I pulled into my garage and felt grateful once again for how isolated my home truly was, at least in all the ways that mattered. I had chosen it because it was far away from anyone I knew, and our neighbors lived far away enough that no noise coming from my house could alert any of them. My compound was fenced off, another advantage because there was no chance that a stranger could wander into my property. I hated my family's influence, but I had been grateful to have enough money in my account to be able to purchase this beautiful home. My father had made the funds available, most likely as a way for him to still keep up appearances. My job as an author allowed me to work from home with a flexible schedule.
The house's greatest appeal was its basement, the previous owners had incorporated a basement into the house. It was most likely an emergency shelter in case of a disaster, at least that was what the realtor said. We lived in a tropical region where our biggest environmental concern was heavy rains, so that explanation had been very unlikely, but at the time I had accepted it as it took nothing from the house itself. I quickly changed my clothes and made my way down to the basement. It was a solid structure designed with concrete and had a steel trap door as its only entry and exit point. In other words, this basement was completely soundproof proof which was what led me to my plan.
Sunshine was seated near the entrance, reading a book without a care in the world. Reading was her favorite pastime, and it would have been normal except for the three men who lay unconscious on the opposite side of the room. She looked up as soon as I came in, as if sensing my presence, she acknowledged me with a small smile that quickly disappeared before resuming her reading. She had erased any sign of her pretentious facade and was back in one of her usual black sleeping gowns. The Amber wig was long gone, leaving behind her thick black hair that she wore in an afro. I would never say it to her face, but I envied her black curls; my mother had religiously treated my hair with chemicals that erased all of the natural curls of my kinky hair.
It was during moments like this that I truly understood the depths of our mental disabilities. Sunshine was catching up on her reading while I admired her hair as if it were just a regular day. The fact that we had gone to my parents' house intending to bring back these three maggots, and had somehow succeeded, did not even cause a wrinkle in our routine. The three sorry excuses for human beings were still out cold thanks to the chloroform that we had prepared before leaving my house. I knew about them enough to know that they could not resist playing savior to any damsel in distress, with ill intention, of course. Mentioning my sixteenth birthday had been a ploy to drive them away, effectively isolating them. As long as they were crammed together in a small space, Sunshine could hold her own long enough to knock them out with the spray that we had concocted. The garage had a door leading directly into the house, and we had prepared a trolley that would allow her to easily transport their bodies into our basement.
I tapped her shoulder and signed that it was time for us to finish up for the night. Although they were unconscious, undressing them turned out to be harder than expected. After heaving, shoving, and tagging for half an hour, we managed to get them completely naked. While I collected their clothing, Sunshine went to retrieve the hose. We turned the water on, leaving the pipe close to their bodies before locking up the room. Thanks to Sunshine's advice, we could easily observe the room with the newly installed CCTV's night vision. Once there was enough water to cover the floor, I turned off the water and went to bed. No nightmares were waiting for me in the dark that night. I had a deep, dreamless sleep for the first time since Claire died.
Our new safe house was almost identical to the one we had left behind, the only difference was the mercenaries that were already waiting for us when we got to the house. I felt him tense, but I placed my hand on his bicep, an empty gesture aimed to relax him, for the first time in a long time, they were not there to kill us but to protect us. He gazed into my eyes, saw what I hoped was assurance, and relaxed. I would actively protect us this time, no matter what. He had proven his loyalty, and there was no reason to keep pushing him away.
"We will show them hell this time," I said out loud, breaking our silence.
He remained silent, offering me a reassuring smile instead, even his smile spoke silently of how tired he was. His dark eyes encircled with even darker eye bags tugged at my heartstrings. I leaned towards him and quickly touched his lips with mine, rushing the interaction so that I would not change my mind. He remained motionless during the kiss and for a few seconds after, his eyes wide with surprise. I leaned in once again and pressed our lips together, breathing him in the process. I pulled away, and his wide eyes were still on me as if he could not believe what had happened. I went in for the third time, but not fast enough, as he raised his hands, creating a barrier between us.
He did not get the chance to say anything as our air hostess came to inform us that it was safe to embark from our helicopter. His confusion regarding my behavior was understandable considering I had curbed the very idea of us getting together. I avoided his long, intense gazes like they were the plague, and I went out of my way to avoid any skinship between us. I had done this dance with him until he learned to regulate himself when he was around me. I had no feelings for him or anyone else; however, given all we had been through, he was as good a choice as any.
I never saw myself in a relationship, it would not be fair for the person I chose, and I never wanted it to be anyone from my father's world, where reality held nothing but bloodshed in the end. As long as we were running, I could fool myself into believing there was a chance to leave that world behind. Now that we were on the offense, it was only a matter of time before we met a gruesome end. Having a bit of fun during my remaining days was only fair, at least I hope it would be an exciting time for both of us.
We made our way into the house, a chorus of greetings from our small army welcoming us. Even though I had taken time during our flight to gather some of my father's most lethal and loyal mercenaries, I did not want to deal with them. All I knew was, if my father's words were to be trusted, then the skills these sixty men possessed were equivalent to those of a small army. Under his leadership, they would protect us. He was the only one I trusted, I already had proof that he would willingly die for me. This was the beginning of a new chapter for both of us.
He carried my language up to the master room, refusing help. The layout of this house was almost identical to the one that had been destroyed, yet it felt strangely unfamiliar. He set my bags down and turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm. It had taken me a lot of consideration before I took a step toward him. There was no way I would let him back out now. I pulled him to me, crushing our lips together once again. He pulled away, holding me at arm's length, but the fact that he allowed me to kiss him told me all I needed to know.
The sun shone brightly, however, my smile that morning rivaled its brightness. I stretched out in bed, unwilling to leave its warm comfort. The sound of pans falling to the floor had me up and out of the room faster than should have been possible. Sunshine held a pan in her hand, a sheepish smile on her face. I let out a breath of relief, grateful that it was just a slip. I went back for my laptop and brought it into the kitchen, it was only fair to let Sunshine see the progress of our visitors. Before going to bed, I had turned on the stereo that blasted the basement with the Shepard's tone.
Sad to say, I was morbidly curious to see what a combination of complete and utter darkness, coupled with cold and a never-ending loop of Shepard's tone would do to a man. I was pleasantly surprised, all three men were huddled together in a corner, each one shielding their ears with their hands. They did not know where they were or how they got there. I rewound the recording and witnessed when they came to, they found themselves in a dark room, naked and wet, with a nagging sound blasting in the enclosed room. The only familiar thing they had in that room was one another, and they had sought comfort from each other. They were most likely cold, disoriented, tired, and on the verge of insanity.
My manager had been on my case concerning a new book, and looking at the three demons, I decided then and there what my next story would be. Breakfast that morning tasted divine, and my walk along the beach was somehow more freeing than anything I had felt in my life. Knowing the pigs that had gone out of their way to hurt me when I was defenseless now lay in my basement, inching towards the edge, had me giggling to myself. Even the air seemed fresher than it had ever been, the breeze more soothing, and with those observations came the realization that I was happier than I had been in a long time. Causing my enemy's pain sadly made me happier than even Claire ever had.
Three hours later, just before noon, I turned off the music and opened the drainage system, which we had taken the initiative to automate. It took a few minutes for the water to completely drain, and I watched as relief morphed their faces. In a few hours, they would cry for the water that was now down the drain. We had installed a thermostat along with the brightest LED string lights we could find that would complement the existing fluorescent bulbs. We had made sure to cover the entire basement ceiling with the bright white lights, and it gave me immense pleasure to see them groan and shy away as I turned all the lights on. Sunshine had suggested that we paint the room red, and I obliged after learning that it could increase anxiety. I turned the thermostat to fifty degrees before settling down for lunch. I had a week's worth of plans for my visitors, and if all went according to plan, they would be found abandoned somewhere far away without ever knowing it was me.