Chapter Seven:

Tuesday, February 16th, 2016

11:49 A.M.

Fired. I got fucking fired.

I grind my teeth as I pace the cramped living room in the apartment. Over and over again, I have faced the consequences of how my impulses have spun out of control. I've felt the guilt as if I were living the same day every day for the rest of my life. But I have never felt this feeling.

Anger pours through my veins. I feel as if my head is about to pop off of my neck. I can't stop revisiting these past few days and how much they've screwed me over.

Trey. This is all his fault.

Yes, it was my urge that got me in trouble in the first place. But after all of that was said and done, he knew about me and about my condition. And yet, he still pushed me until I gave in. This is his fault! Not mine.

Still, regret seeps in deep. I shouldn't have done it. I should have stayed away from him. If I had known how dangerous he is...

No. I shake my head, lightly tugging at the hair on my scalp. I know I still would have done it. God only knows how powerless I am when it comes to the men I'm attracted to. One look, one thought, and I'm done for.

Hell, knowing probably would have made me even more into him.

"Okay," Kayla pipes up from her position on the sofa. "If you're gonna keep pacing in front of the TV, you can at least speak your mind."

Clenching my fists, I release a pent up scream. Kayla's styled eyebrows arch. "I hate him! He's fucking crazy!"

She sighs, slapping her thighs. "Rach, tell me what happened. When I picked you up outside his house, you didn't tell me anything, or even why he wouldn't bring you home."

"He's crazy," I repeat, but I whisper this time, widening my eyes and looking her in the eye. "Crazy."

"Well, then you're perfect for him 'cause you're acting loca!" Kayla rolls her eyes. "Rachel, what the hell is going on with you? After you asked that dude out, you've been acting weird. First, you made me ditch my date to pick you up in the middle of the night. Then, the next thing I know, you come home half naked carrying your work supplies, and you tell me you got fired!"

There is no way in hell I could ever tell her the truth. If she found out about my ICD, she would never look at me the same. So is there even another version of the story to tell that won't sound insane?

I sit in the chair across from her, and then I take a deep breath. "The date was going good, and then he got rough. I went to leave, and he gets all possessive, saying that 'I worked him up and needed to finish him.' I freaked, and eventually got out.

"The next day at work, I... went to question him about his behavior the night before." Okay, a bit of a white lie. "Things got heated, and the next thing I know, he's fucking me on his desk."

"Whoa!" She throws her hands up. "Hold up. He what!?

That sounded crazy, didn't it? "It was consensual! But it went bad when our boss walked in on us. And right after he was gone grilling Trey, he called me into the office. We both got canned, and I left the office, carrying a cardboard box with my shirt ripped open and my skirt loose on my waist." I cover my face with my hands, letting out a short cry. "I felt like a hooker doing the walk of shame!"

When I look up from my hands, Kayla's face holds shock. At least she doesn't look absolutely disgusted.

My roommate takes forever to respond, leaving me quiet in my own thoughts. What if all of this was for nothing? I mean, I was threatened, exposed, stripped, and I never even reached my climax.

A harsh pounding on the door behind me startles me. I yelp, jumping up from my seat and turning around to face it. Kayla and I stay quiet, but the loud knocking returns.

"Who is it!?" Kayla shouts from the sofa.

"It's Trey. Open the door, Rachel!"

My heart jumps into my throat, and then pounds profusely. What the hell is he doing here? And how the hell did he get in without buzzing in first?

With a shaky hand, I unlock the door and swing it open. Trey stands there, his hair unruly and a deep scowl underneath his stubble.

"What're you doing here?" I hiss at him quietly, hoping Kayla won't hear.

I catch his jaw tightening, and then the bones on his cheeks moving. "We need to talk."

I should tell him to turn around and leave. He doesn't deserve to be here right now.

Yet, I find myself weakly obeying him after a simple stern look from him.

Without telling Kayla a word, Trey follows me to my bedroom for privacy. I close the door behind us. I spin around, half expecting him to kiss me, half thinking he'll hit me.

"You," he points a finger at me, but keeps a good distance. "You owe me."

"For what!?" I raise my voice, but immediately settle down. I'd die if Kayla found out what really happened between Trey and I. "You seduced me."

He laughs dryly, shoving a hand through his dark hair. That explains the dishevelment. He advanced towards me, but I dodge him. We switch positions; him near the door, and me by the end table. "You initiated everything! All of it was because of you, Rachel Sommers!"

My eyes widen. "Keep your fucking voice down!"

Trey's signature smirk makes an appearance. "Oh? Let me guess, your sweet roommate is ignorant and doesn't know the truth about you? She has no idea of how sick you really are. I should tell her for you, get it all over with."

Tears poke at my eyes. "Don't you dare!"

"You deserve it, you know. You have taken everything from me! My job is gone because of you. My reputation is tarnished. You owe me, oh, do you owe me."

I grit through my teeth. "I understand you're upset. But my job is gone too. No one will ever want to hire me now. It's not just you, you arrogant son of a bitch!"

His hand reaches for the door. "Maybe I should go get your roommate and then we can settle this -"

"NO!" I say more desperately than I want. "Please, don't tell her."

Trey nods, running his hands over his jacket. "Okay. I won't. If -" he holds a dramatic pause. "- you finish what we started yesterday."

I stumble back, baffled. "What are you trying to say?"

He tugs at his belt. "Suck me off."

My hand wraps around my throat. Why do I feel like everything has spun way out of control? I feel as if my world is crumbling right now. "I already told you I don't go down on guys!"

His eyes darken, frustration and anger welling in them. "You will do it. Or else I'll tell everyone what you did to poor little Debbie."

I shake my head, watching as my vision blurs. "No. No!"

"Did you not hear me?" he takes a step towards me. "I'll tell everyone who you really are. You will be ruined. I promise that."

His images contorts and twirls before me. Panic sets in. He's destroying everything! God, make him stop!

"You owe me, goddammit!" he kicks the bedpost. "You've taken everything, and I will make sure you are left the same!"

My heart beats hard, my blood running fast and hot. Thoughts rush through my mind. It's something familiar to me, something I never wanted to feel again.

Make him stop. Shut up, shut up, shut up. I cover my ears, close my eyes. The noise, the sounds, it hurts. Make him stop, make him, shut him up. I want him to stop, I want it to stop. Make it stop, make it stop, MAKE IT STOP!

Before I can regain control, I snatch the lamp off of the nightstand. I pull it hard, causing the cord to be pulled from the outlet. I swing back, turning around to face him. I catch the shock in his eyes as the lamp makes contact with the side of his skull, glass breaking.

He remains standing as the shards fall to the floor. I freeze, dropping the remainder of the lamp from my grip.

Trey reaches his hands out and charges for me.

My back hits the wall, his hands wrapped around my throat. I feel them tighten. His eyes steam of anger as he stares into mine. He's pissed.

Slowly, he pushes me up the wall. My feet leave the ground, and I dangle slightly. I gasp for air, feeling my face grow hot, kicking the air around me.

His face blurs. I cough, feeling the lack of air to my brain cause pain throughout my temple. I just want air, I want to breathe, I want him to stop.

With as much force as I can, I kick my leg up. I hit him firmly in his crotch. Trey groans loudly, releasing his grip and taking a step back.

I cough uncontrollably, lurching over to catch my breath.

When I glance up at him, I feel it. That click in my head. The switch that urges me to do what I desire.

In the corner of the room, I pick up the tall gray lamp. It unplugs from the wall as I move away from the outlet, and I advance towards Trey.

Blood drips from his cut on his forehead. He keeps his hands cupped on his junk as he stays hunchbacked near the bed.

"Rachel -" he stretches his arm out, but I wind back. "NO!"

With a sharp swing, I hit his arm, causing the bone to bend back unnaturally. He screams in agony, tears streaming down his face. He stares at the limb, tenderly touching it.

"Trey," I whisper in a sing-song voice, getting his dark, teary eyes to look up at me. "Fuck you."

I hit him again, this time on the left temple. I send him sprawling onto the hardwood floor. He groans, his eyelids half-closed.

I kick him, stomp on him, and hit him again, and again, and again. Blood oozes from everywhere all over the floor. I don't stop, loving the feeling of adrenaline that pours from my veins at the sight of him so helpless.

Just like how I felt when he had me on the floor.

"...Rach?"

I didn't even hear the door creak open.

Kayla stands in the threshold, her mouth gaping and her eyes wide. Those wild green orbs of hers shine of something other than intimidation for once. She shifts her gaze from Trey to me, and then to him again. "What...did you do?"

The tall object falls from my hands. It hits the ground with a loud clank. "I cleaned up a mess."

She shakes her head, not able to take her eyes from the man on the floor. "N-no, you didn't. You made a mess."

Covering her mouth, she releases a shaky breath. "Is... Is he....?"

I nod, staring at his face. "He's dead."

I love his face like this; unmoving, no sign of life. His expression will be stuck in time forever; shocked and terrified and in pain. He even has that gray lifeless gaze over his eyes. It sends a shiver over me.

"Rachel...?"

"Hmm?" I look over to my roommate, her eyes locked on me.

Fear covers her face and shimmers deeply in her eyes. "You're smiling."

I didn't realize. But I feel it now as it spreads into a grin. "That's because I'm happy."

I lean down and reach into the pocket of his jeans. Just as I suspect it'd be there, I pull out his lighter.

With a flick of a finger, I open it and start the flames. "Burn in hell, asshole." I toss the burning lighter onto his body, and I watch as he slowly sets on fire.

THE END.

_____________________________

Graphic credit: Brookemcx