Web of Lies

Prologue

         Wellson was a relatively small town, Mom and Pop shops dotting the area, everyone knew each other, and there were no secrets. Well, there was one. A secret that has surrounded the town far past anyone could remember, pardon the secret keeper. Keeping quiet, not for the sinner’s sake, but for their own.
         A whisper of sunlight crept through a part in the curtains of a small bedroom. The rays waking up the snoozing resident. Sitting up, corse black hair knotted and messy and with bluish bags under her sleep crusted eyes, blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She smelled the scent of breakfast being cooked from downstairs and pulled herself out of the tangle of blankets and sheets. Standing up she felt a shiver run through her body as she dragged her feet across the cold wooden flooring.
         Stumbling down the stairs she found herself in the living room, across from it seeing the figure of her mother over the stove. She recognized the smell of eggs and bacon and walked over to sit down at the table and wait for her food.
“Morning brat.” her mother’s soft voice rang out, warm and oozy like honey, Caethes turned her head towards her mother and stuck out her tongue.
         “G’morning to you too bitch.” she yawned not bothering to cover her mouth. Chuckling the slightly aged woman scraped the eggs and bacon from the skillet and onto a plate setting it down before her daughter.
         “You want apple or orange juice?” She asked as she started pouring herself a cup of coffee, dropping in a few sugar cubes.
         “Orange.” Caethes responded stuffing a fork full of scrambled eggs into her mouth. Her mother nodded and walked over the the fridge and grabbed the carton, setting it down in front of her daughter, who opened it and took a sip not bothering to pour it into a glass.
         Sitting across from her daughter Bella pursed her lips, holding her coffee mug between her two hands, “You remember what day it is today?” she asked taking a sip of the bitter brew.
         “Tuesday.” Caethes replied her mouth full of food. Her mother gave her a sarcastic laugh in annoyance.
         “Yeah, yeah, it’s chore day.” Caethes said swallowing and taking another sip from the juice carton. Getting up she dropped her dish into the sink and put the carton back in the fridge.
         “Oh and I have a few orders for you to deliver after you’re done,” Bella added “Some dresses for the Madenson and Wills families,” she glanced up at her daughter “Make sure they have the money this time.” Caethes nodded and headed up the stairs. The last commissioner had decided to take the finished suit her mother had made without paying. Though her mother got her payment eventually, just not with money.
         Trudging up the stairs Caethes made a her way to the bathroom, grimacing at her reflection. She hardly got much sleep that night due to what today’s plans were, she could never really tell if it was out of excitement or distain. She went to work combing through the corse, black nest of hair atop her head, eventually managing to pull it back into a sloppy braid, then starting the rest of her morning routine. After washing her face she dragged herself back to her room and started riffling though drawers for something to wear, eventually settling on a pair of jeans and a violet sweater. As winter was growing closer she felt it getting a bit nippy outside. She sat on her bed and pulled on her hiking boots, today was chore day which meant she was going to be out hiking around in the woods for most of the afternoon.
         Grabbing her coat and her backpack she trampled downstairs, her boots clunking loudly against the hard wood. Her mother was in the living room, seated on the couch with her newest commission in front of her, by the looks of it it seemed to be a dress for a little girl. Bella’s hair was pulled back into a neat bun, streaks of grey starting to show in her silky black hair.
         “Later.” Caethes said pulling on her coat and heading out the door for school.
         “Bring something back of quality, Ms. Johnson has been asking me to make her a leather corset, her back is just too weak at her age to hold herself up.” her mother called, pins between the lips, eyes focused on pinning the frilly sleeve of the garment.
         Caethes gave a small nod, closing the front door behind her. Slinging her backpack over onto her shoulders she started to stroll in the direction of the high school building.


         The soft crunch of leaves sounded throughout the trees as Caethes walked. School had went slow, her stomach twisting as she had sat in her desk, watching the clock count down. This was the routine every two weeks for the past three years. Caethes still wasn’t sure if she was okay with it or not, it seemed so normal now, but she knew it was wrong.
         Following the familiar path through the woods she made her way down to a popular campsite, a mile or two from her mother’s house. It was actually illegal to camp in that area, however that never stopped people, especially with the rumors about the area floating around. It was a rare occurrence that no one would be there, and on those few occasions Caethes would either come back the next day or take the chance of going down to the main camp sites. Those were more crowded and harder to deal with cleanly.
         Her grip tightened on the baseball bat she had brought with her, slowing her footsteps as she approached the target area. Through the trees she could see a bright orange tent, and the sound of someone shuffling about. Caethes made it to the tree lining, hiding her body behind a bulky pine. A good size clearing was in front of her, a man, probably in his mid to late twenties was poking about a fire, trying to keep it burning. His back was to her and Caethes estimated he was a good four inches taller than herself, but his body was crouched down which gave her an advantage.
         Quietly she made her way towards him, bat raised high. Before he ever had the chance to take notice she brought the bat down over his head, a loud crack echoing through the campsite as metal met skull. The man slumped to the ground, body going limp. Caethes quickly crouched next to him and put her fingers to his wrist, finding a pulse she sighed and stood up. Her mother got pissy when she brought back dead ones. She set to work tying up his arms and legs, and stuffed a rag into his mouth, never could be too careful. Looking around she picked at the campsite looking to see if there was anything interesting to take for herself. She found a couple of books inside the tent and threw them into her backpack along with an expensive looking hunting knife. Satisfied with what she has collected she took apart the camp, chucking bits and pieces into the woods, clearing out the spot to make room for the next camper.
         Walking back over the unconscious man she grabbed hold of his feet and started pulling him back the house, his body dragging behind her. This was her least favorite part of chores, the man was larger than her and heavy, thankfully it was a downhill trek. It still took her a couple of hours to get him down to the house. Caethes opened the cellar door, and heaved the body inside, shutting and locking the man inside.
         Sweaty and exhausted she shuffled into the house, her mother sat on the couch still working away at the dress from this morning not looking a bit tired.
         “Got one for ya,” Caethes sighed as she flopped onto the armchair, her breath heavy and streams of sweat making her hair stick to her face.
         “Took you long enough, it’s already dark out.” Her mother said putting down the nearly finished dress on the coffee table in front of her. Bella stood up and stretched, her back letting out a couple pops.
         “The packages are by the door.” she said waving her hand towards the home’s entry way and she walked over to the door that led down to the cellar from the inside of the house. Caethes groaned and got up, walking over to the doorway and scooped up the neatly wrapped parcels. She made her way outside and started heading off towards the Wills house since it was the farthest away.
         As she walked she thought to herself, she knew her mother was evil, no good person would torture and chop people to bits for fun. Though despite their seemingly harsh conversations she did have a bit of fondness for the woman. Her mother could be surprisingly comforting and loving at times. But this was still wrong.
         After everyone of these exchanges Caethes always contemplated the idea of ratting her mother out to the police. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t caught on to the many disappearances over the years, but who would suspect the sweet town seamstress and her quiet daughter. At this point though Caethes was just as guilty as her mother was, they’d probably lock her up as well.
         The young teen let out a irritated sigh reaching the steps of the Wills family’s house. Quickly putting on a smile and ringing the doorbell, she stood there and waited. She thought to herself, I wonder what Mrs.Wills would think if she knew the actual materials that go into making her dress.

Chapter One

         Caethes was grabbing her coat when she heard her mother’s honey sweet voice poke through the silence of the house.
         “No going out tonight brat, I got a surprise for you.” she called out from the living room couch setting down her book.
         “But aren’t you going to be working on your extra projects?” Caethes asked confused. On the evenings that her mother planned on playing with her toys in the cellar Caethes would usually go out for a walk. She wouldn’t come back unless she was sure that her mother was finished with her work. The noise never sat right with her, or should she say the thrill she got from hearing the screams and moans didn’t sit right with her.
         Bella walked over and set her hands on Caethes’s shoulders, smiling down at her with, maybe pride? Caethes felt a tightening in her stomach, her insides were going cold. Her mother’s eyes seemed warm at first glance but up close they looked cold and calculating. After studying her face for a moment Caethes saw her mother’s smile crack into a wide grin going ear to ear.
         “You know I was just about your age when I started working.” she mused, like she was remembering a happy memory. Caethes felt slim fingers tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, it took all of her willpower to not shiver at the touch. How could a woman so nasty a cruel touch feel so warm and loving?
         “But I can’t sew.” Caethes said, her voice barely above a whisper. She knew where this was heading and she felt a wave of excitement rush through her body. Bella’s eyes darkened with amusement.
         “You know I don’t mean sewing.” she dropped her hands from Caethes’s shoulders and beckoned with her hand to follow. Caethes obeyed and followed her mother to the cellar door. She watched as her mother took an iron key from around her neck and unlocked the door. Opening the old wooden door Bella ghosted down the stairs, skirts fluttering behind her. Caethes’s heavy footsteps clunked down behind her, a knot forming in her stomach.
         Though she had brought countless victims to the cellar she always threw them down into it, never going down herself. She never questioned the muffled screams and moans coming from downstairs. She never questioned the strange meat stew her mother would make the night after finishing her playing. She never questioned where her mother got her leather for when she needed new shoes. She never questioned any of it because in the back of her mind she knew the answers.
         Truth be told Caethes had thought a lot of what the cellar looked like, never being in it herself. She imagined a rotted wooden room, shackles and chains holding her mother’s bloodied and bruised prisoners. Guts and gore smeared across the floor and walls. Bloodstained, rusty knifes and saws hanging from meat hooks. Classic horror movie scene. That’s why Caethes was taken aback by how clean the cellar was.
         What first caught her off guard were the flowers. If she didn’t know better she thought this would have been some strange underground green house. Sun lamps were place around the room, their artificial light making the plants thrive. There were roses, violets, lilies, morning glories, all of differing colors. Many of the species Caethes didn’t recognize, she was never really into flowers or gardening. Bella walked over to a rose plant with pursed lips looking down with disappointment, she picked up a nearby set of clippers and started pruning the plant, cooing soft words to it.
         Caethes stood awkwardly at the foot of the stairs looking around in confusion. The room was sick with fragrance that made her screw up her nose. Walking to stand in the middle of the room she slowly spun around, taking in the whole room. It was then when she noticed the reenforced steal door under the stair case.
         Ignoring her mother, still fawning over the rose bush, she strode over to the heavy looking door. Taking a breath she took hold of the metal handle and pulled the door open and peaking inside the room. After a second of registering what she was seeing Caethes slammed the door and proceeded to be sick all over the tiled floor.
         Without looking up from her plants her mother called out to her “I’m not cleaning that up.”

         After dragging the mop down the stairs and cleaning up her mess Caethes sat on the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed and looking at her feet. Whatever she had originally imagined the cellar to be was nothing compared to what she just witnessed. The walls of the other room were lined with heads, some free of flesh while others still had faces, the skin and muscle rotting off the bone, expressions twisted agony. All of their eyes had been gouged out. Rib bones hung from the ceiling like morbid mobiles, clinking and clanking against each other. In the corner of the room was a pile of discarded bones, made into some devilish throne. On the far side of the room there was a cage with a still figure, soft moans of pain escaping from it.
         Bella set down her clippers, smiling at her handy work and dusted off her hands. She glided over to the metal door and gave Caethes a sour look.
         “Are you going to sit there like some bitch baby that just pissed itself?” she asked annoyed. Without looking up Caethes got up and sighed, walking over to where her mother was standing by the door. Bella opened the door with a hard pull and ushered Caethes in front of herself.
         “Sit down in that chair there.” Her mother pointed, Caethes obediently sat across the room in one of the chairs, trying not to look around her surroundings. She heard keys clinking together as her mother unlocked the cage, pulling the man, obviously sedated, to the center of the room to the work bench. The man had been stripped down to his underwear, Bella smiled and traced her fingers over his chest, then leaned him back and started strapping down his arms and legs with heavy leather belts. Caethes felt her body shaking, from excitement or terror she didn’t know. Honestly probably a little of both.
         Her mother took out a syringe and shoved into the man’s arm grinning ear to ear, “No passing out on me now,” she whispered into her victim’s ear. Bella reached into a drawer and pulled out a scalpel, it was with the first incision Caethes herself passed out.