I Will Always Be With You – #Writephoto
I climbed up the steep mountain slope moving away from the burning wreck of the car that I had left my wife Kathy’s dead body in. It had been very easy. Kathy had never suspected anything. I had pretended to lose control of the car exactly at the right point. The car had plunged a considerable distance down the ravine before coming to a stop at the exact spot I had intended it to. Kathy had gotten out of the car with me. The first part of the plan had gone smoothly.
And just when Kathy’s back was turned to me I had crept behind her silently. I had quickly whipped out the handkerchief doused with Chloroform and clapped it on her face holding her in a vice-like grip from behind. She had struggled as much as she could before she slipped into unconsciousness. I had worked feverishly and pulled her body into the driver’s seat of the car. I had smashed the bonnet with the ax I had in the boot of the car and smashed the windows. I then started the engine and set fire to the car. Soon huge flames had enveloped the car with the body in it. I congratulated myself on a job well done.
Sophie and I had decided on the place to kill Kathy after days of thought. The place was hidden sufficiently from the mountain road, and I knew it would be quite some time before a passing car or truck driver would notice the wreck. They usually stopped by only if they had a flat tire or wanted to rest a bit. There were several tall trees along the road and it rarely happened that a car or truck driver stopped by at that point.
‘Ah! at last, I was rid of her! Free to marry Sophie!’ I thought gleefully to myself as I left the burning wreck behind and clambered past the several huge boulders on the mountain slope.
Sophie and I had planned it well. And Sophie was quite sure we could get away with it. Sophie generally knew. I clambered past a couple of boulders that looked like they could be twins and I paused to catch my breath. The stench of burning flesh from the wreck was all consuming and I hastened on quickly.
After a few minutes, I turned to take one last look at the wreck and check if everything was going according to plan. I caught my breath sharply. To my surprise, the flames were subsiding rather quickly and just for a minute I thought I could see Kathy’s blue overcoat through the faltering orange flames. The illusion disappeared quickly but it had shaken me. Soon the flames rose once more.
I remembered what Kathy had been saying to me just before I had pretended to lose control of the car. ‘I will always be with you, darling,’ she had crooned. Kathy had genuinely believed I was in love with her. As I climbed up the slope I could almost hear her last words being echoed by the rustle of the leaves around me.
I shook off my fanciful imagination and plodded on for another ten minutes. I was soon on the mountain road and waited for Sophie to turn up. I soon saw her black Maruti Alto come to a halt on the roadside and I quickly rushed up to the car and got into the front seat as she held the door open.
‘Did everything go according to plan darling?’ Sophie crooned.
‘Yes Sweetheart, she is done for.’
‘Oh darling, we can get married now. For the next six months, we don’t meet each other. The police will check everything. Don’t make the mistake of trying to contact me. This is going to be the toughest part. Staying away from you. But we have no choice.’
‘Yes, sweetheart,’ I replied and lit up a cigarette and coughed nervously.
Sophie gave me a reassuring smile and said, ‘Darling, don’t worry, I will always be with you.’
After thirty minutes we turned into a dirt road and drove to the dilapidated shack which had been our meeting place for the past six months. Sophie was wearing a blue overcoat just like Kathy and I ached to feel her warm body one last time before we parted. We got out of the car and as soon as we had entered the shack I kicked the door shut and grabbed Sophie. I ripped off her blue overcoat and pushed her down. We made passionate love on the dirt floor and after ten minutes we lay spent and exhausted.
Finally, Sophie got up, pulled on her blue overcoat and moved towards the small room with a tap and a mirror that had served as a bath in this little shack of ours. ‘I will have a wash and soon be back,’ said Sophie. I watched Sophie’s back as she walked towards the bathroom. With the Blue overcoat on, she looked just like Kathy from behind. I got up, walked over to an old chair, sat down and lit another cigarette feeling nervous.
After ten minutes I was tired of waiting. I grinned at the thought of feeling Sophie’s body again. I got up and made my way to the bathroom.
‘Darling!’ I called loudly.
No reply.
‘Sophie! Sophie! Sweetheart!’
Still no reply.
Not able to bear it anymore, I kicked open the door and walked in. There was no one there. I moved in and saw some footprints on the floor. I bent down and looked at them. Suddenly I heard a voice from behind me, ‘I told you I will always be with you.’ I just had time to catch sight of Kathy’s ghostly face in the mirror, before the ax came crashing down on my head.
Written in response to #Writephoto hosted by Sue Vincent
Yikes! That was one heck of a horror story, Jai. Well done.
Nice to see you here Jai, and a chilling story too, well done.
Chilling! Loved the build up of suspense. Good story telling Jai
Fast read! Good stuff …
loved this super fast-paced story, Jai ! not a word was wasted, very well done, bro !