Pure Evil

Shere, England

Ara had not expected that she would get this close to Angela and others in such a short span of time. She was coming back to the mansion from her orphanage. Today was her day off so she had left for the orphanage the previous evening only. She was missing her former home immensely.      

The mansion was already asleep by the time she came back. It was 12.30 in the evening. She had gotten late tonight. 

Ara quietly got into the unilluminated mansion and padded towards her room. She sensed something off. The air of the mansion felt different, colder. Not giving it much thought, she went to her room. 

Ara changed into her pajama and shirt. The trip had made her hungry. She decided to get something to eat from the kitchen. 

She bothered not to turn on the light as she now knew every inch of the mansion. 

Her eyes bulged out when she opened the refrigerator and saw a variety of mouth-watering food tucked inside it. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was some festival or something. Her tongue flicked out and slithered over her lips.   

Pleased with the view, she grabbed a bowl and filled it with white sauce pasta. She slid into the bar tool and started gobbling it up. 

Once her belly was full and packed, she washed the bowl and decided to go back to her room. 

She was on her way to her room when she heard a noise, making her stop in her tracks. She stood rooted to her spots, wondering if she actually heard something. Her doubts were dispelled when she heard the same noise a second later. Perhaps, Jenna is looking for something, she thought to herself. She decided to see her. 

The lights in the living area were off. Her heart hammered against her heart when she spotted the figure standing above the TV shelf, rummaging through drawers. It didn’t take her a second to realize that this mountain of a man was not Jenna. In fact, he wasn’t anyone she knew because she didn’t know anyone so huge. His silhouette was giant and frightening. 

A burglar. Her mind screamed. 

Her instincts kicked into gear. She had to think on her feet. Catch him off guard, Strike him, injure him and then scream bloody. Yes. She anxiously scanned her surroundings for any tool. A vase was kept on the table. She grabbed the vase, mindful of not making a noise. The burglar was still busy cursing under his breath and rooting through the drawers. What is he looking for? Does he really think he can find gold and diamond on a living area shelf? He appeared foolish to her. Perhaps, it wouldn’t be difficult to bring him down. 

She, with hushed steps, sneaked up behind him. With shaking hands, she swung the vase behind her shoulder. The burglar’s muscly body tensed up as if he had sensed her presence. But before he could turn around, she hit him with as much force as she could muster. Due to their huge height difference, the vase only managed to reach his shoulder. 

“What the Fuck,” the thief bent and hissed in pain. His voice, harsh and daunting. A shiver of dread ran down her spine. Her legs started trembling with fear. She couldn’t sense but his dangerous aura was intimidating her to no end. She raised the vase again and swung it towards him, this time targeting his head but the man grabbed her wrist in the mid-way, crushing her plan. His hold was firm and unrelenting. Her heartbeat started jackhammering against her heart and her hand started shaking. He was going to kill her. She attempted at releasing her hand from his death grip but the man wasn’t letting up. She was stunned with fear. He squeezed her wrist tightly. She whimpered as she felt a sharp pain, she felt her bone would crumble into powder. Her hold on the vase weakened and it fell from her hand, giving way to a loud crashing sound. 

The burglar raised his hand and flashed his phone’s flashlight on her.   

Ara brought her free hand up to shield her eyes from the sharp light. The burglar didn’t bother to remove the light even after sensing her discomfort. He stepped closer, she stepped back.

“Who are you?” a deep and sonorous voice rumbled. The voice with a strong accent. Goosebumps popped all over her body. She also sensed a tinge of agitation in his measured tone. Ara didn’t reply. Tears burst forth and her lips trembled. She just wanted to get out of here. 

“Leave me,” she croaked out. Her voice, so low that she doubted if he heard her. The man stood like a statue. 

“Who are you?” his voice demanded in a menacing tone. Dread twisted in her gut and a drop of tear slipped down her wide eyes. 

She couldn’t get words out of her mouth. He took her silence as disobedience. He stepped forward, exerted more pressure around her already aching wrist. She flinched and struggled to pry his hand off her. But this man had a hold of steel. 

Before she could say anything else, the room flooded with light. Not being able to take so much light at once, she squeezed her eyes shut. She heard familiar footsteps approaching her. 

Hope flickered inside her. She removed her arm from her eyes and dared to look up into the eyes of the intruder. A pair of green-grey beady eyes were staring at her with the intention of skinning her alive. His jaws were tense and his ice-cold eyes were reflecting rage, his insides were bursting with, in that moment. Finding his gaze unnerving, she instantly flickered her gaze down. 

Her cheeks flushed when she realized he wasn’t wearing any shirt. His rugged body resembled a canvas. A number of tattoos spread across his tanned chest. There was a tattoo of a serpent designed on his upper left chest and the other side had roman numbers written on it. Her eyes traveled down his bulging biceps and paused at a tattoo that caused her a tinge of discomfort. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed the evil symbol, a sigil of Baphomet branded on his bicep. Being a devotee of god, the discovery scandalised her. Why would anyone get that? Not a moment later, she realized it wasn’t the only one, he also had an unholy trinity tattooed on the inside of his forearm. Her eyes trailed to his torso that resembled a block of bricks and had a good share of strange tattoos on them. And then she felt even more embarrassed when she saw his pajama that was hanging dangerously low around his hips.   

“What just happened here?” she snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Jenna who sounded both surprised and confused.

“Who the fuck is she?” the man gritted out through his teeth. 

“Mr. Serrano, she..Oh lord, she is the new caretaker of Baby Angela. I don’t know what has happened here but trust me she meant no harm. She wasn’t aware of your arrival? She must have mistaken you for a thief,” Jenna blabbered nervously

Ara’s mouth dried and throat clogged. Did she hear Mr. Serrano? Her dewy eyes widened both in fear and shock. The remaining courage she had, left her at the mention of his name. She shifted her wide eyes over to Jenna who was looking at her with a sorry expression. Oh lord.  

He shot her hand away and turned to Jenna. 

“I want her out tomorrow morning,” he ordered sternly. 

Ara’s heart shattered into pieces. More tears brimmed her eyes. No, she can’t lose this job. She was tempted to fall to her knees and apologize but at the same time, she was afraid of his attention.  

“But sir..she,” 

“Tomorrow,” he interrupted in finality. His voice held a threatening tone. Jenna’s shoulder slumped in defeat and she nodded in acceptance.

“Now get me some fucking Advil,” he spat annoyed before striding away, towards his room, without sparing a single glance at appalled Ara. 

Ara noticed the digit “666,” tattooed on the back of his neck through her blurred vision as he swaggered towards his room without a care in the world. 

This man is pure evil, she thought to herself. 

She wept the night away in her bedroom. She had nowhere else to go now. How would she go back to the orphanage and face Sister Teresa? She had recommended her because she had faith in her. How disappointed would she be? Besides, they had already allotted her room to someone else. 

Why she had to be so stupid. She cursed herself for being so dumb then took to praying to God, begging him to do some miracle and change his mind. 

She knew she was going to miss everyone here. Angela, Jenna, Mr. Brown, all of them had become a family to her in such a short span of time.

Her heart sank to her stomach when the sun rose on the horizon. This was her last day in the house. 

She reluctantly packed her handful of clothes in her bag. She was packing when a knock interrupted her. 

Not a moment later, Jenna’s head peeked in. She was also wearing a sorrowful expression. The older woman stepped inside. Ara attempted at a bright smile but that came out as weak and fake. 

“You done?” Jenna initiated the conversation. 

“Yeah. Almost,” Ara’s shifted his gaze to her bag before fixing it on Jenna. An awkward silence filled the air.

“Listen, Ary, I am extremely sorry for whatever is happening. You don’t deserve it. You are a very sweet girl and the best at your job. I had never seen Angela this happy. I wish I could do something to make it stop. But Mr. Serrano is a bull-headed man. He doesn’t listen to anyone, especially if the “anyone” is one of us. According to him, people like us who don't have status and money, also lack in intellect,” she snorted indignantly. It was evident that she had no love lost for her employee. 

“But you don’t lose hope. You are a very talented girl. I am sure you’ll get another job in a matter of days,” Jenna smiled kindly at her.

Ara nodded and returned her smile, despite feeling a burning sensation in her heart. 

“Give me fifteen minutes, I’ll get you your breakfast,” she told her. Ara shook her head but the woman was already out the door. 

She left the mansion after finishing her breakfast. It was 7 in the morning and the mansion was still asleep. She left without meeting Angela. She knew she wouldn’t be able to leave if she would ask her to stay. That would be even more difficult. 

Mr. Brown was standing by the main door of the mansion, waiting for her. He also looked sad. Jenna had told him everything last night.

“Good Morning, Mr. Brown. You woke up early today,” Ara greeted him with a smile. She wrapped her arms around herself, instantly missing the warmth of the mansion. The weather felt colder than usual. Maybe because it was still early in the morning.   

“Good Morning,” he tried to smile but he couldn’t. Both of them regressed into silence, not knowing what to say next. This was an awkward moment.  

Mr. Brown broke the silence by clearing his throat. “I’ll drop you,”. A genuine smile graced her lips. These people are so nice. 

“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Brown. But I don’t want to trouble you. I’ll walk to the station,” she replied.

“Nonsense. I’ll drop you to the station,” he dismissed her with a wave of the hand. She had a wide smile on her face now. She loved when people cared for her.   

She followed him with her bag in her hand. Jenna was still standing at the door watching her leave. Ara turned her head to catch the last sight of her. Jenna flashed a rueful smile and waved at her. Ara didn’t like the fact that she was blaming herself for the situation. She lifted her hand and put it in front of her lips, gesturing to her to smile. A real smile cracked on Jenna’s lips. Ara’s lips widened and she nodded in approval before waving her bye. 

She turned around instantly and a tear dropped down her eyes in time. She was an emotional person. Very emotional. She wiped her eyes and fell in steps behind Mr. Brown.   

She sat in the front alongside Mr. Brown as he kicked the car into motion. She leaned her head against the window glass and watched the world rushing by. She was still not sure what she was going to do with her life now. The fact that she got fired from her first job had managed to damage her already shaky confidence. 

“We are here,” Mr. Brown’s voice pulled her out of her troublesome thoughts. Her eyes took in the same bus stop she had got down on yesterday. 

She turned to Mr. Brown. “Thank you, Mr. Brown. I appreciate it,” she showed her gratitude with her charming smile. This time Robert reciprocated but with a sad smile. 

“We are sorry, child,” he confessed. 

“Please, don’t be. It wasn’t in your hand. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have acted on impulse. I hit him with the vase. That must have hurt a lot. Although he didn’t show any sign,” she muttered the last sentence to herself. She had hit him hard.

“No. It wasn’t your fault. You did what was expected of you. Mr. Serrano overreacted,” he stated.

“That doesn’t matter now. He is the boss. He can do whatever he wants. But now you cheer up. It’s not that I am dying or something. Don’t worry I’ll call and visit you all. After he leaves, of course,” she added hesitantly. 

Mr. Robert smiled and gave her a warm smile. 

“We will wait,” he replied

“Good. Now, cheer up and see me off with a wide smile. His smile widened a fraction. 

She got off the car and leaned in front of the car’s window. 

“I’ll miss you all and tell Angela, I love her,” her voice thickened with emotions.

“We’ll miss you too and I'll relay your message,” he admitted. Ara nodded. She felt tears invading her eyes. She didn’t want him to see it so she bid goodbye in hurry and turned her back on him as she started towards the bus stand. 

She heard his car speeding away.

What will she do now? 

Ara perched on the bench and started waiting for the bus. After half an hour later, a bus came but she didn’t get on it. She just couldn’t. She didn’t want to see the disappointment in Sister Teresa’s eyes and most importantly she didn’t want to be a burden on the orphanage. If only she had saved some money for herself. She could have afforded a night stay at a cheap motel at least. The thing is she had donated a large part of her earnings to the orphanage as she thought she wouldn’t need them anytime soon, guess she got ahead of herself. Just when she thought her life was getting on track. 

She took a sigh and leaned back her head on the wall.

7 hours flew by, many passengers came and left but she couldn’t gather enough courage to get on the bus. 

She squeezed her eyes, “I need your guidance, Lord. Help me, God. Help me. Please, help me,” she murmured desperately to herself. 

“Ary,” her eyes peeled open at the joyous squeal. 

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Angela before her. The little girl was grinning ear to ear. Her eyes alight with glee. 

She shot to her feet and ran up to her. Ary got down on her knees, put her hand on the hand bar of her wheelchair and eyed her with a frown between her brows.  

“What are you doing here, Angel?” she asked concerned

“I brought her here. She had refused to eat or even drink after you left,” She snapped her head up and saw Mr. Brown standing behind Angela’s chair. 

“Ohhh,” she said. A soft smile graced her lips. 

“Were you missing me?” she teased the girl playfully as she pinched her nose.

“It is clear now that I love you more than you love me, Ary. I came to see you but you didn’t,” she said with what she believed was a fierce glare. Ara’s heart sank. She wrapped her arms around Angela and placed her chin on the top of her head. 

“It’s not that, sweety. I love you more than you can imagine. I wouldn't have been able to leave if I had met you,” she admitted. She pulled away and cradled her chubby cheeks. 

“But now you should leave. It’s getting dark. I’ll call you,” she smoothed her stray hair

“No. You are coming with me,” Her lower lip stuck out slightly

“I can’t, little one. I promise I’ll come to visit you but now you’ll have to go back home,” she said gently

“No. I said you are coming with me and that’s final,” the little girl shouted in finality. 

Ara sighed, and directed a “help me” look at Mr. Brown, who was watching the exchange with amusement in his eyes. 

“Don’t you know Ary, It’s bad to break an angel’s heart. Especially when an angel is as cute as her,” he said. Ary’s brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Mr. Brown you shouldn’t say….”

“Mr. Serrano wants you to come back and rejoin your duty,” he cut her short. Ary’s eyes popped out in surprise. 

“What?”

“You heard it right, dear,” he answered. She stayed silent for a moment.

“How?” The man was fuming mad at her yesterday. 

“ This little angel of yours threw a hell lot of tantrums today. He eventually agreed to take you back,” he explained. Her heart bloomed with joy. She still had a job and she could still stay with Angela, Jenna, and Mr. Brown. 

She looked at Angela with a surprised expression. The girl was smiling smugly. She knew what she had done. 

“Thank you, little one,” she said before hugging her. Tears moistened the corner of her eyes. 

“Let’s go back home. I am hungry,” Angela whined and jumped impatiently in her chair. Ary chuckled and nodded.