THE TORMENTOR
The Tormentor - Episode 39&40
( Blêed•For•Me, Ixora )
Book 1 in the Mindf+ck Trilogy
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Not all devils' are in the confines of hell, some are scattered across the vast surface of the earth, wrecking havoc and ruining lives.
Right now, Ixora is classifying Warren as one of them.
Initially, she called him devil for calling sake, but right now she's only just finding out the name was custom-made for him.
Her eyes are still on the knife as she walked to it, giving it the most intense gaze she could conjure.
Warren kept his position by the window, his eyes following her every move.
He's expecting her to either ride it, or...use the knife.
And she choose the second part cos she removed the knife from the bed as cleanly as ever, then she jumped on the bed, running on the mattress like she's got a mission.
"I'm not a slût!! Not gonna do your wish! If you kill Romeo, then may the karma feed on you for centuries you cold-blooded freak!!" She yelled, throwing the knife at him when she got to the other end of the bed.
Warren saw the knife coming, but he didn't move nor try to avoid it.
He sat there till the knife stabbed his arm, on the same spot he had stabbed her that night at the abandoned church.
Their eyes are still zoomed on each other as he fell backwards, slipping off the window.
Ixora jumped down from the bed and rushed to the window, but he's nowhere to be found.
Did he vanish?
Did he teleport?
She has no idea, so she climbed the window, skimming the walls just like she did on the night of Evelyn's death
She jumped down at Serena's shootout and rushed over the stairs, and that's when she saw the securities in that part are all down, though they're still breathing.
He must have knocked them out.
How did he enter? How did he leave?
Another question with no answer in her mind, so she rushed back inside, and she was shocked to see Stonia deeply asleep on the couch.
There's a glass of her favorite wine on a tray in front of her. He must have spiked it for Stonia to be sleeping deeply like this
She entered the kitchen and met the maids asleep on the ground too with grapes on the kitchen cabinet.
He must have injected the grapes.
"Oh gawd" she held her forehead, rushing back upstairs when she remembered Romeo.
She got her phone, rushing out of the room and dialling Nadine as she descended the stairs shakily.
Luckily, Nadine picked this time.
"Xoxo where the hell have you been!! I alone can't console the family!! Mr. Ford got taken to the hospital and though he's already awake but the man wouldn't stop crying and Romeo is definitely dying inside too!!" Nadine's tiny voice came.
"Romeo is... alive?" She Ixora stopped walking on the last stair.
"What are you talking about? Of course he's here! You better come back!" Nadine whined, and Ixora breathed out in relief, sitting on the staircase.
"I'm so glad...I'm glad" she muttered.
"Xoxo?" Nadine said again, and Ixora smiled before she knew it, then the smiled turned to a shirt chuckle.
If it's just the house and salon, then it's replenishable, but the fact that Romeo is alive?
She could go to a temple to offer coconut cos of it.
"I'll be there, soon" she replied and hung up.
She breathed out again, leaning on the rails.
But what happened?
If Warren says he's gonna kill, then he's surely gonna kill, so what happened?
Why is Romeo still alive?
She stopped thinking when it got to a point though.
She went to Stonia and pulled her up from the couch, hanging her arm on her shoulders.
Stonia is too deeply asleep to even walk.
"Mum" Ixora whispered in her ear, and that seemed to awake her senses a bit.
"My love" she muttered from sleep.
"Carry your legs, climb the staircase" she whispered again, and Stonia did just that.
Though she's still sleeping, but she took every step with Ixora's guide till they arrived at her room.
Ixora lay her in bed covered her up before kissing her forehead.
Stonia shouldn't have to bear the brunt of her sin with her.
First, she got shot, and now she got sedated in her own house?
If only she didn't testify that day, would all of these have been avoided?
Would she be living her life normally right now?
Would Warren's mental health be correct right now?
Would he be a better person than he is right now?
The thoughts weighted her down as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind herself.
--
[Creed's Family House]
Matron just finished serving dinner for Elder Creed, but the old man kekt staring at the dishes, not moving a finger towards eating.
"Are you ok, sir?" Matron asked.
"You talked to your son last night" he replied, and she slowly took her seat.
"You...knew?"
"Of course I do, it's my house, Matron. I know everything that happens in the four walls" he looked up.
Matron went silent.
"Do you know why I forbade you from speaking to your family anytime you're here?" He said.
The woman shook her head.
"Cos I get jealous when I hear you asking how they're doing, and I hate myself for letting my wife leave. No one ever asks how I'm doing, and my son is slowly losing his one percent of sanity" he replied.
"You have family, sir. You have me" Matron said carefully.
"And me" Lydia added, coming inside.
"And about Warren, his remaining one percent will never die, I'll make sure of it" Matron assured.
Elder Creed smiled with a nod.
"Are you sure? Cos news reached me some minutes ago that he burnt down your husband's new home and salon" he said, and Matron's eyes widened.
"No...no...it can't—"
"There's no can't when it comes to him, Matron. You know that more than anyone" Elder Creed cut her off, and in the next minute, Matron was already running out of the house.
Lydia sat with elder Creed, and the old man finally began eating.
"You wanted him to be strong, but seems you're regretting it, sire" she said.
"I want him to be strong, not run mad. If he does, Doreen won't forgive me in heaven" he replied.
"I wish she was still alive, maybe she'd be able to tame him as his mother" Lydia said.
"We wish" the man replied.
--
[Cat Eye Brotherhood]
Bronx sensed the extra excitement in the air as he entered the locker room where the older members are.
They're all changing into their black robes, getting ready to enter the occultic room for tonight's meeting.
There's always excess excitement in the air at sèx nights like this, but tonight's is a little bit much.
Bronx rarely relates with any of them since he only joined this group to protect himself against his abusive father, but one of the members do talk to him at times.
He's the same person who told him about Monty's weakness the other time.
He walked up to Bronx when he was pinning the chest buttons of his robe.
"I guess you didn't hear the news yet, our sex tool for tonight is a student of your school" he said, and Bronx's brows rumpled.
"A student of ILC?"
"Trust me, and I'm on the roll of people who's gonna lay with her, so you can understand the excitement since she's a virgin" the man replied.
They began leaving the room for the occultic room, and Bronx's brows remained rough as he lined with them, walking through the candle walls and floors till they arrived at the round table.
On top of the table, their took for tonight is already lying down, but she was covered with a quilt, so he couldn't see her face as he took his seat.
Who could it be?
"The dove merchant who sells our purifying doves is already complaining of shortage of doves in that region, and at this rate, we might get revealed if we keep forcing him to get the birds" the leader representative said.
"So...what's gonna happen?" The man beside Bronx asked.
"After tonight we'll take turns to bring doves for purification, even if we'll have to make a roster for it" the representative stood.
He brought a dove out of the small cage beneath the table, handing it to Bronx.
"Me?" Bronx frowned.
"Of course, it's your turn to purify the tool tonight" the man replied.
Bronx took a long look at the helpless dove before standing.
He took the bird from the man, then he strangled it, singlehandedly pulling it's head away from it's neck.
He pulled the quilt away from the person on the table, and he was about to sprinkle the dove blood on her naked body when he saw the face.
Monty!
His eyes widened, and the headless dove fell from him.
Monty lay there, moveless.
The smokes she inhaled in the car contained paralytic elements, so right now she can't even moved an hand or arm. She can't even blink, it's like her bones were removed since the drug is still very much working.
"Who brought her?" Bronx demanded.
"We do not ask questions, Bronx. Purify her and let's start the night!" The representative stood.
"I said who the fûck brought her here!!" Bronx faced him angrily.
"The leader...leader deceived her to the cinema road by sending her the QR code" the representative replied.
Bronx quickly unpinned his robe and took off the jacket under it.
He covered Monty's body with it.
"Bronx Smith!" The members began standing in shock.
"No one is touching her! No one!" He replied, his eyes already bloodshot.
"She's the same girl you burnt her father's coffin. You hate her, Bronx" the closest to Bronx said.
"Yes I do, but I've never dreamt of killing her, talk more of watch y'all defile and ruin her! She did nothing wrong, and she's my schoolmate!" Bronx insisted.
"Since the establishment of this cult, 100+ ladies got laid by us, and none of them did anything wrong, they were just unlucky. None of them died too except the two who killed themselves after we released them! So don't think she'll be any different cos she's your schoolmate. She's getting laid, and you're gonna sit, and watch!" The representative said and tried taking Bronx out of the way, but Bronx pulled out the sword from under the table, placing it on the representative's neck.
The huge man froze, and the other members gasped on their feet.
"I'm addicted to wounds, so even if y'all thrash me, I still won't allow you to touch her. Now, out of my way!" Bronx pushed the sword closer to the representative's neck.
The man signalled to the other members, and they stepped aside.
Bronx dropped the sword on the ground and took off his shirt too, leaving him with his pants and the robe that's now hanging on his waist.
He covered her small breà sts with the shirt, then he carried her in his arms, walking out of the room.
He took the side door which led to the sanctuary park where he tucked her into his car.
Monty kept looking at him, still unable to talk nor move
The drugs might last 24 hrs in her system at this rate.
Without minding the occultic black robe on his waist, Bronx drove out of the underground sanctuary.
She doesn't know her place, but she knows Tina's place cos of Tina's parties, so he took her to Tina's place.
He got down from the car and carried her out, dropping her in front of the gate before covering her well again.
"Thank your stars that I still have a little bit of humanity in me. Otherwise, I'd have allowed them to ruin you, and you might be a hard tomboy, but it'd affect you forever. The paralytic drug will be out of your system soon, and you better keep shut and not say a thing, cos the cult will be after your life" he said.
Then he took two steps back into his car and drove away.
--
[Crescent Hospital]
Romeo still looks so broken as he sat beside his crying father and sister, though he's not crying.
Nadine and Ixora are with them, but they could do nothing to console anyone since it's too much to take in for them.
They only got to experience wealth for some hours, and then...boom. It's gone.
Ixora placed an hand on Romeo's shoulder, but he just kept staring into space.
"Romeo! Bethel! Dear!" Matron called the three as she ran inside, sweating and panting.
"Mum" Bethel ran to the woman, and that was when Nadine and Ixora got another shock of the night.
Warren's foster mother is Romeo's real mother?
Nothing prepared them for this.
"What exactly happened?" Matron asked, hugging Bethel's head to her chest.
"It's unexplainable, I just wanna kill him, and nothing more" Romeo spoke with hate.
"What did you do to him to make him go this far?" Matron asked, and Romeo stormed to her with angry eyes.
"What did I do to him? Is that important right now? So far he has a reason, he's free to kill your real son? Wait...am I even your son? No tell me, am I your son or is he the son? You treat him better than me in every aspect then expect me to watch that garbage? I am your son!!! I'm Romeo Ford, not him!!! Why do you serve him as if he's your god? Why always him!!! You know his favorite food but what's mine?"
Romeo's veins was popping on his neck as he spoke.
Both Ixora and Nadine are looking so shocked since it's the first time they're seeing him this way.
Even Bethel and Mr. Ford are looking so stunned.
"Romeo..." Matron held him, but he broke free.
"You know he likes seafood but what's my favorite food, mum? Tell me!!" He yelled.
The woman began crying.
"I love the porridge you make, it's my best good but you'd never know! You know next to nothing about me but you can list his biography from start to bed" Romeo continued.
"Romeo...don't talk to your mother that way" Mr. Ford got down from the bed.
"No she's not my mother! She's Warren's mother!" Romeo slammed.
"Romeo it's not —"
"It it! It fuckin is! And let me tell you... He's not the only one with insanity. You know my history too, mum. I was in rehab for two years cos I was literally obsessed with someone and didn't want to let go! I can be mad too, Matron Lula! I can be insane too! He burnt down the house and shop? Well it's only just starting, let's take this to the next level" Romeo took off his shirt, hung it on his shoulder and left the ward.
Ixora rushed after him.
Matron covered her mouth with a palm, going on her knees as her tears ran more, down her cheeks.
"Lula" Mr. Ford came to kneel in front of her, hugging her body.
--
Romeo was still winding out of the hospital when he stumbled on Tina who's just coming into the hospital to see him.
"I heard what happened, so I came rushing" she said.
"And who called you to come?" He replied.
"Don't be a jerk again, I know you're in pains so stop masking it up! I see right through you!" She shouted.
Romeo nearly strangled her, but she quickly stepped back before his hand could reach her neck.
"Don't tempt me, do not trigger me! It's Ixora for me, and it'll always be her" he replied, leaving her there.
Ixora is by the wall of the nearest corridor, backing it.
She has been listening.
Tina left the hospital too, and Ixora came out, fists folded.
--
[Satan's Heirs Hideaway]
"I once heard about the golden rule. You guys don't kill the innocent, ri?" Anfisa said, coming downstairs with her punch cup.
"We burned buildings, and we enjoyed watching the flames, we didn't kill anyone" Konstantin replied.
"And they belong to the same guy who came here to ask for the lying girl?" She replied, settling beside Capri on the couch.
"You're smart" Ashton replied from across the couch.
"After this, what's gonna happen?" Anfisa asked interestedly.
"What else? He'd learn his lesson" Konstantin replied.
"I was thinking you blew him up with the houses" Anfisa said, her fingers grazing Capri's own.
"We nearly blew him up too. As a matter of fact, I had his own bomb with me, and we were supposed to plant it on him when he was crying with his father in front of the burning mansion, but War said no, only because he's Matron's son. That fact saved him this time, but I don't think it'd save him next time" Capri said.
"And about Mrs. Ortega, I might have found something else " Ashton said from the opposite, and they all rushed over to take a look at his laptop screen.
"She became the sole owner of all of her husband's wealth after his death cos he has no family member. He's the only surviving son of his lineage, interesting" Konstantin said, lightening a cigar.
"Are you saying she killed her husband and forced her daughter to frame Warren for it?"Anfisa said.
"That can't be concluded yet. There are more findings to be done" Ashton replied.
"We have all the time in the world, keep digging?" Capri patted him.
"And where the fûck is War?" Konstantin said, and as if he could hear, Warren entered the house instantly.
The knife Ixora stabbed him with is still in his arm.
He didn't remove it, and his leather jacket is wet with his own blood.
"Dafuq!" Anfisa gasped.
"Are we burning another house tonight?" Konstantin said broodingly.
"Keep your demons on a leash for now, it's not time for reckoning yet" Warren replied, going upstairs.
He left them speechless till he got to his room where he wore leather gloves before removing the knife.
He viewed the knife handle under UV light, and when he saw her fingerprint on it, he curved his lips before throwing the knife into a wrap.
He entered the scan room and threw the wrapped knife into the drawer, and inside that same drawer, there's the meteorite bracelet Ixora brought for him the other time.
He took it, but immediately he touched it, his head snapped again, throwing him another memory.
—Flashback, 3Yrs Ago—
It's the lunchtime after working for several hours, so the inmates were directed to the prison cafeteria where they stood in line to take their breakfast of rice.
Warren is the last in line since Hawke mandated him to always be the last ti eat.
Not like he's interested in the food cos his taste bud got ruined cos of the blindness injection he was given.
It only made him blind for three days, but after he regained his sight, he lost his sense of taste, so he can't taste anything.
But he has to eat so he won't die.
He took his tray of food and made his way back to the last table where he sat alone.
He lifted a soon of rice to his peeling lips, but then, Hawke arrived with his two dogs.
He took the rice from Warren's table, and the three of them spit saliva inside it, then Hawke dropped it back in front of him.
"Eat" he commanded, but Warren didn't move.
"Eat, killer" Hawke commanded again.
Still no move from Warren.
"Is he getting bold again? Hey get me that chair" Hawke said, and his right dog passed him a chair.
He took it and brought it down to Warren's back.
The weak wooden chair broke on his back, and blood covered the back as Warren fell from the chair he's sitting on, to the ground.
The cafeteria was silent, and Hawke ordered for the second chair to hit on Warren again.
His left dog took the second chair and was bringing it to him when someone blocked him.
A girl with otherworldly tattoos and demonic aura, stone face and scissored brown hair.
She took the chair from the guy and then did what no human would ever think of
She sank her bare teeth into the guy's neck, biting him so hard till his neck flesh cut into her mouth
The inmates ran out of the cafeteria in terror as she spat out the flesh and pushed the guy away, then she faced Hawke, blood streaming down her chin, to her neck, to her chest.
She's smiling bloodily.
"Hi, daddy yo" she waved with two fingers.
—Present Time—
Warren threw the bracelet on the ground, taking a look at his bleeding chest wound as he walked to the bathroom where he stripped his shirt.
He stood in front of the mirror, cleaning the fog on the surface with his palm before grinning at his own reflection.
The grin so ominous that it echoed on the wall.
Now the game is getting interesting, but tomorrow? It'd get spicier.
--
[U-turn Bar]
Rafael came here to drink again tonight.
He's alone, as usual, pouring martini down his throat while groaning from time to time.
Remembering how his divorce with Stonia happened is what he doesn't even wanna think about, but anytime he drinks like this, he reminisces, and it's always painful.
They should be taking care of Ixora together right now, but Stonia is setting mad boundaries that he can't keep up with.
At this rate, he'd have to go to campus if he wants to see his daughter.
He poured took another sip, dropping his head down.
Unknown to him, he's being watched.
From a dark corner in the bar, Mrs. Ortega sat, legs mounted on each other and her greedy eyes on him.
Then...from another dark corner, Kelsey sat, waiting for him to get drunk so she'd bed him.
But Rafael rarely gets drunk.
She was already getting impatient when her phone rang with Serena's call.
She hissed out and exited the club fi pick it.
"Where the hell are you?" Serena's voice spoke.
"At U-turn, what's going on?" Kelsey replied.
"I'm still at the hospital, and you were right. My face can never come back to normal unless I go for facial reconstructive surgery. I'll get another face entirely" Serena said.
"Then go for it!" Kelsey replied immediately.
"Not yet, I want the face of someone and I have to work smartly if I want it to happen" Serena replied.
Kelsey smirked. "Ixora's face?"
--
[Next Day, Imperial Levels College]
Seems Romeo has stopped the driving job and the bodyguard thingy entirely cos he didn't come pick Ixora up yesterday, and he also didn't come today.
It was Serena herself who drove Ixora to school this morning.
The sedative didn't clear off her system till this morning, and she woke up like she normally does.
She didn't even remember how Ixora took her upstairs last night, and Ixora is grateful for that
They both alighted when Stonia pulled up at the school park, and Stonia rubbed her hair.
"Don't forget about our trip to Capetown tomorrow. I'll inform your professors" she said.
"I look forward to it" Ixora replied, and Stonia smiled, kissing her cheek.
"Have a nice school day, my love"
"Love you too" Ixora replied.
Stonia drove off, and Nadine came to view. She has been waiting.
"So... you're going to Capetown with her tomorrow? What will I be doing with my life till you'll be back?" She pouted.
"Stop being dramatic" Ixora chuckled as they entered the hall
Her senses are at alert for any sign of Warren. She so badly doesn't wanna see him today at all.
Hope the knife stab makes him sick, though it's impossible.
The devil never falls sick.
The two girls stopped walking when Romeo suddenly crossed them, his eyes so different from what it used to look like.
He has brown eyes before, but now it's emerald colour.
"Your... eyes. Are you wearing lens?" Ixora asked.
"No. I was wearing brown contact lenses before, reason why everyone thinks I have broken eyes, but my real eye color is emerald, like this" he said, and the girls gasped.
"Come with me, I have something to tell you" she took her hand.
"What?" She asked.
"Just come" he replied.
"I'll be in class" Nadine said, leaving quickly.
Romeo took Ixora to the video announcement room, and she gasped.
"What the hell are you doing!"
"Something that needs to be done, even if you're against it" he replied, turning on the cameras.
This way, everyone in school is watching them right now, through the general screen in the hall.
Romeo stood in front of the voice address system, his emerald eyes twitching.
"I'm Romeo Ford, son of Mr. Ford, the owner of Ford salon. Senior brother of Bethel, and Lula Ford who works at the Creed family house as a maid is my mum" he announced.
"Romeo!" Ixora rushed closer.
"And just so you know..." Romeo grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Hey!" She frowned.
"Ixora Rhodes, is my property from now on. I dare you to come for me or her again, Warren Creed!" He finalized, and Ixora's mind spiralled when he actually kissed her, hard!
--
Warren was in his 7am class when the video circulated around the school, and as he watched Romeo's declaration on the flat screen...
"Ixora Rhodes, is my property from now on. I dare you to come for me or her again, Warren Creed!"
His hand folded madly on the water glass cup he's holding.
The cup shattered.
TBC.
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