Loving My Future Murderer

The Locked Room

Aira stood totally frozen. Ice cold air crept right up from the wood floor under her feet. Elian stared her down with sharp, cold eyes. Staring straight through her. He stood super stiff in the middle of the hallway. Every bit of that soft, sweet husband act just vanished. Replaced by a stone cold expression.

Aira let out a quiet breath. She shoved her hands behind her dress real fast.

"Why is this door locked?" Aira asked soft, playing dumb to hide the crazy panic pounding in her chest.

Elian didn't say a word at first. He blinked once, then started walking closer without making a single sound. He moved way too fast, getting right up to her while she stood right in front of that heavy silver padlock.

"That's just my private office," Elian said.

His tone switched right back, sounding soft and calm like always. But Aira kept watching him closely and caught that weird, awkward pause right before he spoke.

"An office?" Aira glanced at the heavy steel lock bolted above the door handle. "Why lock it with a giant padlock if it's just a normal office?"

"There are tons of important documents in there, Aira!" Elian fired back real fast. He reached right out, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around slow so her back faced the black door. "Confidential company stuff, legal files, foreign projects. I lock it up so no random outsiders or maids go snooping around."

"But isn't it just the two of us living here?" Aira pushed, watching his face from the side.

Elian rubbed her arm slow and steady. "What if cleaners stop by later? Or what if guests come over? Stuff like this is always important."

"So... am I not allowed inside at all either?" Aira asked straight up, staring right into his eyes.

Elian narrowed his eyes a bit. His grip on her shoulders tightened up, pressing down just enough to hold her completely still.

"There's nothing in there that would interest you!" Elian cut her off short. Sounding casual enough, but how fast he cut her off felt totally defensive. "You're recovering right now. Looking at stacks of heavy business papers will just give you a huge headache!"

"I was just curious," Aira whispered, pretending to give up so he wouldn't get suspicious. "This door just looks totally different from all the others on this floor."

"Forget about it!" Elian said, guiding her down the hall toward the white door at the very end. "Our bedroom is right ahead. You need total rest tonight."

Elian pushed open the master bedroom door. The room was huge, full of beige and gray stuff. A massive bed sat right in the middle with a thick blanket under dim lights.

"Go change your clothes," Elian said, pointing at a closet door inside the room. "I'll run downstairs real quick to grab some warm water and your night pills."

"Thanks, Elian," Aira said short.

"Sure thing, babe!" Elian kissed her forehead fast. His lips felt freezing cold on her skin, but that sweet smile was back on his face. "I'll be back in a sec."

He turned around and walked out, shutting the bedroom door super tight behind him.

Aira stood all alone in the middle of the weird, unfamiliar room. She walked up to a big mirror on the wall. Her reflection looked pale as a ghost.

"Why would he lock that door from the outside?" Aira muttered to herself, staring at her own eyes in the glass. "If it's really just company papers, why did he freak out the second I tried touching the lock???"

Aira went over to the closet to grab some clothes. A bit later, the door clicked open. Elian came back carrying a small tray with a glass of warm water and two white pills.

"Here's your night meds," Elian said, setting the tray on the nightstand. "The doctor said these work great for taking the edge off your brain nerves."

Aira stepped up to the table. She stared down at those two white pills with a giant knot of doubt in her gut.

"Why are you just standing there?" Elian asked when she froze for too long. "Feeling sick again?"

"A little," Aira lied. "Are these the exact same pills I took at the hospital?"

"Yep, same exact pills!" Elian said calm. "Take them now so you can sleep straight through till morning."

Aira grabbed the glass and the two white pills. She popped the pills in her mouth right in front of his eyes and gulped down the warm water until it was totally empty.

"All gone," Aira said, showing him the empty glass.

Elian smiled super satisfied. "Good girl! Now get some sleep. I'm staying right here next to you."

"No more work for you tonight?" Aira asked, checking the vibe.

"Nope!" Elian said quick. "Tonight I just want to stay right here with you."

Aira climbed onto the soft bed and pulled the blanket right up to her chest. Elian clicked off the main room light, leaving just a small yellow nightlight glowing in the corner. He laid down on her right side, pulling up his own blanket and wrapping his arm around her waist from behind.

"Goodnight, Aira," Elian whispered right near her ear.

"Goodnight, Elian," Aira said soft.

Behind her closed eyes, Aira hadn't swallowed a single pill. She kept both white pills hidden under her tongue the entire time. The second Elian rolled over a few minutes later, Aira slid the pills out real slow with her fingertips and hid them deep under the bedsheet folds.

An hour dragged by in total silence. The wall clock downstairs chimed soft, echoing up to show it was already one in the morning.

Aira opened her eyes real slow. Her vision adjusted quick to the dark room. She glanced sideways real slow.

"Elian?" Aira called out in a super quiet whisper.

Zero response from him. Elian was passed out cold on his stomach, breathing steady and deep.

Aira shifted her blanket slow without making any fabric noise. She swung her legs off the mattress super careful, letting her bare feet hit the cold wood floor.

Aira tiptoed toward the door. She turned the handle real slow, making sure no wooden creaks happened tonight. Once the gap was wide enough, she slipped out into the silent hall.

The hallway was pitch black. Only a sliver of moonlight poked through a high window at the end, casting dim light on the walls.

Aira stood frozen on the cold floor. Her eyes locked straight down the middle of the hall. Right at that black door still locked tight with the heavy steel padlock.

"I gotta know what's in there," Aira whispered to herself, tightening her resolve.

Aira walked slow, hugging the hallway wall with her bare feet. Every step felt insanely heavy, terrifying her that Elian might wake up and creep up right behind her.

Aira finally made it right in front of the mysterious black door. She stared at the silver padlock hanging stiff right there.

Aira reached out her cold trembling hand. She touched the metal lock surface real slow, feeling how hard and cold the iron felt.

Right as her fingertips pressed tight against the iron lock, a sudden noise shattered the quiet night right from inside that locked room.

CLANG!

The heavy sound of something pretty big falling and slamming hard onto the wooden floor came straight from behind that locked door.

Aira yanked her hand back instantly, her heart slamming insanely hard inside her chest.