Page 55 of Burn For Me

“You want me to kill myself?” He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a huff. “That’s not going to happen. You might as well get it over with, I’m ready.”

I smiled widely and tapped on the back of the chair.

“In such a hurry to die, I have to admit it that only makes me want to see you suffer longer, but we will see what you say once I’m done explaining your options.” I stood up and strolled around the living room, making sure to take a good, long look at the family portrait that hung as the centerpiece of the room. “Nice looking family. Tell me, Doctor, did they decide to leave because of me, or did they decide to leave because you were cheating on your wife with her best friend?”

I let my words sink in as I slowly turned around to face the man or the useless excuse for one, anyway.

“How do you know about that?”

“You mean, how do I know that you’ve been having an affair with one woman or another for years? Or do you mean how do I know that you’ve gotten your wife’s best friend pregnant, and she’s finally left you and your sorry ass? You do know that she would’ve most likely taken you for all the money you have, right? And I have to say, good on you for getting the friend knocked up. Not only did you cheat, and do it in the worst way possible by destroying two relationships, but you couldn’t even be bothered to put on a condom so that your pathetic-ass sperm didn’t get the woman knocked up. Not so bright there, were ya?” I let out a soft chuckle and held up my finger as his mouth fell open.

“How the hell do you know any of this? They were all private conversations.” Dr. Wallace was very obviously starting to panic.

My head tilted, and my lips curled as the malicious part of my personality cheered at the extra victory over the man that had caused me so much pain.

“Because, Doctor, you’ve underestimated me from the moment I landed in your lap. You thought I was just some weak kid, something you could pick the legs off of like a science experiment—something that would break and fall into line.” I hit the little spark wheel again and loved how he shivered in the chair. “But you see, the moment you had those men touch me was the beginning of the end for you.” I looked around the living room. “I’ve always been here, listening to you, watching you. You were always so arrogant, but I could’ve killed you so many times while you slept or while you ate your fancy steaks, but I chose not to. You’re only alive right now because I let you continue breathing.”

It was a total exaggeration, but the bulging pulse in Dr. Wallace’s neck told me he was buying every word.

“It really is a shame that your very pretty teenage daughter hates your guts for being a cheating piece of dickless meat.” I held up the little flame and looked through the orange hue at the portrait on the far wall. “Gotta tell ya, I’m not surprised that she never wants to talk to you again. It’s also a shame that this is what your life has come to. Dirty clothes, microwavable dinners, and heavier drinking with each passing day.”

Walking over to the portrait, I turned to lean against the wall and ran my finger down the daughter’s cheek.

“She really is beautiful. I wonder how beautiful she’ll look like when I melt the flesh from her bones.”

“Don’t you dare touch my daughter,” Wallace growled out.

“Ah…you didn’t mention your wife. That is very telling.” I made my way over to the dining room chair that I’d been sitting on and placed my foot on the seat so that I could lean my arms against my knee. “What I do next, and to whom, is going to depend solely on you.”

“I don’t get it. You’re free, and everyone thinks you’re dead. Just go, and no one will ever know that you were here or that you’re alive.”

I laughed hard until tears were streaming down my cheeks and my stomach hurt, but then my face sobered, and I stared him dead in the eyes as I let him see all the hatred and death that swam in their ice-blue depths.

“That will happen anyway.” I let the weight of my words fill the room. The only noise was that of the tall grandfather clock as the pendulum ticked back and forth. “You know this whole thing could’ve been avoided if you’d just never sent Jim and his goons to my room that night. It’s your fault that all those people are dead and that the sweetest soul I’d ever met died. Adalyn didn’t have to die. Her death is on you.”

The doctor shook his head.

“What are you talking about?”

Now it was my turn to stare at the doctor like he’d lost his mind. Had I not burned the asylum down? I wracked my brain to make sure that I was remembering correctly. How else would I have escaped? There is no way that was some big, elaborate dream.

“The hospital. I burnt it down.”

“I know that. I mean, what are you talking about with Adalyn? She’s not dead.”

All the blood in my body sank to the floor as my heart stopped beating in my chest. Narrowing my eyes at Dr. Wallace, I search his face for the lie. He’d spent too many nights manipulating me for me to believe him and yet I wasn’t able to help the little bit of hope that flickered to life.

“What the fuck do you mean she’s alive?” My voice was gruff when I spoke.

Dr. Wallace shrugged his shoulders. “Just what I said. She wasn’t at the asylum. She was at home when it burnt.”

“But how is that possible? Her car was in the parking lot.” I sat down before I fell from the sudden lightheadedness.

“Her car was in the parking lot because she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and she hadn’t picked her car up yet.”

If she wasn’t dead, then who was speaking to me? Who was encouraging me to avenge them? None of this even made sense, and I wouldn’t believe it unless I saw her with my own two eyes. Out of my peripheral vision, I spotted Dr. Wallace slowly start to stand.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” I turned my head in his direction, and he froze, looking like a mime in the middle of an act. “Sit your ass in the fucking chair.” The movement was slow, but the doctor lowered himself into the seat. “Don’t worry. You’ll have a chance to run.”