There standing in front of me was Ray Parker.
Dressed in a pale blue tee and dark blue pants, his glasses were new but those creepy eyes were still the same. He looked a little weak but his determination to destroy lives made up for that.
I swallowed hard as I blinked at him and squeaked a ‘hi’.
He smiled, a crooked smile that sent chills up my spine. “I have missed you, my love.”
And the only thing I could think was how to get the knife out of my pocket when I was holding two huge bags of food.
I held onto the bag tightly, if he came one step closer I would throw the whole bag at him.
He didn’t move, he stood there, leaning on the wall and giving me a crooked smile.
I could barely look into his eyes. “How-wh-why are you here?”
“Where else would I be?”
“The police are looking for you.” I reminded him. My voice wanted to tremble from the fright but I somehow managed to control it.
He was now a fugitive. And dangerous.
“I know, I just crossed them.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t that big a deal.
I raise my eyebrows in shock. “They didn’t catch you?”
His hands went into his pocket and I stiffened. He removed something and put it on his face and then adjusted his black cap and glasses. He now looked older with a fake mustache and beard.
“Oh.” I muttered looking at the unfortunately good disguise.
He removed them off his face and put them back in the pocket.
“How long have you been here?” I asked already fearing the answer.
“Long enough.”
He took a step forward.
Instinctively I took one back.
He titled his head, scrutinizing me. “You are afraid of me.” he noted.
I blinked looking away. “I am not.” I lied right through my terrifying teeth.
He took a step forward.
I didn’t move.
“Myra Collins.” He said my name and I had to control myself from cringing. “You are beautiful, you know that?”
I swallowed. “Th-thanks.”
“I especially love your lips.”
Wait till they open and I end up biting you.
“Your throat is so pretty.”
I couldn’t even swallow. I felt repulsed.
“Why couldn’t you just love me? Huh?” his tone had gone from polite to harsh.
My shoulders stiffened. “You are sick.” I spat out.
“And you are my medicine.”
I wanted to puke.
“Julia talked about you.”
My face snapped to look at his. “What?”
He smirked, knowing he got my attention. “She talked about you. She showed me that one pic you had sent her, of you wearing a yellow top and black shorts. You looked like sunshine. My sunshine.”
I couldn’t even reply. I could barely think.
He continued. “I think it was love at first sight for me. I wanted you the second I saw you.”
I wanted to curl up in a hole somewhere far and never leave that darkness. “That was 8 years ago.” I whispered.
He stared into my eyes. “Yes, 8 years is a long time to love someone. Don’t you think?”
I didn’t say a word.
He shrugged one shoulder. “Anyways, I kept asking Julia about you and she started to get jealous. She started to get jealous of a person she had never even met. Pathetic girl.”
I finally realized why Julia hadn’t messaged me all those times, it was because she was jealous or maybe even scared for me and she didn’t want to talk to me. She probably deleted the app too afraid that Ray might drop a message.
“She deleted the app. Deleted all the chats. Deleted her account.” Ray said.
So I was right. Poor Julia.
“I got angry.” Ray’s tone was simple as if stating a tale of everyday occurrence. “I was also bored of her. So I hacked into her phone. To find out about you. Instead, I found her photos. So many of them.”
I shiver of disgust swept down my spine. I had to physically stop myself from bending over and vomiting all over him. “You shouldn’t have spread them. You had no right to.”
He blinked. “I know I shouldn’t have but I wanted to.”
He smiled, he freaking smiled. “You should have seen her. She was so ashamed.”
His eyes glazed over and his smile widened as if he went back into time and was reliving the most amazing moment of his life. And the most tragic moment of an innocent girl’s life.
He took a deep breath of delight. “She definitely looked beautiful. Should have slept with her before spreading those nudes.”
It took every ounce of me to not step forward and slap him so hard that his glasses would break and get stuck in his eyes so he wouldn’t ever see anything and anyone ever.
“I didn’t think she would kill herself. Such a weak girl.”
I scoffed. “You made her life miserable.” My voice was shaky from all the pent-up anger in me. “She couldn’t go to school. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t even live in her own home. All because of you.”
Ray didn’t even flinch. “Home? Such a funny word. I don’t think I have ever had a home” He paused, blinking at me. “Do you think we can have a home, Myra?”
I cleared my throat not wanting to say something sarcastic that would set his psychotic inner free. “No.”
He expected that reply. “Why not?”
The response was too many to count. So I changed the subject. “Why didn’t you have a home?”
Ray looked deep in thought but his reply was stoic. “My mother killed herself when I was 8 years old. Pathetic slut.”
I scarcely managed to control the gasp of shock.
“And my father.” He rolled his eyes. “That man was a drunkard who kept sleeping with so many women that as a child I believed that everyone had more than thirteen mothers.”
I couldn’t stop feeling pity for the child Ray.
“He was a security guard who didn’t even care about security or his job so when a robbery happened on his watch, he was fired. By 13 I was tired of watching my father not earn anything or care about me so I ran away. I lived on the streets stole money and promised myself to make sure that security is high everywhere. Which is how I ended up hacking. I wanted to go into cybercrime.”
Well. You shouldn’t have misused your hacking powers then. I thought to myself.
“All my life I have survived without love. So just the idea of love was a myth. But when you walked into the first class. I couldn’t believe my luck.” There was a taunt in his tone. “I had finally started to believe in love again. I thought that the lord had finally shown mercy on me. Finally decided to bless me.”
Bless you? For what exactly? For being a psycho?
“I asked you out so many times. You should have just said yes.” He told. “We could have had a happily ever after, you and I. Myra and Ray.”
I didn’t want to antagonize him so I stayed quiet. Letting him speak.
“I dreamt of you, you know?” His lips turned a little upwards. “Us together, living in the countryside and working on huge IT projects. In the late evenings, we would sit in the backyard and stare at the beautiful sky, and then a small boy would come running towards us with a smile that matched yours and keeps his tiny hand on your baby bump. He would say ‘when will my little sister come?’ and you would smile at him and say ‘Soon.’ And then all three of us would gaze at the sky and feel the love in the air.”
For the first time in my life, I believed I could die from fright. Every word probed my heart and mind and made a gaping hole of terror that I could surely drown in.
Ray Parker had a smile that made you believe in his words and at the same time be horrified that it might come true.
He took another step forward and I could feel my throat choking from the screams I was controlling.
“Myra Parker.” He whispered into the thin air of repulsion. “Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it?”
My fingers were sore from holding onto the bags so tightly. “I- I should go.” I somehow managed to gulp out.
“And where would you go? To your rich boyfriend?” his words has a nasty tone.
I pressed my lips. “No, my flat.”
“You made me lose everything I had struggled for.” He said. “Everything. I am not a criminal. And yet if you beg me for forgiveness, I will forgive you and we can run away somewhere far.”
Dear Lord, I thought to myself. He is more than delusional. He is downright crazy and he needs serious help.
“I don’t regret it, Ray.” I told him with the little confidence I had left in me. “I don’t regret making you go to jail. What I regret is not knowing your mental condition beforehand. I could have somehow helped you then.”
Ray raised his eyebrows and scoffed in surprise. “Mental condition?”
I licked my lips nervously. “I uh I mean your intense love for me.”
“My love for you is a choice, not an illness.”
I’ll never understand how a villain could be so romantic with his way of words.
I sighed. “Just turn yourself in, Ray. Or I will.”
Ray Parker smirked, his eyes challenging me. “I will go back to prison don’t worry. But only after I finish my unfinished business here.”
“And that is?”
“You destroyed my life. It’s only fair I destroy yours.” He came closer, standing right in front of me. His smirk widened. “You started this game, Myra Collins, and I plan to send it my way.”
The familiar feeling of fear rose. My mind started making scenarios on what he could do and how he could do it.
“Ray.” I warned. “Don’t do something stupid and your war is with me so don’t involve others.” I was terrified that he might target Athena or worse Alex.
“No my love. My battle was with you. My war is with this world. And it’s a war I plan to win.” He dug into his pockets and removed the beard and mustache again, attaching it back on his face.
“The choice is yours.” He continued. “Do you want to join me and win this war or stay on the opposite side of me and lose the war?”
“I won’t join you.”
Ray nodded and shrugged. “Suit yourself, love. I look forward to this game. May the best man win.” He just started to walk away before stopping and turning back. “By the way, ask Athena if she liked my present. I heard it was her birthday and I missed it. You know how I hate to miss birthdays.” He winked at me. “I wouldn’t dare miss yours.” And then he turned and disappeared into the streets.
I couldn’t breathe as the bag finally slipped through my fingers. I hurriedly took out my phone and with shaky fingers pressed the call button for Athena.
She hadn’t picked up our calls in a few days now and hadn’t even replied to messages. I patted my heart as she took her sweet time to pick up the call. She didn’t.
I called again, the fear now tripling. When she finally did I almost screamed at her. “Seriously couldn’t you pick up the call faster?”
There was a pause and then a frustrated sigh. “What do you want bitch?”
I bit my lower lip. “Did you get any um gift?”
“Oh yeah, thanks! How did you know I like rose pink and purple orchids?”
I almost laughed. “You like purple?”
There was a very short pause. “You didn’t know?”
I struggled with my options wondering if I should tell her that the gift wasn’t from me but her crazy ex-boyfriend or if I should just somehow steal it and burn it. “Um so what exactly did I gift you? I forgot, silly me.” I forced out a laugh.
“It’s a pretty purse and a bouquet of orchids. What’s happening?” his voice had turned suspecting.
“Nothing.” I answered back. “Let’s meet tomorrow.” And then I cut the call.
I pressed my fingers to my forehead and I could feel the warmth of the skin. Was I getting a fever from all this ridiculous Ray problem?
Taking a deep calming breath I bent down to pick up the bag and a few fallen items. My eyes landed on a piece of white paper and for a second I thought it could trash. But that possibility seemed slim so I picked it up with shaking fingers.
They’re written in a handwriting I knew all too well was – Until we meet again Myra. Yours alone, Ray.
I was holding on tight to the paper and yet I could feel it burning into my skin. I threw the paper away not wanting to keep it as a reminder that I was officially at war with a complete psycho.
He was right, I was the one who had started this war but at the same time, he was the one who motivated me to do so.
And this was a war I had to fight alone because the stakes were high and if someone were to get hurt because of the choices I made, I would never forgive myself.
So in this garden where flowers don’t bloom and delusional ideas reside, I would be the one to set fire to it and leave it burning behind.
~~