The Haunting of Secrets (21 page)

I scramble to find a way to get us both out
of here, the newfound knowledge that Logan isn’t evil feeding my
brain. There has to be a way to convince the dynamic duo to unbind
me. I have a purpose now, a reason to fight. I have to fight for
the one person who saw past the shroud and brought me into the
light. I have to give Logan a chance to live, even if it means I
can’t. In the time I spend thinking of a way to get us out of here,
the duo has not been idle. Alex left the unconscious Logan and is
now standing over me at the head of the bed.

“How’s this possible?” I ask Alex, trying my
best to buy time to figure out an escape plan. “He never mentioned
you at all.”

Alex sneers at me, clearly upset, but doing
his best to hide it. “Of course your precious Logan wouldn’t have
said anything. Our parents hid me away in a mental hospital when we
were only six years old. I was the obedient one. Logan was always
the one who never listened. I did everything right. I was
respectful, kind to others, never whined about anything, and was
the smartest student in my classes. They had to scream at Logan
constantly to even do his homework. But as soon as Logan picked up
a ball and threw it, they knew he was going to be a star. From that
point on, they ignored me, when I needed them most they turned
their backs on me. All I ever did was love them. I tried so hard to
be the perfect son, but nothing I did was ever good enough, because
I couldn’t hit a home run. They loved the attention their little
league star afforded them. From that point on, they only had time
for my worthless, pathetic, twin brother. Then one day they found
out I had killed a cat, well, only one they know of, and the
psychiatrists labeled me a sociopath with sadistic tendencies. It
was the perfect reason to get rid of me. My parents told me that
they were so ashamed of me, they had to lock me away. I became
someone else’s problem. Ten years I rotted in that place, visited
once a year by our worthless parents. They told me they used some
new age therapy to help alter Logan’s memory. They convinced him,
somehow, that the flesh and blood brother he played with for six
years was imaginary.”

Tyler emerges from the foot of the bed and
comes to stand beside Alex. He puts his elbow on top of his
shoulder in a brotherly gesture and smiles at Alex, who returns it
with obvious affection. “About two years ago I found Tyler here in
a chat room during an internet session the therapist gave me for
good behavior. Luckily, the asylum only monitors the truly insane
patients, so I was able to speak to Tyler freely, without anyone
suspecting anything. Tyler helped me plan and execute an escape. He
showed me this cabin and told me I could live here as long as I
brought him the girls he needed to feed his needs, his obsession.
With this gorgeous face, luring girls here was an easy enough task
to do and I have to say, I got the better end of the deal. I get
this cabin all to myself in a place no one will ever find. Tyler
gave me back my life and we have been a team ever since.”

“Touching story, really,” I begin, sarcasm
practically dripping from my mouth. “You’re the victim; the world
doesn’t get you, fine. But, you still haven’t told me why. Why do
you help Tyler? What’s in it for you besides the thrilling
accommodations?”

Smirking again, Alex stares at me with those
deadpan eyes so strikingly familiar, it’s haunting. “You really
have to ask? I thought you were smart. I get to watch, you silly
girl. If I bring Tyler the girls, I get to watch Tyler work. He’s
acting out
my
fantasies now, not his.”

Stunned into silence, I lie there listening
to his story, my heart beating faster and faster with each
sentence. The only movement in the room is my chest rising up and
down. I have been racking my brain to think of some way out of
here, but I can’t. My only hope is to get them mad enough to untie
me, or do what they will with me while Logan has a chance to
escape. The silence is broken with a moan. Tyler and Alex turn in
unison, it would seem creepy, but given everything else that has
happened tonight, it’s simply par for the course. I see Logan lift
his head and take in his surroundings. He’s disoriented, confused,
and I don’t blame him one bit. He finally sees us and then all hell
breaks loose.

“You!
” screams Logan, looking directly
at Alex. “How are you alive?” he asks as he gets up and begins to
yank at his bindings with vicious intensity. I forgot how strong
Logan is. “And Tyler,” he continues clearly confused. “What the
hell are you doing here? Why is Aimee shackled to a bed? For that
matter, why am I tied to this damn wall? Will someone please tell
me what the hell is going on?” he finishes, out of breath.

“Logan,” I begin, intending to tell him
exactly who Tyler is, but I’m stopped abruptly when Tyler jumps on
top of me, covers my mouth, and sticks the knife to my neck. My
body goes rigid. I make no move to taunt Tyler. I know that
anything more than complete submission and he will kill me on the
spot; enjoy the feel of my blood gushing out onto his hands.

“Hush, girl or I will slash your throat open
and make you be quiet,” Tyler admonishes. “The honor of telling
goes to Alex, not you.”

From the corner of the room, I hear Logan
rustle around, an attempt to fight his bindings. I can see that
he’s confused and how much he can’t take his eyes off Alex.

“I thought you were dead. Our parents told me
you were dead. I never felt you were, but I trusted them. I never
really forgave them for putting you away. I tried to fight them, I
really did, but they sent me to some hypnotist. The more I asked
about you, the more hypnotherapy I got. I finally had to admit that
I never had a brother and convince them I was sane before the
treatments would stop. I tried to see you once at the asylum, but
they caught me and sent me home. We moved here shortly after that.
What happened to you? Why are you here and why did you tie me up?”
Logan asks, guilty and confused.

Alex looks at his brother thoughtfully. “Are
you really as innocent as you seem, brother, or is this all an act?
Do you really expect me to believe that you care about me? All
those years you could have helped me, taken my side against our
parents, but you went along with their plan. We were brothers,
Logan!” spits Alex, the hurt written all over his face.

“I swear, Alex, I tried—”

“Save it. I haven’t cared what you thought
for some time now,” states Alex calmer now. “You’ve had your chance
at a life, Logan, now it’s my turn.”

“What do you mean?” asks Logan, perplexed
enough to stop yanking his bound hands from the loop nailed to the
wall. Even from across the room I can see that his hands are raw
and bleeding at the edges.

“What I mean, dear brother, is that the time
has come for your life to end and mine to begin. Tyler became your
best friend for a reason, Logan. For two years now, he has watched
and recorded your every move. He did this for me so that when I’m
ready, no one will be the wiser. You see, dear brother, my life was
stolen from me. And now it’s time for me to steal it back.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘steal it back?’
What did you do?” Logan asks, his voice hitching at the end.

Alex laughs; a bitter sound that resonates
off the moldy, old walls of the torture room. “When I leave here
tonight, Alex will be no more. I will emerge as a new person with a
new beginning, a new life. The world will now know me as Logan. And
no one will ever realize that I’m not you.”

“You can’t be serious,” states Logan
emphatically. “No one will believe you. My friends
know
me,
Alex. They will never accept you as me.”

“We’ll see, dear brother, we’ll see.
Regardless, you won’t make it out of here alive. Soon, I will
graduate and go wherever I want, start fresh with new friends and
new beginnings. And best yet, new adventures to be had with my best
friend, Tyler,” says Alex turning to wink at his partner in
crime.

Disgusted, I turn my head, unable to tolerate
the look of unadulterated fear on Logan’s face. He knows he’s in a
precarious position and he’s smart enough to know when he’s beat.
He turns his head left and right, desperate to find a way out, but
there’s none. I see a range of emotions cross his face and I share
them. What kind of sick person kills their brother just to take
over his life? A psycho one does, that’s who. I’m at a loss for
words, still afraid to move with Tyler’s knife at my throat.

Logan, finally realizing there’s no way out
unless he can manage to get untied, pleads with Alex. “Please,
Alex, we can work this out. We can find a way where both of us get
to live our lives. We can both still have the kind of life we want.
There’s no reason to steal mine. I can get you money, and you can
start over wherever you want. Just please, let us go,” he begs.

“Don’t you see, Logan? There’s no life for me
unless I take yours. Our parents will never let me have one. They
will never stop hunting me; never leave me alone to live the kind
of life I want, because I’m a threat to the stardom they created
for you. The only way this can happen is if you’re out of the
picture. There is no other way, believe me. I’ve had plenty of time
to think about it, rotting in that hellhole they call a psychiatric
ward. I’m not the one that’s sick; you are. I live as I see fit, I
don’t go around like a robot, trying to fit into some role that
society dictates is acceptable. Screw that. I will steal your
‘
acceptable
’ life and live the way I want to down here in
the dark.”

“But that isn’t a life, Alex; that’s a lie.
Can’t you see that? No one will truly accept you for who you are if
you pretend to be someone else. Please, let’s talk about this. It
doesn’t have to end this way,” says Logan, doing his best to appeal
to his brother. I can see from Alex’s rigid stance that he isn’t
considering his brother’s words. They’re only serving to make him
angrier.

“Enough games, Logan, I’m done with you. I
hope you enjoyed the last sixteen years, because there’s no ninth
inning. Your game is over,” states Alex before turning to give his
full attention to Tyler. “Do what you want with Aimee and make
Logan watch. When you’re done, take care of Logan for me. I’m going
to dinner and then to the game as we discussed. We have prepared
enough, Tyler. It’s time to begin my new life.”

“Your wish is my command, Alex...I mean
Logan,” Tyler says with a sly smile. “Consider it done. Give my
best to our teammates. I’ll be there in a bit.”

With one last look at Logan, Alex walks
towards the staircase and takes them two at a time all the way to
the top, excitement evident in his every move. Within seconds, he’s
out the door and I’m left alone with Tyler, his knife still at my
throat.

To my chagrin, Tyler once again gives me his
full attention. “Alone at last,” he coons. “What am I to do with
you now? You know all of my tricks. You’ve seen me at my worst. So
what I do with you now must be something special, something I’ve
never done before,” he states, taking time to think. The seconds
tick by like hours as Tyler stares at me, an evil hunger evident in
his sparkling green eyes. Having arrived at some conclusion, he
moves closer to me, kisses my neck. I turn my head, trying my best
not to throw up or give any indication that his very touch both
terrifies and disgusts me. I can feel him on top of me, his weight
binding me to the bed.

He places light kisses up my neck until he
reaches my mouth. I can feel his lips near mine, I am ready to bite
him as hard as I can the moment he comes into contact with my lips,
but he must know what I plan to do, because he bypasses my lips and
moves down the other side of my neck. I scream and kick my knees up
as hard as I can hoping to catch him off guard, but it’s no use. I
can hear Logan screaming at Tyler from the corner of the room, but
I can’t make out what he’s saying. I can hear the loop that
attaches his bindings to the wall ping as Logan fights to get free,
but sadly, there’s nothing he can do to help me. I wait, trying to
bide my time until I can really hurt Tyler, but he’s careful. He
knows the exact spots and places where I can hurt him with my mouth
or legs so every attempt I make to jostle him off me fails
monumentally.

Tyler stops kissing me and moves lower,
trailing his knife behind him lightly over my skin. I can feel it
scrape my chest as it follows a path to my abdomen. His knife
pricks me and I scream. From the corner, I hear Logan hurl some
serious cuss words at Tyler. Finally, I get a break. Tyler is
crouched just far enough down on top me that he can’t block my leg.
I lift my leg up slowly, carefully so that he doesn’t notice the
movement. I prepare to ram it up between his legs, but his next
words stop me cold.

“I’m going to keep stabbing you in non-lethal
places until you beg me to kill you, Aimee. Something I’ve always
wanted to do, but for some reason never found the right girl. You,
my dear, are the one I’ve been waiting for. Since you know my
secrets, you must also realize that you are never going to leave
this place alive. But to be fair, I’ll give you a choice. Where
would you like to be stabbed first?” he asks nonchalantly.

“Screw you, Tyler,” I say venomously spitting
in his face.

He rears back, furious; my obvious disdain
snapping what little restraint he’s shown up until now.

He calls me “bitch” seconds before I feel the
knife plunge through my skin just below my ribcage. Pain like I’ve
never felt before, explodes within me. I scream out in surprise and
agony as my fear grows, bellowing the obvious truth: no one can
save me now. Blood spills forth from the wound staining both
Tyler’s hands and the clean white sheets. I struggle against the
shackles that bind my hands, but it’s no use, I can’t move. In the
distance, I hear Logan screeching, hear the clanging of metal
against brick, but it doesn’t register. All I can feel is pain.
It’s like Tyler stuck me with a white-hot branding iron. I hear
someone wailing, register that it’s me, but it’s like I’m hearing
it from far off. It’s an echo of another time, another girl that
experienced this same exact thing. From the corner, I hear a frenzy
of sounds, I know Logan is going crazy trying to get to me, but
there’s nothing I can do or say to reassure him. I can feel my
blood leaving my body, but my bound hands can’t stop it. I start
feeling dizzy from blood loss.