Array Ashley - Murderville

Samad secluded himself inside his office more and more, which sparked a curiosity in Liberty. What is he hiding? she thought as she watched him out of the corner of her eye as he slept beside her. Her eyes darted to the red numbers on the clock that read 4:53 A.M.

I have to see what is inside of that room.

Liberty slowly pulled the silk comforter back as she slid her body out of bed. She hoped that he did not notice her absence, and she cringed as she cautiously lifted her body weight from the mattress. She knew that she was taking a risk, but she no longer cared. She had been in that house too long without knowing what lay on the other side of that door. Moving in silence, with the stealth of a cat, she tiptoed to the bureau. She pulled open Samad’s drawer and retrieved the set of keys that he kept hidden there. There wasn’t much that Liberty missed, and she had discovered his amateur hiding spot shortly after moving in with Samad. She nervously snapped her head back as she heard Samad’s breathing pattern change. Frozen in paranoia she prayed that he didn’t awaken, and she didn’t move until his snoring resumed. She hurriedly left the room and walked quickly to his office. Time wasn’t on her side and her hands shook terribly as she placed the keys inside the lock. Letting herself in, she closed the door behind her and turned on the lights. She moved quickly, going over to his desk as she opened each drawer and frantically flipped through his papers. Liberty was careful to put things back as she had found them. She didn’t want to leave any trace of her intrusion behind.

Things inside the office seemed normal and she grew frustrated when she couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. He doesn’t keep this room locked for nothing, she told herself. What are you hiding in here? she asked as she stood with her hands on her hips while turning in a full circle as her eyes inspected the space. All she saw was executive furnishing fit for a businessman such as Samad. She had no reason to be suspicious but the nagging feeling in her stomach told her that something was awry. Warning bells had been going off in her head when it came to Samad, and it was time she started listening to them. Just as she was about to give up her search, she noticed a dim light shining beneath the closet door. She rushed over to the closet and quietly opened the doors. The light was coming from the back of the large walk-in. She noticed burqas in assorted colors hanging in the closet and an eerie feeling passed over her as she made her way towards the light. Her hands began to sweat. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for or even what she expected to find, but she was afraid and the frantic beating of her heart rang in her ears.

She finally came to a glass display that sat in the back of the closet, tucked away in a corner.

“What is this?” she whispered as she looked at what appeared to be a collection of vases. But as she peered closer she noticed that each vase had a different woman’s picture framed above it. Her hand shot to her mouth and her heart sank into her stomach as reality slapped her in the face. Vomit built up in the back of her throat as she shook her head back and forth. The beautifully decorated vases were not vases at all… they were urns. The letters R.I.P were printed on them along with a time frame. Her shaky hand reached up to retrieve an urn. Liberty already knew what was inside, but she just had to look. She didn’t want to believe that the women in these pictures were dead, especially at the hands of Samad. But as she looked inside and saw the powdery dust she knew that it was true. She read the dates below each picture:

Mercedes

RIP

2007-2008

Joanna

RIP

2008-2009

Samantha

RIP

2009-2010

There were more than ten urns on display dating back a decade, and Liberty couldn’t help but notice that none of the girls before her had lasted for more than a year. One way or the other all of the women had ended up dead with no one to even miss them. She knew that they all shared the same circumstance. Abia had made it clear that Samad was a valued customer of hers. He had been purchasing girls and getting away with murder for years. The shrine put a fear in her heart that she had never felt before and as she backed out of the closet she sobbed uncontrollably. Flustered and with her nerves on edge she fumbled with the keys as she locked the office. Terror filled her as she began to put a countdown on her own life. She could sense Samad’s disinterest in her and she now knew where it would eventually lead. She had been with Samad for six months and knew that it wouldn’t be long before he disposed of her.

I’m going to end up just like them, she thought as the faces of the beautiful young women flashed through her mind, haunting her psyche. She quickly replaced the keys and breathed a sigh of relief when she found Samad sleeping soundly. As she stood above him she knew that there was no way that she could lay beside him. I should get him before he gets me, she thought. Liberty wished that she had the soul of a killer, but she knew that it was something that she did not possess. Her heart wasn’t black enough to commit murder. She had seen it before with her own eyes. She knew how much blood could come out of one human being, and it wasn’t something that she wanted on her conscience.

I have to find a way out of here, she thought. I have to leave him before he kills me.

A’SHAI COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT LIBERTY. She had been on his mind for months. She had grown into a woman, but she still looked exactly the same to A’shai. When he saw her, his heart felt as if it had skipped a beat. Feeling possessive over her, he was prepared to bid until his bank ran out, but Baron had stopped him. Seeing her on the platform had saddened him because after all the time that had passed, she was still stuck in the system. A’shai felt as though he had been her downfall. He was the one who had led her onto a prisoner’s ship, and she was still plunging into the darkness all these years later. He had tried to take his mind off her. He hustled tirelessly in the streets, stacking his paper and going hard in the game. Getting money was the perfect distraction to keep him from pining after the childhood love from his past. It was the moments that he stood still that he saw her face… moments like now when he was laying in bed with his girlfriend Jenny that he wished the girl next to him was Liberty.

“What’s wrong, Shai?” she asked. “You’ve been so distant.”

A’shai pulled his arm from behind her head and replied, “I’m just tired. I’m not trying to be cold towards you. I’ve got some things to take care of today though so don’t make any plans to hang around here,” he said. He wasn’t fond of the way she was slowly becoming a fixture in his life. She was trying to plant roots on him, and he wasn’t interested in cultivating their relationship. His connection with her had been interrupted the moment he laid eyes on Liberty at the ball. He wanted a sincere love… something genuine, and Jenny couldn’t provide that. Women wanted him now because he had the world in the palm of his hands. He was young, rich, and powerful, which was attractive to them… but Liberty had known him before all of it… she had loved him without any of it… and wouldn’t see him any differently because of it. He wanted her and as he thought of her being sold and purchased like an item he felt a great pain in his chest. If Liberty was anything like the little girl she used to be, then she was an amazing woman, and A’shai needed her in his life.

Jenny, on the other hand, was high maintenance and required a lot of attention. She was used to being spoiled. She was one of the hottest chicks in Detroit, and many men wanted what A’shai had, but she was addicted to him. His power and prestige was like a magnet to her and ever since he had returned from L.A. the attraction had been less than mutual. He was Baron Montgomery’s heir and that alone brought women out of the woodwork… women like Jenny who were opportunists who saw A’shai as their new sponsor. He saw them as pieces of ass. He wasn’t into cuffing or upgrading no chick. He was about getting money, and Jenny was just something to do in the meantime. She was nice arm candy and good company on lonely nights. In fact he was quite fond of her, but he didn’t see her in his future. Ever since losing Liberty as a child, he never made plans to keep a chick around because none of them could ever measure up to his childhood love. The affection that he had built up towards Liberty in such a short time was so great that when he lost her his heart broke. No girl after her had been able to repair him and since he had located her, all of his feelings for Liberty had resurfaced. They may have only been kids when their paths crossed but she had left an everlasting imprint on his life. He couldn’t shake the memory of her and now that he had seen her again he was itching to check for her.