Lovers Dagger

Angelic Luperana

Hoolly Rodriguez 

                                                Lovers Dagger

The lover

There was something very important on her mind. If she didn't say it, she would walk around feeling gutless. She waited for her lover, Alex, to get out of the shower. She paced the floor, shaving the wood beneath her. But she couldn't wait patiently any longer. She walked up to the hollowed out door, knocked, and quickly pushed her dark brown hair from her face.

"Are you done, darling?" She asked with a sweet smile, not that Alex could see her, but her nerves threaten to send her to the moon.

"Not yet." Alex shouted over the haze from the shower. Mariah walked away from the door and entered the main college dorm area. The room was dark with a ray of sunshine trying to peer through the heavy, rich purple drapes that covered the majority of the window. The back wall mostly consisted of the windows, aside from two shelves on each side of the room. Mariah’s shelves contained pounds of makeup and hair products: lipsticks, blushes and brow fillers to hair dryers, curlers and wraps. This was a very colorful sight in the gloomy room, compared to her roommate’s side whose colors consisted of camouflage, dark green and brown. Alex’s shelf consisting of a few arrows heads, a small metal compass, and a guide to surviving in the woods. The room was just big enough for two twin size wooden bed frames, the mattresses of course, and a table stand in between them. The only space left was for two desks on either side of the room, each desk was covered in books, papers, and writing utensils.

Mariah stood at the mirror on the wall closest to her way-too-small closet, and stuffed her white button down shirt into her baby pink, high waist skirt. Her flurry skirt flowed when she walked and fell right below her knees. She parted her brown hair, out of her face, with a clip, and folded away her apron in her shoulder bag.

"Knock, knock. Hey girl, did you get the newspaper today?" A red head, Rikki, came storming in shoving to shove the paper in Mariah's face with one hand and holding a bowl in the other.

The head line read "Still without a Trace, twenty-five Men Gone". She skimmed the article to please her neighbor who often asked to borrow cereal, and always returned the favor. Mariah was not greatly concerned with the disappearing young men in her neighborhood. She knew no one that had died and didn't socialize with males very often. The only reason why Rikki was so interested in the topic was because her fiancé had been working on the case for a few weeks now. These men went to clubs with a few guys, split up and disappeared. With not even a shoe left on the steps, so many men, no evidence left to investigate.  It was kind of odd to her, but what was she supposed to do about it. Her lips puckered slightly to the side as she thought about why anyone would purposely go after those young men.

"Just tell your husband to be careful. Whoever is up to this is pretty sly and can really act. Who can kill people consecutively, keep the bodies hidden or get rid of them, and still be in society and appear normal. I don’t understand. Not to mention really clean with all the messes they caused. I don’t know a single person who can do something so wrong and still be able to function again. That’s really phyco." Mariah walked to her desk and filled Rikki’s bowl with sweet colorful cereal. Rikki nodded her head. She looked around the room. “Alex is showering,” Mariah said laughingly. Rikki smiled, “you know you really should invest in some cereal considering you’re planning to be a wife someday. Or at least write in an agenda book to get yourself organized.” Rikki rolled her eyes and smiled brightly taking her big bowl of cereal she left the room reading the rest of the paper.

"I'm finished dear. Are you okay?" Alex came said stepping out of the shower.  Her short blond hair and twinkling green eyes stood out in her pale winter skin; With only a towel wrapped around her athletic frame, water dripped from her body showing how muscular, tall and thin she is. But she looked beautiful in her own way like a prince.

"Alex, you're wetting the floor, I told you to use the slippers I got you, so you don't leave tracks everywhere." Mariah said as she sat on the bed. Alex’s scrunched up her nose and she shrugged her shoulders. She walked up to the small dining area, following Mariah slowly inching forward to kiss her forehead. Mariah thought to herself: is this the right time to tell her parents about their relationship? Alex and Mariah had just started making thing official, since college started they had been together, but there was something special about Alex that Mariah had fallen for.  Alex inched down to kiss Mariah’s neck. But Mariah didn't react she kept look at the wall.  “Just get ready okay, we have to go everyone will be waiting for me.” Mariah’s voice lowered. Alex swiftly turned around and walked towards to her closet in silence.

Screens of passions

Mariah looked down at her feet the whole way home as Alex drove in smug silence. Mariah's mascara had ran down her face, and smudging under her eyes. Even leaping onto her white shirt. “I guess that movie really had its effects on you huh?”  Mariah was too sad to respond. They finally arrived at the dorm, Mariah sat straight up on her bed looking at the floor why didn’t Alex say anything to make her feel better? She just sit there as thoughtless as a rock. She showed no determination toward Mariah. And she wondered was she as loyal as she said she was? Was Alex happy in the relationship? Alex never said anything before, about a future. Alex was always kind of cold not heartless, but collective and impossible to know what she was thinking. That was just her. Mariah started to question their relationship. What was so special about Alex that trapped her? Mariah stood up on her chair she thought about the movie she had just seen Rosemary's Baby, that poor lady surrounded by people who just used her and did such horrible things. She unknowingly fostered a demon from hell. And her husband he just let all that happen, all the witch craft all the lies just for money. He didn’t care about her, or what she wanted.

"Do you love me?" she said. Alex turned around from her desk to face the crying woman, ready to pour her heart on the floor. She faced Mariah and starred into her eyes. She picked up her arm and tugged on her sleeve, to wipe off the black makeup that had spilled down Mariah's face. At that moment she thought about the husband and how he had pretended to comfort her while sacrificing her for his own selfish need.

Alex grabbed her by her feet and pulled her forward, Mariah fell forward and she grabbed her by her waist and whispered in her ear "Don't worry my love. Everything will work out for us. We aren’t going to end up like that stupid movie." She hugged her lover. Mariah lowered her defenses and for that moment felt warm in her lovers’ arms, she tossed away her tears and embraced the moment.  

 The time has come     

  A week had passed, and she had managed to convince Alex to meet her parents. Rikki had even stepped in to help Alex prep, on how to behave for the special occasion. She was giddy with joy knowing how much effort Alex was putting into everything.

“Are you ready?” Alex questioned for the twentieth time. Mariah finished lining her lips and looking straight at Alex raising a questioning brow. Alex nostrils flared, so Mariah rolled her eyes. Alex sat on the bed her newly purchased violet dress melting on her pale skin, her fine short golden hair styled up with a fedora. She couldn’t thank Rikki enough for picking out the dress, at such a good price. “I’m done,” Mariah spun in her flowing navy blue dress with a white bow; her ox blood lips in a bright white smile, curls swinging around her shoulders, and eyes twinkled with the remaining sunlight. “You look beautiful honey,” Alex said, Mariah giggled.

“Are you ready to meet my parents?” She said patting down her dress. Alex walked towards her, “I am as ready as I’ll ever be,” she shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the door.

“Well maybe after this I can meet some of your friends.” Mariah said running after her. Alex opened the door and walked down all the steps to the sidewalk, it was busy with people walking around.

Already too late the night air felt cold, no one outside except for the oddities. Alex drove in silence facing away from Mariah whose cries hadn’t stop since they left her parents’ house. She had wiped the tears away from her lips and smudged the already fading ox color lipstick, making it bleed out of the corner of her lips. They finally arrived at the dorm. Mariah's vision had blurred, Alex placed her hand on her back to lead her in the right direction. The dorm house was dark, all the girls were already in their rooms recovering from their party to get ready and do homework for the next morning. They walked inside the house, Mariah dragged herself to the bed. She sank into her body looking at the floor, thinking to herself.

Alex broke the silence, “Your brother doesn’t seem to like me too much.” Alex sat on her bed looking down onto the wooden floor. No one really reacted to her news only Brian, and he wasn’t the highlight of the night. Mariah stood up slowly but all she wanted to do was growl on the floor for an hour.

Alex grabbed her by her waist and whispered in her ear "Don’t worry my love. Everything will go as planned. I will fix everything." She hugged her lover. But how could she, her whole family had barely even acknowledge them. Her father looked disgusted and her mother was jumping out of her chair just to not mention their relationship. She felt Alex run her fingers through her hair soothing her. Lean fingers feathered on the surface of her cheeks lifting her face forward as Alex bent for a kiss. In bed they comforted each other taking out their frustrations on the flesh, burning with fire in the colors of blue and violets.

The next night, Mariah paced back home, her feet aching in her heels.  The sun had already passed; the heat of her body diminished. She felt the shivers travel down her spine. Clutched her bag, her bright red nails pressed into the leather.  She hated walking home in the dark, alone, the street lights were her only companions. Once she got to the front doors, she had no reason to catch anxiety. A few more feet and flight of stairs and she would step into the hall that would lead to her dorm.  That night, however, the steps didn’t look as it did before. The light on the door was old, yes, but was always replaced immediately after the first sign of fading. She saw the flashing light and new bulb on the little side table but was oddly confused as to why no one attended to it. She tried to remember whose chore that was in the house, so they could take care of the matter. Thinking heavily, the wooden steps beneath her feet grabbed onto the heel of her right shoe as she walked.  She didn’t notice the motion until her feet kept moving, without a huge chunk of her shoe and she stumbled backward. Finally realizing she had a broken shoe, she limped up the stairs, dragged her foot down the hallway and got to her room door, her head down in shame.

She turned the door knob and walked into a silent, pitch black room, so she quickly turned all the lights. Alex was probably out with her friends, Mariah thought. The dorm felt so large even colder without her, she took off her heels and unleashes her hair from her high bun. As to not feel so alone she turned on the radio, of course the Beetles were playing bringing a slight smile to her lips. She stripped off her clothes to the song I Want to Hold Your Hand her hips swayed to the music she knew Alex liked it when she danced for her. She hoped into the shower. The heat of the water didn’t take her mind off her mother. The radio played in the background but now the radio from the rowdy girls from the other room washed out the sound of her small radio. She ignored them and began to lose herself to her own mind. The question of who were these friends of Alex. Alex always went out with them but never bothered to introduce them. Shaking off all her worries she prepared for bed.

She held her head in her hands, elbows on her knees, fingers tangled in her brown mane. She sat on her bed not wanting to be in her room but with Alex and her friends. Alex was keeping something from her, and she was determined to find out once Alex got back from her nature retreat. 

Please Take Me Home

”So you heard about Brains' disappearance?” Alex questioned Darren. They walked along the streets together in a slow pace.

       "Yes, you wouldn't happen to know anything?" Darren faced her, is uniform wrinkling at the neck, his reply was a solemn shaking of Alex’s head. “How is Rikki doing, honestly I haven’t been around too often since all the disappearances, she must be worried.”

“Well that crazy red-head is alright she does miss you, so she burgess all over our dorm when she is feeling to lonely and just eats all our food,” Alex and Darren laughed. "But I do need your help I have a campsite in the woods and I'm afraid to go alone, since all this stuff is going down.  Plus I found a car not too far from our site. If you want to look around?" Darrin shrugged then stretched a little, his officer uniform mad him a little tight.

         "Alright, lead the way little lady." Darrin breathed hard the climb had taken a lot out of him. He held on to a sturdy branch. Trying to catch his breath, “Is this it?"

        "Yes dearie, come inside I think I have some water."  He slowly followed her as she entered through the door. He stepped well into the room then the door slammed behind him. He turned around to see who it was, but no one was there. He heard her faded footsteps inside the cabin, a sliver shadow flung around the right side of his head back and he hit the left wall with a thud followed by the clash of the chains. The blow to his head made his sight too blurry to see straight or to walk. She chained Darren up and two girls came out to carry him. They took a rag and tied it around his head and mouth. He opened his eyes to see where they were taking him, since screaming wasn't going to help. They opened a long ice box, where they put Darren inside. Before they could close the lid Darrin's eyes bugged when he saw the head of Brian starring back at him. Saliva poured from the rag chocking noises was all he could make were gaggling sounds so he fought, swing himself furiously the image of brains head, his wide eyes staring at his back. The lid closed the girls used their weight to lock it in place leaving him there to freeze.

“Well done sisters.” A women with curly brown hair said, she chuckled,” dinner is almost ready, and I got a special piece for you.”

“Thank you sister, now let us get the table ready.” Two women placed the rectangular table in the center anther women brought in a box filled with candles, another brought a silky violet table-cover. Alex watched them decorate the table and the room, she decided to take a look into the kitchen. The girl with the curly hair reached into a blue cooler she took out a man’s arm and washed him in a wooden bucket filled with water. Another girl with a long black dress took the clean body parts and slice them open. To roast over the fire.

Good Daughters like You

There was a crash at the door. Mariah jerked her head up to see what was going on. Then Rikki swung the door wide open with her hand to her forehead. Her body swerving back and forth, trying to recover from running into the door she thought was open. Her curls had fallen down to her ears, instead of perfectly "Gone...Mariah, ...gone!" Rikki gasped for air, grabbing Mariah's shoulders for support.

"Girl, your cereal is on my desk. Just take the box, I don’t care anymore." Mariah sat back down, elbows to knees, palms to face.

"Not the cereal, Mariah...Darren is missing. He was supposed to call me when he got home from work, but he never did. So I figured he just fell asleep, but when I called the station this morning they said he is M.I.A.”

“I need to find that's horrible things I have to go find Alex, I hope she's okay. He's a little do so let's go to the cabin the woods in wild Baltimore, I'll go see if she still okay." Mariah started packing a small bag.

"Perhaps I should go with you, maybe she will know something." Rikki ran to her dorm room to pack.

They walked up the hill shoving away branches and leaping over rocks, the cool breeze when through their jackets to rise all the hairs for the nape of their necks and their arms. Shivers ran up their spines and down their arms and legs as if to tell them to return. But they ignored their senses and kept going walking silently only ever looking at each other for strength. After twenty-five minutes they were deep enough to see the small stream of smoke in the air and a sight smell of something unfamiliar. They walked closer to the cabin.

“Thank god we are almost there, this place is supper creepy.” Rikki mention as she swatted away a firefly. ”How anyone could like camping, is beyond me.” Mariah shrugged her shoulders and continued the smell became stronger like a sweet charcoal that made her sick to her stomach. She forced herself to continue. ”Do you smell that? It smells awful, ugh.” Rikki clung to the fabric of her light blue and white checkered dress pleading the fabric into her midsection.

“You know what you should go home I can get Alex myself, maybe Darrin is already home. Plus it would be useless for us both to get ourselves caught in the woods.” Mariah suggested.  Rikki hesitated for a moment, she looked at the little cabin just a few feet ahead.

“Alright you’re almost there anyways. Just come back home as soon as possible.” Rikki looked at Mariah with worrisome eyes.

“I will, go.” Mariah walked on. She heard the fading footsteps of Rikki behind her, feeling a little anxious she rushed her pace. “Alex! Alex! It’s me Mariah” She screamed into the Cabin door. Alex and her friends panicked looking into each other’s eyes. The women with thick raven hair nodded the six women stood still right beside their food.

 Alex and her friends panicked looking into each other’s eyes. The women with thick raven hair nodded the six women stood still right beside their food. Their wine glasses filled with thick red blood, and there food was dismembered human flesh that they knew anyone would be able to smell. The head of her brother Brian stood promptly up in the center of the table surrounded by fallen leaves of orange-golds. His veined face had begun to become green and blue. The women with bright red hair faced Alex and passed her a dagger. Alex thin fingers wrapped around the handle she pressed it to her chest.

“Alex, Baby?” Mariah knocked on the door. Alex place the blade in her jacket pocket. She jogged to open the door. Mariah arms flew at her and she hugged her tightly. “Alex I was so worried.” Mariah backed away her eyes flinging across the room. The heads of people were placed on the shelves lined around the cabin. The smell she had been resisting laid on her tongue it was the smell of burning flesh.

“Shh Mariah, shh” Alex pulled her closer. Squeezing her waist pinning her in place. “Don’t worry baby I love you.” Mariah felt a sharp pain in her back she screamed but Alex’s mouth covered hers kissing her deeply. Alex’s hand raced up her back and grabbed a handful of her hair. Pulled it back slightly as she heard Mariah’s breathing became uneven. Alex’s hand ran down Mariah’s smooth face as her eyes became whiter, Alex’s fingers left a trail of blood tracing her features.

The last flame

Alex’s tears poured, dragging her mascara down her face. Wrinkled hands reached out and grabbed her shoulder.  Mariah’s mom hugged Alex, the pain apparent in her light brown eyes.

Alex held the hem of her pure black skirt. She slowly rose with the mother still holding on to her; desperation in her shaky hands. Alex walking through the isle heading out of the church, the family behind with all their heads bowed down. At the altar, stood the most recent picture they had. Mariah smiling looking into the air, smile as bright as the stars. The colors of the glass and candles made her look like an angel. Davids picture was right next to her his looking serious, eyes straight forward. Rikki barley breathing gasped for air. She had white roses in her hands the thorns torn the fabric of her black gloves and pricked her skin, fresh blood spotted the stems, but her grasp wouldn't loosen.

The doors opened, light poured through the window, and outside waited the reporters. Alex closed her eyes and walked out of the church, her boots muddy as she gently walked out of the church, her friends followed behind the family Rikkis muffled cries echoed through the church. She stepped down the stairs her eyes looking forward. "Hey, there can you tell us what happened?” "When was the last time you saw her?" Is it true you where lovers?" Questions attacked left and right all the men and women with paper's or recorders.  Alex eyes narrowed, " I don't know what happened, and yes we were lovers, but she is gone I don't know what happened. Please, please if anyone knows anything please help us. Please, I loved her."