Page 13 of Anathema Codex

Seems that Mommy Dearest has gotten to the fucking portion of her ‘entertainment special’ and she sounds like a stuck pig squealing and moaning like a two-dollar whore.

“Hopefully it’ll be over soon,” I whisper to him as he turns his eyes toward the underbelly of the bed. His hand is shaking but I know it’s not in fear; it’s in anger, which he has every right to feel.

But not for much longer.

My Granddaddy died a few weeks ago and his estate lawyer already told me that I’m getting his gold mine. I promised Aftyn that I’d set him up with a new life. One far away from this bitch that makes his life a living hell, and I intend to follow through on it.

We just have to make sure she stays out of the fucking way of our plans.

An eternity, or thirty minutes later, the front door opens, then closes. She’s finally gotten rid of Aftyn’s latest ‘uncle’ and now the fun can begin. I always hated that she flaunts all of these bastards in his face, making him feel even less than zero, because she’s so captivated by every man in the world except for her own son.

“Wills?”

I look at Aftyn whose eyes are wide and lower lip trembling. It’s not because he’s sad—he knew exactly what we were going to do tonight—I think it’s because he can’t believe that it’s finally happening.

“Yeah?” I ask softly.

“Remember; me first.”

His trembling lip gives way to a devious grin and I nod in agreement. He wants to make the first strike because he wants her to understand why, and I can honestly say that I admire him for that.

I cringe when I realize that his mother is going to bed without even showering. When her sweaty panties and skirt drop on the carpet, I reach over and turn Aftyn’s face away. He shouldn’t have to smell the stench of whore on her because I’m sure hearing it was enough to stoke the flames of rage inside of him as it is.

His breathing is normal which tells me that he’s in control of his emotions. When he interlaces his fingers with mine, I know that he’s ready. But when the confident look in his eyes is accompanied with that damn signature sneer of his, I know it’s time to play.

Aftyn lets go of my hand as he slides out from one side and I from the other. His mother lets out a scream because she wasn’t expecting us to be here, and when she begins to shout at him for being in her room, I reach forward, grab a fistful of her hair, and yank her back toward me.

Aftyn climbs onto the bed, knees on either side of her legs and leans down into her face, “Hi, Mom.”

She begins to struggle violently against me when he places the small hatchet on the other side of his knee, but I tighten my grip and put the blade of mine against her throat.

“I’m not gonna be able to hold onto the bitch much longer,” I bark at him as she reaches up and scratches the side of my face.

“Sorry, Wills. I just wanted her to look into the eyes she hates the most one last time,” he tells me quietly before he picks up his hatchet again, raises it over his head, then brings it down as hard as he can, and when he hesitates for the slightest second, I tell him what he needs to hear.

“Do it, Aftyn. She deserves it.”

NINE

Caught in the Middle

DEXTER

I’ve been feeling sick for the past hour or so, but I haven’t spoken up yet. Partly because Aftyn is sound asleep, but mostly because I don’t think he’d be too happy if we stopped again.

My eyes are slightly open as I watch the world outside go by in a blur. We finally made it out of New York about twenty minutes ago. I’m not sure what states are next, but I’ve never been outside of Scarsdale so thisshouldbe a great chance to see the world beyond the town’s limits.

I reach up and gingerly touch the bump on the back of my head. It isn’t wet anymore so I know it’s stopped bleeding, which means I should be okay sooner rather than later.One less thing for Aftyn to hate me over.

“Hey.”

I turn my head a little too quickly toward the front of the truck, grimace, then smile at Willa’s eyes in the rear-view mirror.

“Hey,” I reply softly.

“How you doing back there?” she asks as she turns her eyes toward the highway again.

I shrug. “I’m okay, I guess. I’m not bleeding anymore.”

---