The moment I caught sight of a man's legs drenched in a pool of blood. I tried my level best not to collapse on the ground as a pair of lifeless blue eyes latched onto me. He hovered triumphantly over the dead body, an ecstatic grin crept on his face.
"W-Why?" I shrieked, unable to rip my gaze from the grisly scene. The dangerous beast towered over me, his clothes were painted a crimson red. I barely saw him approach, he was equivalent to a starved panther.
"Rule 2… Don't speak or give your number out to anyone without my permission," he lectured, casually stepping aside so that I could identify the body. I lurched forward, gagging when Isaac revealed the man to be Jaxson. "You broke the rules, despite knowing they'd be consequences."
His blood-stained fingers inched toward me and I automatically recoiled. The strong wind's screeches and force on my skin made it difficult for me to remain balanced. I clasped a trembling hand on my mouth, crying hysterically.
"It's okay, I won't hurt you." He smiled sweetly, making his irises appear colder. "But you'll have to help clean up your mess now."
I took a few heedful steps backwards, whilst Isaac gradually stalked ahead. Frantically increasing my pace to flee, I accidentally tripped over a crack in the pavement and fell flat on my bottom. Blood slowly descended his fingertips, invoking bile to rise up my throat. I quickly crawled to the side of a dumpster and relieved my churning stomach. Isaac watched closely, his frosty-blue irises glistened in the moonlight. Nausea evolved into an acute panic attack, making my heart race and lungs wheeze.
"Stay calm," He urged firmly as if he were reprimanding a child. His fingers reached out and I viciously smacked his hand away.
"Don't you dare touch me!" I screamed, anxiously scanning the area for bystanders.
"You need to pull yourself together and maintain some composure," he advised calmly. "We must act fast and get rid of the body."
"Are you out of your fucking mind?! You just killed an innocent man, you psychotic prick!"
"I'm not going to ask you a third time." He glowered fiercely, inducing my body to tremble with fright.
"I-I'll call the police!" I threatened meekly, unconvinced by the weight of my statement.
"With what phone, mouse?" He snickered, his lips curving upwards into a sinister beam which showcased his canine teeth. "If you haven't forgotten, I've restricted your phone access and emergency services are one them."
"Why would you kill him when having my number was useless?" I howled, snivelling profoundly between each word. "He wouldn't have even been able to contact me due to your restrictions!"
"The contract specified that breaking the rules would have severe consequences."
"You're sick!" I wailed on the top of my lungs, then erupted in a savage coughing fit. My throat ached vastly as a result of its exhaustive overuse. "Who commits murder over a fucking contract?!" I squawked, my voice was barely audible.
"Mouse, you're testing my patience and I don't have a lot of it." He lowered with perilous impatience. The homicidal aura radiating from him was enough to kill someone on the spot.
Why had it taken me so long to recognise that he was a fucking psychopath? That strict contract was a massive warning sign and yet I didn't heed it. Now my ignorance will pay a treacherous price.
"Go to hell!" I attempted to spring on my feet and run into the club, but a large hand roughly yanked my petite frame off the floor. His other hand grabbed the nape of my neck, forcing me to stare into his soulless eyes.
"The contract may state that I can't be violent to you. Howbeit, it doesn't stipulate that I can't hurt the ones you love," he announced menacingly, invoking a shrill whimper to escape from my mouth. "Such as that ill brother of yours, I could easily end his misery before cancer does." Tears pooled down my face, as I cried in fear of losing Joel. It felt as though someone had ripped apart my heart and trapped it in an impenetrable, small box.
"T-The c-contract didn't s-say I had t-to dispose of dead b-bodies," I stuttered, unable to contain my heightened emotions.
"No, it didn't." A sinister smile occupied his face. "But you did agree to aid with my 'hobbies'." His lips pressed along my ear, fanning his icy breath on my skin. "And this is one of my favourite recreations."
I gaped at him in disbelief, astonished that such a callous creature existed.
"You're sick! I'll never help you!" His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, while his grip tightened on my neck.
"I suppose, you don't value your brother's life after all," he murmured into my ear, similar to how a lover would whisper sweet nothings with a very demonic turn.
"N-No, please don't hurt him!" I shouted, gagging in reaction to a familiar bile rising up my esophagus. "Why did you even choose me?" His expression softened for only a moment, before morphing into a disturbing glee.
"I needed a companion to share this wonderful experience with and you, love… Were the perfect candidate." Shivers soar up my spine, as I gaped at him in sheer disbelief.
"This also means that if you don't do as I say. Your employment might get 'terminated' early." He didn't have to elaborate. I knew exactly what that threat entailed.
"Have I made myself clear?" I nodded defeatedly, hanging my head low. "Good girl," He purred in a velvety, deep voice. His hand harshly let go of my neck, while the other handed me white gloves.
"What are these for?" He cackled in response to my oblivious question, averting his attention to the stagnantly deteriorating corpse.
"It's to ensure your fingerprints aren't all over him." I snapped my head to the side, avoiding to look at the gruesome sight of someone I knew.
Someone I could have saved. This was all my fault.
"Focus," He warned, jerking my face in the direction of Jaxson.
I swallowed the dry lump in my throat, suppressing the tears that fought to resurface. I complied with his every command. Placing the gloves on, picking up Jaxson's heavy legs and tottering over to Isaac's car.
I can't believe he seriously thought everything thoroughly. He actually planned it all.
I feebly pushed part of Jaxson's body into the car boot. The glove on my right hand slipped off without me noticing, though Isaac was quick to seize my hand before it made contact with Jaxson.
"Get in the car. I'll handle the rest," he ordered and I naturally obeyed. I wobbled over to the front seat, growing dizzy and nauseous again. The drive to the mansion was silent, yet timeless. The grotesque stench of death was forever etched inside my brain.
"You did well, mouse," He complimented immediately after we set foot inside the freezing mansion.
I bolted upstairs and locked myself in the bedroom in retaliation to his repulsive praise. My body wouldn't stop shaking vigorously from a combination of shock, fear and panic. Jaxson's blood-stained my clothes, face and neck on account of Isaac's filthy hands.
I maniacally stripped naked, dashing into the shower. The cold water caused my skin to freeze, while I scrubbed hard like a madwoman. I wanted nothing more than to erase any trace of tonight.
With a towel securely wrapped around, I re-entered the bedroom and noticed that my tarnished clothes were gone. Which could only mean one very terrifying thing… Isaac had a spare key. He could easily enter and leave this room whenever he pleased and that was petrifying.
In a state of alarm, I carelessly chucked on whatever clothes were in my suitcase and searched the entire area for something I could use as a weapon to defend myself against him. I rummaged through practically everything until I stumbled upon a rusty screwdriver hidden in the mattress. Has he used this to harm someone too?
I slouched down on the floor in apprehension, tightening my grip on the screwdriver. Guarding the door, I rested my head along the bedframe. Every creak in the wooden planks startled me to keep awake. I clung onto my consciousness with resolution and urgency to protect myself against this monster. Alas, overcome with dreadful exhaustion, I succumbed to a powerful slumber.
"Chloe..." I groaned in response to the soothing, raspy voice which called out my name. A few seconds later, my memories of last night came rushing to mind. In a startled panic, I instinctively swung the screwdriver at the shadowy figure in front. It dodged my attack with ease, maintaining a safe distance from me.
"Miss. Thomas, what on Earth has you in a frenzy?" Isaac exclaimed sternly as if I was the dangerous one. He changed his appearance again to the introverted, reserved man I had sold my life to. Was the million dollars really worth it?
"Stay away from me!" I screamed, clinging onto my head and manically rocking my seated body back and forth.
"Miss. Thomas..." He crouched down to meet my line of sight, causing me to quake with trepidation. "I apologise if I have somehow offended you."
"Heh, that's a very light way of putting it." I laughed, tears brimming my eyes. He cocked his head in confusion with stony eyes that emanated unaccustomed warmth. I squeezed the screwdriver, anticipating another swing if he came any closer.
"Miss. Thomas, I don't understand." My breathing became more erratic, while I struggled to grasp the situation. "Are you unwell?"
"Get out!" I barked in torment, seething with hatred.
"As you wish." Isaac halted when he reached the door, sparing a glance at me through his eyelashes. "That said, you signed a contract and have obligations to fulfill."
Is he freaking serious right now? After all the trauma he's inflicted on me, this asshole is hellbent on our agreement. The one in which I was deceived into signing. I'm pretty certain that it becomes null and void for its illegality, considering that I have to be an accomplice in his crimes. Shit… It doesn't actually specify that in the document. The sly bastard noted it down as a hobby, so it would appear valid in the eyes of law.
I began hyperventilating again. The realisation of how complicated my predicament was had merely reinforced the dread and vulnerability of last night. I was at this madman's mercy.
"I will grant you today to sort out your personal issues, but I expect you to resume our agreement tomorrow." His lips pursed with unease, while his hands were clasped behind his back, betraying anxiety. "Rest well, Miss. Thomas." The door gently shut behind him.
This prick was sick in the head to act as though nothing had happened. You'd have to be an exceedingly heartless person. How the hell was I supposed to escape this psychopath? I knew what he was capable of. He could kill Joel with a flick of his wrist.
I contemplated all my options until night. My stomach growled tortuously with hunger, yet I dared not to set one foot outside this room. Instead, I drank water from the tap in an attempt to sustain the famishment. For a fleeting moment, I glanced at the mirror.
"Why are you afraid of me?"
My chest constricted, making it difficult to breathe. A scream nearly ripped from my lips as I stared at him, dumbfounded. Isaac's face came into full view, his crystal blue irises illuminated in the fluorescent light. How could they be so cruel and beautiful?
"Seeing what callousness you're capable of… Is scary," I retorted, spite lacing my voice. His head tilted to the side in mystification, pondering the cryptic meaning behind my words.
"I assume, you are referring to my thrillers." He totally missed the mark. If I didn't know he was a killer, I would have found his naivety cute. "I appreciate that it is not everyone's cup of tea. Nonetheless, they are merely stories which do not reflect who I am as a person." I gasped, taken aback by his crude remark.
"You can't be serious!"
"Miss. Thomas, you agreed to work for me, regardless of what I do for a living," he countered impassively. "I respect, you will honour our contract till the end." He made me speechless. Was this someone who saw no wrong in his vile actions, or an absolutely delusional man?
"I hope you will feel better in the morning." He shut the door in a hurry, seeming distraught by my peculiar behaviour. I sank to the bathroom floor, questioning whether I had gone crazy.
How does one go from being a dangerous psychopath to a relatively normal person? Was he pretending to mess with my head? Whatever the reason, I truly needed to be cautious and tread carefully. At least until I can find a proper way to escape him, keep Joel safe from his clutches and get the police to arrest him.
Laying on my surprisingly soft bed, I didn't get much sleep due to restlessly thinking throughout the night. On the bright side, I had devised bits and pieces of a plan to first understand who the hell I was dealing with.
Knowing my enemy and myself in advance to not fear the result of our battles ahead.
Morning arose and I made Isaac's breakfast as instructed in the booklet. Three eggs, one piece of bacon and two buttered toast to be precise. I didn't pack any appetite, so I refrained from filling my stomach with anything other than coffee.
"Good morning, Miss. Thomas." He sauntered into the kitchen. I showed my best poker-face in hopes of not raising any suspicion. If he was going to pretend, then I needed to hone my acting skills until I outshine the master.
"Morning, sir." He seated at the kitchen counter, his nose buried in a newspaper.
"I must admit, I was quite astonished when I saw you," he stated matter-of-factly without looking up.
"Why?"
"I assumed you would be taking another sick day, although I am content that is not the case." His speech and mannerisms were so refined compared to that night.
"Yes, I feel better," I uttered in a strained tone. "Uh… I'm sorry for my abnormal behaviour yesterday." I observed his actions very carefully but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
He casually sipped his tea and nodded in response. Then eventually tucked into his meal as I scrutinised his distinct features. Silky chocolate-brown hair, clean shaved, strong jawline, flawless skin… Perfect soft lips.
I shook my head in bafflement by my own thoughts. An outsider would never think that this gorgeous man had killed someone merely a night ago. Needing a distraction, I peered at the newspaper and something instantly caught my full attention. The page he read was titled 'Dead man's remains found in dumpster at local strip club.'
Oh my, God...