Lake-4: Beauty and the Beast
"The final question: what is standing naked and shivering?"
The girl tried her best to think of an appropriate answer. It seemed that the answer was she, standing naked trying to solve the riddles of this maniac with a revolver. Her body was indeed shivering. Her friend wasn't naked, but she was hanging in the air on a large hook. Her mouth was stuck with a stripe of Band-Aid. Everything was recorded by several cameras.
"I guess it's me," she said carefully.
"Wrong answer! Correct answer: it's alive meat which hasn't answered my questions correctly and will now get a bullet."
The girl screamed and the scream was followed by the gunshot. Its power made the girl fall back to the wall. The girl stopped screaming and looked down: right between her pretty tits was a little brook of blood which spurted pulsating down her satin belly. then she moaned, covered the wound with her hands and slowly bent to the floor, leaving scarlet stripes on the wall. Her knees moved apart, exposing the pussy. The girl looked at her murderer, trying to say something but only blood emerged from her lungs. Her body relaxed and a small stream of urine ran from under her pussy.
Alex came up to the other girl. Seeing him, she moaned.
"Do you know, do you know, what the girls are made of?" he sang a stupid nursery rhyme. "Don't you know? You'll see now."
Taking the dead girl by the hair, he dragged her to the table and put flat on her back. The girl on the hook closed her eyes not to see anything of what was going to happen. Opening them slowly, she saw the maniac draw dark lines on the body of her friend. "He's going to dismember the body!" she understood. Although it was terrible, although she understood also that she herself will most likely be in the same situation, she still couldn't help watching the unique show.
The maniac raised the axe and hit the naked leg, separating the foot. The dead body shook as though it were alive. The girl imagined herself on the table and closed her eyes again. She heard the thuds of the axe, the crushes of bones breaking, and the smell was exactly the same as one of the meat sold at the markets. "Oh no, why me?" she asked herself. "We had no idea..."
They met this guy in a cafe. July and her were looking for someone who'd pay for them. they both liked this guy. He behaved politely and danced very well. They got acquainted at the bar stand and sat at the same table together. By the time he suggested going to his place they had already drunk much... And when they arrived here they drank something else... So they woke up in the cellar, tied up and evidently raped.
"This motherfucker killed July," she thought, "and it's obvious he's not making this for the first time. What shall I do?! Nobody's coming to help me. He said 'alive meat'... Is he a man-eater in top of all?! Oh lord, just like in a fairy tale, I'm about to be eaten alive!"
She opened her eyes. The guy was carefully piling bits of meat into a large bowl. A black plastic bag was standing near, it was probably for uneatable parts. Suddenly she felt sick and vomited, but the vomit stuck in her mouth and nose so that she couldn't breathe. The guy saw that something was happening and removed the stripe from her lips. Then he washed her with cold water from a rubber hose. Her dress was all wet now.
The girl felt cold. The wet dress sucked her warmth out like a vampire. She began shivering.
"Listen," she said to Alex. "Untie me, will you? Don't be afraid, I'm not going to run away. I'm very tired, very dirty and very hungry. If you're keeping me here, at least get me something to eat."
Alex came up to her and stared in her face. She looked back at him calmly. It was for the first time that the victims behaved like that! She didn't realize where she was and why? Impossible. Then, she either pretended very skillfully, or she really didn't care. Well, he didn't want to kill her right then anyway, so a little game would be much to the point.
He slowly took out his knife. The girl closed her eyes. "Oh no, this is it! He will either free me or stab me! Oh god please help me!" She felt the blade touch her skin and almost lost consciousness. The knife cut the ropes. After a while she opened her eyes. The maniac was putting the tools back into the drawer. Then he locked it and put the key in his pocket.
"Alex, am I going to hang here like a mutton?"
"Wait."
He cut her dress, exposing the black bikini. The knife slipped down her belly, scratching the skin.
"Are you afraid?" Alex asked.
"I am," she answered with a sigh.
"Well, you don't need the bra," he said and cut its straps. The bra fell on the floor and Alex assessed the girl's tits.
"Now the panties. You don't' need them either." He also cut them and pulled them from between her thighs. "You sure have nice legs."
"What do you mean?" she asked. Alex laughed.
"I like their form. Long and slim. Smooth feet, I see you don't walk much. But there are some muscles, which means you go to the swimming pool or something. Am I right?"
"Yea," she said. She didn't like his assessing her body. It was a fairly cheesy compliment, but for god's sake let him talk more. The more he talks to her the harder it will be for him to kill her afterwards. She learnt that in the movie "The Silence of the Lambs".
He took off the handcuffs that were fixing her wrists and lowered the hook. The barrel of the gun took a stand between her scapulas.
"Get up and go."
"Where?"
"Upstairs. I don't like killing dirty and hungry girls."
"What a coincidence! I don't like dying dirty and hungry!" She tried to copy his style.
Alex smiled and pushed her slightly with the gun. The girl slowly walked to the door, trying not to make any quick movements. They went upstairs, passed through the hall and stopped before a door.
"That's the shower," Alex informed her. "I don't recommend you to lock inside, the lock is pretty symbolical. The towels, shampoo and the rest is there."
He pushed the girl in and shut the door. Then he brought a wooden wedge and stuck in between the door and the floor. He didn't like her obedience.
Mila turned the water on. Her body sank in heavenly warmth, she stood under the shower for a minute or so. Only then she looked around.
There was a small window about two meters up from the floor. Mila wondered if she could pass through it. She jumped and saw a grate. Dead end. She burst into tears. It's hopeless... She's going to die... She remembered July scratching her chest as though trying to take out the bullet! It was probably very painful...
Mila sat under the running shower thinking of her current situation. How much time did she have - a day? A week? And then a bullet or a cold blade? Why? oh no, stop asking silly questions! You should think, while you have some time! What if he comes to get her now - nude and with a blade in his hands?
The girl sat up, squinted at the door and began rubbing herself with the soap. "Let us assess the situation without panic," she thought. "Why am I still alive? He wants to kill me nice and fluffy? Maybe. On the other hand, what's the use of me dead? Keep me in the fridge? There's July... Sex? He doesn't look like a necrophile... I guess."
She was anxious. This feeling was something long forgotten since her childhood. Like in a game or a fairy tale, but with a happy end.
"And what's the use of me alive?" she went on, rubbing her legs. "Sex? Yes, if he's not impotent. But it's not it. There's something else. Communication?"
She felt it was right. "Maybe he doesn't realize it, but he is so lonely. He leads a normal life, pretending to be normal. And there's no one he can tell his stories to, even his girlfriend. Especially his girlfriend." She remembered his each and every phrase. He seemed awfully self-assured. "If I'm right, I'll have some time... to find a loophole."
Twenty minutes later she knocked on the door. Alex opened it and saw the girl standing her back to him, in a wonderful pose of modesty.
"Put this on," he said and gave her black panties and a robe. She put it on and turned to him.
"Show me the way, master," she said. Alex took her to the kitchen.
"Cook something."
Alex sat by the door. The girl opened the fridge and took out some potatoes, a roll of sausage, eggs.
"Will a salad do?"
Alex nodded his head.
Squinting back on him, the girl took out a large knife and began cutting the sausage. Alex watched her face attentively. Once she glanced at the window with the decorating grate.
"Fucking great," he thought. "Nobody can break in and nobody can break out. And you, gurlie, are a 'die hard'. You haven't broken down. You have freed with my help and now you're looking for a chance to get out. You sure must have tried in the shower, and none of your modesty would have stopped you - only the grate. And now what a temptation! You're holding a knife and I have no gun. Oh, how sad it will be if the game ends so soon."
Mila was peeling the potatoes. "This is a great chance! He doesn't suspect anything, I can try." Then she thought, "What if he's waiting for me to do this? He's not a fool, to have given me a knife and not have a gun. And I could as well provoke him to murder me right then. It's too early now. Let him relax. You have a few days, you've some time. You can wait and convince him of your security." She calmly put aside the knife, took some sauce and added it to the salad.
"The plates are over there."
Mila leaned up to get the plates. Alex stared at her legs. "Right, an almost naked woman is much more appealing than a naked one. Just like a secret is much more exciting than a dozen answers." He could have torn the robe away from her, he could have forced her to go naked. But this way, it's much more interesting.
The girl was very hungry, but she ate modestly. Alex stood up to switch on the teapot, but kept watching her reflection in the mirror. She braced but remained on her seat. "You're so eager to run away from me, you can hardly hold herself." Alex made some tea. They looked like a happy couple on a weekend. Even the girl seemed to have forgotten about her current position and was chatting merrily about different things. Alex felt a little regret he scarcely knew about.
"You know, it's so unique to sit like this with your future killer," she said. Placing the empty cup back on the table. "It excites so. As though we're in a fairy tale."
"So how do you feel?"
"Life has become much simpler. No freedom and no choice. But-"
"What is it?"
"Waiting is unbearable. I'm only twenty, I'm very eager to live. At least this way. But waiting and asking myself every minute about how much long will I last... I'm afraid to ask. I'm afraid of knowing."
"I understand. My answer relies on many things, including your behavior. Live by now."
"Don't eat me, big bad wolf," she said looking right into his eyes. "I can be of service to you."
"What is the difference? Some die earlier, some later. You're in your best years now. You'll start dying a few years later. You'll cry because you'll not be able to fit in your favorite jeans. The waist will disappear, the tits will hang and your satin skin will gather in. It's better to die like this - young and perfect."
"Oh yea, stabbed and eaten like a pig. This is humiliating, don't you think?"
"No. Lots of tribes sacrifice their best girls to the gods. Nobody considers them humiliated, it's a great honor. It's nice to be a victim."
"Not for me."
"That's right, I don't like obedient sheep. Okay, shut up and get up."
"What for?!"
"It's already late."
The girl sighed and came to her feet.
She opened the door to the bedroom. It wasn't exactly a bedroom, it was just a large room. But there was a bed. What to do? He's not disgusting, but after all she's been through making love sounds a bit unfair... Well, her wish isn't a sine qua non...
Mila stood in the middle of the room and looked at Alex. He switched on the hi-fi, and soft music flowed into the room. The girl hugged herself.
"What are we doing here?" she pretended to not understand.
"Undress," Alex ordered taking off his tee. "You're so sexy now you could go to the morgue to wake up the dead."
"You want to fuck me one last time?"
"Hey, I thought you said you'd be of service."
"What if I say no?"
"What if I don't like it?"
"Got it," she smiled. "I'm not in the position to say no. But Alex, next time let's both be ready for it, okay?"
Mila moved her shoulders. The robe slid down to the floor. She closed her eyes.
They lay on the bed, sweating after several hours of sex. Alex slept holding the girl in his arms. Mila lay looking into the darkness of the room. She felt like a wannabe hooker.
She was very sleepy. She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. "I must try to leave! Right now! What is there to wait for save the death?!" The girl quickly put on the robe and went to the window... Another grate! Only the door - but it's locked. Where're the key? It's probably in the pocket of his tee...
"Going somewhere?" Alex asked calmly.
"Nnno. I wanted to go to the toilet," the girl answered quickly. "I thought the room wasn't locked, I didn't want to wake you up."
The reason was a lame one, but it worked. Alex unlocked the door and showed the girl to the toilet. When she went out, he took her downstairs.
"Where are we going?"
"To the cellar."
"Why?"
"You'll sleep there."
"It's cold down there."
"No it's not."
"Alex, what have I done wrong?" she asked politely.
"Nothing. I'm tired of guarding you, that's all."
He opened the door, pushed her it and locked it immediately. Mila found a mattress and a pillow in the dark. Nothing left to do. How clever he is! Is he going to not leave her a single change to escape? Sleep, she said to herself. Nothing left to do.
Alex went to bed, trying to sleep. Shit. It's all gone wrong. He made a mistake. In the very beginning.
The victim must not be close to the hunter. Otherwise it becomes a peer, not an inferior creature. With Mila, he unwillingly accepted her as a human being. Moreover, understanding her desires, he began feeling something close to compassion... especially after tonight.
"What do I do now? What an idiot! It's going to be worse and worse until I give up. Shit! Shit, I want her to be with me now. I want to have somebody by my side! Impossible! Enough, enough complaints. Time to end it all. Time to get rid of her and end it all."
"There are only two ways out. Either she, or me. Letting her go, I doom myself. Killing her, I save myself. After all, I was going to do it! I only need a good reason. She should give me the reason..."
With this thought he drifted into Darkness which had long ago substituted his dreams.
In the morning, Mila was awakened by the light of the torches. She sat in the bed, covering her eyes with her hand. What's the time? Why the light?
Alex came in. The girl instinctively held the coverlet over her chest. Alex had a camera and a tape recorder.
"Hi, had a good sleep?"
"Not really, it was really cold."
"Well, you're going to get warmer soon," he assured her placing the tape recorded on the table.
"Why?"
"I've heated some water, you can wash yourself and then we'll have breakfast."
He went out. His gun was stuck under his belt. Mila put on her robe and followed him, looking at the matt metal. "This is the chance! I've nothing to lose anyway."
Alex had reached the kitchen when he felt the gun disappearing from under his belt. He turned around, and his face expressed a gust of emotions: astonishment, understanding and regret.
"Shit!"
Mila held the gun like she had seen in the movies, with both hands. She stood her back to the entrance door, the robe wasn't buttoned and demonstrated the tempting contents.
"Stand still!" she shouted.
Alex froze. Mila tried to calm down. She's finally safe?
"Now we're going back. If you run, I'll shoot you like a dog."
Alex turned around and slowly went to the cellar. They went in.
"Turn to me!"
He did, and Mila kicked him in the groin with all her might. He screamed and fell on the floor.
"You bastard! You scum! Give me the key now!"
Alex, moaning, got to his knees and threw her the key of the cellar.
"Are you insane?" he asked harshly.
"You're insane!" she shouted back. "You wanted to kill me and cut me into pieces!"
She took a deep breath.
"You think I'm going to sit and wait for this to happen? I sympathize you, Alex. You're a sick psycho. But I'm leaving and locking you in here. Wait for the cops!"
"See, idiot?" Alex whispered. "You hoped..."
He rose to his feet and went to the girl.
"Alex, stand still! I'm going to shoot!"
"I don't care," he said. "Try. You think it's very easy to kill - a man? Try, I want to see you try. I couldn't. I wonder if you can. Either you or me. And tertium non datur."
Mila shoot his left arm. A dark wet stain appeared on the shirt. Mila shouted and pulled the trigger again, but there was no shot. The girl did it again, but there was no result. She rushed to the door, when she felt his hands on her waist. She clutched the door, but Alex pulled her away from it and kicked her in the belly. She fell on the floor, unconscious.
Alex took and deep breath and uttered a long curse.
"I've quite forgotten of the bullet," he thought, picking up the key.
Mila was gasping for air. Alex cuffed metal bracelets to her hands and then attached then to ropes on the ceiling of the cellar. Then cuffed her feet and attached then to the ropes going to the floor. Crucified in the air, Mila was crying and struggling to breathe.
"Game over, bitch," he said. The fear for his life had returned him to his usual state. Fuck romance! She tried to kill him and almost succeeded!
"I liked you very much," he said to her, "your strength, your spirit. I almost fell in love with you like a fool. I could force you to sleep with me but I couldn't kill you. I just couldn't."
"Alex-"
"You won with you naturalness. I only had to provoke you, to give you the gun and see what happens. Well, you were great."
"Alex, I'm sorry-"
"You've said everything already."
He took his gun and stood behind Mila's back. She couldn't see what was going on, but soon she felt the cold metal of the gun worm into her pussy! "Oh no, is he going to shoot me right there?!" Alex began to move the gun up and down. It was rather painful, so Mila tried to imitate the rhythm of the strokes.
"Good-bye, baby," he said, pushing the gun up and holding it in that position.
"Oh nooooo-"
She closed her eyes. All her attention was down there. She was waiting for the shot which was going to erase her life. Her body shivered. She held her breath and didn't even notice it.
The gun clicked. The girl jerked, still not believing there was no shot, then she relaxed and breathed deeply. Her body covered with sweat. Alex pulled the gun down, and Mila almost even liked the sharp pain.
"That would be too easy," Alex informed her, "too quick and none too exciting. And I have to record you and keep as a memory, as an example of my foolishness."
He opened the drawer and took out a sword with a long curved blade.
"ALEX!!!"
He came closer and drove the sword down her body. She shivered when the cold blade touched her skin. Then he took out his marker and began drawing thick lines on her body.
"What are you doing?" she gasped, although she very well knew what he was doing.
He circled her tits, then drew a line from her chest to the pussy. The girl could hardly breathe, she almost fainted from fear.
Alex undressed and stood by her right side. The cold blade touched her skin under the right tit. Alex drove the sword up, and it moved cutting easily the girl's flesh.
She screamed. Her right tit fell on the floor. Blood spurted down immediately from the chest. Alex took out his dick and began masturbating. Making a pause, he took the sword with both hands and hit the girl near the right calf. There was a crush of the bone and a wild scream, the foot fell on the floor. The leg waved in the air, pouring the blood all around. The terrible screams drove Alex mad, the maniac in him emerged to the surface again. He separated the other foot, all the floor was now covered with blood, while the girl waved her legs all around. Alex stood before her. Mila's opened eyes reflected the sword slowly rising.
"No," she whispered.
The sword sparkled in the lights. Her body swung back, and after a moment of silence there was a sharp, wild cry. The girl shook her head violently, shocked by the unbearable pain. Her bosom opened in a long scratch, with her intestines pouring out of her body.
The next cruel hit separated her right arm from the shoulder. Alex began stroking his dick again.
Mila looked at him, the pupils of her eyes were very large. She was still alive.
"Kill... me... Don't... torture me..."
Alex came, the semen spurted upon Mila's legs. He raised the sword again and hit the girl's neck. The severed head fell on the floor. The eyes were shut, the tip of the tongue pressed between the teeth. The hair was sinking wet in blood.
Alex picked up her robe and wiped the blade. Then he sat down right into the pool of blood and closed his eyes.
He sat in the bedroom looking through the working television. There were two bottles of vodka on the table: one already empty, but the other half-full. There was also a plate of fried meat. Alex was getting drunk elaborately. He felt he had killed a part of his soul again, and was quick to take the "painkiller".
"How much of a human being remains in me?" he asked the television. "Do I have the right to call myself a man?"
He rose from his seat, came to the mirror on the wall and looked into his eyes.
"Welcome, terror," whispered the reflection.
Original Author: Archer (1999).