The Impotent King Rises

The Grave in My Own Bed

David stumbled up the stairs of his dingy fourth-floor apartment, his uniform soaked through.

His mind was racing. 'How am I going to tell Camelia?'

At least I have Camelia, David thought, trying to console himself. His wife might complain about money often, but Camelia was the only woman who had been willing to marry him despite knowing his condition. Camelia was his home.

"I'm sorry, Camelia," David mumbled in front of door number 402. "I failed again."

David reached into his pocket, searching for his key. But as his hand touched the doorknob, he froze. The door was unlocked. A small gap was open, allowing a dim yellow light from inside to seep out into the dark hallway.

David's heart pounded—was there a burglar? David pushed the door open slowly to avoid the sound of the rusty hinges. The small apartment was silent in the living room. The television was off. However, another sound dominated the air.

It was the violent creaking of their old spring bed.

*Creeak. Creeak. Creeak.*

Followed by the sound of ragged breaths, wet moans, and the rhythmic slapping of skin.

David's legs moved stiffly toward the bedroom, whose door was half-open. When he reached the threshold and peered inside, David's world collapsed for the second time today.

On the bed, two human bodies were wildly grappling.

Camelia Harrow, his beautiful wife with messy blonde hair, was on all fours, gripping the headboard tightly. Behind her, a gigantic man with a circular tattoo on his muscular arm was "pounding" Camelia with brutal tempo.

David recognized that broad back. Robert Gable. Their next-door neighbor. An NYPD sergeant who often greeted David with a condescending smile.

"Oh... Robert! Oh God!" Camelia groaned loudly, her head tilted back, her eyes closed in pleasure.

Robert did not answer with words. He answered with a stronger, deeper, and more dominant thrust of his hips. The man completely dominated Camelia, Robert's sweat dripping onto Camelia's back.

"You like this, Bitch?" Robert growled in a deep voice, his hand slapping Camelia's buttock, leaving a contrasting red mark on her white skin.

"Fuck me! Harder... Ah, Fuck!" Camelia screamed shamelessly. "You're a monster, Robert! You're so much better than my husband!"

That sentence hit David's chest harder than Maura's slap.

"Your husband?" Robert laughed mockingly, all while maintaining his relentless pounding rhythm. "You mean that impotent husband? He can't even make you sigh like this, can he?"

"Don't mention that loser's name, please!" Camelia sighed deeply, her body arching to receive every inch of Robert's dominance. "He's not a man... he's just impotent trash! Only you can satisfy me, Robert! Only you!"

Enough.

David's blood boiled. The pain in his heart turned into blind rage. He kicked the bedroom door wide open, slamming it against the wall with a loud bang.

"BASTARD!" David screamed, his voice cracking.

The activity on the bed stopped instantly.

Camelia turned her head, her face, flushed with passion, now turning pale for a moment before shifting to an expression of annoyance. Robert, on the other hand, did not look panicked at all. He slowly pulled away from Camelia, then casually stepped off the bed, stark naked without any shame, showing off his still-erect and glistening weapon.

"Well, well," Robert smirked, picking up his shorts from the floor. "Look who's home early. The model cleaning service."

David trembled, his hands clenched tightly. "Camelia! You commit this sin, in my home... in my bed... What did I do wrong, Camelia?!"

Camelia pulled the blanket up to cover her body, but her gaze at David was full of hatred. "What did you do wrong? It's what's in your pants! I'm looking for the happiness you could never give me, David! You should be grateful I married a loser like you!"

"You're blaming me?" David stepped forward, tears of anger streaming down his cheeks. "I work my ass off, cleaning up other people's filth for you! And I come home to find you whoring around with our neighbor?!"

"Watch your mouth!" Camelia snapped. She stood on the mattress, pointing at David's face. "You made me this way! Look at yourself, David. You're weak. You're poor. And worst of all, you're broken! Your 'weapon' hasn't been up for three years! You think I'm a nun? I'm a normal woman, David! I need satisfaction, and Robert gives it to me every time you go mop floors!"

"Camelia's right," Robert interjected. He walked closer to David, his 6'3" body towering over David. Robert's muscles were still tense post-coitus, radiating a palpable aura of threat. "You should be thanking me, David. I'm doing the husband's job you can't do."

"Shut up, you son of a bitch!" David spat in Robert's face.

For a moment, there was silence. Robert calmly wiped the spit off his cheek, then smiled hideously.

"That was a big mistake, pal."

*BAM!*

Robert's fist struck David's stomach with lightning speed. David doubled over, spitting out saliva. Before he could catch his breath, Robert's knee met his face.

*CRACK!*

David's nose broke instantly. Fresh blood splattered, soaking his work uniform. David staggered backward, crashing into the wardrobe until it collapsed.

"David!" Camelia shrieked, but not out of concern. "Don't stain the carpet with your blood!"

David tried to get up, his vision blurred. "Robert... I'm going to report your actions..."

"Report me?" Robert laughed. He grabbed David's hair, dragging him toward the dressing table. "I am the law in this city, David. And you're just a sewer rat."

Robert released his grip, letting David fall to his knees. David gasped for air, looking up at Camelia with the last of his consciousness.

"Camelia... please..." David whispered.

Camelia turned her face away. "Die, David. You're just a burden. If you die, at least I get the insurance money."

David's heart was completely shattered. His wife wanted his death for money.

Robert picked up David's 'model employee' award trophy, looking at David with the cold gaze of an executioner.

"Hear that, David? Your wife gave permission," Robert said flatly.

Without warning, Robert swung the trophy with all his might at David's right temple.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The sound of cracking skull bones was excruciatingly painful; David's face was now covered in thick blood.

David's body convulsed violently on the floor. His eyes were wide open, staring at the bedroom ceiling. His breathing was ragged, his brain nerves fatally damaged. Within seconds, the movement in his body slowed down and then stopped.

David's blue eyes, which had been full of anger, were now empty. He was dead. Yet his vacant stare seemed to say, "How could you do this to me, Camelia?"

The room fell silent again. Only the sound of the rain outside could be heard.

Camelia covered her mouth with her hand, trembling as she looked at her husband's corpse in a pool of blood and alcohol. "Rob... Robert... you killed him? You actually killed him?"

Robert didn't look panicked. He grabbed a towel, wiping the blood splatter off his broad chest. "Didn't you just ask for him to die? Besides, he's a witness to our adultery. If he reports it, my career is over, and you'll be a homeless tramp."

"B-but... what should we do?" Camelia started to become hysterical, looking at David's corpse in horror.

Robert walked toward Camelia, gripping the woman's chin to make her look at him. "Relax, Baby. We'll clean this up. You want the insurance money, right?"

Camelia nodded stiffly, greed slowly overcoming her fear.

Robert gently kicked David's corpse's leg. "Get a large black plastic bag from the kitchen. And find something heavy... a brick or a metal weight."

"What for?"

Robert grinned cruelly, his eyes looking at David's body as if it were just organic waste.

"We'll wrap him up. The residents of the East River need dinner. And tomorrow morning... you'll be a grieving, rich widow."

Camelia smiled cruelly as she looked at David's corpse, a brutal realization dawning in her mind.

"Oh yes, Baby, I love your crazy idea! We can reach the peak of the world every day without interruption!"

Robert nodded his head and returned to kissing Camelia; the two of them resumed their interrupted lovemaking session in front of David's corpse.

***