Okay?”
Sherry nodded. Simon strode up to the closet and took a hold of the knob. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he muttered.
“Just hurry up and do it,” Sherry told him.
Holding the machete firmly in his left hand, Simon flung the closet door open. He was ready to strike, but frowned and lowered the machete when he saw nothing in there. “Can’t see anything,” Simon said.
Sherry joined Simon and studied the dim closet. She squatted down and saw blood on the carpet. “Simon! There’s blood.”
“What?” Simon crouched down and saw a small pool of blood seeping into the carpet.
They both flinched when a drop of blood fell from the bunch of clothes and landed on the floor.
They both stood up. Before Sherry had a chance to do it, Simon flung the hanging clothes to the side and gasped.
When Sherry saw the headless body hanging by a thick hook, she jumped back and began crying.
Simon stepped closer and studied the corpse. He guessed the head in the sink belonged to this body. It was a woman, and judging by the flat stomach and long slender legs, she used to be young, perhaps around the same age as Sherry. Blood sheathed the lifeless body like a can of paint had been poured over it.
“Is there a note?” Sherry asked from behind.
“Jesus, do I have to look?”
Sherry huffed. “Fuck! I’ll do…”
“No,” Simon said. “You wait there.” There wasn’t much of a stink, so the body couldn’t have been dead for long. Still, Simon held his breath and stepped into the closet. He wrapped his arm around the body and searched for the note. The skin felt icy cold and sticky from blood. He could feel himself wanting to gag, but he swallowed and continued the grotesque hunt. “I can’t feel anything,” he called back. “Maybe it’s…” He stopped. He closed his eyes and tried hard not to puke.
“What? What is it? You find the note?”
Simon nodded slowly. “Sure did. It’s up her…bottom.”
Sherry couldn’t help but snigger when Simon said that word. It sounded strange for a gown man to call it a bottom.
“You wanna take the note?” Simon barked.
“No, no, I’m sorry, Simon.”
Simon took a deep breath and gripped the note with the tip of his fingers. He pulled it out with care, he wasn’t sure why, and let his breath out when he had fished it from between her cheeks. He jumped back from the body and threw the note down. It fluttered to the floor. “I can’t believe this is happening,” Simon panted.
Sherry bent down and picked up the note.
“Don’t touch…” Simon began.
Sherry straightened up and looked at him. “We have to, Simon.” She unfolded the bloodstained note.
“Greetings and salutations! If you are reading this it means you have found the lovely lass. And yes, to answer your question, her head is currently sitting in your laundry sink. Now, take off your panties, dear.
And sir, can you please…”
Sherry stopped reading and looked up. Simon’s mouth was gaping, and he was panting hard. “What is it?”
Without uttering a word, Sherry continued to read.
“… can you please close your mouth. You look like a goddamn fish.”
“It doesn’t say that. Give me the note.” He snatched the note off Sherry and scanned down the page. His face drained of colour. “This isn’t right. How can he know that!”
“I don’t know,” Sherry muttered. She started to take off her silk panties.
“What are you doing?”
“Have to do what he says.” She tossed them onto the bed.
Simon gazed at her nakedness. “Why? Why the fuck do we have to play his fucking game?”
“Do I need to answer that for you?” Sherry said. “I’m not sure what kind of freaky nut we’re dealing with, but I’m sure as hell not going to take any chances. We might just get out of this alive if we obey what the note says.”
Simon didn’t know what to say. He simply held up the note and continued to read.
“Good. Now, both of you go back into
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