Intimately Involved

That morning I stood there exchanging a hung over stare with the drunken guy in the mirror. Boy he looks like crap; it's a shame, I think I can remember him when he was quite different. This is remarkable since I can't even remember what I did last night.

Washing his face I stumble into his kitchen and find it remarkably clean and tidy. This is not like him dishes washed and put away, no clutter on the counter; he must have had some night of last. Suddenly a flash of memory; I can remember him cleaning dishes and drinking whisky from a small red bowl, but that's weird, we don't have a red bowl.

I make myself some whole wheat toast (which is strange because he never buys it), and stagger to the living room and flop onto the sofa. The television remote found and soon the early morning darkness is dissolved away by big screen brilliance. He and I can see that the living room is a little askew; there are things on the floor. A pair of women's shoes straddles the wall by the TV, there's a pair of glasses near the hallway and further in the darkness of the hall a dress or skirt can be seen. Wow the kid was really something last night; I start to ask him about it but remembered our deal to not ask of each other's private matters. I think to myself as I finish my toast, good thing; it is better I do not know. He has always been a bit of a slob and a womanizer, the less I know the better. Besides I will probably be stuck once more with the task of cleaning up after him.

Taking my plate back to the kitchen I notice the knife on the sink counter. It looked recently cleaned and still wet from washing. Suddenly my head starts pounding and I can hear his voice shaking me from within. "Finish it" it calls out from inside me, "Finish it!" With a reluctant resolve I pick up the knife and head to the hallway.

The light switch is not working in the hall and only the flashes of light from the television illuminate the dark corridor for moments at a time, as I walk slowly towards the room where it always happens. Still I do not question him; he has made it quite clear on occasion that I should never do that again and I am so afraid of what might happen if I ask again, it's best to keep quiet and get this over with, I thought to myself . He wants to stay out of it he says, but I feel we are both intimately involved.

As I reach the door and push it slowly open I cannot see her at first, but soon my eyes adjust to the little daylight finding its way around drawn curtains, and she starts to come into view.

My goodness he picked a stunner this time! How does he get these beautiful women to go off with him? What is his secret? Oooh I made the mistake of asking it out loud and I know what will soon come. I can feel the punishment coming quickly and most assuredly, a pounding from the back my head circling my brain and penetrating the temple, now sharp stabbing pains so acute that I fall to my knees and nearly lose consciousness. "It was a mistake! I did not mean to! Just let me do this before she awakes", I scream pulling myself up as her shocking blue eyes open startled with fear. He had tied and gagged her very well and I could see that he had taken liberties as well, but then he always does. I get a chance to look at her beauty and stare silently at her nude body Can he not control himself ever when he drinks or are we supposed to be condemned to this way of life forever, him luring these women here, drugging them and having his way, and then I have to clean up the mess? The light from the curtains was getting stronger now and as I raised the knife high above, her body started to move nervously under the blade and I could see that she could not be more than 16. How could he be so vile, what have we become? It is no matter I had made up my mind and I had to go through with it. In one swift second I plunged the knife deep into flesh and then removed it and plunged it again and again. And that is all I remember before waking up here. (A pair of detectives and a nurse stand by the hospital bedside of a man with stab wounds of the stomach, the senior of the officers speaks....),"Mr. Charles, how do you feel now?" "Me? Just fine, just fine thank you", the men leave the room to confer outside in the hall. The junior detective speaks....sooo what do you think Hal, he was the only one renting the house, we found the girl tied up and there must be 15 bodies buried out back, for goodness sake we even found a skull the creep had been drinking from, he's not going to get off the hook just because he stabbed himself a few times in the stomach is he?, he's trying to con us, you're not swallowing this act are you? .....his partner does not answer.....