SKINSIDE | DARK TABOO ROMANCE

I stood with my head slightly down, immersing myself deeper in my new hoodie. Lucian wouldn't have spent much money to come here and kill me, right? Despite his being weird, perhaps he enjoys seeing fashionable dead bodies?

There was a tense atmosphere around us. The sky was gloomy, and everything around us appeared to have lost contrast and richness. The gravestones were overrun with grass, and the trees appeared mournful. The location was ideal for Marilyn Manson and Ronnie Radke's new music video. There wasn't a soul in sight, which was understandable.

"Come on, what are you standing there for?" I was a little taken aback and took a step back, not wanting to check out the promised surprise in a place like this. Lucian noticed this. "Are you afraid of me?"

He came a little closer, and even without taking off his helmet, I could feel his gaze on me. I looked where I expected his eyes to be and lifted my chin.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Is that why you call me Boogeyman, little fibber?" His palm covered my cheek; he clearly enjoyed caressing my face. The combination of such tenderness and the adrenaline from the atmosphere treacherously made me wet again.

"You. Don't. Scare. Me." I said, pronouncing each word clearly and pushing his hand away from me. He was taken aback and took a couple of steps back, then turned away and looked toward the path where he had been trying to lead me.

"You should be scared. Let's go."

I had no choice but to agree and follow my kidnapper. I walked right behind him, and it seemed to me that we had already passed the cemetery completely. The gravestones became fewer and fewer, and I occasionally glanced at the dates of birth and death. It was so strange; a person lived and then suddenly died. And it must be sad to be buried in this godforsaken place. I had the feeling that no one ever came to visit the dead people here.

We went out through a small metal fence and entered a section of the cemetery with crypts. The gloominess of this place was even more pronounced, but I won't hide that it was very beautiful. Each crypt was in such a perfect Gothic style, not pretentious, but rich. It seemed that the most incredible and intriguing personalities of the district, whose relatives were wonderfully knowledgeable about art, had gathered here.

I saw that Lucian was walking ahead so confidently, as if he was 100% sure I wouldn't run away. But, to be honest, I was already looking at the labyrinthine surroundings and thinking about how likely it was that I would trip or fall somewhere.

"We're almost there, fibber. Are you ready?"

"For what?" Lucian held out his hand, offering me his palm, and I obeyed.

We approached one of the largest crypts, and to enter, we had to step over several rather high concrete structures. Taking me by the hand, Boogeyman helped me jump over one, then took me by the waist and easily lifted me over to the entrance of the crypt.

I looked around, and it was breathtaking. Whoever was here, it was a dazzling location. The entire crypt appeared to be carved from a single block of black and blue marble, with sculptures of massive crowns on either side and gilded stucco work with a skull, roses, and screws above the entrance.

"Is this your father's place?" He turned his head toward me, still wearing his helmet, and nodded.

"Let's go." We went inside, and I began to hear weird sounds. He was still holding my hand and lit a candle at the entrance to light our way. My knees were already shaking.

We passed various statues of men and women with The Rotten Crown carved on their chests. I think it's not just his father who lay here. I didn't expect a biker gang to treat the deaths of their people with such reverence, and to be honest, it piqued my interest. I became interested in the history of these guys, in how they came together in the first place. These days, it's hard to find a group that really values its people.

We walked a little further, and I saw a staircase leading down. It was steep, long, and twisted like in a Nosferatu movie.

"No way. I'm not going down there.»

«If you don't go, I'll have to carry you. And if I carry you, I won't have a place in my hands for the candle. You're afraid of darkness, aren't you?" He turned his head toward me, and I looked through the tinted glass of his helmet at the reflection of the flickering candlelight. He was right. I'll be screwed if the candle goes out.

Turning circles and spirals down the slightly broken staircase, we seemed to have descended several floors. And finally, the stairs ended. As soon as we stepped onto the floor, the automatic lighting came on. Unexpected. But the strange sounds became much louder. I heard someone moaning and banging, as if someone was there. Fuck, I just hope this idiot didn't bring the real Boogeyman here.

«What is that? Is there someone else here?»

«You're too curious, fibber. Give it some time.» This time he didn't even look at me; he just pulled me forward by my hand.

«I can go myself, Lucian.»

«I know. But we don't have much time to get everything sorted out. And you're such a coward.»

«I'm not a coward.»

"Can you just walk in silence, Gloria?" He said my new name as if mocking me. I just clicked my tongue and let him lead me on.

We walked on, and all I could see were empty rooms, empty arches, and hundreds of rooms for members of the Rotten Crown who were still alive. And when we got to about the middle, signs began to appear above the arches. Lucian illuminated each one, trying to find a specific one. And the strange sounds grew louder and louder. It no longer resembled a crypt, but a torture chamber. And finally, Boogeyman stopped in front of one of the crypts.

"Randall Green. 12/08/1965 - 12/08/2014.

Father. Mentor. Best friend."

Lucian looked at the plaque, waited about 10 seconds, and pulled me inside. I expected to see a coffin, a corpse, anything. But all that was in the room were a few chairs, a table, and a couple of barrels of wine and glasses. The Boogeyman dramatically invited me to sit down on one of the chairs and poured wine from the barrel for the two of us.

"You're really bad at picking places for dates, you know that?"

He didn't say anything, just put the glass in front of me and took off his helmet. This time, he took off his balaclava too. I wasn't expecting what I saw. He looked younger than me, even though I knew he was a couple of years older. His blond hair was tousled and slightly overgrown, so that strands from his bangs fell easily onto his forehead. He had the same green eyes with long lashes, thick straw-colored eyebrows, a hooked nose, and full lips. His cheekbones were so sharp that they looked like they could cut you. And he had a short beard. He was handsome, really handsome.

"I hope you showed me your face because you're not going to kill me, right?" I smiled slightly, even though I knew my sarcasm was completely inappropriate at that moment.

We were in a crypt, 10 meters underground, in an empty tomb where no one would ever find me. But what else could I do but joke in a situation like this? Lucian took a sip of wine, watched it color the glass, and only then said:

"This is my father's tomb." I bit my lip, realizing that jokes were probably inappropriate.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. As you can see, there's no one here."

"Will you tell me why we're here?" He turned his head toward me, and I saw his face looking at me for the first time. I got goosebumps. You know when a person has an aura, a look that just pierces you to the core.

"That's why I brought you here." We were once again interrupted by a tremendous noise and scream. Someone was here. And the person was plainly not here of their own volition. Lucian tilted his head toward the sound, and when it subsided, he returned his gaze to me. "Drink."

I took a couple of sips and pulled the hood over my head. It seemed to save me a little. The wine was incredibly delicious; I couldn't taste a drop of alcohol, only the bright flavor of grapes. It felt like someone had put a bunch of black grapes in my mouth.

"Did Baker tell you how he killed my father?" I shook my head. "He blew him up. Right in the car with my dad's new girlfriend. The explosion was so powerful that a small shop nearby caught fire. Eight people died that day.» Lucian turned away from me and just stared into the wall.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay; it's been many years. I'm used to it. But there is one thing." I looked at him questioningly. «Officially, there were eight deaths, but only seven bodies were found. That's why the tomb is empty.»

We were interrupted again by someone's scream. This time, I could tell it was definitely a man. The scream was guttural, as if something was preventing him from shouting or speaking, and he could only growl and moan.

"So there you have it." He pretended again that nothing was happening. Although, to be honest, it was really starting to worry me. "I don't think my father is dead. I think he's alive. He survived. I don't know how, but he's definitely not dead."

"Why do you think so?"

"There's no body, no remains, not even the remains of his burnt clothes. Nothing. Next to him in the passenger seat was the corpse of my new stepmother, her clothes and even her purse in the back seat. But the driver's seat was empty."

"Then why has he been missing for over 10 years, Lucian? I'm sorry, but maybe you're clinging to a straw?" I took another sip and turned toward him. I could see that it was difficult for him to remember.

"That's what I want to find out. And you're going to help me. That's actually the only reason we're here.» His green eyes looked at me, and I felt goosebumps from the fire and cold in his gaze. «Come on, you can take your glass with you.»

We left his father's tomb and continued down the corridor. I began to feel my mind clouding slightly from the wine; it was really strong. Although it went down easily. He was still holding my hand, and as we got closer, I heard guttural cries getting closer and closer.

Finally, we reached the end of the corridor, where there was an empty archway with no name, but... not empty inside.

Lucian turned into it, and the lights came back on automatically. I saw a cage, the same one Mike had locked me in. But it wasn't empty. I saw a familiar face inside, one of my husband's partners. Drake Alivera. A Mexican banker and Mike's good friend, who shared his fetishes.

"Oh, fuck." I didn't expect to see him. The man was kneeling, his hands raised behind him and handcuffed to the ceiling. The cage was tighter than mine; he literally couldn't move. He just stared at me and tried to say something, but now I understood why he couldn't. His tongue. It was gone. "What's going on here?"

Lucian ran his hand down my back and found the scars from cigarette burns. He stroked them gently with his fingers.

"Mike wasn't the only one who left this mark here, right? That bastard had a hand in this too?" Drake started screaming even louder, looking into my eyes, hoping I would help him. He was weak, but he tried to pull his arms, twisting his shoulders even more. "I want you to understand, Gloria, that treating women like this is unacceptable. Our people don't allow themselves to do this, but they enjoy toying with those who do. Drake Alivera will be considered missing for the rest of his life, and you..." Lucian smiled. "Complete carte blanche to do whatever you want with him."

I looked at him, then at Lucian. Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew I wanted revenge on everyone who had hurt me. Anger and despair boiled inside me until Lucian simply took a chair and placed it in front of the cage. Sitting down on it, he pointed to the closet. Opening it, I saw a huge number of sex toys and various small tweezers, knives, and scalpels. I turned my head sharply toward Drake and rolled up my sleeves.

"Well, I'll just watch and enjoy the show.» The Boogeyman crossed his legs and gave me complete freedom. As I approached the cage, I saw in Alivera's eyes the animal fear that he instilled in me, feeling his impunity.

«Enjoy the show, Boogeyman.»