The Deadliest Sin

[-Azrael666-]

The Deadliest Sin


The scene was one of quiet intensity. A thick, permeating heat was beginning to suffocate the room, the doors and windows of which had been locked shut for some time now. With no one moving, no one speaking, it seemed almost as if time itself had stopped for this moment, which would drag on infinitely into the depths of eternity. Sweat was matting down the hair of each of the room's occupants, beads running down their faces, giving a slight glisten to their skin, but of those 54 people, there wasn't one who noticed. Captivated by the asphyxiating atmosphere of suspense, no one could make a noise, until a member of the courtroom suddenly coughed.

"Do you have an alibi for September 21st, between eight and nine o'clock at night?"

Marie looked up at the lawyer assigned to her defense with the most sorrowful eyes, and replied with a simple yes.

"And what is your alibi?"

All the events of that night began rushing back to her, the graphic images she had blocked out of her mind once again making their appearance. Tears began to merge with drops of sweat, which together cascaded down her face, leaving a repulsively salty taste on her lips. Given a few moments to compose herself, time was once again at a standstill. After what seemed an aeon of silence, Marie finished drying her eyes, and the attorney repeated his question in the same emotionless tone.

She had gone over this with him earlier, that she needed to start her alibi at the phone call, which is where it all began. "At about 9 o'clock in the morning, I received a phone call which woke me up. At that time Jon, my husband, was still asleep, beside me, so I got up to answer it. I picked up the cordless phone, put it to my ear, and said hello." As she continued her story, she visualized it in her mind, running through everything she was about to tell them as if it were actually happening again.

After Marie spoke into the phone, there was a brief pause on the other end of the line. Raising her voice slightly, she repeated herself.

"Hello?"

"Hi Marie! It's Michelle."

A tight knot formed in her stomach. "Oh... what a surprise. What do you want exactly?"

"Just wanted to see how things are with you and Jon. I was hoping he would be the one to pick up, actually."

"You have a lot of nerve. Don't ever call this house again." She hung up the phone, which was ringing seconds later. She picked it up and screamed "Don't call back or I'll have you arrested for harassment!" Quickly hanging up the phone again, she stood motionless for a few moments, waiting for it to ring once more. Someone yelled from the other room in a deep, groggy voice.

"I heard you screaming, who was on the phone?"

It was her husband, Jon. She must have woke him up. "No one, just a telemarketer who couldn't take no for an answer." Satisfied that Michelle wouldn't call back, she set the phone down and went back into the bedroom. Her husband had already gotten into the shower, but seeing as he had to leave soon, she didn't blame him. He would be going away for a few days on business, and she would be gone even longer, visiting her mother, who had been extremely ill for some time now.

As she sat on the edge of the bed, waiting, she noticed the knot in her stomach hadn't diminished even slightly. The phone call and its purpose kept running through her mind, over and over. Michelle, her sister, was the last person she wanted a call from. Marie had disowned her sister four years prior, shortly after her wedding to Jon, telling Michelle to stay away from all aspects of her life, especially her new husband. The door to the bathroom opened, and she felt slightly relieved as her thoughts cleared.

Jon looked happy and excited, with a slight skip in his step and a smile on his face. He hadn't looked so pleased in a long time. Curious, Marie asked what was going on.

"I just can't wait to start this business trip, it should be a productive one. The client I'm seeing is very desirable, and could completely change my career if I can land him."

"It's surprising they would ask you on such short notice for a client that important."

"Well, I guess they just didn't expect it to fall into their laps like that. They had to assign someone to it, and thankfully it was me." He was already done getting dressed and was finishing packing his clothes and travel supplies. "I am checking into a hotel this afternoon, one near the airport, and leaving on the flight tomorrow morning. I should be back here in a few days, by the time you're done seeing your mother anyways." He fastened the latches on his suitcase and carried it out the door.

It was almost noon and they were barely halfway to the hotel. She still couldn't get the phone call off her mind. It dug into her head like a tick, refusing to remove itself from her thoughts. Over the last four years she had only seen her sister a handful of times, during chance encounters. Marie was always with Jon when she saw Michelle, and seeing as what had happened after their wedding, was always quick to avoid her.

Michelle had always been jealous of Marie and Jon. She was constantly flirting with him, eyeing him, and trying to dress as provocatively as possible when she knew he would be around. This had always been obvious to Marie, who was more than a little disturbed by it. It went on the entire time Marie was dating him, and after they got married, it worsened. It didn't take long before Michelle began frequenting their new home, apparently trying to get Jon alone. She would immediately leave if Marie answered the door, but would invite herself in if Jon did. It was less than a month before Marie disowned her and told her never to come near her or her husband again, or she would file a restraining order. After that, some people said the only thing the two sisters had in common was their jealousy.

"You need to take the next right."

Jon's words cutting into her train of thought, she looked up at the sign that showed the airport off the next right hand turn. Slowing, she followed the road, which merged into a highway that would take them straight to their destination. The road sign said it was 62 miles away, so she figured it would be a little over an hour. Rolling down her window, she caught a gust of hot air and dry dust. She was used to the terrain after having lived in that region for so long, so it wasn't really a surprise.

Jon let out a deep cough, which Marie took as initiative to roll the window back up.

"I'll get an air conditioner put in soon" he said, still coughing slightly.

"Really, you'd do that for me?" she asked with a coy smile on her face.

He laughed quietly, getting a smug look. "You know it, I love you just that much."

She sighed, thinking that the heat was really getting to her. She couldn't help but be upset still. A phone call like the one she had gotten, after four years, made her wonder if maybe it wasn't the first one. She didn't know why Michelle would still be interested in Jon, or if she was, seeing as she had married someone of her own about 2 years earlier.

A majority of the people of Marie's somewhat small town gossiped constantly, about everything, as if it were the only way to pass the time. She had heard that Parker, Michelle's husband, was never around, and often neglectful. This simple truth seemed to rekindle the old rumors of Michelle's jealousy, that she was as envious as ever of Marie and Jon's relationship. Everyone in town not only knew it, but talked about it feverishly for a solid week after the marriage, which wasn't the most pleasant thing for Marie to have to listen to at the grocery store and bank, from people who didn't realize she was there.

She focused on her driving and noticed the dashboard clock read one o'clock. The hotel should be coming up soon, she figured. Marie pushed the thoughts from earlier out of her head, replacing them with feelings of trust for her husband. It took about five more minutes before they finally reached the hotel, and another five minutes to find a parking space near the entrance. Walking into the hotel lobby with Jon, Marie waited patiently for him to finish signing in and getting his room key. Giving him a quick hug and kiss good-bye, they exchanged brief loving words and Marie left, now as happy as Jon had been earlier. All her troubles and worries from before seemed very foolish now, and she was somewhat disappointed in herself for even letting any of it get to her.

It was almost three o'clock when she made it to the town she would be staying at for the next week. She drove directly to the hospital, knowing the area well from prior visits. Going through some basic hospital procedures, she signed in and jotted down the room number of the patient she was visiting. She turned from the admittance desk and began heading toward the elevators.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Marie turned around to see an old, slender woman standing behind the desk, holding the clipboard that the sign-in sheet was on. Walking closer, she saw that the woman's plain white clothes were hospital issued for employees. Her nametag said "Pat."

The woman repeated herself in a sincerely compassionate voice.

"Yes?"

"You have written down that you are here to visit room 180. Might I ask who the person you have come to see is?"

"Her name is Marie as well."

"What is your relationship to her?"

Marie had never been interrogated like this before on any of her previous visits, and it was beginning to annoy her. "She was my mother. We don't share the same last name because she remarried, though. Do you mind if I go see her now?"

The woman paused for a few moments, looking extremely uncomfortable. A tragic look was forming itself on her face, which in turn caused Marie to feel uncomfortable as well. The awkward silence was fnally broken when the woman spoke.

"Marie... she passed away a few hours ago. I'm so sorry."

 

[-Azrael666-]

Marie was horribly distraught. She turned away from the woman, the desk, the sign-in sheet, and walked out of the hospital entrance, as if in a trance. Everything seemed so far away as she tried to come to terms with what she had just heard. She had known for some time that it would happen, but somehow it didn't seem real now, like she was in a dream and tomorrow she could see her mother. As she got into her car and closed the door, she stared out the windshield. She was too numb to cry, caught too much offguard for the tears to come. After a few seconds, she leaned forward, putting her forehead on the steering wheel and looking at the back of her eyelids. As soon as she closed her eyes, the tears did come, so hard and fast it seemed like they would never stop, and she didn't want them to. She wanted to stay in that moment as long as she could, where the death hadn't fully set in yet, where her mother was still alive, where she could convince herself that if she just went back inside the hospital, her name wouldn't be on that sign-in sheet, that woman wouldn't be behind that desk, and she could go to room 180 where her mother would be waiting for her.

It was about half an hour before Marie could even consider driving. Sluggishly putting the key into the ignition, she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. She headed towards the hotel near the airport. All she wanted to do was be wrapped up in her husband's arms. Not a single thought crossed her mind during the two hour trip to the hotel. Marie put all her focus on her driving so that she wouldn't have to deal with the unbearable pain until she was being comforted by Jon. When she finally arrived, the dashboard clock read that it was half past five. She pulled into the first parking space she came to and tiredly walked inside the hotel.

Marie went straight to the front desk, where she intended to confront the same man who had been behind it earlier. Before she could ask for a room number, he looked up at her.

"Hello! Welcome back! Did your husband forget something here?"

She was stunned for a moment. "Excuse me?"

"Oh I'm sorry, the man that you came with earlier, I thought he was your husband."

"He was, I mean he is. He is my husband, but what did you mean by him forgetting something here?"

The man looked somewhat confused. "Your husband checked out about half an hour after arriving. He said he had left something important at home, related to a business trip, and would just leave for the airport early in the morning. He had me call a cab for him, and seemed to be in quite a hurry."

This was more than just a little disappointing for Marie. She quickly thanked the desk clerk, and left the hotel at a pace much more rapid than the one she had entered at. All she wanted to do was see her husband. Getting in her car, she started it up and pulled out of the parking lot, turning sharp enough to cause her tires to squeal. She didn't care. All she could think about was ending this horrible day in the comfort of Jon's embrace.

Three hours had passed. It had seemed like the most unholy wait as Marie kept driving, pushing on, knowing eventually she would be there. Most of the trip she couldn't see clearly, tears welling up in her eyes, making everything beyond the windshield seem twisted and unreal. Pieces of the day's events kept coming back to her, as if she was trying to break everything down to understand it better. After three hours, she still hadn't figured it out. It didn't matter though, Jon could help her come to terms with it, he was always there for her when she really needed it.

As Marie pulled onto her road, another vehicle was pulling off of it. It was Michelle's car. Marie noticed it immediately, as it turned away from her, heading in the opposite direction, toward Michelle's house. She didn't know what to think. She couldn't imagine any reason Michelle would have to be on her road, so close to her house. It was still bothering her when she parked in her driveway. Considering everything that was on her mind, opening the garage door and driving the car in was too time consuming. She got out, and decided it would be faster to go in through the garage entrance than the front door. She opened the garage door enough to walk in, entered, and then pushed it down behind her. She entered the house through the side door that joined the garage and the living room.

Walking inside, there was absolutely no noise whatsoever. She yelled for Jon, but the only reply was cold silence. She walked into the kitchen and there was nothing to show any kind of recent activity. The digital clock on their stove read 8:24. She went to the bedroom door and began opening it, entering the room. As soon as the door swung open all the way, she had a full view of the room, and it made her freeze in mid-step. She turned a pallid white and screamed at the top of her lungs. For a few minutes, all she could do was stand there, awed.

Jon, her husband, lay on their bed, a significantly large hole in his forehead. His blood was running from the back of his head onto their inscribed pillows, dripping down to their bedsheets to form a thick, dark red pool. The eggshell white wallpaper was now scarlet, covered in a layer of blood and tissue. His body, as pale as her face, lay motionless in a mess of sheets, with no clothes to hide its slight blueish hue.

She walked forward into the room, unbelievably horrified. There was the gun, lying at her feet, looking as innocent as a young child. Without even thinking, overcome by shock, she picked up the gun. That's when her neighbor entered the room behind her. He had heard her scream from his house, and decided he should make sure everything was alright. Now, here she was, placed in this disturbing scene, holding the murder weapon. The gun made a metallic clatter as it dropped to the floor.

Marie's story ended suddenly, followed by a sobbing so deep that it seemed she would never recover from it. The defense lawyer had no further questions for her, and the prosecution stated that they did not feel the need to cross-examine her. There wasn't much point, to everyone here this was an open and shut case. The gun, one of the articles of evidence, was found with two sets of fingerprints on it, Marie's and Michelle's. The hospital employee, hotel desk clerk, and neighbor had given testimony which matched hers perfectly. Michelle's husband was out of town, and no one would answer the door at her house, although her car was in the driveway. With the fact Marie was innocent being so glaringly obvious, there wasn't anyone in the courtroom who didn't want to simply get the trial over with.

The verdict was come to soon afterwards, in favor of Marie. The courtroom doors were opened, forcing fresh, cooler air to rush in as people slowly poured out. As Marie walked through the crowd, a number of people gave their deepest sympathies to her. She nodded and pressed on, just wanting to get home and put it all behind her.

The air felt more humid when she arrived at her house, and somewhat warmer. She stopped in the driveway, got out, pulled up the garage door until it was fully open, and then finished parking the car in the garage. As she went inside the house, the first thing she noticed was a flashing button on the answering machine. Marie pressed it, and a deep male voice echoed through the living room.

"This is Officer Leonard Miles. I want you to know I am sorry for your loss. My call is in regards to your sister, Michelle. Due to some complications, we won't have a warrant to enter her home until this afternoon, and thought you would want to be informed. Again, I'm truly sorry for your loss."

The message ended with the usual high-pitched noise. Marie slumped onto the couch, exhausted. She picked up the remote from the coffee table and tapped the power button. The television clicked on, the channel already set to the local news.

"She was wanted in connection to a recent murder, where she apparently broke into a man's home while he was asleep, and after finding his gun, shot him in the forehead, using a pillow to silence the discharge. As of right now, the assumed motive for this crime is jealousy. Police were unable to enter the woman's home until approximately 15 minutes ago. Inside, they found her dead, with her throat slit and the knife beside her. The theory already developing is that after carrying out the murder, she was so overcome by guilt, fear, or psychosis that she committed suicide. More information will be..."

 

[-Azrael666-]

Marie turned off the television and inhaled deeply. She let the air out with a long sigh. The events kept coming back to her, the fading images broken down into intangible fragments. As she pieced together the memories, they ran through her head, over and over again. She wanted to forget what happened, but it kept coming back to her like a movie she was unable to pry her eyes from, a sick tale she was being forced to relive in her mind.

Three hours had passed. It had seemed like the most unholy wait as Marie kept driving, pushing on, knowing eventually she would be there. Most of the trip she couldn't see clearly, tears welling up in her eyes, making everything beyond the windshield seem twisted and unreal. Pieces of the day's events kept coming back to her, as if she was trying to break everything down to understand it better. After three hours, she still hadn't figured it out. It didn't matter though, Jon could help her come to terms with it, he was always there for her when she really needed it.

As Marie pulled onto her road, all she could think about was how much she loved her husband. It was the only thing keeping her strong. She pulled into her driveway, and got out to open the garage door. When she had pulled up the door enough to walk in, she saw it. Michelle's car in her garage. She quickly ducked inside and pushed the door down behind her, locking it shut. She walked to the door that connected the garage with the living room.

Marie, entering the house, was met with muffled laughter coming from her bedroom. She quietly walked into the kitchen. The digital clock on their stove read 8:24. She took the sharpest knife she could find and carried it with her to the bedroom door. Slowly opening it, she walked inside, completely unnoticed by the two figures within. As soon as the door swung open all the way, she had a full view of the room, and of Michelle and Jon, on her bed, in the heat of passion.

Jealousy burned through her veins, assisted by the pain she had been suppressing all afternoon. Her actions after that were remarkably fluid, being possessed by jealousy, fueled by hatred and betrayal. She moved silently to Jon's dresser, pulling open the top drawer, and taking out his handgun. Michelle giggled. They still had no idea she was there, too caught up in their depraved misdeed.

Marie swiftly came up beside them, and they turned to meet her gaze with shocked expressions. In a second's time, she had brought the gun barrel less than two feet from Jon's forehead. Frantic, he tried to protect himself with the only thing within his reach, a pillow. He put it up to the gun, and Marie pulled the trigger in the same instant. Jon's expression immediately changed to a calm one as the bullet ripped through the top of his head. Michelle screamed loudly, letting out a shrill, desperate cry, and turned away from Marie, attempting to dive off the other side of the bed. Marie grabbed a handful of Michelle's hair, ripping her head back as hard as she could, and using her free hand, pressed the cold metal of the knife into her throat. Marie made a violent slicing action, and the momentary struggle ended.

Without hesitation, Marie took the gun and put it in Michelle's right hand, quickly forcing each finger against the weapon to ensure the fingerprints would be definitive. Letting the gun drop to the floor, she picked up the knife and began dragging Michelle's body toward the living room at an impressive speed. After pulling the body into the garage, Marie lifted the corpse up far enough to put in the trunk of Michelle's car. It seemed that all of Michelle's blood had either run down her chest or into her hair on the way to the garage, which was somewhat of a relief, having that much less to clean up inside. She threw the knife in with the body, closed the trunk, went back into the house, and locked the door leading out to the garage.

She rushed back to the bedroom, trying to figure out what she should do. She stood there for a few moments, looking around, her face completely flushed. She decided she would have to hide any evidence, and picked up the gun. That's when her neighbor entered the room behind her. He had heard Michelle's scream from his house, and thinking it was Marie, decided he should make sure everything was alright. Now, here she was, placed in this disturbing scene, holding the murder weapon. The gun made a metallic clatter as it dropped to the floor.

The police questioned her, but not for nearly as long as she had expected. The story she devised for them was the same one she would later use at her trial. They were more than satisfied with her fable, and since she had been through so much trauma already, they let her stay at home. The police had already taken what they needed as evidence from her bedroom, and cleaned up the gruesome mess. They never bothered searching the rest of the house or the garage, since the murder was obviously committed in the bedroom, and her story seemed to tie up all the loose ends.

At one o'clock in the morning, Marie drove Michelle's car out of the garage, keeping the headlights off until she was a good distance from her home. She headed straight for Michelle's house, and turned off the headlights when she finally neared her destination. Leaving the car in the driveway, and using the cover of night, she pulled the knife and the body from the trunk, dragging it to Michelle's doorstep. The key to the house was on the same keyring as Michelle's car key, so getting past the locked door wasn't a problem. Dragging the corpse inside, Marie got it into the living room, and propped it up on the couch. She wiped off the handle of the knife, placed it in Michelle's hand, and once again made sure the fingerprints would be unquestionable. She tipped the corpse over for a better sense of realism, set the knife on the couch, and exited out the front door. Using the house key, she locked the door, making it seem as if it were done from the inside. As she walked passed Michelle's car, she opened the door and leaned in, holding the keyring. She put the car key in the ignition, as if it were forgotten there, and left, closing the vehicle's door.

Marie walked the entire way back to her house. Under the stars, surrounded by silence, it seemed like she was the only one awake, as if the world were asleep. Six hours earlier she had been a part of that world, but now it seemed like a lifetime ago, a life she could hardly remember. All she knew is that she had the chance to start a new life, a chance to become a part of that world again, a chance to be happier than she had ever really been before. The opportunities ahead of her seemed as infinite as the stars above her.

The memories were shattered back into fragmented pieces by a sharp tapping sound. Looking down, the remote was still in her hand, and the television was still off. The tapping sound grew louder and more frequent. Marie stood up and walked to the front door, opening it, and discovered that the sound was rainfall. Stepping outside, she had never seen it rain so hard before. She stared up at the dark sky, becoming drenched, letting the raindrops crash against her skin. Her lips curled into a smile. To her, this was a rain to wash the world clean.

 

[-Azrael666-]

I don't have any sort of spelling/grammar checker, so if there's anything wrong, sorry, there's not much I could have done about it Any comments appreciated, this is the first thing I've written in a while.

Note: Edits are from me removing my signature.

 

[Renzokuken]

Awesome story man. I REALLY enjoyed it, it got me hooked the moment it started. A very powerful story for me, well done. 10/10!

 

[RoaCh of DisCord]

[deepred]I really like that (hence the reason I'm making you submit it to my site ). Good job.[/deepred]

 

[Zerglite]

too much, i didnt bother to read, but i know ppl died

 

[-Azrael666-]

Thank you to Renzo and Roach for intelligent feedback.

 

[CutterGirl15]

Really good. I kinda figured the direction it was heading but it was still good. Like they say, " Hell hath no fury, as a women scourned."

 

[Gayelle Force]

Wow.

That's sooooooo good.
You have alot of creativity. I really liked the story and the plot, but it did creep me out a little teeeny bit.
-.-;

But wow!!

Luv Gayelle Force

PS Maybe read Moon Clan? 'ts mine! ^_^

 

[fARPLANE_sHADOW_666]

i had no idea that adultery would be the deadliest sin...i was thinking more like killing someone? cuz then there is the death penalty.... but the title is creative, and catchier than "the not so deadliest sin"
other than that gj!

 

[-Azrael666-]

... Jealousy is the deadliest sin.. you know, the Seven Deadly Sins, one of them is envy.. nevermind. Thanks I guess, lmao.

 

[Magikarp]

***Note: My post contains spoilers of this story, so if you haven't read it yet, don't read my post.***

I probably should have done this a long time ago, but I decided to read through the whole thing and give you a review you deserve, Az. ^^;.

Excellent story. I figured that since you were writing it, it would be decent, but, wow. Holy shit, this was good.

For one, I thought it was cool how you desiged the story from two different angles: the "trial" version, and the real version. It takes quite a bit of talent to make a story that appears convincing (the trial story) but then later dissaprove it by showing what really happened. Well done.

To be honest, I suspected foul play after Jon was dropped off at the hotel. Since you set up the story describing the relationship between two women and one man, I was expecting this. I actually thought she would drive back to the hotel, and there Jon and Michelle would do the deed. Which leads me to my next point: you convinced me, while I was reading, that that wasn't the case, which completely threw me off and surprised me (Well done, again).

The depressing, rainy atmosphere is set up well. The way you described the heat coming into the car, the windshield, the tears, gave the story a "grungy" feel to it (Not exactly the word I was looking for, but you know what I mean).

I thought your imagery, personification, and general writing was very good. Some stuff that I liked:

putting her forehead on the steering wheel and looking at the back of her eyelids

It dug into her head like a tick, refusing to remove itself from her thoughts.

The opportunities ahead of her seemed as infinite as the stars above her.

I also thought the transition from the court room into the "trial story" and the transition from the trial to the "real story" were both very good. It gave me a feeling like I was being sucked in, something I have trouble capturing.

After that, some people said the only thing the two sisters had in common was their jealousy.

I'm probably nitpicking here, but I'm not too sure what you meant by this. Marie isn't jealous of Michelle for any reason, is she? If you meant they both desired Jon, wouldn't it have been better if it was "the only thing the two sisters had in common was their desire for Jon"?

Anyway, great story man. Sorry I didn't write this earlier. Keep writing!

P.S. I haven't seen you on AIM all that often, where are you?

 

[-Azrael666-]

Wow, thanks for the in-depth review. It's very much appreciated. As for that line about both sisters being jealous, it was from the perspective of 'some people'. If you heard someone had disowned their own sister and threatened a restraining order just because she was talking to their husband, wouldn't you think she might have a jealous streak in her? That's how her community saw it anyways, and I presented a lot of the information via rumors. So there

And I'm never on AIM, really. I'll be on tonight, because I'm going to a friend's house who can't stay awake as late as I do. My internet was disconnected at my house though, so.. blech. All I can do is basic internet stuff like this every now and again from home, and AIM isn't even on here. When I do find time to get online, I'm usually on MSN more than AIM, and it's usually late at night or in the morning, since I'm generally on the phone, at work, or out doing something the rest of the time.

Hit me up with a PM :sly