Seth's Delight - Death of a Madman

Maxwell
I woke from a dream, screaming his name. He wasn't dead, nor was he in Canada. He was there, holding me by the neck while William stood behind him, laughing at me. There he was with those black wings protruding from his back and those horns that emanated a glow that was as fierce as fire. He was the Devil himself, the tyrant in the flesh. And I had done his bidding and fell for his games, handing my daughter off to him. Lydia is too lighthearted and stupid to save me. It was Seth! It was Seth! He is Seth!

I jumped from the bed, and threw on my robe. I ran down the hallway in a daze, crying out into the darkness, calling out for Seth. I threw open Lydia's door to find them already gone. I yelled, throwing one of her shoes across the room and ran out into the snow to my car and sped off to my office.

Lydia
Seth and I went to the hotel that we stayed in during those five days of freedom. It was just as beautiful as it was when we stayed here before. The place was every bit of elegant. The walls were a creamy white that matched everything in the room, from the bed sheets to the drapes and the table tops. It reminded me of the snow. It was bright and comforting at the same time.

"Where are we going to go?'" I asked him. He looked at me for the longest while and I just read a bit of distress in his face. There was something so fragile about him, something that would soon be broken. I could see it. He wasn't the overly confident, arrogant man who walked up the steps to my Father's house and asked for my hand in marriage. No, he was someone entirely different. Someone who was going to protect me from the evils of the world, no matter what the cost. And for that , my life was his.
Seth looked at me and smiled a sideways smile." The choice is yours, Lydia. I should be asking you." he said. I walked to the window and looked down at the lively city below, wondering. Where did I want to go? Canada. I have always wanted to see Canada. I loved the cold weather and snow was my favorite. Heat would do me no good.

"Seth. How do you feel about Canada? I want to go there." I said.

I felt his hand resting at the small of my back, warm and comforting." Then the choice is made." He said, his lips against my neck. I smiled and led Seth back over to the bed." Let's celebrate our newfound freedom."

Maxwell
I sat in my office, twirling a knife in my hand. It had been so long since I used one of these. The blade was a mirror of the sharp smile that I was wearing. There was nothing like a night of chase and excitement that would make me feel better. Most of all I would get rid of the ghosts that haunted me...

A soft knock on the door took me from my thoughts and I slipped the blade under my sleeve." Come in." I said , quietly. The door creaked open just a bit and I reclined in the comfortable chair as Joe entered. His hair was ink black, the color of his tailored suit, and brushed away from his face." Morning to you boss," he said. There was a steaming black mug of coffee in his hand. I sighed and nodded to him." Joe, I have something I want you to talk to me about." Joe looked startled, then gained his composure and sat down in the seat across from me. I looked fixedly at his face for a moment. There were no creases, just smooth lightly tanned skin. There was no gray in that hair that was growing along the line of his strong jaw. Joe's face was made up of plains and angles, his nose and lips very defined. He was a handsome man and I could see the reason why Lydia would turn as red as a rose when he greeted her.

"Seth's back. He's been haunting me. Him and his brother. You remember William don't you?" I asked. There seemed to be a weird spark his eyes and his cheeks flamed red. " Don't feel guilty. I knew you borrowed that money from me to pay off a debt. But I had to teach that Seth a lesson. He was too good to be true. No one is that ...holy." I looked back at Joe's handsome face. The muscle in his jaw stood out from his red face and his eyes looked glassy. They were clear with something , something that was a bit threatening to me , but I knew Joe. Joe would never cross me and he obeyed me, directly. Maybe he was overcome with intense regret that we didn't get Seth too.

"Sir , if I may say something , I'd say that William is dead and Seth is long gone. I saw him, in Canada. I swear to you, I did." he declared. I smiled and shook my head slowly. " That is where you are wrong, Joe. Seth is here in New York. He is the same Seth that married my daughter, Lydia," I said, getting up from the seat and walking to the window. I looked down at the city below . Everything was beautiful , just as beautiful as New York had always been. I sighed and leaned against the cold glass. I imagined myself falling five stories and falling through the concrete and down to hell, straight into the fiery pit of the Devil's lair." That's impossible-"
"No", I interrupted" it isn't. Not at all. He is here and he wants to kill me. He wants revenge for his brother William." I said. I knew he did. Any other reason he would never have married Lydia." I think I should kill him before he kills me." My breath was a ghostly white against glass. Joe didn't say anything else. He just sat there, his eyes narrowed. He looked very unhappy as he glared down at the coffee cup." I'd like to leave now sir."

I nodded. There was a gun that sat on my sideboard. I eased over to it and hit it in the lapel of my jacket and walked over to Joe and rested my hand on his shoulder." We'll leave together." The finality in my voice was not to be challenged. He lifted himself from the chair and followed me out into the night, all the way to the Terrace Hotel.

SETH

Lydia lit a candle and put it on the bedside table. In the dark room , the flame was dull and still. I could only see the outline of Lydia's cheekbones and lips against the faint light. I still recognized her though. She was sitting in a chair across from the bed, smiling at me. She made a soft gesture, beckoning me toward her. How I could find beauty in her slender fingers and long nails, I did not know. But there was nothing but beauty in her. In her hands, her eyes , her face. She was like a sun that had risen and turned my eternal night into a bright and shining day when I thought morning would never come. I had been blessed, although I knew I didn't deserve it. Maybe we were meant to be together. Maybe all the events of my life had played a big role in me marrying Lydia. Fate is a tricky thing.

I rose and walked silently over to her and cuddled next to her in the chair. She sighed and laid her head upon my shoulder, dragging her soft hand across my chest." I never thought I'd feel this safe ever again." she whispered. Her voice was velvety, yet vulnerable. She seemed a bit weak and I knew why; she was worried about her mother. " You sound helpless Lydia."

She turned just a bit and looked into my eyes, holding me in place. The candle light, however dim, seemed to be swallowed up by those beautiful eyes. It looked as if the flame were flickering inside of her." Yes, I am very helpless when I am not with you. Being alone in that house with my father when my mother was away made me feel so vulnerable. I felt as if he would hurt me again. I never understood why he hurt me, like that." Her voice was a soft whisper in the dark that left my heart raw and dry. Lydia was still just an innocent little girl on the inside; someone who is looking for something that had been missing. She needed someone who cared and wasn't afraid to fight for her. Someone that would love her. I was glad that she married me.

"Lydia , I want you to listen to me. Some people don't have an explanation for what they do. They just do it out of sheer hatred, or they are just being cruel for fun. They have no reason for what they do, but they will be punished for it. Just watch." I said. She frowned a little, then she straightened up and wrapped her arms around my neck and planted a small kiss on the tip of my nose." I love you Seth. You put reason and meaning into everything. How you can live with constantly thinking all the time, I do not know. You're a brilliant person Seth." she said. I smiled and wrapped her into a tight embrace.

"I don't ever want to lose you, Lydia."
"I don't want to lose you either Seth. I love you...."

JOE

I had to act fast. It was only a matter of time before Max would do something that he wouldn't regret. I could tolerate everything else he did , but murdering his own child for the sake of himself was were I draw the line. I couldn't let him go through with it, not with what happened with Belle and William trailing me where ever I went. The man was getting old, and his mind was slipping, but that was no excuse. Those things that happened to Belle and William could've been prevented. I still remember them like it was yesterday. I had found Belle in the office with a knife stuck through a small bump in her belly. She was staring at me through hazy, nearly dead eyes, smiling. 'He doesn't want another child' she said to me. The hurt in her voice was palpable, I had felt an intense dread wash over me the moment she spoke. 'Joe, why do we allow ourselves to be stolen away by worldly greed' were her dying words. As she lay there with blood rapidly seeping from the knife in her belly I felt sick with grief for someone I didn't even know. My heart raced now, even as I thought about it.

Maxwell sat next to me, looking out the window. The streets were bustling with cars and people , but none of that seemed to matter inside. There was no sound at all; just the silence and the overwhelming dread that haunted me like a ghost . The midnight sky overhead was the red and occasionally flashed with white hot lightning. Maybe the storm was going to pass over, but the rain was definitely on its way. I could smell it; it was lingered a while, like the strong smell of blood.

From the side, I saw Maxwell turn and give me a grave look." I have a plan..."

ELIZABETH

Death was sure to come if I walked into the house at this hour. I knew Maxwell would throw a fit when I came home tomorrow , but at least I would have the entire night to think on it. I stood on the corner of two streets I didn't recognize, having walked from the elaborate brownstone with the most beautiful neighborhood to surround it. I was a bit intoxicated but I needed the escape from the world. I walked up and down the streets aimlessly until I came to an elegant hotel named The Terrace. I walked up the stairs and through the lobby, registered and went up to my room and laid down on the soft, comfortable sheets. The room was so wide and the light was soft and beautiful. I felt giddy with excitement as I looked around the room and saw that I was alone. This would be the first night in many, many years that I would be alone. There was no one here, ruling me, casting judgment on me as if they were God himself. There was no man here to tell me that I had no rights, that the only reason why I was here to please him and that was all.

There was nothing but this room and myself in it. I felt so joyous , I began to sob like a child and hugged a pillow to my chest. I was an older woman, one that had been through numerous struggles. One, being Maxwell's wife , only proved how strong and willing I was. And how stupid. Why I had ever married a man that beat me and threatened to murder me, I did not know. I cooked for him, cleaned for him and kept his secrets safe inside of me. I had gone to extremes that only few people have gone, to find the will to look the other way when he came home with scarlet splashed on his face and hands. I pretended not to listen to Maxwell and that whore when he thought I had left to run errands. Yes, I was stupid.

But no more. Lydia had Seth to keep her safe from harm. So for a while, I think I'll just stay here.

JOE

When Max registered , I stood by the stairs with a briefcase in my hand, controlling the tremors that were running through my body. I could hear the thunder rolling within the clouds, the rain beating at the windows. The storm was here and with force. It was strange for this time of year, but then again , anything could happen. Like it was now. Maxwell came over to where I was standing and smiled evilly at me as he held two keys in his hand." Let's go," he said, walking up the stairs.

I took a deep breath and followed after him , the can of gasoline in matches safe inside of briefcase. I didn't have to use them. I could prevent two, maybe a million more deaths if I just take out my gun right now and shoot Maxwell dead. The temptation to end what was about to start was strong but not strong enough. I kept following until we got to our own room. Maxwell sat down on the bed and took off his coat and rolled his sleeves up to the elbows and undid his tie." You know Joe, you seem a little ... worried. Is there anything you want to say to me?" he asked. I shook my head and looked away, drawing in enough air to cause an audible sigh.

Maxwell still looked me down with his old eyes." Joseph, you don't have to do this. You can walk away now. But I guarantee you, you won't make it to the stairs." he whispered. I knew what he was doing. He did the same thing to Seth and Belle and everyone else he tried to kill. He was threatening to kill me if I walked away from him. The coward.

"I'm not going anywhere sir, so calm down. Your paranoia is really beginning to ruin the plan." I said with a little edge to my voice. I was beginning to grow sick of him and his evil ways. Maybe I had already fucked off my chance to go to heaven, but this old man was making me think twice about having blood on my hands. I wouldn't mind if it was his.

Maxwell laughed and clapped his hands together as I gave him a stony glare." Finally you've stopped acting like a woman. I was starting to think you were turning into Elizabeth." He said, all the humor of an innocent joke behind his words. I couldn't bear to be around him anymore. I just wanted to get this over with. I had a plan of my own, a little surprise for Maxwell.

MAXWELL

Joe had always been a coward. He was a pacifist, one of those men who would rather talk than fight. That's all he was, all talk, no action. It made me wary of him and even now I question whether I should have left him at the office. I could tell in the slight frown that was pulling his mouth down, that he wasn't up to doing this. It was something I had grown accustomed to, over all these years. It seemed like the older he became, the less he lied, or stole. It was always as if he were afraid of something , afraid to be punished for his own mistakes.

Maybe he was afraid he would end up like me. Old and supposedly crazy. I'll show him.