Page 133 of Misted

Mist

When life ends, it doesn’t make a sound.

The only timeI’ve ever been speechless was when I realised my child was cut out from my body. I shut down and was never the same after that.

Now, I’m also speechless.

Molly, my disciple and my closest friend, stands at the entrance. The light from behind her casts dark shadows on her face. She looks like a monster dressed in fishnet stockings and with colourful rainbow hair. She chews on gum while holding a gun but she’s not pointing it anywhere. Her other hand is fisted in Jessica’s hair as she drags her across the floor.

The latter’s mouth is covered with silver duct tape, arms bound in tight, thick rope behind her back. Jessica’s half-torn, dirty dress showcases a galaxy of colours over her scraped arms and legs. She tries to keep up with Molly’s fast pace, crawling on all fours along the harsh, cracked ground.

I’m still speechless as I stare in the eyes of my most trusted person. Molly. My Molly.

She keeps dragging Jessica by the hair as if she’s deaf to her pained whimpers and blind to her cascading tears.

This is the Molly I trained. The fun, albeit not so strong Molly. This is the Molly who helped me all this time.

But again, she isn’t the same. The Molly I know wouldn’t have murdered Sarah and tortured Jessica.

I grab my gun and point it at her. “Let her go.”

Molly stops and cocks her head to the side. Without breaking eye contact with me, she jams the barrel of her gun against Jessica’s forehead. The latter’s expression freezes and more tears fall down her dirt-smudged cheeks and onto the duct tape.

“Not sure if you noticed, Misty, but I don’t give a fuck if I send this bitch after that bitch.” She motions to Sarah who’s drowning in her own blood. “So be smart, yeah? Drop your gun and send it my way.”

I meet Jessica’s widened blue eyes, and I know. I just know that Molly wouldn’t bat an eyelash when she finishes her life. I purse my lips as I place my gun on the ground and slide it in her direction. I still have my knife.

Molly kicks the weapon away without looking at it.

“Why?” I stand and try to ignore Sarah’s warm blood that still drips down my T-shirt and trousers.

I give Jessica a reassuring glance, hoping she’ll remain calm. I always ignored Molly’s manipulative side, but only because I thought she did what she did to survive like all of us. But obviously, she has an agenda and I don’t doubt she’ll kill Jessica to accomplish it. I already failed Sarah. That won’t happen with Jessica.

“Do you remember your life before The Pit?”

I’m taken aback. What does that have to do with anything?

“Of course you don’t.” Molly rolls her eyes. “Omega and all that shit wiped your memories clean. But the thing is, Mist, I do. I remember everything you ruined.”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“Your slutty mother took my father away from us. She seduced him and kept him for her fucking self.” Molly’s light brown eyes darken more than I’ve never seen them before. “Scott was my father. Mine!”

“Scott…? Oh. The boyfriend.”

I didn’t know he had a family elsewhere, but then again, my memories from back then are sketchy at best. I only remember the parts where he made my skin crawl and that my mother always took his side.

“I have nothing to do with what they did. I run away from home when I was nine,” I say in a calm tone trying to subdue Molly’s growing temper.

When I glance at Jessica, her eyes are glazed over while she stares at Sarah’s corpse. I move sideways to block the view — even partially. It’s the only thing I can do under such circumstances.

Molly releases long, cringe-worthy laughter. “You sure did, but Scott didn’t leave your whorish mother.”

“Honestly, Molly?” I try to keep the condescending tone out, but it peeks through anyway. “I’m sorry your father was a piece of shit who abandoned you, but I couldn’t give two fucks about him and that woman you keep calling my mother.”

“He didn’t abandon me!” She screams and tugs on Jessica’s hair so hard, the latter stumbles and a muffled scream cuts through the tape.

“Okay, he didn’t. He didn’t.” I use a soft tone to cool her down. She’s too agitated and at this rate, she’ll kill Jessica in a psychotic act.