Ugly Beautiful (16 page)

The woman turned to face Jason and gently placed her index finger eerily against his lips, shushing him. Then holding up Gary's tongue like some kind of trophy she walked over to the raging fireplace and impaled it onto a small poker lying readily nearby. She placed the poker with tongue attached, into the aggressive flames and cooked Gary's tongue like a young child would cook a campfire marshmallow. Jason cringed, but was unable to take his eyes away from the psychotic woman. Gary moaned in a half conscious painful slur. His head was bowed down into his chest, blood oozed from his mouth and onto what remained of his lap.

The woman hummed in a child like tone, amusing herself as she happily and engrossingly cooked the tongue. After another minute of this madness she took the smoking half cooked muscle from the fireplace and raised the limp smoking pulpy mesh to her mouth, licking her lips like a savage cavewoman. Quickly she pulled the poker away from her lips, turning back to face Gary and Jason. She laughed with the most hideously, cruel cackle.

Jason watched in horror as the woman walked hurriedly towards Gary, instantly forcing the steaming hot poker deep inside his mouth whilst scraping off the cooked tongue back into his bloodied throat. She took the poker back, prodding him with it sadistically all over his upper body. She looked to be having an absolutely great time.

Jason scrunched his eyes, shaking his head vigorously. He was unable to watch this barbaric torture any longer. Suddenly the blonde woman, completely out of character, jerked the poker sharply away from Gary while shaking her head uncomfortably.

'Leave... him... alone.' said the woman, hissing out a rational sentence for the first time. She dropped the poker to the floor and held her head in great discomfort. Hearing the girl speak normally for the very first time, Jason opened his eyes, braking himself free from his uncomfortable and paralyzed state. He stared curiously up at her.

'NO! NO! NO! GET... AWAY... NO!' she suddenly shrieked, but at no one in particular. Then as if regaining some kind of control over her maddening self she rushed over towards the raging fireplace. Instantly she threw her left hand deep inside the burning flames for an agonisingly long moment and without even a second thought to the burning pain and scarring damage it would inflict upon her. Finally she pulled her hand back from the flames. Bizarrely she looked more calm, composed and in control of her insane self.

'HA!' she yelled as if getting one over on someone or some other presence inside the room. A presence that Jason could not see, feel nor hear. Quickly she picked up the small hot poker from the cellar floor and darted angrily towards Jason, forcing the sharp end of the poker directly at him. She held it close to his eyes. Jason breathed hard, panicking fast at the crazy woman's unpredictable state. He couldn't help but think of all the unpleasant things she could start doing to him at any moment. He prepared himself for the worst.

The woman glanced curiously over at Gary. There was a long and uncomfortable pause as Jason continued to breathe even deeper and harder. The woman continued to hold the sharp, roasting end of the poker close to Jason's eye, without even looking in his direction.

'HA.' The woman yelped again. Then, as quick as she'd approached him, she backed casually away, walking over towards the cellar doorway.

'HA.' she yelped one more time while scanning the room for something or someone that Jason still could not see. The woman let out a child like giggle again before disappearing through the dark cellar doorway.

Jason tried to compose himself with long, deep, calm soothing breaths. He took a glance over towards the drowsy and disillusioned Gary. Eventually he allowed himself to lower his head in complete and utter exhaustion at the maddening nightmare he found himself in. Then overcome by all of his conflicting emotions at the same time, Jason quietly sobbed to himself.

CHAPTER thirteen

Jason slept, still bound tightly to the large wooden chair. Directly opposite him, the hideously disfigured Gary also slept, making bizarre snoring slurps from the side of his flapping cheeks. Out of the darkness a soft pale hand came towards Jason and caressed his face before running their fingers over his head and through his hair.

Jason stirred.

Gradually he opened his eyes feeling the strange sensation of somebody else's touch upon his skin. Caught in a half dreamy world he imagined his mother sitting in her lonely prison cell while he laid beside her, his head resting peacefully upon her lap. She stroked her fingers through his hair listening to him whisper for forgiveness. Realising that the touches upon his body were real, Jason jolted his head back in fright, awakening from the tranquil dream.

'What are you doing?' Jason whispered fearfully and still sleepy. He felt so sure, as night follows day, that the mad crazy woman had come back to play, taunt and torture him some more. 'What the hell are you doing now? Get... away... from... me.'

Then Jason relaxed. He breathed a deep sigh of relief once he recognised the petite and pretty figure kneeling peacefully in front of him. He knew the slim, pale and dark haired woman to be none other than Haley, his Haley. She was wearing a look of great sorrow upon every corner of her face.

'Haley?' whispered Jason, imagining he were still asleep and dreaming peacefully. He was unable to comprehend that she was actually still alive and here by his side, like an angel swooping down from the gardens of heaven above to seek him out in that filthy bile pit of rancid hell. Haley bowed her head unable to meet Jason's eye. He really didn't believe that he would actually ever see her again.

'Haley. Is that you? Is it really you? Am I dreaming still?'

She raised her head and glanced back up at him. Tears swelled in her eyes. Jason fell speechless. His astounding disbelief overwhelmed him entirely.

'How... How are you?' asked Haley softly and sounding upset.

'What? What is going on here Haley?' Jason replied, still groggy, but with a hint of relief.

'I... I hope she hasn't... hurt you too bad.' she continued. Jason shook his head. Haley lowered her hands gently down to his bruised and nailed feet.

'I'm so sorry Jason.' Haley continued, but becoming more emotional. The tears swelling in her eyes soon began trickling down her cheeks.

'I'm so, so sorry for all of this. But you must believe me Jason when I say that I had no idea that this... that this was going to be the outcome of our adventure when we first met.'

Jason remained very quiet. He wanted to speak. He wanted to say a million and one different things swirling around his brain, begging for release and answers, but just in case none of this was real. In case he had just hallucinated the whole entire scene with Haley up, he remained quiet, for fear of shattering the pleasant illusion.

'I knew there was something terrible at the back of my mind Jason.' Haley continued. 'But I had no idea what it actually was, none whatsoever. You must believe me. I tried so hard to block it out. All of it, and I succeeded... for a little while.'

Haley paused for the briefest of moments.

'But now she's come back again Jason.'

Jason was still unsure. Was this real? Was he still dreaming. Was he imaging all of this?

'Haley…? Is it really you Haley?' whispered Jason as if finally awakening from his nightmare. 'Is it really you?' continued Jason.

Haley gently nodded. Jason looked anxious and relieved at the same time.

'What happened to you baby? Where did you go? How did you escape? Who the hell is that fucking lunatic out there?' Jason raged, letting his emotions get the better of him.

'I'm so sorry Jason. I really had no idea.' pleaded Haley desperately. 'You do believe me don't you? That I had absolutely no idea about any of this, until it was too late?'

'What the hell is going on here Haley? What is going on? I don't understand this. I don't understand any of this. Please, just tell me what's going on? Please.'

Haley lowered her head and sobbed. Unable to make eye contact with Jason anymore.

'I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But she's too strong for me. I can't fight her anymore. She wares me down so, so much. I can't fight her any longer.' Haley continued to sob. She sounded more tired and emotionally drained than Jason and Gary combined.

'What? Who wares you down Haley? Who are you talking about?' Jason replied still confused as hell. 'That psycho bitch. Is that who you're referring too? Who is she Haley? Who is that crazy fuck?'

'She's... she's...' said Haley. She hesitated and wiped her tears, struggling to get the words out.'

'She's what Haley? What is she? What is she too you?'

'She's my sister Jason okay? She's my sister.' Haley replied, finally spitting out the words that tormented her mind for so long.

'Your sister?' Jason coughed hard, shocked. 'What like your evil fucking retarded step sister? I mean what the fuck Haley. What the fuck?'

Haley bowed her head. Jason sighed deeply trying to regain control over his frantic thoughts.

'Okay.' said Jason, calming slightly. 'Where is she now? Where is your sister now Haley?'

'She's... she's sleeping. She hasn't slept since she came back. It's been over three days and she hasn't even slept a wink. She knows that when she sleeps... well... that is when I can…get out.'

Jason struggled with his ropes and handcuffs, paying only half attention to what Haley was saying.

'Come on Haley. Cut me loose. Help me get these bloody ropes and wires off. We can get the hell out of here. We'll burn this fucking madhouse to the ground and never look back baby. Come on Haley, please, help me?'

'I…I can't do that Jason. She won't let me. She's in control now. Even though I'm here. She's still in control.'

'What are you talking about? You said she's sleeping. So help me get free. Come on?' said Jason getting angry and annoyed now. Haley paused. She looked deep in thought.

'When I escaped from her for the first time Jason... It was because she was unprepared for it. But she'll never let that happen again... not ever. She'll never let me leave with you.'

'Haley please…Please baby. Help me get out of here and I promise you…I swear to you, I will help you get away from here too. We can leave together. Just the two of us. Right now. Right this second.'

'She's too strong for me. It took all of my energy to block her out after she captured her last victim. I just... I just finally had enough of all this death and pain and torture and insanity. I'd had enough.'

'You mean Gary. He was her last victim before you ran away and I found you at the hill?'

'Yes, I think it was a day or two before we met. She likes to pretend to be a hitchhiker. That's how she meets most of her victims. That's how she enticed Gary to come back here. She flirts with the men and hints at suggestions of sex inside the house. Of course Gary came in. They always come in. And then she beat him. She beat him really bad.'

Jason glanced at the unconscious mutilated pulp figure of Gary, unable to tell if he was even still alive. There was a comforting element of peacefulness about him as he sat, head bowed and in a seemingly dream like bliss, tucked up inside his wheelchair.

'She beat him so bad. Worse than I've ever seen before. Worse than any of the others.

'Tell me about it. I sat through most of it.'

'She's getting more and more sick and twisted with every new victim.'

'How many others Haley? How many others have there been?'

'I've lost count over the years. Dozens maybe. But this time with your friend Gary I'd had enough... I tried so hard to stop her Jason. I really caught her off guard this time. She had no idea. We fought with each other all over the house until we fell down the stairs. When I came through she was gone. I could no longer hear her anymore. She was no longer with me. So I got up and I ran. I ran and I ran just as fast as I could. Through the dark fields, over the dark hills until... I think I managed to climb to the top of that hill where we used to sit and talk, up beside the little baby oak tree. And then, I must of blacked out through shear exhaustion... or slipped, I don't remember which. But when I awoke...'

Haley smiled warmly at Jason. Tears formed in her eyes again until they trickled down her cheeks like a tiny faint waterfall of perfectly formed crystals.