Patrick McNulty

Sebastian Westbrook is the pseudonym for an unassuming young undergrad from the UK, just starting his adventures in writing. He enjoys RPG video games a little too much and spends more time on them than he should. When he can peel himself away, he reads fantasy fiction in the main, but also enjoys the horror genre, particularly movies.

MY LUSUS NATURAE

by    

Sebastian Westbrook

I hear the music box again. It’s time.

I get up from my seat and make my way down the hall. I retrieve a key from a hook on the wall and carry on, only stopping when I reach the cellar door. I unlock it and push it open. A stairway leading down into darkness awaits me. The music box is louder now.

I retrieve a lamp left on the first step for convenience and proceed down the stairs cautiously with the aid of the light. I eventually find the cellar dimmer switch and turn it up just a little. I don’t want to startle her too much. I turn off the lamp and turn to the source of the music. Ah, there she is.

Amica sits by her favourite toy: the music box. She winds it whenever she wants my attention, usually so I can feed her. Her head is inches away from the ceiling and her long arms hang down limply from her sides and snake across the floor. Her legs are similar, almost long enough to reach the stairway from the other end of the room. Her dark, dry hair hangs down, draped over her shoulders, and reaching to just below her ribcage. Her chest is covered with a white smock, down to her waist.

And her eyes. Oh my, her eyes. A beautiful amethyst purple.

I step closer, allowing Amica to caress my cheek. She gives a small smile and inches closer. She has to crawl towards me in the cramped cellar.

“I’m here, darling. Don’t worry. I will feed you.” I reach for the knife on the side, placing the keen edge over the fingers on my left hand. My thumb is already missing from the last time I did this. That was the moment she stopped being satisfied by small animals, when previously it had been enough. She’s since developed a taste for human flesh. I prepare to sacrifice another digit for my love.

Amica, however, holds my right wrist and guides the knife’s blade to rest over my left. I look at her, slightly concerned.

“The entire hand, my love? I’m sorry but that’s simply too much. To care for you properly, I need both my hands. I can’t chop one off.”

Amica just stares at me intently, breathing heavily. She doesn’t move the knife or let go of my wrist. She is adamant that I feed her my entire hand, but how could I ever? As we face each other, completely silent in the dim light, the quiet is interrupted by my phone sending me a Ring doorbell alert. Someone is at the door. Dammit, why now?

I check the doorbell camera and find my boss, Damien, at the door. He looks fairly irritated. Must be the two weeks I’ve spent taking care of Amica. She gets really anxious and distressed if I don’t show up when she winds the music box. Every time I’ve gone to work since I found her there, I come back to see her curled up in the foetal position, sobbing quietly, and then scuttling over when she hears my voice.

So I’ve avoiding attending work to tend to Amica, but Damien hasn’t taken this too well. I’ve made excuse after excuse – made several false promises to come in the next week – but I can’t tell him the truth.

Or could I show him?

I reassure Amica that I’ll be back soon and go to answer the door. A very impatient Damien awaits me, pacing on the porch.

“I can’t wait to hear your excuse for skipping work this week, Simmons,” he growls irritably.

I flash him a nervous smile. “Okay, yes, I’ve been making excuses, but I should come clean. I think it’s time. I’ve been skipping work because I’m developing a project in the basement. Let me show you and I’m sure you’ll understand.”

Damien sighs irritably. “Fine. This better be something that serves Synth-Tech, or you’ve got a one way ticket to being fired.”

I take him inside and lead him to the cellar. “After you.”

As Damien steps ahead of me and starts descending the steps, I take the lantern and smash it against the back of his head. He falls down the stairs, landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom. I rush down after him.

Time to feed Amica.

I walk around Damien’s unconscious, possibly deceased, body and retrieve the knife from where I left it. If he wasn’t dead from the damage to his skull, he’ll definitely be dead from the blood loss of what’s coming. I guide the knife with precision over his left wrist and began slicing through. Blood spurts from his wound and onto the stone floor. I didn’t think about that. I’ll clean up later.

Amica watches, eager.

Once I have Damien’s hand dismembered, I bring it to her. She takes it from me and stuffs it whole into her mouth. Moments later, she pulls it out again, only it’s just the bones, picked clean.

I approach Amica and wrap my arms around her midsection. She responds by holding me gently yet awkwardly between her forearms. She can’t embrace me as fully as I embrace her, but it doesn’t matter. She looks down at me with those beautiful amethyst eyes and as I glance up to meet them, she plants a kiss across my entire face. I blush and hold her closer. I can’t help it. I love her so much and thanks to her, I won’t have to deal with Damien anymore. No more stupid reports, no more meetings that could have been emails. No more of everything being urgent and burning me out. Now I can focus on what really matters.

Her.

I eventually let go of Amica and look back at Damien, bleeding out. I smirk a little. Once his corpse is done pumping out blood I’ll clean up and save pieces of him for later.