call from his daughter that her mother has gone crazy, now is it?” Her smiled dropped from her lips.
“It’s not everyday that a father has to search secretly through his daughter’s home to find her and rescue her from the clutches of an insane woman. Things like that don’t often happen to normal people; you know, people who admit their ‘issues’ and seek professional help for them. People, Alexandretta, who learn to deal with and manage very normal lives while living under the cloud of mental anguish.”
I was feeling the power of my provocative words and could read the signs clearly on her face. There was brewing behind her eyes a storm of immense proportion that would launch soon. I was prepared and knew how to handle her. Unbalancing her mentally would be the issue; if I could anger her, make her lose her focus, I could possibly prevail.
“You’re not well, are you?” I taunted. “Face it, all those attributes you so proudly boast of, all those faculties of which you take pride; they are slipping, aren’t they? Like a feather fluttering to the ground, your sane mind is softly dropping to darker recesses. And you can’t handle losing control, can you? You were always power-hungry; always yearning for the ultimate in whatever you did. But now, what power do you have? You can’t even comprehend fantasy from reality.”
“Stop it!” she shouted in the loudest and most strained note I ever heard escape a mortal mouth. She heaved heavily and her right hand clutched her head, as if the words I spoke beat her senselessly. It was then I saw the origin of the blood prints: her hand had a large cut on it. Shaking her head violently, she kept shouting at me to stop. I was getting to her; she was losing focus.
“Face it, Alexandretta, you’re not well. In fact, my dear, you’re crazy!” I whispered the last, joyfully reveling in my mockery. She tormented what could have been the last moments of my child’s life, and I was not about to withhold any of my feelings. The pain I felt became anger, and I was pouring it upon her brow.
She screamed aloud again and again, shouting for me to cease. Her voice rose to such a crescendo that the pitch nearly deafened me. Unnerving as the sound and display were, I still stood my ground, although I was beginning to see the folly of my plan.
I had taken a half step back when a sudden and rapid movement caught my attention. There was hardly any time for me to react when I saw the head of the ax swinging upwards toward my face! I threw myself to the side as the blade narrowly sliced past my shoulder. The wind of the ax brushed past me and I hit an open door.
The weight and thrust of my movement sent me flying through the opening as Alexandretta’s screams followed. No sooner had I landed against a table when the ax, and the crazed woman behind it, found me and started swinging again. I moved and the table bore the brunt of the force, with splinters showering the darkened room.
“Crazy, you say?” she asked, the ax poised in her hands. “I hardly think, love your pompous, logical reasoning will allow for your escape this time.”
My recovery was faster than I had anticipated, and I was upon my feet and brandishing my stick. The open windows of the room allowed the moon to cast scattered beams across the floor. Alexandretta was crazed now, that evil twinkle in her eye glistening with sheer madness. My provocations had induced her to a further degree of insanity; my only hope was that I had, indeed, “unbalanced” her.
There was a gulf of about eight feet between us, with some articles of furniture increasing the void. I had my stick in my hands, but felt it was no match for the weapon she carried. There was skill in her swinging and force. The table was in pieces, and another swipe took out a lamp and sent it flying to the floor. Few times had I ever feared for my life; this was one of them.
“I’m not crazy; no, not me. You left me! You, then,” and she snickered, “are the crazy one.” Alexandretta positioned herself before the door, my only escape. I was trying to think as quickly as I could about a possible alternate route, but nothing save charging her would get me through that doorway. It was impossible to rush her, and maneuverability in the darkened room was not easy. I took a few steps in one direction, and she followed me thoughtfully, instinctively.
“Where are you going?” she asked. “You’re not trying to run, are you?”
“Let me out of here, Alexandretta.” I had no sooner finished my demand when something moved in the shadows. I only saw it momentarily, but it slithered much like a snake. A new fear, not as severe as that which she conjured in me, but a fear still provocative and dangerous, crept into my mind. Was something here with us?
“What is that? Did you see something? Is there something in the shadows, something you fear so greatly?” she asked, her serpentine words slithering across the silent room.
In her youth, Alexandretta was initiated into occult practices, and in maturity she mastered that which she studied. In our marriage, she used her magic for peace, love and healing. Now, however, it was different. I knew little of the extent of her abilities, but the possibility of her transforming the mind and creating hallucinations was not wholly beyond her. If something moved in the dark, I had to remember it was by her design, and not grounded in reality.
The words she softly muttered, that ancient tongue I heard so often in our time together, came across in sunken, heavy tones, though I could not distinctly hear what was spoken. I watched her in the moonlight, her smile parted only enough to speak what no living ear would recognize.
She appeared entranced, focused on me, as if all her energies were transfixed upon my face. Of all her features, the tangled hair, the bloodied garments, the wound on her hand, it was the smile which bore so heavily upon me. Smiles project an appearance of joviality and happiness. Her lips, it seemed, were demonic and bizarre; otherworldly, to say the least, and unnerving. Was she happy right now? Was there joy in her bosom at the thought of my demise?
I kept one eye upon her, and was certain to watch the shadowy area where I saw the thing move. I knew it to be fake, be it snake or beast; it was convincing myself to remember that such was the issue. She was tricking me, playing with my mind in the hope of gaining an advantage.
“Oh, the way you stare at me! I am half tempted to think, if this continues, you may just fall in love with me again. Then you could come home and be with me. Forever.” Her final word dropped short of the affection she had in the sentence. That face, both wicked and sinister, proverbially dripped with blood as she uttered the line.
“I am not the one who destroyed us, Alexandretta.”
“Do not be so bold as to blame me. I tried to make things right. I tried to be the pretty little wife for you. But it wasn’t enough, was it? Everything is not enough for you, is it?”
“Just get out of the way. I’m taking Lexi and leaving!” I said, defiantly.
“But you have to find her first…” and without warning she rushed towards me, swinging the ax with unbridled fury, like the Greco tempests of old. The gods, in all their wrath and anger, could not bring such calamity as the arm of Alexandretta. She moved the earth with her swing, and before her any object which dared to interfere fell to its death. I dodged her swipe, but fell in the process.
On the floor, I suddenly felt helpless. Scrambling, I tried to regain my footing, but felt Alexandretta’s swift and forceful boot strike my chest. Several more kicks forced breath to escape my lungs with a loud exhalation. The force of her kick planted me on the floor again. In the flittering light of the moon, I could see her heels before me. I looked up, and she stood over me, her ax half raised. Had my end come? Was this my final moment? Would I not be able to save Lexi?
“Cower, my love. It is, after all, what you do best - when you can’t run, of course. And now, I finally have you. It’s not how I envisioned our happy reunion, but I suppose it will do. Goodbye, Love.” And she fully raised the ax.
By some magnificent aptitude of thought or involuntary reaction, I swung an arm out as fast and with as much strength as I
could gather, and struck her leg. Alexandretta toppled sideways and crashed against the side of the couch. She screamed, but quickly pounced as I was trying to get up. I was spun on my back and she landed on me, the handle of the weapon resting on my neck.
“I’ve about had enough of this!” she shouted at me, her lips only inches from mine. Alexandretta pressed the handle into my throat, all the while muttering again in her old tongue. I gasped for air as I tried to kick her and lift the handle, but she managed the weapon with a dexterity and strength unbeknownst to me. There was a force holding it down, a force I could not combat.
Alexandretta had behind her a power which did not exist in this realm. I remembered well her practices and those nights surrounded by the candles, her body nearly aflame in the illumination. The spectral scene reverberated before me now as she pressed the handle into my neck. I could feel my gasps lessen as my throat pleaded for help from the surrounding molecules.
Life, my life, and the life and energy of everything around me seemed to fade with great obscurity as my eyelids began to close. I could fight little, and what strength I had was used in balancing the stick across my neck. She was winning and my body was yielding to her demands for my death.
Alexandretta straddled my chest, slowly stealing all the life from me. At that moment when I thought I could fight no more; that moment when the last of my breath escaped from my lungs and sealed the vaulted door behind them; yes, that moment, when I was upon the threshold of death, my ear detected a footfall in the hallway.
My eyes slowly turned towards the door, and there, silhouetted in the bleakness, was a figure. Though weak, I knew the shape of the person, and judging by the size and stature, it was my daughter. It was Lexi!
A sudden urge exploded inside me, but I had little time to utilize it, as Alexandretta’s attention was also caught by Lexi when she uttered the most heart-wrenching and panicked cry of “Daddy!” Alexandretta turned in the direction of our daughter. There was a loosening of the ax as she pulled back.
Only a soft, barely audible escape of breath passed over those smiling lips as Alexandretta uttered, “Foolish girl.” There was a release upon my neck, and fresh air rushed into my lungs. I was weak and could do little when Alexandretta rose from upon me. With fear and angst did I watch as she boldly and directly made her way to the doorway. I tried to recover and move, but I still felt a heavy weight upon me. I was weakened by her attack, but not enough to put me so asunder. There was more, something more which held me. I yelled and fought with all my might, but the restraints which bound me did not surrender their grip.
“Daddy, help!” Lexi shouted in the most pitiful voice any father could ever hear from the mouth of their child.
“Lexi, run!” I returned, my voice rising in pitch as Alexandretta passed the sofa and approached the door.
I watched as my daughter bolted away from the opening and vanished. Alexandretta did not quicken her pace, but continued her steady, rhythmic steps, as if nothing mattered more to her than the simple steps she was taking. I was recovering, but still felt a tightness which weighed upon me. My struggles brought no release until suddenly, and with little warning, I felt all the force pulled from me. I was free, and with a burst of energy, I sprang to my feet and clumsily made for the hall.
I heard voices echoing through the house, but paid them little attention, as my focus was on my daughter. I rounded the sofa and sprang to the door. In my flight, I hit a table and nearly fell over, but was able to regain myself and lunge for the exit.
I gripped the jam and swung myself around into the hall, where the moon was reigning with its beams filling the house. What I saw then I shall never forget: Alexandretta was slowly walking, almost strolling, down the hall, and at the end I heard the commands of two police officers. They were encased in the glow of the night sky, and I could see and hear them clearly.
“Freeze, and put down your weapon!” one of the officers shouted. There was silence from Alexandretta. Both the men had their guns drawn and sighted on her, though she seemed not to care.
“Stop now or we will fire!” commanded the other, in a much louder voice.
“This is your last warning! Freeze!” returned the first officer, yet Alexandretta slowly drew near to them, and though I could distinctly hear every syllable spoken by the officers, the voice of the lady was strangely muted. Either her chords dropped in tone, or her words fell into a fathomless vortex after crossing her lips. Her last line, however, was clearly audible.
“Silly men, always ordering us around. You tell me to stand still, as if there were danger round about me, as if snakes trod before me. Perhaps it is you who should freeze and fear the serpents at your feet!”
As I stared down the hall, I saw the two cops begin to move in an awkward fashion. One shifted fiercely, then stiffened. The other did the same, and both seemed to have in their limbs a tremble.
“Jesus Christ, Brady! What the hell do we do?” I heard one shout.
“Shit, don’t move, Mallory, or they’ll bite. I’ve got three on me,” replied the other to his partner. I could see them, but not of what they spoke. They looked only to themselves and their eyes seemed to follow objects visible only to them.
“Don’t strike them, Brady, or they’ll bite you. Just…”
“They’re climbing up me, Mallory! What the hell do we do?”
“There’s one on your shoulder, Brady.”
“Shit, shit, shit!”
“Stay where you are, Ma’am! Oh, god…” the officer shouted to Alexandretta. While they were preoccupied, Alexandretta, in a serpentine fashion, slithered her way closer and closer, edging her way to within a small distance of them both – a striking distance.
“Mallory, these things keep climbing. I’m gonna brush it off. I’m gonna brush it off….”
“Brady, No!”
“It bit me! Dammit Mallory, it bit me! What do I do…, it hurts! Son-of-a-bitch!”
“That pain, boys, is the least of your worries now.” Alexandretta stood before them, her shadow casting them in darkness. Like an eclipse, she forbade the light to shine upon their eyes. To see her was like peering into the darkest cavern while searching vainly for any sign of light.
Still I stared as she spoke her immortal line to them. She neither shouted, nor screamed, nor did anything that would indicate aggravated aggression; she spun one single turn very quickly and with great agility, all the while bringing the ax to a striking height. I watched in horror as she slammed the weapon into the side of the first officer’s head. The pieces, the mess and gore, exploded violently into the air like an eruptive volcano.
Letting go of the ax, the man fell at her feet while the other screamed and tried to shoot. Alexandretta, however, pulled from her waist a knife, an object I did not previously know she had, and stabbed it maddeningly into his throat. One thrust, and the knife was protruding from his neck, right below his chin. I could hear his gasps for breath and life, and a shrill cry from my Lexi, who stood behind the guardians she smartly called to her aid.
The horror of the scene shook me to the core, and a shiver of fear pulsed through my body. What manner of person could produce such a devastating blow to two armed officers? What manner of woman could kill two men without even scratching her own hand? Alexandretta was mad, insane, ravaged by the diseases of her mind! The intoxication of the kills only seemed to enliven her spirit. God, what manner of woman was she?
Lexi continued to scream, then took to running as quickly as she could. I screamed for her to get out. I had to stall Alexandretta for as long as I could, and yelled for her to return and fight me. Running forward as best as I could, despite the pains in my chest from the beating, I managed to reach the end of the hall and the tangled bodies, just to see Lexi racing around the far side against the railing. She tottered and slipped numerous times; her tracks, crimson red, were traced across the wooden floor. Lexi had u
pon her the blood of the officers.
Alexandretta was trailing her slowly, mimicking the same sauntering pace she had when approaching the cops. From her belt, I saw her draw another knife. Lexi had rounded the turn and was headed for the staircase when I saw her start to tumble. She slipped and flew against the railing with great force. The creaking and cracking sound of the banister echoed boisterously through the house. Lexi screamed as she and the banister toppled forward and over the great open space twenty feet above the first floor.
The banister finally caught, but not before Lexi was nearly over it. She laid there, suspended only by a few railings of half-shattered wood. I stopped short at the sight of my daughter lying over so great a drop. I threw myself forward, nearly leaping over the bodies in an attempt to get to Lexi. Suddenly, the wood began to shatter and Lexi started to slide down head first off the railing. Only her outstretched hand caught a spindle of wood which stopped her fall.
“Lexi!” I shouted. “Don’t let go!”
“Daddy!”
“Sweetie, hang on.”
I was moving quickly, but then I saw Alexandretta take to running as well. Throwing the knife down, she nearly lunged upon the vacancy in the railing. I screamed at her, but she did not so much as look in my direction. One hand stretched out to Lexi while the other gripped the closest intact railing.
There was anger and fear convulsing within me. Alexandretta reached Lexi and was about to take her! I might die, I reasoned, but not before I freed Lexi. I ran with all the energy I had, and as I came upon them, I shouted for Alexandretta to leave Lexi alone. But the words she replied were not words for me as she softly and soothingly said, “Reach for me, baby. Reach for Mommy.”
Alexandretta was kneeling and trying to grab Lexi when I, using the momentum I had gained, threw myself into her. We both slammed into the railing and fell to the floor. I rolled over, hurting from the blow I received when my head hit the banister. I wasted little time, however, and quickly moved into the empty space of the railing to reach out to grab hold of my daughter and pull her in. Alexandertta leapt to her feet, an action which caught my attention. On her face was painted the epitome of rage.
“Damn you to hell!” she roared, and breaking a spindle from the railing, she ran towards me, raising the stick to kill.
I waited, watched, and when she came rushing upon me; I crouched lower to receive her blow. Quickly grabbing her, I threw her over me. A final scream echoed as she fell into the darkness below.
Managing to get a good hold on Lexi, I