She’d received a text message from Aaron stating that the only time they could practice their upcoming sex scene was this evening. The same evening she’d promised her friends she would go out and celebrate with them. Now the jerk was over an hour late.
Shawna loved Aaron and considered him a good friend, but there was only so much patience she had for him.
Furiously, she dialed his number and left a message. “Aaron Brooks, where in the fuck are you? I gave up an evening with my friends so we could rehearse this goddamn sex scene. You better be on your way!”
Switching off her phone, Shawna dropped it in her purse. She plopped down onto the bed and continued to wait.
“Awfully frustrating when someone promises that they’re going to be there and don’t show up, right, Elizabeth?”
Shawna jumped, startled. “Oh! Katrina, it’s only you. Where did you come from?”
“Just getting something from Dad’s dressing room.”
The star looked at Katrina, puzzled. “Why would he send you to get it? He was coming here himself to rehearse our scene.”
“I know, but Dad said that he couldn’t make it here tonight to practice that sex scene. He is otherwise engaged in better activities.”
“What! Why didn’t your father contact me and tell me this himself? It would have saved me the trip out here, and I could have gone out and celebrated my friend’s birthday with her.”
“I know he should have called you out of common courtesy, but sometimes he can be absent-minded. Good thing he is easy to forgive, being so goddamn sexy and all. I mean who can resist those intense green eyes, beautiful smile, and that rock-hard body?”
Shawna looked at the young girl, inching herself further back on the bed as Katrina moved uncomfortably close.
“Katrina, what are you saying? It’s very inappropriate to be speaking that way about your father.”
Katrina reached out and smiled at Shawna, caressing her hair. “Relax, Elizabeth. Lance is not my real daddy, he just adopted me. It’s okay for me to think that he’s so delicious and fuckable.”
Shawna watched as the disturbed young girl closed her eyes and sighed.
“Do you know how many times I had fantasies about him coming into my room at night and licking my pussy while I sucked his huge cock?”
“No, Katrina, I...don’t.”
“How I wanted that cock to fuck me every way possible? Inside my dripping pussy, in my mouth and in my ass? Tell me you don’t dream of the same things with Lance.”
Shawna’s uneasiness grew. “Katrina, it’s very wrong to want such things and think that way about your father. Katrina, honey, I’m not Elizabeth, I’m Shawna, remember? I’m married to Avery. The man you call your uncle and your Dad is not Lance, his name is Aaron.”
Katrina’s expression turned sour. “No, it’s Lance. He just goes by that fake name to protect himself from being killed by those ingrates who believe he’s a demon. Don’t you know anything, whore?”
It took everything in her not to run from the girl. She remained calm and continued trying to reason with her. “No, Katrina, those are our fictional characters. You need help. Let me call Aaron to come and get you.”
When Shawna reached for her phone, Katrina grabbed her arm and pulled the de-boning knife from behind her back, holding it to the actress’s throat.
“No one needs to call anyone. I’m not a child and I’m not delusional. You, however, are dead!”
As Katrina pressed the cold steel harder into Elizabeth’s throat, she could feel her flesh tearing and her hot blood run down her throat. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean you any harm. Just let me go!”
“Now, why would I do that?”
“Because you’re a good girl, Katrina. Your parents raised you that way.”
Katrina paused for a few moments, looking as though she’d changed her mind. Shawna took a deep breath. She took the knife away from Shawna’s neck and laid it on her lap, holding it securely while caressing the cold smooth steel of the blade.
“I know how my parents raised me but that doesn’t dictate how I’ll behave. However, I’ll show you some mercy, whore, and give you a chance to make it out alive. If you can get to that exit and get out, I won’t chase you. I will even give you a head start. On the count of one...”
Shawna took off running. The studio was dimly lit, but Shawna knew the set inside out and could navigate it with her eyes closed. She didn’t know how long she had before Katrina would start to chase her, but she was going to use this opportunity to its full advantage. As she ran through a labyrinth of cables, benches, cameras and props, Shawna managed to avoid each one.
Her heart sank when she heard Katrina’s taunting behind her. “I guess it pays to know your way around, bitch! Too bad that I do too.”
The exit was on the far side of the studio, seeming as though it was a thousand miles away as she ran towards it. She ducked into a tiny, hidden alcove and held her breath. Shawna listened quietly for her pursuer’s footsteps to determine when it would be safe for her to run and escape.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are! I have a present for you!”
Shawna’s entire body went numb. The young woman prayed that Katrina would move on, leaving her undiscovered. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she didn’t hear Katrina’s voice or footsteps anymore. Slowly, Shawna edged her way out of the alcove and looked around. Determining that she was safe, Shawna stepped out into the hallway and took a cautious step forward. The hallway was eerily quiet, with only the echo of her shallow breathing vibrating in her ears. Shawna inched her way towards the light of the exit sign.
Her hand brushed against something long and smooth on the wall. As she caressed its smooth surface, her fingers edged along its length until she felt something prick her. Shawna drew her hand back on reflex and brought her finger to her mouth, tasting her own blood.
She reached up and tried to pull the weapon from the wall, but met resistance.
Shawna then heard footsteps in the distance. Knowing that Katrina was near, she desperately pulled on the object, but it wouldn’t give.
The footsteps became louder the closer they came. “Oh, Elizabeth! Want to come out and play?”
The sing song tone grated on Shawna’s ears as she continued to pull on the weapon. Come on you stupid piece of shit, give already! Finally, it gave.
Securing her weapon to her side, Shawna continued to creep along in the darkness, desperate to find a spot to hide. She breathed a sigh of relief when her hands found a doorknob. She jiggled it, and found that luck continued to be on her side as she turned it and found it unlocked.
The actress stepped inside. She closed the door behind her. There was a faint light coming from the far corner of the room. It was a lamp sitting on a long table, its tiny glow bathing the small room. She recognized Avery’s dressing room.
Shawna dropped to her knees and crawled underneath her husband’s vanity table to still her heartbeat. Avery’s dressing room was cold. She knew that her husband always kept a sweatshirt draped over his desk chair, in case he got a chill as he poured over his script or did other work.
Afraid to even breathe, Shawna carefully reached up, groping for the sweatshirt. Finally, she found it and pulled it over her head. Avery’s wild musk scent filled her senses, and she hugged the sweatshirt to her, praying that she and their unborn baby would see him again. Shawna closed her eyes.
There was a loud banging at the door. She jumped at the sudden noise and hit her head. Shawna sat frozen, unable to move or to speak. As the pounding on the door continued, Shawna waited for the inevitable to happen.
The seconds passed by like hours as she held her breath and stared at the door.
The banging became louder and more insistent. Shawna was insanely tempted to yell, Oh for fuck’s sake! Come in and kill me already, psycho bitch!
Shawna had enough. She was tired of running in fear of her life. She held the weapon by her side, stood up, and walked to the door.
Her hand was on the doorknob when she heard a large crash coming from the bathroom window.
Alarmed, Shawna dropped the axe, but picked it up and investigated. The door opened with a creak as she carefully stepped inside, holding the axe to her chest. Shawna inspected the tiny bathroom, found nothing out of place and turned to walk away. Then she felt something wrap around her bare ankle.
Shawna stifled a scream and used the axe to hack at whatever held her in place, only to discover that it was a tree branch. Pushing back the curtain, she found the source of the crash. A tree had fallen through the window.
“Jesus, Jones, get it together!” she scolded herself.
Shawna gathered her wits and left the safety of her sanctuary to find the exit. With her freedom only a few feet away, she didn’t want to give away her location.
The exit sign loomed near, and with no other signs of Katrina around, Shawna felt the first true stirrings of relief. She climbed the stairs, placed her hand on the handle, and pushed it open.
“Now, where do you think you’re going?”
Shawna let loose a long, piercing scream that echoed throughout the building. She heard the clang of her weapon as it fell down the stairs. A tall, dark silhouette greeted her at the threshold.
“W-w-who are you?” Shawna stammered as she struggled to maintain her balance.
The dark silhouette’s arm shot out and caught Shawna from falling, pulling her tight to him.
“You know who I am, princess. I’m the one responsible for this little cat and mouse game.” The silhouette’s husky voice caressed her as he touched her face with his gloved hand.
“What do you want from me?”
“I only wanted to play with you, Shawna. I enjoy you so much. You’re one of my favorite play things, next to my Kitten.”
“Kitten?”
“Yes, you know—Katrina. The one that has been chasing you with that nasty knife? I must say you’re excellent at eluding your predators, sweet Shawna. But you’re mine now, my precious prey.”
Shawna’s heartbeat pounded like a jackhammer in her ears as the stranger pressed his lips to hers in a burning kiss. His fingers snaked up Shawna’s skirt and plunged into the depths of her womanhood, thrusting wildly. He rubbed her clit with the pads of his gloved fingers.
“Please, don’t do this!”
“Do what, my precious Shawna?” He continued to assault her, tormenting her with the unwanted promise of an orgasm.
“Please!” she pleaded.
Her continued protests only solicited deeper penetration and rougher friction to her swollen clit. Shawna didn’t want to come for this maniac. She didn’t want to feel pleasure from his assault, but the more he persisted, the more she found herself becoming overwhelmed by the desire.
A voice from the back of her subconscious screamed at her to resist, to not allow herself to be violated in this way. She needed to fight for her life. Shawna needed to find a way to get away from these monsters. Escape was going to be difficult. Her attacker had her pinned tight against the wall and Shawna scolded herself for kicking off her high heels earlier. There was only one thing Shawna could do, use her hands and her acting ability.
Swallowing all her pride, Shawna moved her hands up her attacker’s chest, underneath his t-shirt, and pressed her lips to his ear. “I want you to kiss me, again.”
“What makes you think that I want to kiss you again?”
“I know you want to kiss me as much as you want to fuck me. So, do it. Give in to your fantasy.”
The stranger hesitated and Shawna knew he would take more convincing. Gliding her hands over his crotch, she touched and teased his arousal until he growled. Tiny specs of hope began to creep into Shawna’s psyche when her attacker withdrew his hand, and kissed her breathless. Using all her strength, Shawna raised her hands and scratched his face as deep as she could.
“You fucking bitch!”
The assailant clutched his face as Shawna turned to run, but she did not get far as he reached out, grabbed her and pushed her hard down the stairs. “Kitten, catch!”
Shawna fell. Something sharp pierced through her abdomen. She didn’t feel any pain, only pleasant numbness as the stranger knelt by her side. Disquiet coursed through Shawna as her attacker no longer appeared to be filled with rage for what she had done, rather he looked eerily calm. His vengeance was complete.
“Show me your face.”
“Why, my princess?”
“I need to see the face of the man who is stealing my life.”
“Of course; you deserve nothing less. Kitten, please leave.”
Within moments, Shawna could hear Katrina’s footsteps fade away. She stared up at the stranger. The mystery man in the shadow leaned further into the moonlight that radiated through window and pulled down his hood, his features in full view.
“Oh dear God no, oh no! Not you! Why?”
Chapter Eighteen: Despair
Shadow was right. The second kill didn’t affect her as much as the first because she felt it was justified and she had her boyfriend helping her. Elizabeth had to die in order to save her parent’s marriage, and to help Toby move onto someone who would be worthy of him.
It was this sense of righteousness that helped Katrina cope with the judge’s decision to send her to a mental health care center for a period of six months for treatment. After this period of time, the judge would reevaluate her competency and would determine further sentencing.
Katrina knew that she wouldn’t be in there for long. Shadow was going to make sure of that.
Aaron did not know if he could handle any more grief. He had lost too many people in such a short amount of time. Cassie and Shawna were murdered, Martina still lay in a coma, and now Katrina was in a mental health treatment center. Aaron just prayed that this would work, and Katrina would get better. Aaron was grateful that James had the common sense and decency to close down production on the show until further notice. It did make sense; he and Avery were the only main cast members left.
He split his time between his wife and his daughter. The worry about their health was tiring. It was enough to keep a man up and sleepless, and that was just what was happening.
Aaron’s lack of sleep was taking a toll on him. He was not eating, feeling disoriented most of the time, and was suffering from blackouts. Avery forced him to see his doctor, who ran numerous tests, all coming up negative. She’d told him to take some time off from his visitations and rest; that was the only way he could get well.
“You’re not going to listen to Doctor Mansfield, are you?”
“I can’t afford to take time off from my visitations, Avery. Martina and Katrina need me.”
Avery marched over and sat across from Aaron. He sat slumped in the orange hard plastic hospital chair. His once lustrous blond hair appeared unwashed. When he finally pried his eyes away from Martina’s still form, his emerald eyes looked listless.
“You’re not doing them any good by spreading yourself out too thin. What good would you be to either of them if you’re in a hospital bed too?”
“I don’t feel that I’m spreading myself too thin. My wife and child need me.”
“I understand that they do, but, Martina is getting the best of care and wouldn’t want you to waste away. The nurses will call you the moment anything changes.”
Avery placed his hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “Katrina needs some time to get adjusted. So there is no excuse for not taking a day or two off.”
“There will be no one here in case she wakes up, and I need to make sure that they are treating Katrina correctly, and she is getting everything that she needs, and...”
“Geez, Aaron, relax! If I stay with Martina and check in on Katrina would you go and rest?”
Aaron stared at his friend with tired eyes. “I can’t ask you to do that, Avery, you just buried Shawna three days ago.”
“All the more reason to do this for you. It will distract me. I’ll have a purpose.”
“Thank
you, Avery. This means the world to me.”
“You’re welcome. Now, go and rest.”
Katrina hated everything about the treatment center she was forced to live in, until Shadow found a way to get her out. She didn’t know how she was going to contact him, since the staff had taken away her laptop, phone and she had to earn the privilege to use the internet.
Out of everything she detested about the center, it was the group therapy sessions Katrina despised the most. An hour of whining, crying and yammering about their harsh lives and the lessons they learned since starting treatment. Each patient was so lame, but not as lame as the preppy, buttoned up old fossil of a doctor who looked as though she knew Doctor Sigmund Freud personally.
“Katrina, since you are our newest addition, would you please introduce yourself to the group?”
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes and yawn, Katrina introduced herself.
“Hi everyone, my name is Katrina Brooks.”
“Hey, are you Martina Murphy and Aaron Brooks’ daughter?”
Katrina glared at the multi-color haired bimbo they called Scarlett with disdain, smiling sweetly at her. “Yes, I am.”
After a chorus of Wows and Awesome! the doctor settled the group down and invited Katrina to tell her story.
“With all due respect, Doctor...”
“Weeks.”
“Weeks, sorry. With all due respect, Doctor Weeks, I don’t feel like sharing anything right now. I hope that’s cool.”
“Yes, that’s fine, Katrina. You are new here and I’ll give you a pass today, but the next time we meet you have to share something.”
Katrina tuned out for the rest of the session and prayed that Shadow would find a way to free her soon.
Avery held Martina’s hand and watched her breathing, willing her to wake up.
“Do you remember that time we were all at the Cannes Film Festival, and Aaron and I had gotten so drunk at the party afterwards we pushed the lead singer out of the way and sang American Pie?” Avery paused for a moment. “The look on your faces as you and Shawna dragged our sorry asses out of there! But it didn’t compare to the headlines the next day.”
Let There Be Blood Page 9