THE TORMENTOR
The Tormentor - Episode 59&60
( Blêed•For•Me, Ixora )
Book 1 in the Mindf+ck Trilogy
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"Don't do that, it's risky"
"Give me the scalpel, Warren"
"Your classmates complain you never talk to them, and they're scared of how your eyes are always empty"
"Can you try to smile?"
"Where did you get ecstasy pills from? Warren!"
"You're just 12, you can't start doing drugs, please Warren!"
Those statements were roaring in Warren's head as he stood on the dork with the bloody cutlass, staring down at Matron's butchered body with blood-streaked eyes.
Those were the words she spoke to him while raising him since young.
Those were the kind of utterances he grew up hearing from her while taking her as his mother even when she's not.
He created an illusion for himself that even if his runaway mother comes back, he'd never take her.
He'd tell her to go to hell and show her Matron, his deserving mother.
And yes...his plan was to steal her away from Romeo completely.
That's how crazily obsessed he was with her motherly care.
But now...now it vanished, leaving nothing but hate and loathe in his nutty chest.
His friends were looking at him like a new Warren, but the satisfaction in their eyes showed.
Ashton moved to the kids and unwrapped the ropes they were tied with, releasing them.
Capri helped him, and when they were done, the kids ran off.
Romeo's cries went a pitch higher as he fell on his knees.
Bethel is still on the ground, passed out.
Amidst the tears, blood, hate, and cries, ... Matron suddenly gurgled and laughed faintly on the ground despite the cutlass slash on her chest.
"You...think...this is the end? It's far from over, Warren,"
She foamed from the mouth before continuing...
"You don't feel like I intentionally gave myself to your wrath? I knew this day would come, I knew I'd die by your hands!...I knew.. I'd get caught one day, so I've always been prepared for death" she smiled.
"But...yunno what? A bigger villain...the real villain of your existence is lurking around, and immediately I take my last breath, she's coming. You better be ready, she's just like you...born with incomplete insanity... you'd die fatally, Warren. You can't escape that fate" she gurgled again, a tear riding out of her eyes as her neck lulled to Romeo's angle.
She smiled bitterly at him, and Romeo covered his mouth with a palm as she faced Warren again...
"My legacy will continue, I have more than enough offsprings, and don't be surprised when this city gets soaked in blood...and gore" she said, and Warren raised the cutlass again.
Romeo stood and tried running to Warren, but Capri kicked him, and he fell back as Warren's cutlass met Matron's neck this time.
Her head flew away from her neck, rolling to Bethel.
The force of the landing woke her up, and immediately she saw he'd mother's head, she fainted again.
Romeo couldn't stand from his spot, his tears were raining down his eyes as Warren threw the cutlass to the ground.
The blood dripping from Warren's face could probably paint a mansion.
He brought his fingers to his face face and wiped the one on his cheekbone, then he brought the bloody fingers to his lips, staining it there before turning around.
Without bothering to push back the hair on his face or wipe the blood under his shoes, he began walking out of the dork, and his friends followed.
Romeo's cries filled the dork like an orphan's cry for help, and the pitch woke Bethel up again.
She sat up, joining him as the air turned chillier, and a heavy rain started.
They didn't leave the dork.
It was on that heavy rain that Clover arrived in a wagon, and when he saw what has happened, his arms dropped.
He fell on his knees with wide eyes and mouth.
--
[Era Cinema]
"Aren't you Stonia's daughter? You're Ixora!" The spanker laughed, and now Ixora has to decide which peeves her out more.
His laugh, or his face?
"You slapped my arse" she said, her eyes changing.
"So what? Isn't it normal to be attracted to gorgeous beauties? You're one" he laughed again, his moustache disgusting.
He looks like an irresponsible husband, a drunkie.
"Would you like you have a talk in the restroom?" She smiled, and he rubbed the middle of his legs
"Of course" he tilted his head towards the bathroom, and she led the way to the stalls.
She took her into one, and he sheepishly followed, expecting a sweet night...
But before Ixora could even touch him, someone else entered, and her eyes lit up with happiness.
It's her flame.
The blood on his body and face is all gone. He obviously showered and changed.
"Warren" she smiled, quickly holding his right arm.
His eyes stayed on the man who's now blinking.
"Elder Creed's son?"
"Which hand did he touch you with?" Warren asked.
"Why?" Ixora's brows curved.
"Which. Hand?" His voice hardened with his brusque eyes, the edge making her heart skip beats.
"I used my left, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna kill me like you did to the Dominican girl in the shop?" The man said.
"Yes" Warren replied, walking to him.
The man threw him a kick, but Warren pulled the leg and brought him to the ground, then he went allover him and shoved his scalpel into his left wrist.
To muffle out his cries, Warren covered his mouth with a palm, then he withdrew the scalpel from his wrist and transferred it to his throat, stabbing his windpipe.
He tasted crimson in his mouth as his own blood flushed down his throat, and Ixora just stood at the back, watching the heartless execution.
Warren dragged the body to one of the toilets and placed his body on the toilet seat, then he locked the door on him and came out to wash his hands.
"Here" Ixora handed him am handkerchief which he wiped his hands with after washing.
She expected him to pull her out of that room after he finished wiping, but surprisingly, he pulled her into a tight hug instead.
At first, she didn't know how to react since it's his first time he showed this side of him, but as the hug took longer than expected, she hugged him back, stroking his hair.
He allowed her to stroke, and that gave her the boldness to kiss the hair repeatedly as his face continued staying in the crook of her neck.
"Warren...are you ok?" She asked worriedly, kissing his hair again.
"Warren? I'm scared, tell me what's wrong" she whispered, caressing the back of his neck.
He gave her no reply at all, so she kept up the hair kisses, taking the opportunity to inhale as much of his scent as she could.
When he finally broke the hug, he gave her hair a small stroke before pulling her out of the room.
"I haven't gotten the tickets and popcorn" she quickly said, and he immediately pulled her to the stand.
There's only one popcorn bowl left, so he took it with the tickets, and they submitted before entering the cinema together.
The movie is already ongoing since they're twenty minutes late, but they found a perfect seat in the middle.
They settled for the watch, and instead of taking another seat, Ixora sat on his laps.
He didn't mind, and his compliance tonight even started scaring her at a point.
Why is he allowing her do what she likes without glaring?
It's Until Dawn—the movie they're watching...a horror film.
While the couples in the cinema are freaking out and screaming at the jump scares, the two of them just stayed still, watching the horror like it's their daily life show.
Ixora was eating her popcorn one by one, taking her time to savor the taste of each corn as she gave the movie all her attention, but when she remembered the guy she's sitting on his laps, she turned back to see him staring at her already.
Not just some freaky stare, he's staring into her soul, and it scared her a lot.
Is his memories back?
She gulped, blurring the film out of her memories before pointing the popcorn bowl at him.
"You should...eat. It's part of the movie" she said, mustering a small smile.
Warren's eyes neither blinked nor shook, he kept up with the staring.
"Are you ok?" She asked, and he once again replied with silence and those slithering eyes like a Slytherin's.
"Warren" she called slowly, and that was the last straw.
He suddenly hit the popcorn bowl away from her hand, and the poor corns wasted on the ground as the bowl fell.
Before she could gasp, Warren grabbed the back of her neck, shoving her to himself.
He kissed her.
It's madly unexpected, and her chest hammering started again as he devoured her.
She unfolded her palms, sliding the two on his shoulders and wrapping them there.
Her neck hurts cos she's not straddling him, but she didn't care.
He kissed her so much, so hard, she felt it in her brain cells.
If the kiss they've been having is brain-wrecking, this one is mind-numbing.
She was on a air balloon throughout, and when he slipped his hands under her top to grab her pierced breà sts, she moaned.
Not minding the people around.
The cinema is dark though, so no one could see, they'd only hear her whimpers.
"I... love you more than my life, more than anything" she whispered into his mouth, and that killed the kiss.
His lips are bursted, and so is hers. She has tears in her eyes, and surprisingly, his eyes are red and full of yearn, but the look inside them right now is not welcoming.
He made her stand from his laps and stood, walking out of the cinema.
"Warren!" She went after him, adjusting her top, but by the time she got outside, he was already gone.
She wiped the tears on her face, hoping he hasn't regained his memories.
She was dragging her legs on the ground as she walked down the lane alone.
She tried calling him on phone, but his phone is off, so she sat on front of the cinema building in sadness, kicking her lips as she watched the pouring rain.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Stonia.
Best Mum: You should be home by now. Now!
She turned off the phone and entered the rain, walking with wetness to Warren's car.
The car she took from the church last night, it's the one she has been driving since then.
She got into the car, sniffing his scent to her satisfaction before driving off with cold and heavy heart.
--
[Nadine's Place]
Anfisa has been here since dusk, and she's still not gone.
She's probably planning to spend the night here, and Nadine wouldn't mind.
They're both playing snooker in the lounge, screaming loudly at each fall of the eggs.
They're even twinning, wearing the same sports overalls.
"I didn't know you were good at snooker" Anfisa commented, taking a break to drink from her wine.
"Xoxo taught me" Nadine replied, and Anfisa nodded.
"Is there even anything personal about you without her?" She said.
"No, at all. Xoxo is like my twin from another mother, I love her so much" Nadine shone her teeth, and Anfisa chuckled.
"You're so cute, why is she not here by the way?" Anfisa asked.
"She's...." Nadine drawled.
"With Warren?" Anfisa said.
Nadine went silent.
"Is she in love with him?" Anfisa asked.
"Since the beginning" Nadine replied.
"What do you mean?" Anfisa dropped her stick.
"Back then...Xoxo met Warren first. Her mum took her to the hospital cos she had severe menstrual cramps, and it was Warren who attended to her. Xoxo told I and Evelyn about how handsome her doctor was, and from her words, I knew she liked him. Evelyn took interest and went to the hospital to see for herself, and it was love at first sight for Evelyn too, so she began stalking him while Xoxo lay low, pretending like she didn't have a crush on him too" Nadine explained.
"Then why?" Anfisa faced Nadine.
"Why did she give that fake testimony?" She said.
"I dunno, it's a mystery" Nadine shook her head.
--
[Satan's Heirs Hideaway]
Konstantin is standing by the disc jockey, rolling different dark music into the the slow speakers.
Ashton is sitting, no pop in his mouth tonight. He's staring into space like he's bereaved.
Capri is not with his porn magazine too, he's smoking.
It's like their minutes of silence for Matron even if she doesn't deserve it, but it changed when Warren came in.
He walked past everyone, going upstairs.
They exchanged glances before following him up, but on getting there, it's a disaster.
Warren is busy throwing things around his room.
The black flower vase, the extra systems, the wall wirings, the glass shelf and even the door.
They just watched him display the lunatism in silent, listening to the sounds of the shattering objects.
His mind is spiralling hard, and he's losing it, but he's trying to keep it together by remembering where he's coming from.
His memories took him back to the jail term, the day she met Chicago.
—4Yrs Ago—
"Hi, dad" the witchy-looking girl waved with two hands and bloody mouth and chin.
Warren continued laying on the ground, his back bloody and his eyes turning, but he's seeing the girl clearly.
"What are you doing in jail Carina!! What are you doing here!!!" Hawke yelled, coming for her.
She picked one of the chair legs on the ground, darting it to his throat.
Hawke quickly stopped, his throat shaking with fear.
"Chicago... it's now Chicago. You named me Carina, but now I don't wanna hear that...you made my boyfriend break up with me? I'm here to make you pay" she said, dropping the stick to the ground.
"I only sent a minor to coma, and I was sent to jail for it. We'll have a whooole lotta fun, dad" she grinned.
Hawke took one step back, then he rushed out of the cafeteria.
Chicago turned around to where Warren is laying, and she squatted then made him sit up.
Blood drooled out of his mouth, and she smirked.
"Are you a toy? Huh!!" She yelled.
"Hawke is my father, I know him more than anyone. He loves when people fear him, and he tramples on only those who allow him to bully them... you're the only one he maltreats in this prison, and that's because you're allowing him. It's hightime you stand up for yourself c'mon. I know you... you're not simple either, stop pretending. You were framed for murder? It's not the end of the world!" She said.
"You believe me?" He replied, and she smiled, stretching her arm.
Her pet dove flew in, perching on it.
"Take it" she told him.
"I hate birds" he replied.
"Embrace it, it's my first gift to you, cos yes...I believe you" she nodded.
Gently, Warren took the bird, and Chicago smiled.
"Now...shall we make Hawke cry together?" She said, giving him an hand.
Warren took the hand, and she pulled him up.
"And always have it in mind that when you get out, the people who did this to you must have a taste of your hell. I mean Mrs. Ortega, Evelyn, and the liar... Ixora" she said.
Warren's muscles tensed.
—Present Time—
By now, Warren's anger already did a mixup with his bloodstream, and he stopped the shattering of things.
"Are you good now?" Konstantin asked from the wall he's resting on.
"We're getting Mrs. Ortega tonight, it's all getting wrapped up tonight" Warren replied.
"Whatever you say" Capri replied, bringing his gun out of his pocket to reload.
"But...that whore already surrounded her mansion with cops. She's under the state protection" Capri said.
"Who says that's enough to stop me?" Warren darkly replied, entering the scan room.
Two minutes later, he came back with the wrapped knife which has Ixora's fingerprints.
Together, the guys left the house.
--
[Elder Creed's Foundation; Home Of The Homeless]
It's 10pm, but no one is asleep in the building.
Not when ten kids are still missing.
Their mothers are still crying like they've been doing since it happened at dusk, and there are cops around too.
Elder Creed is on his wheelchair in the middle of everything with Lydia behind him, aiding with everything as the cops interrogated the old man.
"This has never happened before, I dunno how they were able to breach the securities so easily" he said.
"They probably have a spy inside" Lydia replied, and the cops transferred their attention to her.
"Elder Creed loves the kids like his own, and though everyone believes this foundation is just to cover up his hidden atrocities, but I promise it's not like that. Elder is the kindest person alive" Lydia continued.
Elder Creed went silent.
"The kids!!" One of the securities ran in.
"The kids have been found!! They're coming in!!" He announced, and just like he said, the kids began running in one by one, into the arms of their mothers.
The attention of the cops shifted to the kids, and Lydia wheeled Elder Creed forward too.
"What happened?" Lydia asked immediately the tenth kid rushed in.
"It was Matron...she wanted to sell us to some merchants at a strange sea, but thanks to Young Lord,...she was...was..."
"Calm down" Lydia stroked the kid's hair.
"Young Lord got rid of her legs" the kid hiccupped.
"Matron?" Lydia's eyes widened.
"Warren?" Elder Creed muttered.
--
[Hello Hospital]
"Are you sure we're not leaving?" Tina asked, looking at Monty who's sitting beside her.
Even after Ashton left earlier, Monty refused to leave.
She sat in front of Bronx's ward with Tina, both watching over him.
"Is it right to feel this amount of guilt? His body will never remain the same" Monty shook her head.
"He choose to save you, it's not your fault" Tina replied.
"If he hadn't saved me, I'd be raped, Tina" Monty said.
"I know, but he's chasing you away and refusing your company. He's the same guy who burnt your father's dead body so you should understand why I don't feel any pity for him. The same father you love so much" Tina replied.
"I'm getting a gut feeling that the cult has something to do with my father's death...I dunno but I can just feel it" Monty said.
"Then gear up, don't give up. Let's investigate together no matter what the end might be. We'll find your father's killer" Tina replied, and Monty smiled.
"Gawd, come here" she widened her arms, hugging her.
Tina hugged her back with a chuckle.
--
[Stonia's Mansion, Ixora's Room]
Ixora rolled from one side of her bed to another again, looking sick as she tugged at the comforters covering her.
She can't sleep.
She's not even thinking about it.
Why did he suddenly leave after kissing her like that?
Why was his eyes like that?
Why was he pliant with her?
She found no particular answer, so she rolled to another side of the bed again, then she sat up, her eyes raking her body.
The knife mark on her arm as a result of how he stabbed her in the abandoned church.
The burn scar on her feet as a result of how he kicked a fire stick to her when he kidnapped her to the forest.
The cut on her lip from his kiss.
The mark on her neck from him.
He owns every scar and mark on her, every touch left rememberable signatures on her body, maybe that's why she can't stop thinking about him even right now.
She went to her wardrobe and took his clothes...the one she wore home last night.
She brought it to her nose, sniffling obsessively like a freak and inhaling his scent so hard.
The chiming of her phone brought her back to her senses, and she quickly went to check.
When she saw the message, her eyes widened, and she quickly threw on a jacket.
She rushed out of the house, meeting Serena on a call by the stairs, but she didn't even look at her before rushing out.
Serena scoffed, concentrating on her call. She's talking to her doctor.
"The face is ready?" She smiled, walking down the stairs.
"I'll let you know the flying out schedule" she rolled her eyes.
--
[Ortegas Mansion]
True to Ashton's words, the mansion is surrounded by cops.
From the compound to the gate, even inside the house, they're everywhere.
But then... there's always a way, and it seems Warren has been planning this night since long ago, so when he came out of the car wearing the facial mask of Mrs. Ortega's secretary, the cops didn't ask him questions before letting him in.
He entered the house, knowing fully well that his friends are already where they should be.
They're somewhere else, doing something important too.
Warren's movement turned slower towards Mrs. Ortega's room, and his eyes are still till he pushed the door open.
Mrs. Ortega is sitting on her bed, but when he came in, she got up.
"What are you doing here, Silas?" She asked, and Warren tilted his head.
"Try again" he spoke, and her eyes widened in horror.
But before she could scream, he was already with her, injecting her with a serum which numbed her throat.
She tried speaking, but she couldn't, so she began squeezing her own neck, trying to say a word, but she couldn't.
Tears came out of her eyes instead, and she began sweating profusely.
Warren placed one of his legs on the bed, resting his elbows on it as he stared at her.
"Matron wants Elder Creed's wealth, and she can't do that without me gone. You want your husband's wealth, but you can't do that without his death. At the same time, I rejected your daughter's confession, and she was desperate for revenge. Her friend who was there during the rejection wanted to revenge with her friend too, so all four of you came together" he said, lowering his leg from the bed.
"You killed your husband with a knife stab, and Matron got my fingerprints from my office door in the hospital which you planted on the knife. I was framed, so I went to jail, fulfilling the dreams of the four of you" he nodded.
Mrs. Ortega is backing the wall right now, holding her neck very tight as she's starting to vomit blood.
"I planned a slow, torturous death for you,but scratch that, you have to die right now so the liar can get her own punishment. Your daughter will take all the inhumane tortures I have in mind" he muttered.
Mrs. Ortega fell on the ground, still clutching at her red neck.
"That shot in your system didn't only make you mute, it'd balloon your heart till it bursts in your chest, and you'd die while still suffering, but then..." Warren's eyes fluttered.
"I'd like to add an additional" he said, raising his shirt.
With his gloved hand, he removed the wrapped knife from his belt hoop.
With brisk threatening steps, he walked to Mrs. Ortega, pushing him to the ground flatly with his boot before ramming the knife into her mid-chest.
Mrs. Ortega went still as black blood poured out of her mouth, and her neck landed on the ground.
"Whore..." Warren said, and his ears stretched when he heard the entry of another car into the compound.
He walked to the window and pushed the curtain apart, staring out.
It's Ixora who came out of the car, looking restless.
"I'm late Evelyn's friend, I'm like a daughter to Mrs. Ortega. I need to see her" she told the cops, and she was immediately let in.
Warren smirked, remembering the untrue text he had sent her.
• Come to Mrs. Ortega's place, Evelyn's body has been found.
He left the window and turned off the lights in the room, then he entered the closet.
A minute later, Ixora came in.
"Mrs. Ortega? Mrs. Ortega!"
The darkness in the room made her stumble on the body on the ground, and she fell on it, her hands getting soaked with something wet ... Blood.
She gasped in the dark, and the lights came back on after a minute, revealing Warren who's now out of the closet.
With the secretary's face on his face, Ixora was unaware that it's him.
"Silas?" She muttered, but his eyes widened instead, and that made her look down at what's in front of her.
She fell on her butt when she saw the dead body with the familiar knife stuck on it's chest.
"No..." Her heart flew off.
"Holy shit!!!!" Warren shrieked, attracting the cops who're outside.
They all rushed up the stairs, bursting into the room with their guns intact.
Meeting Ixora in that position added to their shocks, and their guns went pointed at her head immediately.
One of them felt Mrs. Ortega's pulse on her neck, and he looked up at the others.
"She's dead" he said shockingly.
An ambulance was called for, and additional cops, even the press.
"I...I didn't kill her..." Ixora stuttered shakily, her throat bobbing.
"I saw you...you f+ckin did" Warren said under Silas mask, and her ears itched.
The voice might sound different right now, but she'd recognize that depraved voice anywhere.
Slowly, she looked up, and when her eyes met with his dark eyes, a tear rolled down her eyes.
Him.
It's him.
Her phone buzzed hauntingly, and she shakily turned it on to see a text from 'My Flame'
She changed it from W to My Flame last night.
My Flame: Memory loss? It only happens to losers which I'm not a part of. You aren't only good at lying, you're good at moaning too... impressive. And you love me? Tell that to someone who doesn't hate you madly. Rot in jail... Dirty. Little. Liar.
Another steamy tear rolled to her phone screen as her eyes widened so much, but the phone was taken from her by the cops, and sparkling handcuffs dangled in front of her.
"Ixora Rhodes, you're under arrest for the murder of Mrs. Grace Ortega"
TBC.
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