Beyond the Palms Read online

“Can I ask how you know this?” Thea asked.

  “Alex and I were together for years. I never met his family, he hardly ever talked about them, and then we got engaged. I came home one day to find his father in my living room and thought he was there to rob us. Instead, he introduced himself to me and asked who I was and how I knew his son. I told him I didn’t see why it would be a secret. He said he would stay until Alex got home from work late that night. He seemed like a nice man. Alex said that his father bought the house for him. I assumed he knew he had a key and just didn’t know that I had moved in and lived there too. I would have never expected what came next. I made him dinner, and he decided to tell me about the family business. The few things that Alex had said started to make sense. It explained everything, why he was so hesitant to be with me, why he was so cautious about me meeting or knowing who his family was, all of it. I tried to call Alex and confront him about it, thinking maybe this could be a joke. His father’s demeanor changed. I was scared. I ran or tried to, and his father ht me. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a cage, similar to yours. He had to have sedated me or something to stay asleep long enough to get me from the States to here. I assumed that Alex knew what happened when he came home to find me gone and his father there. I guess he must have left before came home.”

  She paused in thought.

  “He should’ve known; if your significant other goes missing…… he should’ve known. I’ve hated him since.”

  She twirled her bony thumbs around one another.

  “I’ve had spots where I notice my memories fade, I either sleep for days or don’t sleep for weeks. I guess it’s the dark that does that too you. I have spells where my sanity slips, and I feel rabid. I think about food, and I can feel the foam and spit flooding my mouth. The only time the lights have been on in this room is when Eric has been here. That’s the only time I notice how skinny and scrawny I have become. I have had so much time to think that I don’t even know what is real or a figment of my imagination anymore.”

  “I am so sorry…” Thea said, trailing off.

  “Don’t be; it’s not your fault. You’re just as much of a victim as I am. Alex did this to us both. The only difference is that my family is still out there living, and yours will die with you. For that, I am sorry.”

  Thea put her face in her lap and cried, harder than she knew possible. A small, frail hand reached through the cage and settled on her shoulder. She could feel the woman’s nails that had started to curl and the joints of her fingers but didn’t move away from it.

  “Thea, it will be OK! Dad will figure a way out of this. You know he will.” Jack’s voice echoed across the room.

  “Dad might not even be alive. This is all my fault.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s all of ours. I kept accidentally being in the wrong place and the wrong time. I also probably pissed off the manager by kissing his daughter.”

  Thea stopped and looked up at him, her brows furrowed together.

  “It’s a long story-” Jack continued.

  “Dad wouldn’t stop looking into things that made him feel uncomfortable. Mom wouldn’t believe us when we said we wanted to leave, and you—”

  “You actually for once put down your damn books and gave a guy a chance. I am sorry that I pushed you to relax. This was not what I or anyone else intended. I just don’t want you to be an old cat lady. There were so many guys in high school that liked you, and you just ignored them all; some of them were great too. I can vouch for that. You were so focused on school and getting the career you wanted that you didn’t care about relationships, and quite frankly, mom and dad we worried about you. I was worried about you, so you know it’s bad.”

  Thea giggled a bit while wiping her eyes.

  “I just really hope they’re OK.”

  “Me too.”

  IV

  No Escape

  “The image of woman in the cage will forever be scorched into my mind. I see the faces of the others trapped in cages in my sleep. I see the images of my family happy playing in the ocean and wonder how it came to this. It still astonishes me that I lived.”

  -Thea Dawson

  Therapy Session 4

  19

  The Convention Begins

  Eric’s voice beamed through the microphone.

  “Welcome back! I am glad that you have settled in, and some of you had a short vacation before today here at the hotel, and we welcome that!”

  His message was met with the convention members clapping their hands, and making their excitement known.

  “I would like to welcome the newest members of the group, Dr. Dailey’s son, Cody Dailey. He is now 14 years old, and this will be the first convention that he has had the honor of attending.”

  Everyone looked toward the young boy sitting next to his father; he held up a hand and smiled shyly at the rest of the members. His father’s face beamed a proud smile.

  “Second, I would like to welcome Dr. Zhao’s grandson, Delun. This is also his first convention. He is now 12 years old this year and is very excited to be here.”

  Everyone looked at the older man and his grandson sitting on the opposite side of the room. The young boy grinned from ear to ear and couldn’t wait for the convention to start; he waved eagerly at the rest of the members.

  “I would also like to welcome on stage, Alex Callahan. As we all know, his father and my brother passed this last year, and he has now accepted the role he was given by birth. Let us welcome him to the start of this event.

  Alex strolled over to the stage, his hands in the pockets of his black dress pants highlighted by the dark maroon button-up dress shirt. His tie was pulled tight at his neck, and hung down the front of him. His sleeves were halfway rolled up; his uncle hated it. As he took the stage, he eyed his uncle, who motioned for him to take his hands out of his pockets. He considered it unprofessional and ‘uninviting’ to the guests.

  When Alex grabbed the microphone, a squealing noise carried over the surround sound. People resisted the urge to cover their ears out of respect. Respect that he didn’t deserve, the respect he didn’t even want.

  “Good evening, gentlemen. We are so glad to have you here with us today!”

  He paused and waited for the clapping to subside.

  “I want to apologize for the severe weather that has rolled in today. However, we will make the best of it right here in the convention hall. Now that we’ve welcomed the newcomers to our organization, we will start tonight with the bidding. Just to explain for those of you who don’t know—”

  The young Cody Dailey interrupted.

  “You don’t have to explain, sir! My father has already told me all about— ”

  His father slapped his arm, the boy out of the instinct reached up and grabbed it.

  “Boy, you better shut it.” His father said sternly to him.

  “Its ok Dr. Dailey, I was new here once too; still sort of am,” Alex said in the boy’s defense and earning a chuckle from the crowd.

  “As I was saying, we have six subjects, 1 per every ten members that attend today, that the Convention members can bid on. Bidding earns you the right to their bodies, and to do as you please. The bidding starts at One thousand dollars. Those of you who don’t bid or don’t win the auction can watch from the stadium seating in the convention hall.”

  He gestured to a door in the room that was currently shut.

  “Following the bidding, we will have a short break and then start with the first subject. My uncle and Mr. Eddie here are going to roll out the cages; each cage has a number. You each have a number sign in front of you. My uncle will auction the cage numbers, and to place your bid, please hold up your sign at the desired amount you wish to bid. Your payment will be processed prior to any action being taken in the convention hall. If someone’s payment is to fall through, it will go to the next highest bidder.”

  Eric and Eddie were rolling out the cages one by one to the right of Alex for the convention members to see. By the
time Alex finished explaining the process, all of the cages were out, including the ones with Thea’s parents. Alex saw the realization spread across their faces as they realized that he was involved. The remained quiet, however, and just sat there with mouths agape staring at him. He walked off the stage and sat at one of the tables in the back as his uncle took over and began the auction.

  First, was a young lady in her twenties. The woman’s fiery red hair was in a curly mess extending from her head. Her pale skin accentuated her freckles that lined her entire body. Although thin boned, she was curvy and otherwise incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were puffy from crying and bloodshot, if you looked close enough, you could see the remnants on her cheekbones of the eye make-up she wore before she was captured and sentenced to death.

  The bidding went from a thousand dollars to over a hundred thousand in seconds and sold to a man named Elijah Billings who worked for the Los Angeles Police Department. Alex had no idea how the man came up with the money he brought to the table every year on a police officer’s salary, but he did. The man was brutal. Alex saw him win one of the subjects at the last convention he attended. The man was obsessed with raping and beating women to death. He was the first one up last year as well, and Alex couldn’t watch. He was sure his father would make him, but luckily, he let him leave instead. It made Alex’s stomach turn just thinking about it.

  The second cage held a middle-aged man. His black hair dusted with grey streaks, his tan skin, and dark brown eyes gave away his Latino heritage. He was calm and sat against the bars of the cage; his arms propped on his knees. He was muscular, and through what was left of his tight torn shirt, you could see the definition of his muscles. The bidding ended at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars by the new boy, Cody Dailey, raising his number paddle. His father always went for the ones that looked like they could put up a good fight. No doubt crossed Alex’s mind that it was his dad that wanted the man, not the boy.

  He hoped the boy wasn’t as much of a monster as his father. Although he was certain with the amount of excitement that radiated off of him at being here that he would end up much worse, they called him Dr. Dailey for a reason; he was a trust fund millionaire that never had to work a day in his life. Here though, he enjoyed restraining his ‘patients’ and performing open-heart surgery with them awake and responsive. He would then rip the person’s heart out and eat it as the person’s life drained away.

  The third was a middle-aged woman, most likely the man from the second cage’s wife. Tears streamed down her face; she clutched her stomach protectively. She was most likely pregnant but not far enough along for the men of the convention to care, or for his uncle to turn the other way. The woman’s dark brown curls stacked on top of one another and pulled on top of her head into a bun that was far too messy to be styled that way on purpose. The woman was no taller than 5’2 and had a petite frame. Her olive eyes stole the show and won over the heart of the man whom John recognized as the businessman from the plane ride they took to get here from the states. The businessman raised his paddle and bid over five hundred thousand on the woman before anyone else could even bid. Eric announced her as sold, and the man never took his eyes off of her.

  The businessman, known as Timothy Gibbons to the real world, and as the necromancer to the convention, was one of the least morbid people in the convention. The woman was lucky; the worst she would have to go through would be after she was pronounced dead. Her death would most likely be easier than any of the other subjects that were beside her. She would be bled to death through an IV, and then he would do as he wanted with her body. At least her consciousness would be gone, and she wouldn’t feel the pain that would be inflicted upon her.

  The fourth cage housed an older woman, and Alex already knew why she was chosen. She was explicitly targeted to spark interest in Dr. Zhao. He is a retired orthopedic surgeon and enjoys the sounds of bones snapping beneath his fingers. His son wants to go into the orthopedic field of medicine. Alex was sure that this was going to be a demonstration for him. Elderly bones were easier to break and therefore a good training subject.

  As predicated, Dr. Zhao’s son raised his paddle at fifty thousand dollars and one the smaller elderly lady. She seemed to have accepted her fate. She didn’t appear to be sad or really to show any emotion at all. Her short white hair looked neater than most of the others in the cages, and her eyes were hollow. His skin was wrinkled with memories and experiences and sagged as if her body was trying to pull her close to the ground where she could be laid to rest.

  The fifth cage contained a young man, probably in his late twenties. His chocolate-colored skin contrasted with the color of his shirt. His head was bald and shined from the bright lighting above him. Through the filth that now was prevalent on his clothing, Alex could see that he was dressed well. He had on dress pants, nice leather dress shoes, and what used to be a light-colored dress shirt. Now it was covered in sweat stains and dirt.

  The man was sold to Mr. Harris, who was a big-time lawyer and voluntary firefighter in the States for one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. He was known for being a pyromaniac and not only relished in the fires he helped put out, but also enjoyed bringing fire into his life here at the convention. He knew the man had more issues than most of the members of the convention, and he visited Alex’s father regularly for psychiatric help. Mr. Harris enjoyed taking simple pleasures that he couldn’t get every day from his wife by buying men at the convention. Then he would become infuriated by the fact that he enjoyed it and would torture them by burning them repeatedly.

  Alex caught James’ angry glance, Certainly, because he didn’t see Thea or Jack in one of the cages to bid on, which meant that Alex planned on doing it. He knew that he would be the one to purchase Eleanor despite it. Alex desperately hoped that his plan would work, it if didn’t then he just sentenced Thea’s mother to death worse than any of the other people in the cages before her.

  When the bidding started on the sixth cage, James was the first one to raise his paddle. A few others raised the bid but subsided when James bid six hundred thousand dollars of his fortune. The man was a billionaire but chose to work at the bar for fun. Alex never truly understood James or his thought process. After their first convention together, Alex knew that he probably never would either.

  The man had a thirst for blood, quite literally. He was a cannibal on a good day and gave the devil a run for his money when it came to being wicked.

  The last cage Eric announced as a bonus cage, and it contained John. When the bidding ended, he was sold to a young man that Alex barely knew. His name was Jeremiah Cole, but he never bid or purchased anyone at the conventions before. He hardly ever talked to anyone; he usually just sat on the bleachers and watched the events unfold. Even when the sights would be too gruesome for some, he never looked away. He purchased John for forty thousand dollars and showed no emotion by doing so.

  Eric called the convention to recess before the first event started, and the cages were wheeled back to their room. James snatched Alex to the side before he could leave.

  “So, you decided to do it yourself, huh? That’s a bad idea, man. You and I both know you can’t follow through with it.”

  “You can keep your comments to yourself.” Alex snapped at him.

  “Oh, is that anger, I sense?”

  “Leave it alone, James.”

  “No, I won’t, it’s OK though we will get through this together whether you want to or not. Mostly because if you stutter and can’t finish, then you best bet I’ll be stepping in.”

  Alex shot him a look that made James retreat and leave him alone. His plan had to work. There is no room for mistakes.

  20

  No One is Safe

  When the convention members returned, Alex could feel the nerves creating electrostatic discharge across the surface of his skin. The hairs on his arms stood up, and goosebumps formed on his extremities. The beads of sweat formed on his forehead too fast for him to wipe away.


  “Nephew! It will be OK; you don’t have to watch it. You know what you have to do. If you make it quick, then it’s over, and you can go home, and I’ll take care of everything else.”

  “Thank you; I am just on edge is all.” He shot him a reassuring smile.

  Eric walked up to the microphone on the small stage.

  “Ok, everyone! The first cage is in the convention room, and we have a confirmation on payment, so if you would please make your way to the stadium seating, we will begin!”

  The crowd became excited and rowdy, and everyone at once moved into the other room except James, Eric, and Alex.

  “You can go, James, thank you,” Eric commanded.

  After staring for a few more seconds, the young man finally turned on his heels and stormed off into the convention room. Eric walked over and put a hand on Alex’s shoulder.

  “Your time to shine, my boy,” Eric told him while handing him a silver knife with a smooth wooden handle and a couple of syringes.

  “The meds you needed, and a knife just in case.” Eric gave a reassuring smile to his nephew.

  “It will be ok, the first is the hardest, but you’ll realize after that, that it wasn’t as difficult as you thought it would be. It runs in your blood. I know you are a lot like your mother, but whether you want to believe it or not, your father’s genes are in there, and you need those to do this job. So, go on and knock them dead, literally.”

  Eric walked away without another word or a glance in his direction and disappeared behind the closed door to the convention room.

  The second he was gone, Alex went to work. He ran into the room and fumbled with his keys; he forgot that Elizabeth was outside of her cage. The realization that he was within her chain’s length melted over him. He turned to see her staring at him.

  “Just wait, I know you can understand me. I didn’t know. I want to get you out too, but for that to happen, you have to cooperate.”