Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
I’m cradling the phone between my neck and shoulder, waiting patiently for the hold music to be interrupted by the sound of a hello.
I know that I have to prepare myself to take her, and after sleeping for almost five days straight, I’ve decided to practice. Why? Practice makes perfect, according to the old adage. I don’t want to disappoint her, and I don’t want to give her anything less than she deserves.
It’s uncomfortable for me to sit propped up against the kitchen sink, but, apparently, I had placed my telephone in the one drawer next to it that I never look in, and that’s as far as the line will go. I don’t have a cordless phone because phones are useless to me, so I make do with what I have.
“Kalispell Evergreen Urgent Care, this is Abigail speaking,” a bright voice finally greets me.
“Hello, yes. Abigail? This is Guy Burress,” I say, my voice slightly cracking. I clear my throat in annoyance and try again. “I was there a few days ago for some burns?”
“Oh, yes,” she finally says after a few moments of silence. “How are you?”
“I’m not doing too well actually,” I lie. “Is there any way you can come to my home? I’m in too much pain to walk or drive as it is, and I really think I need some medical attention.”
“Why not just call an ambulance?” she suggests.
Good question.
“I would rather have someone who’s familiar with what’s happening to re-examine me,” I reply, thinking quickly.
“I’m really not supposed to,” she replies hesitantly.
“Much like you weren’t supposed to write me a prescription?” I say evenly. “I’ve checked Abigail. Even with the doctor not being at the facility, you weren’t supposed to do it. I had a hell of a time getting that medication filled and I think you owe it to me to come over. We wouldn’t want that little indiscretion to reach the medical board, now would we?”
I don’t take pride in issuing idle threats, but sometimes they’re warranted. I’m not a blackmailer by any means, I just know when to use simple words to get what I want.
And it works.
“I’ll be over by seven,” she relents quietly, as if coming to my home was so bad. As if she were better than coming to me when I’ve already gone to her so many times .
“I’ll be waiting,” I say before I disconnect the call.
I know this seems like I’m being overbearing, but you have to understand that I want nothing more than perfection for the one that deserves it the most.
I also know that today is the day that I must spill blood in my home. With as much as I detest the thought of it, it’s what needs to be done. And for just this once, I’ll allow it to happen.
I know that somewhere, in one of these locked rooms, there’s a cage. Large enough for a person to fit in, but it’s collapsible because I needed to be able to fit it into a smaller space until it was time to use it.
Now is that time.
Or it will be at seven o’clock when Abigail arrives.
I walk through my home opening and closing the doors trying to remember where I put the fucking thing when it dawns on me. Turning on my heel, I walk back toward the living room and pull open the closet door.
There it is.
Brand new and unused.
I had hoped to use it for her, but I don’t have time anymore. In just three hours, Abigail will arrive, and we will begin our descent into an abyss filled with pain, acts of depravity, and a desperation for life that one never feels until they’re at the whims of my pleasure.
Verona felt that in her final moments, as did Laura, and that’s all I’ve had to savor until now. Salve. Don’t forget the salve.
“Yes, thank you.”
I stop what I’m doing for a moment and wonder if I honestly answered myself out loud, before I shrug and pull the cage to a standing position. It’s quite easy to assemble as it’s already done; just a few firm tugs here and there, one hard shake to make sure it’s standing, and it’s ready for use.
I don’t know who’ll go into it first, but I do know that we’ll both have a moment inside. Abigail’s time inside of it will be longer than mine, and that’s the price she’ll pay for being in my company.
She’ll learn to enjoy it for as long as I deem to keep her in the cage. She’ll see that it’s a special thing that I’m doing for her and she’ll be so happy that she came. The unfortunate thing? I can’t let her leave; she knows my name, where I live and, if she’s smart enough, she’ll most likely tell someone where she’s going, but time will tell.
I guess it’s time for a few confessions.
Montana isn’t my actual home; I followed my prize here.
I’ve been to almost every state trying to find her since that one time I ran into her in the biggest city I had ever been in .
My cabinet comes with me wherever I travel because it’s a trophy case really.
I might stay here when it’s all said and done. As I’ve said, I enjoy watching the night sky over the void; the horizon is quite beautiful when you stop to actually look at it. Dusk or dawn.
There’s a knock on my door now, and it’s too soon for Abigail to be here. It’s my delivery, and I have to take them around the back of the house to bring in my items so that they don’t see my metal structure of perilous pleasure.
I won’t be long.