proceeded to the kitchen.  I found a tall, handsome man standing next to the clean counter with his hand on his

I wanted to tell him that he looked handsome, the most handsome man in the world.  But… I didn’t.  Instead I proceeded with a “wow, where’d you get the new clothe-?”

“Please, you were cooped up in your bedroom all day.  How do you know what I didn’t do?” He winked playfully and opened the door for me.

We walked to the Hardrock Café and were seated in the general area where Darby and I were once sitting.  Lunch was awkward.  Neither of us knew what to say.  Every now and then he or I would ask a question and get a “oh” or a “yes” or “no” in return.  Neither of us were comfortable with each other.

…..

That night, I sat on the couch alone and watched tv.  Lucas said he went out to buy some clothes, but who really knows what he does.  He came in with a rush and panic that night, and that was only the first happening in the long chain of events to come.

…..

The door opened and slammed shut behind me.  I turned to see Lucas leaning forward and peering through the peep hole in the door.  I stood, I knew something was wrong.

“L- Lucas?”

“SHHH.”

“Lucas, what the fuck is going on?!!” I insisted.  Lucas grabbed my arm tightly and looked me in the eye.  He wanted to say something, but instead he cursed and pulled me into my bedroom.  I kicked him in his gut and said, “Let go of me!!  What the fuck is going on?!!”

“Get in the closet and hide, Roslyn.”  He opened the closet door.  “I’m so sorry.  They’re coming for me.  If I can escape soon enough from this apartment, then he won’t look in here.”

“Who is he!?”

Thud.

“He’s fucking here.” Lucas said softly.  Then a bit louder, “he’s fucking here!”  He pushed me into the closet, shut the door, and through the wooden ‘blinds’ on the door, he said, “Don’t go anywhere.  I’m so sorry.”  I saw his shadow through the cracks and I saw him leave.  Now, a door shuts, then a series of thuds, then a door opens.  I hear something crack.  Then a muffled sound, like someone talking, then a thud.  Something hit the ground with another crack and a snap.  I shivered, sitting under my coats and shirts.  I hugged my knees tightly, then, heard a door shut.  I jumped at this sound, it was frightening.

Half an hour passed until I decided to open the door.  I slipped my hands around the door and slowly opened it.  It creaked… I stopped for another five minutes.  Then I finally opened it.  The bedroom was the same.  Not a ruffle in the blankets on my bed, not a different smudge on the doorknob, until I opened it.  I turned the knob and swung the door open slowly.  None of the furniture was moved, except the two counter stools.  They were fallen onto the ground, into a small pool of blood.  Definitely signs of a struggle from how the stools were positioned.  Kicked out from the bottom and lying on their side, like someone couldn’t control their movements.  Like they were flailing because, for example, their air supply was being cut off.  Clear signs were in the blood, the decreasing thickness of the blood stream from the middle of the room to the front door, and foot prints in the blood.

I ran to the phone and picked it up.  I dialed 9-1-… I never called them.  If the police found out about this, then they’d lock Lucas up for good.  They might find out about his third killing, whoever that may be.

A tight situation.  I can’t call for help, I had no clue who was here, I had no clue where Lucas was taken.

I quickly ran to the window to look for anything suspicious.  The only thing under the streetlight was… a MOTH.

I grabbed my coat and keys and went to her as soon as I could.  I left the apartment building and almost slipped on the sidewalk as I was turning right.  I ran to Mercy and I looked her in the eye.  She took her cigarette from her mouth, then looked down at me, only moving her eyes, seeming annoyed.

“What did you do to Lucas?!!  Where is he?!!” I ran at her and took my hands to strangle her, but I fell through her like a mirage.  I regained my balance on my wobbly feet and turned to face her again.  “Did you have any part in those men taking him?!!”

“No.” Mercy huffed a large cloud of smoke from her mouth and nostril, “I didn’t.”

“Then why didn’t you stop this?  Where is God’s name is he?!!”  With my fists clenched I stepped closer, feeling no fear for her.

“He deserves every li’le fucking thing happening to him!” She leaned forward and glared into my eyes.  The smoke made me turn away and cough, it was intoxicating and a disgusting habit.  Then again, not like she could ‘die’ from it.  She’s already dead.  “Anyway!” She returned to her previous posture, less intimidating.  “Denzel says you can’t be near us.”  She was clearly mocking me.  She rolled her eyes and gave a devious laugh, following “you can stay near Lucas all you f’ing want.  Doesn’t bother me any.  Well, sure I’ll become weaker, but I’ll always be stronger than Lucas.  And you.  And Denzel.”

“Why does him being around you mean so much?  Why doesn’t he want that?”

“Foolish…” She coughed then said, “sorry.  Oh, why?  Because he knows I can easily extinguish him.

“Extinguish?  What in the world do you mean?”

“I can ban him forever from our world and yours.”

“What do you fucking mean?  He can’t die!”

“That is true.  He’ll just live in f’ing hell for the rest of…”  Mercy cocked her head as I turned around to face the darkness down the street.  “What?” She asked.

“I’ve had enough of your games.  Leave me alone.”  I began walking back to the apartment door, thinking that Lucas was strong and that whatever was happening, he’d get through it.

“Leave you alone?” Mercy chuckled as I entered the doorway to the apartment, “you’re the one who came to me!” She laughed.

“Denzel!” I yelled for him when I got into my apartment and shut the door.

“What do you need?” He said as the room got colder.

“I need to look through Lucas’s eyes again.” I pleaded, “Please, just this once.”

“…”

“Please, Denzel!”  I then saw foot prints appear in the blood.  “Denzel, stop!  Don’t mess that up…!”  He then took his feet and smeared the blood around the floor and kicked the stools.  I saw his blood stained feet walk towards me, then he stopped suddenly a foot in front of me.

Stop.  Looking for Lucas.” Were his last words to me that night.

Phase 13 ----- Phase 15