Heavy is the Night

(Content Warning: Violence, Gore, Murder, and Abusive Situations.)

Alicia’s whimpers brought life to the darkness in the cold, musty cellar where the spiders crawled, and the slugs oozed toward the black molded cement blocks. The damp soil she sat on was a warm cocoon of filth that delivered no comfort. It was a harsh reality of her failed marriage. The heavy chains around her wrists and ankles were chafing her pale skin. Thick cobwebs were layered throughout her long black hair, and the carpenter ants explored her dry-rotted clothes.

The only source of light came from a few cracked boards on the cellar door. The sun had all but dried the wood that once held a tight fit. Alicia extended her right toe as far as the chains would allow to feel the captive rays. It was a small comfort that only lasted a few minutes. A shadow hovered above and stole the wholesome goodness.

Alicia closed her bloodshot eyes and listened as the padlock on the cellar door was removed. Her heart fluttered like a terrified butterfly, and as the squeaking hinges birthed a single silhouette of her tormentor, she bit her lower lip and prayed for death.

His deep voice cut through her soul like a hot fire poker. Alicia opened her eyes and saw the outline of a long trench coat worn by a slender man with broad shoulders. He wore an expressionless white mask that hid his face, but Alicia knew her husband well.

“I know I’m breaking the rules,” he slurred, “but I needed to see you.”

“P-please release me.” Alicia’s voice was shaky at best.

“No,” he said, mashing his fists together. “Not until you learn your lesson.”

“Jacob…please…you can’t keep me locked away forever.”

“YES, I CAN!”

Alicia drew her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

“I like how you beg,” Jacob huffed behind his pale mask. “It’s almost the same way you begged Adam when I caught you in bed with him across the street last month.”

“Jacob, that was a mistake. I-I’m sorry—”

“YOU ARE WEAK IN THE FLESH!”

Jacob hit the cement wall and left a ten-inch hole. The cockroaches poured out in droves. “Excuse my unbridled rage. I’m still not over it. But…I fixed him good, didn’t I?”

“Y-you…killed…him…”  

“Yes,” Jacob said. Alicia could tell he was smiling behind the mask. His gleeful tone betrayed him. “I loved the way my axe bit deeply into his skull. My hands remember the way it felt when I removed the blade from his head. When I saw his brains pour out like hot pork n’ beans, I laughed despite my flawless execution. Do you remember what happened next?”

“Let me go… Please!”

“I remember it well,” Jacob said, ignoring her pleas. “You screamed and ran for your phone, but it was tucked in your left pants pocket on the floor. The look on your face when I stomped it to pieces was unforgettable. Now, I must admit chasing you down those stairs and across the street winded me slightly, but when I cracked the butt of my axe handle on the back of your head, I was able to catch my breath. Locking you down here was the least I could do. You needed to learn your lesson, and I hope you did. So… Did you?”

Alicia closed her eyes again and said, “Yes…yes, I have.” She knew there was no way out unless she played his game. He wanted to hear those words. He needed to hear those words.

“Do you truly mean what you say?” Jacob asked, tilting his neck.

“I-I do.”

The sun was beginning to fade, and the open light in the cellar was growing dim. Jacob turned and shook his head. “The night is coming, and tomorrow will soon be upon us. Do you know what tomorrow is?”

Alicia’s lips quivered. She thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind. The fact that she had been held captive with little food and water for the past month would have been a good excuse for her lapsed memory. Or perhaps the fact that her husband of ten years was holding her captive while wearing a generic Halloween mask would explain volumes about the situation. Nonetheless, her mind was void.

“Hmm... You truly don’t know, do you?” Jacob growled. “It’s our anniversary. How could you forget something so important?!” 

No words came from Alicia. She placed her shaky hands on her face and sobbed.

Jacob rolled his neck in a circle and spoke softly. “Without fail, every year when I came home from work, a beautiful, decorated cake would be waiting for me on the kitchen table. Oh…those long days of being on the road delivering lumber took a toll on me, but seeing that cake always lifted my spirits. And to think…this year…that table will be empty. Ugh! It makes me angry!!” 

Within seconds, another ten-inch hole appeared in the cement wall.

“I’m sorry,” Alicia cried. “I would have made a cake for you this year, but how can I do that when you keep me chained up like a dog?”  

Jacob fell to his knees. As he grabbed the heavy links around Alicia’s ankles, she didn’t know what he would do. He could snap her leg like a twig if he wanted to.

“If I release you now, would you make me one last cake before the end draws near? Something to honor our memory.”

Alicia knew he was talking crazy. The chance to be free was all she wanted. I need to play along. This might be my only chance.

“Yes,” she said slowly. “I will make that cake right now if you allow me. It’s not too late to do something special for you.”

Jacob’s hands eased a bit. He removed a key from his pants and unlocked the shackles. “Good,” he said. “This cake will be the best one ever because…” he pulled out a clear bottle of cyanide and finished, “with this poison, we will be together forever.”

“What?!” Alicia said, coughing on the free air.

“You heard me,” he said plainly. “We will eat the cake and then I will mix this with some wine and toast our deaths before we drink. But I beg you…please… Don’t tell anyone. Our deaths will be a tragic love story. Ha, ha, ha, ha!” 

The journey into the kitchen was swift. Jacob was eager to taste the chocolate cake with white icing. Despite Alicia’s bare feet, he pulled her through the gravel driveway and pushed her in the front door. Everything in the house had its place. Clean and tidy was the ship’s finest sail.

Jacob sat at the kitchen table and said, “What are you waiting for? Get started on that cake. We don’t have all night!”

Alicia took a deep breath to steady her shaking torso and gathered all the necessary ingredients for the cake. She ignored Jacob’s smug eyes as he watched her intently. When the cake finished baking, Alicia placed it on a baking platter and began to spread the icing.

“That looks grand,” Jacob said, taking off his mask. “I bet the taste will be an explosion in my mouth.”

Alicia nodded. “I’m sure it will, but maybe we should talk about things before you—”

“NO!” Jacob yelled, smashing his right fist on the table. He removed the cyanide and placed it by the cake. “My mind is set in stone. This is the only way to make it right!”

“What happened with Adam was a mistake,” Alicia sobbed. “With him out of the way, maybe we can start fresh.”

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, I would…truly—”

“I don’t think so. That image of you riding him like a toy pony will never leave my mind.”

Alicia’s eyes roamed the kitchen for a way out. A possible solution to end her nightmare. Her thoughts were like a runaway train.

Maybe I could slip the cyanide into a glass of milk. He loves milk with his cake! I’m sure that when he drinks it, sweet and pure, the thick creamy taste will mask the poison. Vengeance won’t temper my iron will of patience. Long have I played this game of flatulent debauchery. The never-ending saga of give and take has left me feeling like an empty shell. Where did I lose myself? I cannot say, but the thralls of time hold my boundless spirit hostage, and I’m the only one who holds the key. The affair with Adam was wrong, yes, but it felt right. 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jacob said, seeing Alicia’s lips curl ever so slightly. “There’s no way you can escape a lifetime of memories with me. I can never forgive you for what you did. Your betrayal was like a sharp knife that cut deep into my soul.”

Jacob quickly stood and grabbed two wine glasses from the cupboard behind him. He opened the poison and poured it equally. Then, he filled the glasses half full of red wine—Alicia’s favorite drink.

“Now,” he said. “Let us enjoy this wonderful cake and toast to our ever after.”

Alicia watched Jacob take another big bite from his cake and thought about stabbing him with her fork, but that wouldn’t work. It would only make him angry.

Instead, Alicia stabbed her cake and took a big bite. It had been a long time since she tasted anything so sweet. As her eyes drifted back to Jacob, she saw a dark figure approaching from behind. She had to narrow her eyes because what she saw was a nightmare incarnate.

The mysterious figure walked with a limp and had a huge gash in his skull. Several strands of brain matter were hanging from the open wound. The man’s eyes were lifeless, and his pale hands were extended outward. As he came closer, Alicia knew who it was.

Jacob took another bite of cake, not realizing someone was behind him. As he swallowed, the gruesome figure grabbed his head and smashed it into the table. The white icing coated Jacob’s face like white paint. It was a great substitute for the Halloween mask he wore to intimidate Alicia. Before Jacob could fight back, the zombie torqued his neck and snapped his head off. He grabbed the glass of wine, poured it down Jacob’s gushing neck, and let his body fall where it may.

Alicia stood and screamed. One nightmare was over, but the sequel was soon to follow. “Adam?! Is that you?”

Adam’s mouth fell open, and Alicia’s nerves grew like ice daggers clinging to a cold roof in winter.

“It’s your fault I’m dead!” Adam grunted. “It took me a month to realize my brains were hanging out like macaroni salad! You said he would never find out about us!”

“Adam…I—”

Before Alicia could finish, Adam grabbed a fork from the table and plunged it into her left eyeball. He hammered it in and watched her dead body crash into the table. With his purpose fulfilled, Adam limped out of the house and into the moonlight.