by Sadee Bee
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third and final installment of a serial story. You can read the first installment here & the second installment here.
Cold concrete was stiff on her back. Her ears were ringing. Her mouth felt like she had been chewing on cotton balls.
Namina opened her eyes, only to see a bright white light above her. She turned her head away from the light as she attempted to sit up. Her hands were bound, and her left leg chained to a support beam. Both would present a challenge but not one impossible to surmount. Namina had known the risks of getting into a car with a serial killer, and she came prepared.
Muffled crying drew her attention to the opposite end of the room. Her vision was still fuzzy, so she could only make out the silhouette of a woman dangling from the ceiling. She had been left in the dark while Namina was placed under a spotlight.
Namina rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her forearms. She needed a better sight line.
With such a wide-open space, Namina guessed they were either in a warehouse or a large backyard shed. She shimmied as far away from the post as the chain would allow her to; the sound of the metal against concrete must have startled the woman. Her cries grew louder.
Namina stopped moving. She needed as much time as possible to assess the situation. She did not know if the woman’s cries would summon the man that brought her there. It pained Namina that she could not help the woman right now, but she had to play this right if they both wanted to stay alive.
She took stock of the room: there were two deep freezers, one refrigerator, several toolboxes and racks, and a large solid metal table. Nothing good ever came of a freshly polished slab of metal.
A door creaked open; then footsteps sounded on the hard floor. Namina quickly returned to the position she was initially in, pretending to be scared and groggy. His footsteps paused as he decided who to address first. Namina held her breath, listening to the Ker’s voice that had finally returned.
“You have done well. This filthy soul will serve more purpose in his death than he ever has in life.” Her voice tickled Namina’s brain, sending shivers through her body.
Namina rarely asked for extra strength or power, it only added to her debt. But after assessing the situation she felt a little light in favor: “I could use a little extra help here.”
The Ker cackled in delight, “I thought you said you would never ask for that again.”
“Circumstances have changed,” Namina attempted to hide the annoyance in her voice. “I know what I said, but if you want him, I have to live through this. Will you help me?”
“As you wish, but remember this moment.” She laughed as her voice slipped away.
Namina clenched her jaw. Her body grew hot while the Ker’s power flowed through it. Fingers caressed her face, and she glanced up to see the man crouched next to her.
“You’re awake? So happy you could join the party.” He gestured around them with one hand. “It’s always so easy to find someone new to play with; you whores are always desperate for something. Oh, but you’ll never get it yourself, it’s always up to a man to save you or finance you; pathetic really.” He punctuated his little tirade by slapping Namina hard across the face.
Her head whipped in the opposite direction. There was no pain, only the shock of being hit so suddenly. She spat blood onto the ground and licked the remaining bit off her lips.
“What makes you think I’m a whore?”
He chuckled to himself, “All women are, especially your kind. You all think you’re God’s gift to the world, so special. Well, I’m here to show you that you’re nothing but trash.”
Great, a God-loving misogynist. Namina was going to enjoy this.
He stood, turned from her, and slowly walked to the woman on the other side of the room. She began to scream through her gag as she heard him approach.
Namina reached up and pulled out the shaving razor she kept hidden in her afro puff; kinky curls had their uses.
Once her hands were cut free, Namina sat up, grabbed the chain on her leg with both hands, and pulled. A quick surge of heat passed through her, and the chain snapped in half. In a stroke of sad luck, the woman’s screams covered the noise she made.
Namina looked over to see him cutting tiny but deep slashes into her abdomen; blood dripped to the floor in audible splashes. She picked up the remaining piece of chain and made her way to him.
She made eye contact with the woman, lifted a finger to her mouth to keep her quiet, and charged.
He realized too late that he was in danger. Namina whipped the chain around her head and contacted his face. Her added strength sent him flying several feet across the room. She dropped the chain and picked up a pair of handcuffs from a shelf.
Namina looked at the woman, nodded, then walked to where the man landed.
She grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him to the metal table. Luck was on her side as she discovered the table was bolted to the floor. Namina took both his hands, pulled them around one leg of the table, then handcuffed him.
He was still breathing, though likely concussed, but it gave Namina time to free the woman.
She worked delicately, placing a step stool beneath the woman’s feet before untying her hands. The woman removed her blindfold and gag while Namina searched for something to cover her with. The only thing she could find was a worn microfiber blanket, but it would do. The woman sat down as Namina wrapped her in it.
“Thank you, thank you.” She choked out through tears.
Namina realized this was the same woman from her vision; she had gotten here just in time. “No need to thank me. What is your name?”
She wiped her eyes. “Jess, my name is Jess.”
“Okay, Jess, you’re safe now. He can’t hurt you anymore. Now listen, I will handle him, and you’re free to leave or stay. But, if you choose to leave, go immediately to the hospital, report everything to the police, and tell them where he kept you. Take note of the surroundings outside, take his vehicle, and don’t look back.” Namina handed Jess the keys she took from the man’s pocket. “I want you to know that the police will investigate, but they will never find him.”
“What do you mean they won’t find him?” Jess straightened.
“He won’t survive this night, his body will never be found. You have nothing to worry about.”
Jess nodded, “I can’t handle any more. Whoever you are, thank you. I won’t breathe a word about you to anyone.”
Namina backed away from Jess, giving her space to leave.
She watched Jess exit the room before she turned her attention back to the man. He began to stir. Namina was ready to end this but not too quickly.
He coughed as he spat out several teeth. “Who the fuck are you?!”
“So happy you could join the party. It doesn’t really matter who I am. The real question is, who exactly are you?” Namina kicked him in the ribs.
When he did not respond; she used her strength from the Ker, stomped on his knee, and shattered it. “Answer the question!”
He started crying, “John! I’m John! Please, don’t hurt me. I didn’t mean to do the things I did. I-I just couldn’t control myself.”
Namina took her shaving razor out of her pocket, knelt to his level, and began making small, deep cuts along his arms. “I hear that a lot, ya know. But, I find self-control is rarely the primary factor. You murdered these women because you wanted to. You murdered these women because you’re a man who believes rules don’t apply to you. You murdered these women because no matter how inhuman you may act, you know how to look the part, you blend into a society tailored for you.
“To you, those dead women symbolize your power. But to me, they are a sign of your inherent weakness as a human being, as a man.”
Namina bent back his index finger and cut it off. He screamed in agony and reared back, before slumping. He understood there was no escape.
“Oh, the game isn’t as fun when it’s at your expense, is it? At least now you don’t have to imagine the misery you put those women through.” She sliced off finger after finger until his left hand was only palm.
“I do wonder, though, if all women are whores, what exactly does that make you?”
John couldn’t answer in his agony; Namina spoke for him.
“Let me guess: You’re doing God’s will. ‘Cause whores and disobedient women have no place in His world. Am I right?”
Namina laughed hard, harder than she had in a long time. “Well, I hate to break it to you, bud, but there is no God. I’d be more inclined to believe you if you said demon or vengeful spirit. None of that really matters now anyway; I’m going to kill you, and your soul will finally be put to good use.”
John begged, cried, prayed, and Namina ignored it all. She took a knife out of her boot, looked at him, and plunged it into his chest. With rage and the Ker’s power still fueling her, she repeatedly stabbed until John was an unrecognizable mass of gore.
“Namina, I have been waiting patiently. Deliver his soul to me now.” The Ker commanded.
She stopped to catch her breath and wiped the blood from her eyes. The knife, covered in John’s blood, sliced into her palm, reopening her healed wound. She was so full of adrenaline that she never felt it.
Namina placed her bloody palm on John’s forehead as she looked into his cold dead eyes: “A condemned soul no longer walks this Earth, no longer breathes, and no longer serves a purpose. Deliver John, the serial killer, to the Ker known as Keres. Let her feast upon the soul of this evil man so that I may live another day.”
The air in the room stirred as the figure of Keres appeared, a terrible beauty only Namina could see.
A foul, dark ball of light saturated with the screams of his last remembered pain drew up from the body on Keres’ command. She devoured it slowly, savoring every bit of what he once was.
Namina looked away; she just wanted it to be over.
Once she’d finished, Keres addressed her. “Thank you, Namina. This one was quite delightful.”
Namina stood up as she put her shaving razor back in her hair and her knife back in her boot. “Just doing my only job, saving women, and keeping myself alive.”
“You know this could end whenever you want. You must be so tired by now..” Keres looked at John’s body on the floor.
“My soul wouldn’t mean anything to you. Sure, you would find another vessel, but what sustenance could I bring you?” Namina walked through Keres to get closer to the door — she was ready to leave.
Keres lingered, silent for a moment. “Sweetheart, your soul would sate me for years to come. You think yourself not a monster because you kill predators, murders, rapists? Namina, you are the biggest predator; after all, that’s exactly what I need you to be. Justice still comes with blood on your hands, and you swim in it.”
“I may be a predator, but I will never be like them, and I will never give you the satisfaction. I may be a monster, a murderer, but you will have to pry my soul from my cold dead hands Keres.” Namina did not wait for a response as she left to head home.
And she would swim in the blood of men for as long as she could. She would avenge until her heart gave out, until she knew women of the world would be safe. The world was full of terrible things — she saw it every time she looked into a man’s eyes, every time she looked into a mirror. Terrible things had a context, a meaning, and so did she.
She could pretend that this life was a burden, that her path was something she’d just been thrown into, but killing was the only thing she’d ever been good at. And she’d been at it for a lot longer than she’d been working with Keres. It was the only purpose she’d ever had, and Keres would keep her alive if she served her purpose. Anyway, this world was hers too, and in her world men like John would have to pay for what they’ve done.
But for now, she wanted to feel the heat of a shower, to smell the scent of lavender and vanilla, to wrap Simone in her arms.
“As you wish, Namina, but I’ll be waiting.” Keres sang.
Sadee Bee is ever-evolving as living with mental illness is never a straight line and hopes to be a voice and advocate for those like her. She uses art as an outlet as well, creating whatever comes to mind, and is heavily drawn to speculative and out-of-this-world elements. She is inspired by strange dreams, magic, and creepy vibes.
