Bound by Darkness

Chapter 2: The Perfect Plan

Every aspect of the kidnapping was meticulously planned by Vincent. Every detail was accounted for, from the moment he would strike to how he would transport Lily to his secluded hideout. He had done this before, each time perfecting his method. However, this time was a completely new story. He couldn’t keep away the picture of Lily’s smiling face from his brain.

The remembrances of all the previous victims of his pained him horribly. He saw their fear, heard them asking for mercy, and felt the cruel delight of watching their lives perish. But this time, the satisfied feeling was overwhelmed by an unknown guilt. He tossed the thoughts away and paid attention to the plan.

Lily’s day was like any other. She spent her morning at the community center, helping the underprivileged, her smile lighting up the faces of those around her. Her compassion and kindness were genuine, and she seemed to have a boundless reservoir of patience and empathy. Vincent watched from a distance, his fascination growing with each passing moment.

At twilight, he executed his plan. The plan was very plain yet very effective. He had chosen a location where the chances of being seen were minimal, a dark alley behind the library where Lily often walked alone. The chloroform-soaked cloth was ready, and the van was parked nearby, its interior meticulously prepared to ensure there were no traces left behind.

Lily’s footsteps were heard in the vicinity, a soothing sound amidst the stillness of the night. Vincent was so engulfed in excitement that his heart was nearly beating out of his chest while he leisurely waited in the shadows. Thus, it was now-or-never. He had to do it this moment. He moved closer, his moves agile and accurate. The cloth covered Lily’s mouth before she could react, and within seconds, she was unconscious.

His mind troubled more or less about the conflicting emotions he had towards the attainment of his plans, at the same time also imagining how he could carry out such achievement. When he looked at Lily's nice and calm face he could not get rid of the idea that something was wrong.

As soon as Lily woke up, she found herself in a small room without windows. She grew anxious with her bonds that she tried to eliminate as her mind was full of fear and confusion. The crack of the door could be heard, and Vincent came into the room. His eyes showed only hardness, but there was this other thing that appeared on his face – a human-like glance of emotion.

Lily's will to survive was driving her. She realized that the only way she could fight back was to keep herself calm and make everything that her captor's reasoning be clearer to her. “Why are you doing this?” she questioned, barely. Her voice was shaking.

Vincent did not reply. He was prevented from doing it. For the first time, there was a moment of uncertainty he had been through. This was not the way it was supposed to be. He was the predator, she was the victim. As he gazed into her eyes, he felt his resolve weaken.

The space was empty, with just a bed, a chair, and a small table. Despite the intention of Vincent to design it to be inescapable, he now felt trapped standing there. His mind his mind, the darkness that has reigned over for a long time.

She did not take the look off his face all the time. She was scared, but it was also determinedly sure in her eyes. She was going to fight to the very end. “What's your name?” she asked tenderly.

Vincent did not respond immediately. This was not the first time that he had left this personal data hidden from the people he abducted. This was one of the principles that he imposed on himself as a control measure. Lily was the only one who changed this. “Vincent,” he eventually uttered.

“Vincent,” Lily said again, calm voice. “Vincent, why are you doing this?”

He was not in a hurry to respond. What could he say? He was led by a deep and near unbearable pain that prompted him to commit these acts. She would not understand if he went on to tell her the truth. “You wouldn't get it,” he finally said.

“I dare you, Lily,” she said. She was not afraid to ask if she was only curious and had a sense of the unknown.

When he saw her, the ideas in his mind were going at the speed of light. He longed to share the information with her, to see the pain he dealt with every day in her eyes. However, he was aware that once he started he could not go back on that track. He rushed out of the room, and went on to lock the door behind him.

In the safety of his crude abode, Vincent sat on the bed with his hands on his head. What was his problem? Why was he so keen on this girl? She was meant to be just another victim, one of the methods to the end. But now, she was growing into something more.

Vincent was unable to fall asleep as hours went by. He continually thought about Lily, her mild expression, and her bothering questions. He realized that he could not keep her locked up forever. At a point, he would be out of options and would have to choose between life and death.

The next day, Vincent managed to bring Lily the food. She barely thanked him and the whole time, she was able to focus her gaze on his face without blinking. “You’re not exactly the person I was expecting,” she confessed after a while.

Vincent, in a questioning tone, raised his eyebrow, “Then what did you expect?”

“I don’t know,” Lily said. “But you’re not a monster, Vincent. I can see that.”

These words were like an embarrassing question to him. Was she right? Was he still going on to keep her part of the darkness? He had no answer. His consciousness had been thrown off by her such that she swayed him to question all his assumptions.

Gone through the transformation of days becoming weeks, Vincent now felt the attraction to Lily in a way he never understood. Not only a victim, but she was also a person who had entered a sensitive spot in him that he thought was dead. He opened up to her with some of his past, the pain and shock that had formed the personality he was.

Lily was always present, no matter what the situation was. Her compassion, however, illuminated her and she loved him enough to at least attempt to make that process easier for him. Lily intended to much Vincent understand that his past doesn't define him, that he can choose a different path.

Her words were like a seed of doubt lurking in his head or heart, a flickering hope, maybe, just maybe, he could change. The inner battle of the protagonist was as severe as the dark power he inherently had, it would not be simple no doubt. He utilized the whole spectrum of his existence to control, to dominate.

One evening, when Vincent was sitting next to Lily, she sat up and dove into soft conversation with him: "You're not forced to go down this path", she told him gently. "You can opt for something different."

Vincent caught the authentic and profound humanity behind them by looking at the honest compassion reflected in Lily's eyes. For the first time in a very long time, he was encouraged to believe. Possibly, he could do the same. Conceivably, there still existed a route to the healing of his soul.

Yet, the possible-existent conflicted feelings were not the only factor making the issue more complicated. Acceptance of the darkness inside first and then finding the determination to defeat it are the first and the second steps, respectively. In the end, he felt a little space for positive thoughts in his heart, amid the recurrence of the doubts. Still, Vincent decided that he would walk the long and difficult way with her.

Vincent slowly started his closure to liberation and growth, no more barriers, not in front of Lily. He talked with her about what was done to him as a child, how he was beaten, the sorrow that had drove him the way he was. Lily paid attention, her heart was shattered as she saw the little boy who had gone through such tortures.

She strived to motivate him to change his view and find a different option for the way forward. She created doubts in his mind, which were like little spots of hope that it’s possible he can alter something.

Yet his darkness was standing out and he already knew that it would be difficult to free himself. He centered his life around control and domination, this was his very need. It would be pretty tough to confront the very demons that had brought him to this situation.

One night, Vincent, as he was sitting by Lily, and then she just took his hand. She tenderly said, “You don’t have to do it. You can choose a new way.”

Vincent looked analytically at her eyes, there was a real emotionally and compassion. He had a moment of hope after a very long time as for the first time he felt it. Maybe he could alter. Possibly, there is still a chance for redemption.

But he sensed deeply in himself that the journey of forgiveness would be tough and full of obstacles. The first step he had to take was to admit his own darkness, and the following one to find the power to fight against it. Besides the glimmer of hope he had with Lily, he also foresaw that the road was hard and long.