WARNING! This story is for adult readers. It includes violence, delicate themes, sex and drugs. Each reference to real people or facts is purely random. The photos of the actresses are related to the virtual cast of the characters, used only for making the story more appealing.
NOTE: Alec and Cat characters, appearing here in this chapter, are part of the comic story (work in progress) entitled NOBODY’S HOME by Mel Bee, kindly granted by the Author for the making of this story.
The Black House
1
First impact
That morning Ruby woke up very early. She dressed up with her dry and clean clothes, placing the ones borrowed from Diana on a chair in her bedroom, then she took her phone from the bag, starting a call.
Diana was leaning with her shoulder against the door side, wearing only an oversize T-shirt, watching her.
“Are you in a rush?”
“I must go to the office.”
“Do you want me to give you a ride?”
“Not necessary.”
“It is instead…I’m sorry for tonight…”
“Seriously?” she asked ironically, while she invited Diana to shut up, gesticulating with her hand.
“Yes, probably I’ll be there some minutes later. See you.” The phone call was quick.
“You do not want me to give you a ride.”
“No. Definitely, no.”
“Who did you call?”
“Not your business.”
After the last firm denial, Diana stretched her arm to the door side, trying not to make her go out.
“If you want…I can make it up…”
They looked in each other’s eyes for a moment, with the same depth of the night before, and it was as if they have known each other since forever; the same familiar sense of who feels the other person as a safe place. Then, a klaxon coming from the street broke that kind of magic.
“Who do you think I am? Let me go!”
This time she realized that resisting was useless, so she tried to take time.
“Can I call you later?”
“If you want to show me something else, yes. Otherwise, no.”
“You are so categorical.”
“I must go. Talk soon.”
Ruby glanced Diana with disapproval, then, without adding anything else, she left closing the door.
She looked back for a moment, as if she wanted Diana to open the door again to stop her and let her in. But her wish was not fulfilled, so she walked directly to the exit on the street.
She waited for some minutes, then finally, a taxi arrived. Without even waiting for the car to stop completely, she got in, with the taxi driver looking at her surprised and with a funny face.
“We are in a rush?”
“Yes. Can you drive me to the Times office? Thank you.”
The taxi driver nodded, but then he turned the car off.
“What? Something wrong?” Ruby spoke to the man, looking in his eyes through the rearview mirror.
“I think you must get out of the car, Miss.”
“What?” Ruby didn’t know if she should laugh or get angry. She was surprised.
“There is someone waving at me, I think you know her.”
“I don’t care! Please start the car.”
“If I were you, I’d get out of the car, she was not chasing the others.”
“The…others…?” Ruby was confused.
“Do you know her…?”
“Yes…well…let’s say so. If you want to get out…”
Ruby looked at Diana through the window, she was waiting for her on the stairs at the entrance of the house, smiling. Then, sighing, she opened the door and went out of the car, going to her.
“So?”
“So, I’ll drive you there. Better, you drive!” and she threw her the car keys.
They were on West 4th Street, and they ignored each other for a good part of the trip.
Diana often watched Ruby insistently, while Ruby was pretending of not feeling her glance, weighting on her instead, until, tired of feeling embarrassed, decided to do the most obvious thing, turning on the radio.
Useless action, Diana turned it off immediately. Ruby turned on her, completely annoyed.
“I liked that song!”
“Sure…” replied ironically.
“You’re exhausting, Diana…”
“No, I just want to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to listen. I just want to arrive to the office. Because of you, I’ll be later than I thought.”
“Since you are with me, they will believe that you received interesting information from me. They won’t complain.”
“You think so?” What’s this noise?” the car was making a buzz, becoming more and more intense and annoying.
“Don’t know. Not my car.” Ruby looked at her badly.
“It belongs to the department. Don’t panic.”
Ruby started touching the car devices, turning on the air conditioning as well, trying to understand from where the noise was coming from.
“You know, my father was used doing the same. He always broke everything.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you.” She was touching, pushing, and activating buttons and handles, under Diana’s annoyed glance.
“I think we should find a mechanician.” Diana said, while she was absently looking out of the window. She noticed the other cars were running way faster.
“Sorry but… how fast are you going?”
“About forty miles.”
“Weren’t you in a rush?”
“The point is that this wreck is not going faster than this!” Ruby was annoyed.
“There is an underground parking space not far from here, we can leave the car there and then I’ll call my colleague” Diana placed a hand on Ruby’s one, while she was steering.
The touch made her bounce.
“Are you nervous?” Diana didn’t let go.
“What you think?” Ruby tried to push Diana’s insistent contact away with her elbow, but she didn’t accept it, making a more daring physical contact, brushing her groin and trying to unbutton her pants.
Ruby was not believing at such a daring attempt, and that part of her who liked those kinds of attentions made her lose control of the car, while she was going down the parking ramp quickly, noticing that something was not right.
“Shit!! The brakes are not working!”
Panicking and rushing, she tried to search for the handbrake blindly, but Diana stopped her.
“Try not to lose your mind and do what I say!” Diana’s cold blood was enviable.
“Slowly let the accelerator go and climb down the gear!”
Ruby did it without talking, until the car slowed down as much as needed to let Diana insert the handbrake.
The car suddenly stopped at a few centimeters from a concrete column. But it was not over yet. The shock made Diana notice something strange coming out from the dashboard: a thin and weird thread, almost hidden, that was not part of the car.
Ruby watched Diana curiously, while she seemed to be very sure of herself.
“There’s something strange…”
“What you mean?”
The thread was connected to a device, hidden among the wires, not leaving doubts about what was happening.
“Go out of this trap, now! There’s a bomb in here!”
While Ruby didn’t have any problem opening the door, Diana couldn’t get out, because her door was blocked, so she lost precious time using the driver’s one.
“Run, shit! What are you doing here?”
“Helping you, dumbass!”
Ruby threw Diana out of the car grabbing her arms, and she lost her balance after jumping out, falling on her.
They didn’t have any time to look at themselves that a light smoke first, and some sparkles then, became a huge roar, while the car was on fire and some pieces of the car body were thrown all around.
The two women lost consciousness for some minutes.
The smoke and pungent smell of fire was spreading through all the lowest part of the building.
Diana was the first to regain consciousness, and seeing the other one on the floor, supine, ran towards her, despite not being fully ok after the explosion.
She made sure Ruby was breathing, so she tried to wake her up, shaking her lightly.
Not receiving positive signs, she panicked, screaming loud.
“Ruby, wake up…shit, wake up!” she looked around desperately, to see if the aids were there and to search for her phone into the pockets, but then she felt a hand on her.
“Diana, what…? Ruby was in a state of confusion.
“Can you get up?” not receiving any positive reply, she helped her to sit, and then she saw her arm was bleeding, so she ripped a piece of her shirt, to plug the wound and medicate it temporarily.
“Now lean against me, we have to get away immediately from here!”
The smoke was increasing, so they rushed to find the exit, through the labyrinth of cars and debris, despite the view was very unclear.
Once out of the area, they found the aids and a couple of police squads, who immediately recognized Diana. One of the cops got closer.
“I could imagine all but to see you here. What the fuck happened?”
“Someone placed a bomb into the car, and I think I know who he is.”
“Who? That kid? Come on, he’s dumb!”
“He’s not dumb, Steve! Don’t try to make me pass as a visionary!”
“You’re sure it was him, but…”
“I’m not sure, shit! Ok, enough! I will go to the police station asking for a lift to one of the cars and then I’ll leave my witness”.
“Not needed, now try to get better and send it by mail. I’ll take it.”
While they were talking, Steve waved his head towards Ruby, with a giggle, while she was receiving medication from an operator of the ambulance.
“Who is she?”
“Not your business.”
“A new “friend”?”
“You should learn to make your own business, for once.”
“Have you already dumped the other?”
“Tell me, Steve, how’s your wife?” this time Diana was smiling ironically, getting an embarrassed silence from the cop.
In the meantime, Ruby was feeling observed and, without drawing attention, walked to Diana, naturally.
“You know this wasn’t an accident, right?” Diana nodded.
“By the way, while I was getting medication, I saw a young guy on a motorcycle, who was watching you from the sidewalk in front of us…”
“Is he still here?” Diana was visibly shacking.
“Don’t know, don’t think so…”
“Let’s go!”
2
Street guys
“How’s your arm? All ok? You were bleeding much.” Diana was worried about the woman, but anxious for what she told her before.
“Yes, but you still didn’t tell me who is this Lucas Walsh.”
“He’s the piece of shit who murdered my daughter. Don’t ask me if I’m sure he was the one, because this question makes me lose my nerves. Where have you seen him?”
“Over there.” Ruby waved in the direction of a narrow street, that was passing through old buildings, crossing the entire district in the complete darkness.
“I’ll go alone, if you don’t feel like it.”
“No, don’t mention it, going into the dangerous streets of the Bronx is my favorite hobby!” Diana smiled, despite everything, until they went inside that street.
Diana was silent for a long time, focused on looking into that heavy twilight, searching for clues that could lead her to her man, until she heard clearly two kids’ voices, from a narrow alley.
“We can make good money with this, to divide with Rey and Vi. What you think?”
“It can be enrolled, leave it, Alec!”
“Don’t say bullshit, Cat! We didn’t find it in Manhattan’s high districts!” replied the other kid.
Diana tried to hide herself into the shadow as much as possible, and she clearly saw two guys in their twenties, talking in front of a motorcycle. Blinded by rage, she matched it with the one belonging to Lucas Walsh, so she decided to come forward, but Ruby grabbed her wrist.
“What do you want to do? They’re surely armed.”
“I just want to talk to them. Let me go!” Diana didn’t realize she raised her voice, alerting the two guys in front of her: a blonde one with gentle traits, and the other with darker skin.
The last one immediately jumped, while the blonde one was still, as to challenge Diana, waiting for her to be in front of him.
“What the hell, Alec? Come on! Let’s go!”
“Guys! Stop! This is the police!”
The two guys were running, but Diana was running quick as well behind them.
“Why are you running away, Cat?”
“I don’t want troubles! Not today!”
“Fuck you, Luis!” the blonde stopped, then turned around and stayed standing still, with a closed punch and the other hand behind his back, ready to use the gun, waiting for Diana.
The darker one took only a few steps ahead, then stopped and walked beside the other.
“Now I like you!” Alec smiled proudly.
“We won’t do anything. If things will get bad, worse for her…but she doesn’t seem dangerous…”
“Always the same. Always different from the others! I can’t believe I’m indulging you!”
Diana reached the two guys. She tried to breathe.
“Why didn’t you stop? I only want to ask you a couple of questions, nothing more.”
“The ones like you don’t ask questions.” Alec replied firmly.
“You’re right, and in other circumstances would be like that, but…”
“But?” Cat pressed.
“Wait, who the fuck’s coming?” Alec saw Ruby coming, with his eye corner, and was decided to use the gun, but Cat, knowing his friend, grabbed his wrist.
“Let’s go, what do you think these dumbasses could tell you?”
“Please, don’t interfere, ok?”
“You perfectly know Noa didn’t hang out with these guys! I don’t understand what you’re looking for!”
“Noa…?” Cat whispered the girl’s name with strangled voice.
“Do you know her?” Diana opened her big dark eyes, shook Cat grabbing him by his shoulders, while the guy was silent. Then, he regained himself.
“No, I…don’t…” for a few seconds he crossed Alec’s disapproval glance, but then decided to speak.
“I’m going to tell you all I know, but then you must forget you’ve ever seen us…”
“Look at this one!” Ruby broke in, almost mocking at him, receiving Diana’s disapproval glance.
“I don’t work in your district, and I have no reason on investigating about you, but if you saw or heard something, please tell me…”
“Please... Noa is…was…my daughter.”
The two guys looked at each other, then, Cat decided to talk first, with the clear disappointment of Alec, painted on his face.
“Well, I…we…don’t know her, but we were at Mott Haven…”
“Shit, Cat! Do you understand that she wants to trick us?”
He kept talking, ignoring his friend.
“…I saw two guys walking away…the bigger one had a girl on his shoulders…maybe she was too drunk or high to move. Or maybe…”
“Maybe?” Diana pressed.
“…maybe she was already dead, because the guy standing beside the bigger one was crying…and I heard him spelling that name…Noa.”
“Where have you seen her exactly?” Diana’s glance was desperate, and Cat could feel it.
“Near the North underground station, half an hour from here, there is an abandoned house. Everyone calls it The Black House.”
“The black house?” Ruby was doubtful.
“Yes, it’s called in this way because scary noises and verses are coming from there.” Alec intervened, seeing his friend seriously determined to help Diana, so he tried to be a little softer.
“Even if it’s called in this way, is not dismissed as the others around, it’s very beautiful instead. Surely belongs to some rich man, who’s pretending it’s abandoned…you know?” Cat was going on.
“Ok, thank you. You can go.”
“You don’t have to tell us” Alec was very annoyed by Diana’s authoritative reply.
“I hope we could help you in some way.” Cat waved to his friend. Walking fast, they completely disappeared in the street dim light, in a few seconds.
“What are we doing about this?” Ruby climbed on the motorcycle, as if she could drive it.
“Get down!” Diana was annoyed by the journalist’s shallow move, then she took her phone and called the police station.
3
Smell of the death
Lucas was a loner, not for his choice; life had cornered him more than once.
His only “friends”, with time, have become dealers, backers, and prostitutes. People who always wanted something from him; who “worked” with him or for him.
Liam represented that brother he always wished he could have: a safe place where to hide when all around was becoming a suffocating spiral.
Nothing was able to touch Lucas’ sensibility, but that skinny and fragile kid, maybe because Liam could see who he was, some time ago.
When he was a kid, being an only child was making him feel different from his school mates, who, on the contrary, had brothers and sisters.
Lucas was shy and clumsy with everyone, he didn’t have someone to play with, a friend or a confident.
When his parents were fighting, he was closing his room’s door and was bringing his hands on his ears, imagining of having another life.
Despite nothing was missing on the material plan, everything was missing on the emotional one.
Growing up, and becoming more and more aware of what was around him, he often saw his father coming home stained with blood, and when Lucas was running to hug him, the man pushed him away, as if he was a stranger.
It was pointless to search for comfort from his mother who, after spending many years in tears, decided to change life, going out late at night, with provocative clothes, to meet strangers. He soon found out from his house’s staff, who was gossiping, that they were his mother’s lovers.
This was one of the many scenes Lucas attended to when he was a child, and that were repeated through the years, until the day when he was a teenager and he saw his mother Grace, dying.
Lucas was the one finding her dead body.
The woman was lying on her bed, in her luxurious room, and what the kid could feel, even before seeing her, was the bitter and sickening smell of cigarettes extinct hours before, even if there was no ashtray.
He went closer, immediately noticing his mother’s pale skin, her eyes closed and a hand on her stomach, holding the fabric of her silk dressing gown, as if the woman could have felt an intense pain, before dying.
He could not even think of trying to help her, since three big men entered in the room silently, followed by his father, who jumped in front of him and started to slap his face.
“You should thank me.”.
The three men wrapped Grace’s dead body in the sheets and took her away, in front of Lucas’ eyes, who was hurt on his face and in his heart.
In that moment, the kid could see many memories of his mother sliding in front of him, as if he had completely forgotten them before.
Grace was almost never smiling and, when it was happening, his husband was used to put her in her place, making her notice how dysfunctional their relationship was, with his narcissistic and arrogant behavior. How wrong she was.
Lucas could not find any trace of happy moments in his mind, happy episodes with his parents, not even calm moments.
He could only remember fights behind their bedroom door, his dad going out slamming it, and his mother calling to hug him. But it was not long enough, because the woman immediately started to use alcohol and cigarettes, completely forgetting about him.
Lucas loved her, as a child who loves and justifies a parent who, for a million reasons, ended up with her back against the wall.
When his mother died, even his back ended up against that same wall.
4
September 11th
When they arrived at Diana’s place, the door didn’t want to open.
“Shit, it’s been a year since we have this problem, and the administrator still didn’t change the damn door lock!”
“Wait, I’ll try.” Ruby moved Diana’s hand softly, and she brushed her hand back, leaving the keys fall on the floor, but they seemed not to care, as their hands entwined.
“Diana…” each time their eyes crossed, it felt like a spell, that was bringing them somewhere else, to make them suddenly fall back into reality.
“Leave it.” Diana lowered, got the keys, and this time the door opened without issues.
Entered in the apartment, Diana turned one of the lamps on, adjusting the soft light, threw her bag and jacket on the sofa, then she sat there. She removed her shoes and laid on it. Ruby closed the door behind her softly, leaning on it with her back. She knew some complaining was about to come.
“You…you’re not attracted to me, aren’t you?” Diana passed her hands on the temples, as if a strong headache was about to arrive.
“No. Not true. And today was way too heavy to talk about these things.” Ruby was looking to the floor and to the fugues between one tile and the other, in the attempt to escape Diana’s glance.
“Why do you want to see me, if you don’t want me?”
“You only want to fill a void.”
“You really think you can replace my daughter? Watch me when I speak!”
“Yes. I do.” Ruby wanted to challenge Diana, going closer.
“A son cannot be replaced by anyone in the world. Do you know that? Don’t think so, you haven’t children.” Diana knitted her forehead, and two light vertical lines between her eyebrows made her look older, more mature than her age.
“I don’t have children, but I was a daughter. A parent cannot be replaced as well.”
“Perfect, so what are we talking about, Ruby?”
In the end she sat beside Diana, collapsing among the pillows, heavily tired.
“Your mother replaced you, right?”
“What?” Ruby was confused by the question.
“When your father died, and she started a new life, you felt replaced, didn’t you?”
“How the fuck you…?”
“I got informed about you as well.”
Diana got up, took a green folder among some books from one of the bookshelves in the living room, under the incredulous eyes of the journalist, then she threw it on Ruby’s legs.
“But the difference between me and you…” Diana went on “is that I am driven by a real interest about you, you are only interested in writing a good article, instead.”
“What a big son of a…”
Ruby, shocked and dazed, was aware that she was violated in her private sphere, understanding for the first time how was not to be the one who was writing the article, but the one who was damaged by it.
Charles Evans was only a cop trying to do his job, when on September 11th, 2001, in the attempt to maintain the order, his Smith & Wesson accidentally hit a pregnant woman, who was running, trying to save herself.
He thought nobody saw that, in the confusion, not considering his partner, Idan Bitton, was just behind him.
His conscience didn’t allow him to do his job as before: he was often absent, and when he was working his breathe smelled like alcohol.
After a few months from the accident, Charles was dismissed, and his days were passing lazily, between a bottle of Vodka and half-a-score cans of beer. His wife Ava could not bear this anymore, she could not see him on the sofa, between the disorder and the smell. She was initially coming home only to cook lunch and dinner to her daughter, but then her coming backs became more and more occasional: Ruby had to learn to cook and program the washing machine by herself, because her mother left.
But she was not the only one who left. Soon all Evans family just ceased to exist.
It was about 19 when Ruby came back from school: a simple Autumn evening as many others.
The lights were all off. The apartment was enlightened only by the weak rays of light, coming from the streetlamps.
No sounds. Only the squeaking of the door, closing behind her.
“Dad…?”
Ruby tried to turn the light in the living room on, but it didn’t work.
She remembered that the week before, the electric company sent the countless reminder for the nonpayment of the bills.
She took her phone, trying to make some light with the display, walking slowly through the corridor to reach the bedrooms.
“Dad, are you sleeping?”
Ruby’s hesitant hand opened lightly the bedroom door, until it was wide open, while the phone enlightened the middle of the room.
Ruby’s scream choked with weeping filled the building.
“I am aware it’s not easy for such a young girl to find out her dad’s dead body.”
“Why are you doing this to me, Diana…?” Ruby’s voice was trembling.
“How did you find your dad?”
“Isn’t… isn’t it in your dossier? Why are you asking this to me?”
“I want you to tell me.”
Ruby didn’t reply.
“Fine. Here it goes: «Charles Evans. 49 years old male found hanging from the chandelier with a rope made by electric wires, in his bedroom. Beside him, a scissor ladder, most probably used for the preparation…»”
“Stop it…”
«The violent action of the electric wires caused the hyoid bone fracture. »
Ruby lowered her head, with her elbows placed on her knees. She looked beaten.
“How did you feel when you found him? Here it’s written that the daughter (you) was in a sever state of shock…”
The woman was showing her uneasiness explicitly, entwining her fingers, as to clean them from something dirty.
Diana noticed that but kept browsing the documents carefully.
“After the episode, until you became an adult, you were under treatment with Dr. Parker and…”
“I wish I could see you…”
“Excuse me?” Diana pretended she didn’t understand.
“…find your father hanged in front of you, completely cyanotic and…”
“I saw many of them during my career. And you forget I also saw my daughter.”
“But I was 18 years old!” she shouted.
“You cannot resist. Isn’t it, Ruby?”
The journalist was gesticulating nervously, then she got up, run to the bathroom slamming the door, to place her soapy hands under the water, brushing them until they were bleeding.
Grimaces of pain, tears, and sobs, didn’t cease until Diana opened the door looking at Ruby, who exchanged glance, with her black make-up pouring from the corner of her eyes, along with tears.
Diana didn’t say a word. She hugged the woman from behind, bringing her arms on the front and picking Ruby’s ones, getting her white shirt wristbands dirty with blood.
They stayed like that until Ruby, raising her face to the mirror and seeing that scene reflected, tried to wriggle out, but Diana didn’t let her, until she gave up. She regained her breathe, finding herself in front of the woman, who was looking at her with sweetness and eyes full of tears.
Diana felt an infinite tenderness for Ruby, and held her tight, transported by her feelings, not imagining that she would have been returned, until she felt Ruby’s hands behind her back, and her face resting on her breast. She could feel her warm breath on her skin.
Diana closed her eyes, curving her neck backwards, letting herself go into that long and desperate hug, which felt like love, comfort, and consolation. Warm and familiar. Pulsing.
“Why…why, Diana?
“It’s the weight you carry inside you…” Diana took Ruby’s face between her hands. They were both full of tears.
“…I know that weight and I felt it…you haven’t to run from me, I can feel you…” she hugged her tight once more.
Ruby didn’t say anything, Diana’s words and her warmth were making her feel safe. At the same time, she understood that Diana’s intentions were not harming her, but they were going to let the pain go out, along with her sense of guilt that was oppressing her since she was young.
Ruby could not cry after his father’s death, not even after a long time. She believed that putting the mask of a strong and fearless woman, she could have moved on, but the seed of pain had grown up to the excess, also invading her adult life.
Diana knew that, because the same seed was growing inside her, after Noa’s death.
TO BE CONTINUED…
millestorieunanotte 