I'd always imagined the day that I was going to get married.
The event would be held in the countryside, at a beautiful little winery with horses and a barn. I'd be surrounded by my family and friends. And most importantly, I'd be with the man I loved.
But apparently fate had other plans for me. And so did the Eddie Gluskin.
Plans for said "wedding" that Eddie was constructing, consisted of me being tied up to a beam of wood while he ran back and forth about his little lair, and sometimes left just for a few short moments to God know's where.
I wasn't even entirely sure what it was he was doing. But apparently, as far as I was concerned I was not allowed to go anywhere, lest I wander off. Which had been the plan at first, and was going swimmingly until my fiance decided he wanted me to sit still and retain my innocence by being tied up.
There was no way in hell I was going to be able to escape now. All be damned.
"Darling, why do you look so upset?" He yelled over to me, with joy thick in his booming voice, while he worked away at the dress on the table.
"Have I done something wrong?" He asked innocently. In the dim light that came from the window, I could see his eyebrows arch, a tendril of his stark black hair had fallen out of place.
For some reason, I desperately wanted to reach out and press it back into place.
You tied me up, and you're going to force me into some sort of marriage, and then you're going to try and kill me?!
"No, why would I be?" I replied as cheerfully as I could, leaning my head back against the uncomfortable beam. I couldn't ruin his mood, because then he'd end my life.
"Good! Can't have an unhappy bride! If Momma ain't happy, then nobody's happy!" He giggled.
Ugh.
What the fuck was I supposed to do in this situation? I was basically waiting around for my death to come, by the hands of a psychotic, yet somewhat attractive, deranged groom.
I'll admit, Eddie had his redeeming qualities; he was sweet, and charming, albeit the gruesome wounds on his face and the bloody eyes. I mean, other than being a murderer of course.
When I first saw him, he was so much more... normal looking. He was a normal man, or at least, on the outside. Remembering that Eddie caused me to sympathize with him, which reluctantly created a soft spot. A very small soft spot, mind you. But I felt that perhaps he'd been dealt the wrong hand... just as everyone in this world has been. Maybe I'd been too quick to dismiss that this man still needed help.
But maybe it was truly just that he was insane, beyond anything that I could help with.
"When I was a boy my mother often said to me, get married son and see how happy you will be. I have looked all over, but no girlie can I find, who seems to be just like the little girl I have in mind. I will have to look around until the right one I have found..." Eddie had a nice tone to his song. It sounded as if it'd been a song he'd known his entire life, and that he'd meant every word. But it bothered me that he was acting like nothing was wrong here.
Like he didn't have a woman tied up and was getting ready to "marry" her.
"I want a girl, just like the one that married dear old Dad."
I watched him sow his wedding dress, or rather mine, making little adjustments here and there; he occasionally glanced at me to give me a loving smile.
"Darling, you're going to be so beautiful. I believe that this was the dress meant for you." He gave the dress an affectionate pat before walking over to me, pulling me up from under my arms so that now I was standing up with my arms still tied behind my back.
Around his neck, he had a measuring tape, his navy blue bow tie slightly crooked in between it; he pulled the tape down and began to take my measurements. His eyebrows furrowed every now and again but then he sighed, and smiled, putting it back around his neck.
It seemed like all he did was smile - and kill people.
"Your body... oh, it's so wonderful, darling." He murmured, his voice took a turn from sheer excitement to... a tone that was rather husky.
His hands pulled away at my bloodied button up blouse, finding my hips, and pulled the violet tank top that I wore underneath up slightly. "It's such a sin, darling, for you to be this... this beautiful. Such smooth skin... you're going to be beautiful."
His thumbs ran circles on the naked flesh of my hips, and his face dipped in, only a few inches from mine. Oh God, what was this doing to me?
My heart was pounding, and my body was unwillingly reacting to these delicate, seductive touches. I could feel myself stirring from within parts of myself that should've been disgustedly mortified.
Not stirring with excitement.
Against my brain's wishes, I closed my eyes, half-tilting my face upwards to his, and I stupidly expected his lips to press against mine. I wondered only for a moment what they would feel like pressed against my own.
But then he was gone, with his warm hands off of my strangely needing body, and his face had retracted.
"I'm sorry for being so vulgar, darling. I know that you probably have wishes that should be respected." He smiled down at me, his fingers now reaching for the cross pendant I wore around my neck. Maybe it was a good thing I had taken this token with me from my mother.
"A Christian woman, a woman with virtues. My darling Victoria..." He chuckled, the way he said my name caused chills to rush up my spine. I found myself wanting him... just as much as I wanted to run the other way.
All be damned to hell - what was wrong with me?
Was I truly enjoying the seductive way this psychopath touched me, and spoke to me? How could I? He'd murdered more than five dozen men, and who knew how high the body count had been prior to him being institutionalized. I tasted vomit in my mouth again, and my stomach was suggesting it was now time to throw up.
"Now, I have to run out for a bit, just to get the finishing touches put together for the wedding! I'll be back in no time, darling. I know you're eager for us to be married, and I wish for nothing more than to get this show on the road. I want to start our family as soon as we can!" He boomed, full of excitement as he marched back over to his table for only a moment before leaving the darkened room.
Our family.
What a sick, twisted idea this man had.
He wanted to get me pregnant and have a child down here? In this dark, horrible, blood filled place? What had that engine really done to this poor, sick bastard?
I slid back down the pole, tugging at the rope he'd tied around my wrists, but it was no use. How in the hell had he'd tied this thing? I sighed and closed my eyes, and tried my damndest not to cry. It wasn't that my spirit was broken, or that I had no hope. But because I was so exhausted from being chased, and now from playing house with a misogynist murderer. I just wanted to go home.
"Doctor... Doctor Meade?" A soft, almost frightened voice came from the shadows. The sound was too low to make out who the voice belonged to.
"W-who's there?" My heart began to thud loudly.
Oh God, was it Blaire, come to finally dispose of me? Or Dr. Brookes, here to mock me? Or someone coming to kill me. I just hoped and prayed that it wasn't my cannibal friend.
After a few moments of silence, I heard slow footsteps creaking against the wooden floors, until a man in an inmate suit crouched down in front of me. I recognized him as Samuel Reeves, the patient from earlier today - or maybe it was yesterday. I'd lost track of so much time since this had all began.
"Oh God, you're not coming to kill me, are you? I'm so sorry, Samuel, about what the doctors did, but please-" I couldn't help but sob. I did not want to be killed for the cruel actions of the doctors in this facility, nor for my mentor's twisted ways.
It wasn't my fault.
I did what I could to help these people. That's all I ever wanted. But now, now I just wanted to get the fuck out of this place alive. I just wanted to go home. I wanted to live.
I swear I'll go back to church - just please, God. Please.
"Doctor Meade, no, no. Shh." His hand came over my mouth, which was dirtied with blood. Another hand came up to stroke my hair, almost the same way Eddie had. I tried my best not to gag from the smell of the hand clamped over my mouth.
"Why would I kill you? You v-very much belong to the Groom now, Dr. Meade. He'd have my... my head. Not the one on my shoulders, either. Do... do you know about the Groom, Dr. Meade?" His speech came off with a stammer, and his sentences were very slurred. He hadn't been this shaken when Dr. Brookes and I had come to visit him in his cell. I had to wonder what horrors this young man had seen in the past few hours.
He lifted his hand off my mouth, and I had no intentions of screaming or asking him a million questions. I wanted to know what he was talking about.
"Abused by his father and family, or so I've heard; in-in-inmates always, are always whispering to each other about what the doctors have... have said to each other. He.. he was murdered, he... yeah, and... they... they put him in the machine downstairs. They tried to take me to the room downstairs. I watched them pull Eddie Gluskin out right after the Walrider got loose..."
I remember the voice that had come through the radio from the guard named Jefferson's walkie talkie. Walrider. What was it? No matter, I was sure I had more important fish to fry now.
"He was committed... committed for murdering and mutilating his women, Dr. Meade. I fear that will soon be your fate.. but you look like you might be enjoying it." He chuckled slightly, and the sound was horrifying. "You aren't screaming, you aren't fighting... t-tell me, tell me Dr. Meade, you aren't losing your mind, are you?" He began to giggle now, but quickly pressed a finger to his lips to shush himself.
"I just, I just wanted to thank you for all you did for me, Dr. Meade. If you're still alive and I see you again, I'm in your d-debt." He added before he disappeared back into the shadows.
All be damned to hell, I was not enjoying this!
I wanted to scream and cuss at the jerk, and beg for him to untie me, but he was more worried about his own hide than mine at the moment. But the next time he was around, bet your ass he'd help me.
I sat there for a moment, taking in what my former patient had said.
Mutilated and murdered his women.
A serial killer? I should have guessed that. I should have fucking known I would end up in the hands of a man that hacked his women to pieces for the fun of it, or perhaps to get his idea of love across to them when they rejected him. All I could think was, GOD, this was my luck.
The tears wouldn't stop now. Slowly it became a deep sob.
So fucking tired... All I wanted was out. I had to get the fuck out of here. I was not going to die!
Eddie came back some time later, with what seemed to be a veil in his hands.
He was humming the song that he'd sang before hand, and was so giddy that he seemed to be almost dancing. For a moment I almost wished that I was as excited as he was about this. It would at least make this experience less dreadful.
"Let's get you in this dress, darling. I'm so eager for you to be Mrs. Gluskin." He purred, stepping forward with his dress in his hands.
I stared at the gown for a few moments, and realized, despite the horrible stitches, it would've been a beautiful gown. Had he been a dress designer before Mount Massive?
Or perhaps before he took on the hobby of mutilating unsuspecting women? Luring them in with hopes of a happy life, with a handsome man who could sow any gown they desired, before cutting their arms off when he got angry at them?
Those poor women... I was not going to end up like them.
"What's wrong? Do you not like it?" A frown appeared on his face, anger growing in his voice.
"No, I love it. I was just thinking about how happy we'll be, Eddie." I lied to him, giving him the most sincere smile I could possibly muster. His eyebrows smoothed out, and his smile returned once more.
"Now, let's get this on you, darling."
Eddie mastered getting the dress on me without so much as a peak at my naked body, playing the part of a perfect gentleman.
I wanted to tell him I could dress myself, but he would have become offended, then go on a rampage, and most likely kill me, or something.
I don't know.
It wasn't a chance I was willing to take. I was going to wait for a better, more successful window of opportunity to do something less stupid, that would perhaps save my life instead of making Eddie mad. Well, either way I would more than likely piss him off - but when I did, I wanted to be as far away from him as fucking possible.
Once I had the dress on me, he noticed the gash of teeth marks that had torn through my flesh. The bandages that had once been around it had become tattered, and were hardly holding anything together. He pulled my arm up, and examined the wound. Concern was written all over his horribly beautiful face.
"Who did this to you, darling?" He asked angrily, his eyes full of animosity. One of his hands reached to his side where a table sat, and pulled out a line a fabric and began to wrap it around my frail arm.
"I was attacked... a man tried to eat me, Eddie. That's why I've been so afraid. I've been through so much here..." I recalled the feeling of Frank Manera's teeth sinking into my arm, eagerly chomping down and ripping the tissue right off of me. It made me shiver, and I knew it would be an experience I would never forget.
Even if I did manage to put this hell hole behind me.
"No one will ever put a hand on you again, or rather, a mouth," He began, slightly frazzled for a moment before raising his hand up to correct himself after he had bandaged me up the best he could. I was oddly touched by the act.
"No man will touch you ever again. You are mine, Victoria." His hand placed itself under my chin, his eyes smiling softly as he looked into mine. I involuntarily blushed at his words.
I realized that he would be the only man putting his hands on me then.
And that still wasn't really in my best interest.
My wrists twisted a little in the rope as he turned away from me to grab his veil.
As he came back, he untied the rope, and placed the veil into my hair, straightening out the bits of my hair that had gone askew.
He stood so close to me, and unwillingly my heart began to race. I couldn't help but breathe in his scent, and found much to my surprise, he smelled clean. Not anywhere near as disgusting like I imagined.
Not like the stench of blood and sweat like he should smell of.
My heart continued to flutter as he finished fixing up my hair and veil, and even more so as he pulled back to look at me. The same psychotic, silly grin sat neatly on his face.
"My beautiful bride, my sweet darling. Are you ready?" He extended his hand, for me to take. I said nothing, and only gave him a small smile before placing my tiny hand into his.
I would do whatever it took to live.
I wasn't sure how much more of this I was going to be able to deal with before I was finally ready to just run and let him chase me.
This man was not only frightening, but incredibly insane.
He clutched me tightly down the small isle of a thrown together wedding scene. Patients sat in folding chairs, crying and whispering to themselves. They stared me down, while licking their dry, bloody lips.
Except for the patients who had no lips.
When we'd first arrived into this little set up (which I was sure Eddie had put a lot of thought to, and I wondered if any of his other "brides" had even made it this far before he strung them up), I had wanted to bolt the minute my feet touched the fabric of the rug that ran down towards the alter.
I didn't want to marry this psycho, I didn't want to become a mutilated mess of flesh and blood. It didn't matter if this was a mock wedding, a pretend thing that would sate his desire to start his own "family." It wasn't a real event, and was not legally binding. If anything, this was just stalling for time before I met my impending doom.
I tried to pull out of his grasp as we slowly walked down, but his hand came down on the bite Manera had left on my forearm, and it was all I could do not to scream. That was obviously a warning, and he didn't bother to look down at me after releasing it.
My soon to be husband just smiled and hummed the wedding march tune; nothing was going to get in his way of happy ending.
As we marched up to the alter, Eddie turned to me, and took both of my small hands into his gruff ones. He still wore his gloves, and hadn't changed out of his self-made suit, but he had changed his bow which was now a vibrant red. His smile had become more jubilant, rather than the soft subtle one that he had donned during the trek to this small room.
I internally groaned at his growing joy. I just wanted to get this the hell over with.
The priest, who I was sure was a patient as well, cleared his throat and began, "We are gathered here today to witness the joining of two people, in holy matrimony. If there are any objections, please speak now, or forever hold your peace." Hesitantly I turned to look at the inmates, and down the hall where we had come from.
I half expected my least favorite cannibal to round the corner, screaming how my flesh belonged to him. It would've been an excellent distraction for me to run. Unfortunately, the only objections came from the inmates seated in the folding chairs who hollered and hooted. The priest seemed to pay no mind to them.
"Now do you... the Groom, Eddie Gluskin, take this er..." He leaned in towards my face, giving me a better look at him. It seemed as if his nose had been ripped off, and the hole sewn up very carelessly. I tried not to cringe, but still shivered anyway.
"What's your name, bitch?" He whispered, not loud enough for Eddie to hear, who probably would have strangled him for talking to me in such a way. But Eddie was oblivious, and only stood there looking at me with that happy, dumbstruck smile.
"Victoria Meade." I frowned at him, and looked back towards Eddie nervously. He gripped my hands tighter, trying to assure me that all was well.
"Do you take this Victoria Meade to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest giggled.
"I do. For all of our lives." Eddie answered blissfully. His hand now brought up one of mine to his chest, as if he were pressing it against his heart.
All be damned. My own heart began to pound, I had to get out of this.
"And do you, Victoria Meade, take The Groom to be your lawfully wedded husband, to cherish for all your days?" It almost seemed as if the priest was now trying his hardest not to let out a burst of laughter. I couldn't tell if he was just amused from the fact that I was getting married to a murdered, or if he was as disturbed as his face was.
I could feel my face heat up as both of them stared me down, waiting for an answer. I wanted to say no, I wanted to say, "Fuck no, I'm out of here." But it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Better alive than to be strung up to a gymnasium ceiling.
"Yes, I do." The words came out very softly, but Eddie was now beaming like the sun.
"Well, then I now pronounce you man and wife!" The priest finally let out an explosion of laughter, his hand reaching up to cover his mouth as Eddie pulled me closer.
I could hear the chants and cheers, hollers, and slurs coming from the inmates, it seemed as if I was the only one being bothered by them. Eddie's arm hooked around my back, his hand resting on my hip, and pulled me in close. His other hand found my face, cupping my cheek as he stroked it with his thumb.
"You are mine forever, darling." He whispered softly, almost sweetly. I stared up into his blood blurred eyes, once again feeling the blush creep over my face. He smiled gently, trying to keep himself somewhat collected. His head dipped in, his lips surprisingly smooth as they pressed against my own.
He kissed me gently, as if I were going to break from being handled too much. His arm was still wrapped around my back, now pulling me closer so that I was pressed against the hard plains of his body.
For a split second, it was as if this was something completely different than what it was. As if I weren't kissing a madman who was hell bent on hacking me to pieces.
To me, it wasn't kissing a man who repulsed me... it was like I was being kissed by a real lover.
All be damned to hell. If I was going to die anyway, how could this hurt anything? I gave into his kiss, letting his lips take control of my own. I loved the demanding feel of them, they were so very needy. I parted my lips, wanting to taste every single bit of his own. Eddie's fingers dug into my sides, but not out of lust, but out of control. He pushed me back slightly, a wicked grin on his face that tried to mask the fact that I'd taken his breath away.
Oh God. Did I really just do that? For the first time since I'd met the Groom, my knees weren't shaking from the fear he caused. They were shaking from the sheer thrill of kissing him.
"You aren't screaming, you aren't fighting... t-tell me, tell me Dr. Meade, you aren't losing your mind, are you?" Samuel Reeve's words once again sent a chill down my spine.
I was not losing my mind.
"Darling, you are a sin." My new husband's words pulled me back from my own thoughts. He'd pressed his head against my own, his blue eyes bore into mine for a moment before leaning down to give me one last peck on the lips.
"Now, I have a surprise for you, come, darling."