Zariah sat in her apartment that evening, the weight of the day's events pushing down on her like a suffocating blanket. She didn't want to go out, didn't want to talk to anyone, didn't want to feel anything.
It was too much.
The loss of Darren, the confusion of everything, she just wanted a moment of peace, even if it meant hiding in the depths of her apartment.
She had ordered food, trying to numb her mind with comfort.
The TV flickered in front of her, a dull hum in the background as she sat slumped on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through her phone. She was barely aware of the time passing.
After what seemed like hours, the doorbell rang.
Ding Dong
"Finally, the food", she thought.
She shuffled toward the door, the coldness of her surroundings seeping into her skin. But when she opened it, she saw something unexpected.
No delivery man.
No pizza .
Just a small, neatly wrapped gift box sitting on her doorstep, the only thing there in the light.
She frowned, unsure of what to make of it. There was no name, no card, no indication of who it could be from. Her first thought was that it might be from one of her admirers, someone who had heard about Darren's passing and felt sorry for her. Someone who wanted to offer comfort, maybe even to make her feel better.
But a part of her felt uneasy. " Why no name?"
Who would leave a gift like this on her doorstep, in the middle of the night?
The weight of the box felt oddly heavy in her hands as she picked it up and closed the door behind her.
She placed it on the kitchen counter and carefully unwrapped it, a sense of dread creeping in as she pulled away the paper.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she opened the box, revealing something that made her stomach churn.
A severed blue-black DICK !
Her body instantly went cold.
Her heart raced.
She couldn't process what she was seeing. It felt like the world had just cracked open, revealing a nightmare that she couldn't wake from.
The dick was pale, lifeless, and… unmistakably Darren's. Once attached to his body , now sliced clean off, stained with blood that had already dried.
She stumbled backward screaming , feeling the bile rise in her throat. Her legs gave out beneath her as she hit the floor, gasping for air.
Her hands trembled as she scrambled to push the box away from her, unable to tear her eyes away from the grotesque sight.
"This can't be real."
But it was. It was horrifyingly, disgustingly real.
She continued screaming .
A raw, desperate sound that filled the room, echoing off the walls as her vision blurred with tears.
Her hands shook violently as she reached for the note that had been tucked inside the box.
IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU THEN NO ONE CAN.
The words burned into her mind like a brand, a chilling message that felt like it had come from the darkest place of the world.
She tried to read it again, her eyes blurry with tears, but the meaning of the words dug deeper into her chest.
Her heart pounded in her ears, and her breathing was ragged.
"What did this mean? Who could've done this?"
She pressed her palm to her mouth, trying to keep from vomiting, but it was impossible. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her, the bile rising in her throat again. The dick was Darren's, but the note ….the note was something else. The person who had done this… they knew her.
Her mind raced. It all connected. The eerie feeling she'd had about Darren's death, the fact that he was gone so suddenly, and now this. Someone out there was playing a sick game with her, and she didn't know why.
Zariah's breathing grew erratic as the panic set in. She had no idea who was behind this, or why they were doing this to her. She had no idea what was coming next. But one thing was clear: she was no longer in control.
Her phone rang in the background, breaking through the haze of her panic. She jumped at the sound, but when she looked at the screen, her heart dropped.
It was her friend, Maya.
Zariah didn't want to talk. She didn't want to share this with anyone. Not yet.
But the phone kept ringing, pulling her out of her shell.
She wiped her face, still feeling the pulse of terror running through her veins as she answered.
"Maya, I… I can't… I can't breathe right now." Her voice cracked. "I don't know what to do. I need help."
On the other end, Maya's voice was filled with concern. "Z, what's going on? What happened?"
And that was when Zariah told her. The severed dick. The chilling note. Everything.
Maya was silent for a moment, clearly processing the situation, before she spoke again.
"Zariah, this isn't normal. You need to call the police. This is… this is serious."
Zariah didn't even know how to react, where to even begin explaining…..She had no idea where to begin. She felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff, and any movement would send her plunging into madness.
But as the conversation continued, Zariah realized just how far gone things had become.
There was no escape. And she was trapped.
Minutes later, the police pulled up at her apartment and took her with them, with the dick of course.
The police station felt cold and sterile as Zariah sat in the middle of the interrogation room, her palms sweating as she nervously shifted in the uncomfortable chair.
The dick , still wrapped in the same box,sat on the table in front of her, a grim reminder of the horror she'd discovered hours ago.
She had brought it to them, thinking that someone might finally help her make sense of it all, but instead, she was being treated as a suspect. The officers hadn't even let her explain herself fully before ushering her into the room for questioning. The whole situation felt surreal.
"Zariah," Detective Hayes said, his voice stern, eyes locked on her. "We need to know everything. This is not just some prank. Someone's clearly targeting you."
Her heart sank as he continued. The walls around her felt like they were closing in.
"I didn't—" she began, but the words stuck in her throat. She felt like she was suffocating under the weight of their suspicion. The detective's gaze never wavered, and it made her feel small, guilty, even though she hadn't done anything wrong.
She had only been trying to understand what had happened.
"What was your relationship with Darren?" he pressed. "Was this some sort of... twisted game between you two?"
Zariah shook her head frantically. "No! We weren't playing any games. He….he was a good guy. We had a real connection, and now he's gone. I…" She paused, swallowing hard.
"I don't know who did this or why they would send me that thing . I'm just as confused as you are."
The detective nodded slowly, clearly processing everything she said. "We'll need you to stay here while we gather more information. For now, you're not a suspect, but don't leave town."
As Zariah was escorted out of the interrogation room, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking into an even darker part of her life, one she wasn't prepared to face.
Hours passed, and Zariah sat in the police station's waiting area, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. She kept thinking back to Darren…the way he had kissed her, the way he made her feel. Had everything been a lie? Had it all been some twisted game he'd been playing with her?
" No,"she thought. " I can't believe that. I can't."
Finally, she was called back into the lab room. Detective Hayes looked up from a folder and gave her a look of disappointment, and Zariah's stomach dropped.
"We've received the analysis from the lab," he began, his voice low and heavy. "There's no trace of DNA. No fingerprints, no tissue, nothing. It's as if whoever left the part... made sure to cover their tracks."
Zariah's chest tightened, her breath coming out in short, shallow bursts. This made no sense. She had expected something anything. Some sign, some clue to help her understand who was behind this madness.
"But that's impossible," she said, barely above a whisper. "It... it was Darren's right . It's bound to have some kind of evidence ."
Detective Hayes didn't answer right away, his eyes scanning the file in front of him. "The lab ran everything. There's nothing here that can point to a suspect. No DNA, no prints, no biological material that can help us track this person down."
Zariah's mind raced. No DNA? That didn't make sense. The dick had to have belonged to Darren and was viciously cut off.
And yet, it was as though it had been scrubbed clean. Erased.
"So what now?" she asked, her voice trembling. "You're telling me there's nothing you can do?"
The detective leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping on the file as he thought for a moment. "For now you're cleared .We'll keep looking. But for now, we don't have anything concrete. I know it's frustrating, but we can't move forward without something to go on. And what I can advise you is please is there anyone you think Darren has beef with or anyone who'd want him dead ?"
She was too flabbergasted to think at the moment. She felt a wave of frustration surge through her. She could feel her hands balling into fists, the anger bubbling inside of her. It wasn't fair. How could they just leave her here, with no answers, no closure? She had trusted them to figure this out, but they were just as clueless as she was.
She wanted to scream. To lash out. To break something, anything, to release the tension that was strangling her chest.
But what good would that do?
"Thank you," she said quietly, her voice thick with emotion. She didn't want to cry in front of him. Not here. Not now.
Detective Hayes gave her a sympathetic look, but he didn't offer any words of comfort. "We'll let you know if anything comes up. Just stay in touch."
Zariah nodded, her hands shaking as she grabbed her bag and left the station. The night air hit her like a cold slap as she stepped outside, the city lights flickering around her. She felt so alone.
"Nothing.
She had nothing. No answers, no direction. Just the cold truth that whoever was behind all of this was still out there, playing a game with her life.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her from her thoughts. She checked the screen, seeing a message from Maya.
"Z, you okay? Call me."
Her finger hovered over the screen. She wanted to tell Maya everything. She needed to scream, to explain everything, but she wasn't sure how to. How could she?
Instead, she pressed her lips together and started walking, ignoring the buzzing in her hand. There was no escaping this. No easy way out.
" Whoever was behind this,"she thought bitterly," I'll make sure they kiss the devils ass before there time."