An Unlikely Romance Ch. 08

"Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch'intrate" (abandon all hope, ye who enter here)

---

Here they come again, those urges those damn urges!

Just like last time, I could not resist them. Succumbing to these desires, I leant over and kissed my beautiful fiancé. She looked sublime just lying there between her sheets. Starting at her neck, I kissed my way up her cheek until my lips rested on her forehead. It lingered just long enough for her to stir. Smiling, she opened her eyes just a bit.

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she kissed me hard on the lips. Her tongue forced its way into my mouth and entwined itself around mine. There was no urgency, no rush as the emotions took over. After a while, we were barely aware of our actions as it went on and on. Soon, her arousal built to the point where she needed more. I could already feel a hand making its way down to my pants. I pulled away from her playfully.

"Let's save that for tonight. You know- our big wedding night."

"Let's not........."

She tried kissing me again, but I avoided her and tried getting off the bed.

"You had your chance, now we do this my way."

Saying this, she forcefully pinned me down and started to kiss me roughly.

"This is rape."

"Yeah? Arrest me!"

"You should know, my wife is New York's toughest cop. If she finds out you raped me......"

"Go on."

"She will kick your ass."

Monica stifled a giggle.

"A little birdy told me she has something special planned for the wedding night."

"And what would that be?"

She leaned over seductively and whispered it into my ear. It took me sometime to process what she just said.

"That is... sick and wrong on so many levels."

"Awww....... don't be a prude. That's just the beginning. You will never forget your wedding night."

I smiled, excited at what was in store for me.

"On second thoughts, I could do with a preview."

Still smiling, Monica disappeared beneath the covers. Soon enough, I felt the entirety of my erect member swallowed in her warm wet mouth. Her ministrations were artistic and sensual as she gently caressed the underside of my engorged organ with her tongue. Then she took most of it out of her mouth and concentrated her efforts on the head. The feeling was insane as the pleasure swept over me. I lay there on the throes of ecstasy as the feeling pushed me higher and higher until I finally erupted in a violent crescendo of pleasure.

I just lay there, silly with post orgasmic bliss for some time before she got off the bed.

"The day has finally come. The big day of our wedding."

"I know!"

It had been one year since my proposal. One year of no more urges or hallucinations. The butcher seemed to have retired given that there were no new bodies.

Another success story was that of a lovely young girl called Emily Daniels. She had come a long way in the past year. I had encouraged her to take up acting and even paid for the best acting classes. Her company had performed a gala rendition of Othello on Broadway recently. The tickets were obscenely expensive, but Monica and I went to see her perform. Her performance as Desdemona was mesmerizing. It ended to a rousing round of applause.

Everything seemed to be going just perfectly for me.

---

The day progressed too slowly for the happy couple. An endless line of relatives showed up. The ceremony could not come soon enough as they started getting dressed.

"How do I look?"

Simon had to pick his jaw of the floor as he saw Monica in her wedding dress for the first time. She was wearing a sleek and flawless white dress which was intricately inlaid with beautiful designs which could only be seen up close. From a distance, her shimmering white dress lit up the room. She, herself, was a sight to behold in her resplendent beauty. He tried to say something, but his jaw still hung out.

"You look......."

She looked at him curiously.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"More like an angel."

She smiled, then made her way closer.

"Let's crumple this dress."

"I don't know. It looks so pretty."

She was very close now, her piercing gaze transfixed on Simon's. She had just started to lift the hem of her dress, when her phone rang.

"Saved by the phone." he said as he quickly moved away.

Monica picked up the phone and had an animated conversation with the person on the other end. Her tone became more and more excited.

She dropped the phone and gushed, "This day could not get any better. I am getting married to the man of my dreams and in a few short hours we will know the name of that sick fuck."

Simon asked, "Which sick fuck?"

"The Butcher. After two years of nothing, finally we got the guy. We have a match for his DNA. A cold case. A two decade old double homicide in Brooklyn. Deranged wife came home to find her husband in bed with a hooker and stabbed them multiple times with the kitchen knife. The DNA from the Butcher came back as a familial match, meaning it's her son. Records show that she had a 4 year old son at the time of the murder, who watched this entire episode. He has since disappeared into the foster care system and his records are sealed. The subpoena to unseal them is en route. We got him."

He just listened silently.

"Imagine that. No leads for such a long time and an accidental comparison with two decade old cold case nails him. What are the odds?"

"What are the odds!" he exclaimed, mentally preparing for the inevitable.

"I'll leave you to get dressed."

Monica left the room with a distinctive prance in her step.

---

My mind was blank as I sat in silent retrospection. I had changed everything about myself, but there was one thing I could not change- my past.

The Fates had dealt me such a cruel card. I could only imagine what Monica would feel when she got the news. Would it be anger, betrayal or just an overpowering rage?

Looking up, I saw a familiar figure at the door. I gave a wry smile.

"Hi, Mom."

For once, she did not spew any murderous platitudes in my direction. She came over and sat beside me, draping an imaginary arm over my shoulder.

"I am sorry. I really am. I know how much you tried to change and you did. But your past has caught up with you."

"Poetic justice, I suppose."

"You have to understand. You are what you are. Deep down within, in some hidden corner of your heart, the Butcher still lives."

I looked up at her ruefully.

"You kept your other knife deep inside your cupboard. Take it out."

As if pulled by an invisible force, I walked up to the cupboard and opened my chest. It contained all my personal items. It was my personal space, somewhere only I looked. Every item was some part of my soul. I reached deep inside and found what I was looking for. It was buried right at the bottom, symbolic of my urges, but it was there.

As I wrapped my hand around the handle, a trapdoor opened in my mind. A multitude of suppressed desires rushed out and wrapped their tentacles around my being. I shuddered as this deluge overwhelmed my being. I felt different, more complete than I had felt all year long.

"Yes. Embrace who you are. Now go and get Monica before she finds out."

I wasn't listening to her. Looking at the reflection of my eyes on my blade, I had an epiphany. I was a monster, I always would be.

"You went to such extreme lengths in your search for answers when they were always right in front of you."

Looking down at my knife, I knew she was right. I gripped the handle tightly; it would take a lot of courage to do the next act.

---

Monica was still in a daze of happiness. She could feel the overwhelming joy filling up her soul. All her questions were going to be answered one by one. But it wasn't all rosy.

She was not in the least bit afraid to walk into a shootout, but the idea of a lifelong commitment scared the shit out of her. It was completely alien to her mould, completely uncharted territory. She was glad that she would have Simon by her side to navigate this arduous journey.

But could she do it? She knew that she had to be the perfect wife.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a phone call. It was Boz.

"You found out so soon?"

"Umm... Not exactly."

"What's going on?" said Monica, a little edgy.

"The judge who presided over the case requested the social worker to do it off the books. There was no official record of the adoption, just in case the child tried to trace his roots back to this event. There was only one copy of the adoption file, stored in a government storage locker in Rochester. The entire section was burnt in a big fire last year. I am so sorry, Monica, but that was the only record."

Monica was crestfallen.

"So there is no way we can find out?"

"Unfortunately not. I guess his true identity will always remain a mystery."

"I guess so. So when are you coming?"

"I'll be in time for the ceremony."

"You had better."

She put the phone down, fighting back a profound sense of disappointment. In the past, it would have weighed her down for days, but she had bigger things on her mind. It would just have to go into her list of questions. There were more pressing questions on that list.

Would she make a good wife?

Would she make a good mother?

She smiled as she thought about their future and the possibilities it held.

Unfortunately, she would not get the answers to those questions either, for in the adjacent room, Simon lay spread eagled on the bed. His glassy eyes faced the ceiling. There were three deep stab wounds in his abdomen, the knife handle stuck out of the deepest one. Death had been slow and agonizing as he bled out gradually.

His mother was right. He had gone far and wide into the innermost depths of his mind in search of answers, when they were always right in from of him.

All he had to do was turn the knife towards someone who deserved it.

---

So this is Purgatory? Hmm..... could do with better lighting.

I was at a crossroads. The signpost was unambiguous and simple. It showed the directions to Heaven on one side and Hell on the other. I stood in front of a council who would arbitrate on my fate. I could only see their silhouettes as they spoke to each other in hushed tones.

"If I may interject here.."

The silhouettes looked up. I went on.

"I know I may not exactly be Heaven material, but I have done some good in my life, particularly in the last year. So is there any chance?"

There was silence as the council studied him.

"No chance ehh? Didn't expect it. Ahh well, it was worth a shot."

Saying this, I whistled to myself as I made my way towards Hell.

It was a long walk through featureless scenery as I met fellow travellers. We discussed our reasons for being in this situation as we made our way to the gates.

At the banks of the river Styx, I could see souls desperately flailing in the murky depths of the river trying to escape. They were of course dragged down by other souls. Soon, Charon the ferryman came along to escort us across the river. I saw a familiar face waiting for me on the other side.

"Mom," I said as I rushed out and embraced her. She held on just as tightly.

"Simon, look how you have grown. The last time I saw you, you were just a baby."

"I missed you too." I lied.

Hand in hand we walked.

I honestly have no idea why Hell has such a bad rep as a hot, ghastly place. The landscape was a bit barren and desolate, but other than that, it was okay. The black sky was lit by the moon which lit everything up. There was a nip in the air as chilly breezes flew past.

We walked past several scenes of eternal torture I should not describe for the sensitive viewer. One of them featured a man tied to a rack while four young girls took turns raping him with objects of opportunity. They waved at us as we passed. Mom waved back.

"See them over there? That man was a brutal rapist who mercilessly sodomized his daughters. One day, one of the girls set their house on fire accidentally killing them all. The girls were offered a chance to go to heaven, but revenge was just too good to pass up. We are good friends now."

We walked up a rocky knoll until we reached a big tree. My dear departed father and his favourite whore hung from adjacent branches. They seemed to be struggling against their restrains, in vain obviously.

"Just see this."

Saying this, Mom brandished a large knife from her dress and cut a deep gash across Daddy's face. He screamed in agony as blood sprayed everywhere. After a minute or so, the wound healed up, even though he still seemed to be in considerable pain.

"It looks tempting enough. I wish I could join."

"Take a look in your inner pocket."

I put my hand inside my jacket and sure enough, my knife was where I always keep it. I took it out and went to face the hooker.

"I am glad you are here though. Doing both of them was getting tiring for me."

I smiled at Mom and then turned my gaze to the hooker. She seemed petrified by fear as I twirled the blade around in my hand.

"Not that fun, when I am not four. Is it?"

Before she could reply, I plunged my knife into her chest. She screamed in excruciating pain as I turned the blade inside her. Pulling out, I watched in awe as her wounds healed up, but her screaming went on.

"How long can we keep doing this?"

"Well Simon, no one knows exactly, but the common theory is that we can keep this up till eternity."

I returned my gaze to the hooker, who was helplessly flailing against her restraints.

"Eternity eh? Sounds like an awfully long time, especially for you." I said as I plunged the knife into her neck.

Phew! Finally finished a series. There are three people I need to thank here.

Firstly, I would like to thank lovecraft68 for interacting with me on a regular basis and showing me that there exists an audience for a story which doesn't have only sex in it.

Secondly, I would like to thank my editor FWBlover. I know I am a bit of a pain in the ass and quite demanding, but she rolled out my pieces on time every time. Her comments and suggestions were top-notch.

Last, but not the least, I would like to thank KatieTay. She was a great sounding board for ideas and opinions. Her literary insight was definitely helpful on many occasions. She was not afraid to give me her brutally honest opinion on any chapter. Thank you Katie.

For everybody else who has made it this far, I would appreciate your comments and feedback on this series. This is my first completed series on this site and I would like to know what I did right and what I could have done better. Just 21 (this was written on my 21^st birthday), there is still a lot of time for me to improve, but for that I need your inputs and constructive criticism. Feel free to send me any private feedback as well.

And before I forget, if you like Monica in this storyline, wait till you see the next guy she gets into bed with. Watch out for my next short novel "Gangster's Moll". If you thought this was dark, you are in for a rude shock. There is hardly any gore there, but it shows Monica in a much darker avatar.