Infliction

25

There is no way she could have survived that night. I just don't have an idea what it could be but I know there has to be a reason why this is coming back to me after all these years. After much thought, it clicked.

I look at Carlos to see that he's already staring back at me with the same thought swirling in his eyes.

"Maybe she didn't really die?" He says slowly. My head falls into my hands at hearing my thoughts out loud and I swallow the dread lodged in my throat. Before I can say anything else, his phone rings. It's his cousin calling.

"So, we got a problem."

"Talk to me."

"The locations keep changing. That means I cannot find an exact place where they are-"

"They?"

"Well, yeah, I'm getting multiple signals all over town," he explains. "Anyway, they thought this over and have blocked all direct accesses to their server. I cannot get through that unless I have a biocode."

"What do you need?"

"An eye."

"Excuse me?"

"It's an eye recognition password. I cannot go through unless I have it. Trust me, I've tried going around and it all leads back to this.

"Damn it all to hell."

***Two weeks later***

"I'm glad you came!" Vivica exclaims as she opens the door for me and let's me inside. I step into her posh beach house and stare in amazement. She has on a short leather skirt and lace long sleeve shirt.

Such a tease, as always. Unlike her, I'm dressed in white jean shorts with a denim shirt. Plain and simple. And not tempting.

"Did I ever let you down?" I tease as she leads me into her studio. Cables, guns, knives, pictures on the walls with darts on them, one could easily guess what she does for a living.

"Let's get down to business," she says to herself as she wraps a protective coat over me and reaches for the file I brought with me. I remove the effectless contacts I've been wearing. They made my eyes seem brown while I had blue eyes originally. Then I let Vivica do her magic.

She first shampooed, then she did a hot oil treatment and a mayonnaise treatment followed by an egg treatment which left me with tingles down my spine. After two and a half hours, she was blow-drying my hair and cutting the split ends, curling each section delicately. She then removed the coat and turned me around to face the mirror.

Karina. The girl I was forced to abandon was staring right back at me. I felt my eyes moisten when I thought of all the times I had let her down. All the times I told her I would avenge her death.

I owe it to myself and more to her to make Kyle pay for what he did. The more I stared at her the more my desire for revenge grew. I turned to face Vivica who was biting her lip nervously and gave her a big hug.

"Thank you," I said, feeling my heart being squeezed. "Thank you so much."

She hugged me back even tighter as she said with full certainly and without hesitation, "Anytime, sis."

*
The next four hours were planned on how to execute our final attack. I caught her staring at me countless times and I decided to snap my head up when she looked at me again.

"Okay, what is it?"

"N-nothing," she said softly. "I'm just glad to see you again. After-"

"I'm not staying for long."

"But why?" She asks a question that eats me up at night. So I decide to stare at my nails instead. Black. Like my life. My soul. My world.

"I have to do this. For us and for mom, okay?"

"But mom isn't here. You are."

"I have nothing against his mother, but I want her to feel how broken it is to lose a child. I want him to feel what it's like for one's own mother to attend your funeral while you watch from the rooftop through binoculars. And I want him to wish he could have attended his mother's funeral when she dies of loneliness."

"What's the pay?"

"Satisfaction. And peace," I say while wiping her tears away.

"Aren't you grateful for being alive?"

"I am. Very much so. But being grateful doesn't mean I'm satisfied."

"Girls are so complicated," she chuckles and I grin.

"As complicated as Jay?" I tease and watch her ears and entire face redden.

"She's... different." At least one of us is happy, I smile, thinking of the last time I was half as happy as she is.

Every second I spent with Daniel.

Thinking of which, I should give him a call sometime. I left saying that I was going to meet my family in Hawaii. He believed me. Because, why wouldn't he?

Gosh, I'm such a bitch.

*
The plane touched down at around twelve thirty a.m. and I took a cab home. I thought of how everything will turn as we had planned and the only thing that could go wrong is if Carlos shows up. I hate to harm him but if he's there at the wrong time I will not hesitate ending his life.

I listen to the messages I received as I showered and one made my blood freeze. "Hey babe, it's me Kyle. You've been out of touch lately. I was wondering if you'd like to meet up for lunch sometime. I know you're pretty busy and all-"

Delete.

I get into my bed and close my eyes, thinking of the many ways I'll kill him without ending his life but ending his life, if you know what I mean.

I woke up at eleven and took another shorter shower before changing into a black vest, black jacket, black skinny jeans, black boots and even black pairs of sunglasses. I tied my hair into a tight ponytail, making sure no tendrils will be able to stick out.

I go to my table and search through my contact list for his number. It rings three times before he picks up.

"Hey Daniel," I smile easily, as if he'd see.

"Hey stranger. You back yet? The town is boring without you."

"Uh, yeah, I'm just stuck in the middle of something."

"That's no problem, I'll come pick you up."

"It's not like that, it's a serious matter, Daniel, um," I suddenly become speechless and feel my blood pressure rising.

"Tess, what's wrong?" His voice sounds alarmed.

"No matter what happens, just know what you're the first guy that actually made me feel like I matter. I love you, okay?" I force out, willing my tears to remain in my eyes.

"Where is this coming-" he was saying but I had already cut the call.

I slide off the wall and sit down, going further down my contact list until I stop at another number. I swipe right and let it ring.

"Tess."

"Kyle."