Chapter Two
SWEATY HANDS WILL FAIL TO LOCK THE DOOR
A mirror never lies. They know. Everybody knows. Do you not see what they see? A mirror never lies. I see what they see. Everybody knows. Everybody knows.
I have always been fascinated by the definite and complete power the human mind possesses over what the eyes behold. Somewhere in the spawning of thousands of synapses and possibilities, the brain sometimes deciphers quite improbably and incorrectly what the eyes have actually witnessed. These are the very thoughts I cling to as I stand over my beloved Annabel’s body lying in a sanguinary nightmare.
My ears are embracing hope. I swear she is telling me secrets in only the faintest whisper. My skin crawls as I pace the room only to be followed closely by her motionless eyes. Knowing that to stay here in the presence of my sin would surely cause me to go mad, I resolve to move the corpse. Resisting the urge to kiss her undoubtedly cold lips, I wrap the remains neatly in the blood soaked linens of the bed and bound her with what various lengths of rope I can find.
Even as I drag her body through the corridors of the house and down the flight of stairs that lead to the basement, I am still in denial. This is all an elaborate prank. I’m going to re-enter the bedroom to the sounds of laughter and happiness. “We got you!” they’ll scream. Jesus, this body is heavy, and where in this dingy, dark basement am I going to store a goddam dead body? I think I remember seeing an axe down here. Maybe if the body was smaller I could shove it underneath the loose bricks in the floor.
On the brink of absolute hysteria, I race back to the upper floor and latch the door, forever sealing my dear Annabel in her final resting place. With my back to the heavy oak of the ancient door, I let myself slide down to the floor and try to collect myself once more. Muffled screams echo the halls, sure only to be my dead lover come back to life. Howling as she grapples with the restraints that bound her body she will race up the stairs and into my arms, showering me with kisses of forgiveness. I can no longer handle this place of terror. Not certain where I am to go, I must only be sure that I run far away from here. After all, they’ll be here soon.
