"Do you take this woman to be your wife?"
The minister's voice was rich, as rich as the decorations in the church. Christian Troy beamed at the minister before answering, then looked at the assembled guests. Everyone was there: Sean, at his side as Sean always was. Wow, his mom showed up! And she smiling as she bent to whisper to the lady next to her, "That's my son," voice ringing with quiet pride. Julia, sitting in between one of their former patients--what was her name--and Gina. Even the face of his ex and thorn in his side gave him reason to smile...she beamed at him, mouthed "Congrats, as..," remembered she was in a church, then amended, "butthole" and winked. The smile on her face, though, was filled with happiness. For him. And Kimber. Who would've thought?
Even Matt had returned, dressed properly, thank God. Even the hateful earring he'd taken to wearing was missing; his tie was done properly. Nothing could be done about the boy's buzzed hair, but that was a minor annoyance, it was enough that he'd returned. Christian got the second gift of the day when Matt mouthed "I love you, Dad," and gave a thumbs-up from the pew behind Julia and Gina. Christian smiled happily, then gradually noticed that his continued silence was starting to become a cause for concern.
"Do you take this woman to be your wife?" the minister intoned again, a hint of annoyance lacing his words. Before Christian could reply in the affirmative, however, another voice, feminine, broke in.
"Yes, Christian, do you take me? For better, for worse? Do you take me like THIS?" The voice rose in pitch; astonished, Christian glanced at his bride.
The sight made his heart drop.
Kimber was glaring at him; her dress was soaked with blood. Her once-perfect face was streaked with it, angry red slashes curving from the corner of her mouth like a jester's grimace. But that wasn't even the worst part.
She was holding something in her hands, holding it out to him like a present.
"I got you a gift," Kimber slurred. In her hands were her implants, the implants he himself had given her. "Do you like them now? I trusted you, Christian, and this is what you brought me to!" She hurled the bloody globes at him; they struck the front of his suit, then plopped to the church floor with a wet, sickening thump. Her face and her stomach started to puff out, swelling with chicken fat that ran like obscene tears down her blood-streaked face. "Save me, Christian," she moaned, reaching out for him. He took a shocked step back, shaking his head in denial as she reached for him. His progress was stopped short as he bumped into something behind him; a solid body. Hands reached around to grab him as something hard poked at the seat of his pants. One of the hands clutching at him held a buzzing saw, and a hated voice sounded in his ear.
Tell me what you don't like about yourself, Christian, the voice droned into his ear. Tell me, and let me set you free.
The assembly in the church stood and started to clap; Kimber turned her ruined face upward and howled in pain. The thing poking at his rear suddenly entered him with shocking, painful force and Christian, frozen to the spot, screamed.
Save me, Christian. Save me from myself.
Christian gasped as he bolted upright from his bed, tangling in his sweat-soaked sheets and almost braining himself on his bedside table as he fell out of the bed. Landing painfully, he lay on the floor a few moments, still caught up in the grip of the nightmare. Gradually though, the sounds of the night outside reached his fevered brain and the normal world rushed in around him.
But nothing would ever be normal for him; normal would never be his again. And something was terribly wrong, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Save me, Christian. Save me from myself.
"Kimber," he moaned, as he reached up and fumbled on the nightstand for his phone.
He had to make sure she was okay. If that even exisisted anymore. She wouldn't take his call, he knew, but he still had to try. He put the phone to his ear and waited as it rang. And rang. And rang...