by S. R. Rashad
I stand near the side of the road by the doctor’s truck as the massive approaching, excessively lit up truck begins to slow down in front of me. I look over to see if he’s got me covered but it's hard to make out in this down pour as I constantly have to wipe my face from the rain that's pouring into my eyes. The truck pulls up beside me. I now know its Nancy's beast. I’m a little at ease.
“Hey, what are you doing?” She yells as she steps down from the beast.
Sure, this is Nancy's truck but that ain’t Nancy's voice. And the super bright lights and the heavy rains make it hard for me to make out who's talking to me. As she comes down from the truck and steps closer, I see it’s Susie from the inn.
“Oh, hey Susie, it's me, Laura.” I say as I hold my gun behind my back.
“What are you doing, Laura?”
Wait, she doesn't seem pleased to see me or surprised even and her tone of voice is odd.
My instincts are on alert.
Susie knows Laura is here for her friend and for her uncle. But it doesn't seem that Laura has made the connection. She will use this to her advantage.
“Hey, is that your truck? Did it break down?” Susie says about her uncle’s car, pretending she has no idea what's going on.
He couldn't see so well from inside the car. So, he got out, put on his camo ultra weatherproof poncho, stands in the pouring rain and sets his rifle atop his car, giving him a clearer view of the action over by the doc’s truck and a clearer shot at the new face to the party.
"Come on, girl, walk. This rain has given me some clarity.” Nancy says as she marches a severely wounded Jen over to her lake. Turning to John, she says, “Go back to the house, sweetie. I got this.”
Nancy does have it. She's buried many problems and concerns in that lake. There's something powerful about water for the VonNetzers, specifically lakes. They have a deeply mystical adoration for them and a long history of using them to hide their sins.
As John heads back to the house, Nancy walks her captive, Jen, who is no longer a doe eyed Bambi, over to the lake, the adored center point of her property. Nancy intends for this to be Jen's final resting place, a place where she has put an end to many of her troublesome worries. She begins to tell Jen of the glories of her lake. "It is always good to live around water. Don't you think?” She says aloud as she marches Jen over by gunpoint. But the talk’s not really for Jen. It’s just Nancy giving reverence to the lake out loud “Now this is not like either of the grand ladies Peter and I grow up knowing, such majestic things of wonder and beauty are Superior and Michigan, but she too, has her ways, her mysteries. She can wash it all clean. She makes everything new. Look, just look at how still she can be, how powerful and silent, except for the sound of the rain falling on her, she doesn't reveal much of herself. Oh how she can hold a secret! So lovely!” Nancy waxes on as she has a far off look in her eyes…”You know these mysterious bodies of water, just like we VonNetzers, have been keeping secrets for generations, dear, many many generations. Overly rude neighbors, poorly mannered city folk who pass through spreading ill will, not to mention those weak-minded people who come to do us harm, have all been permanently cleansed here, covered by quiet still waters; waters that purify, cleanse and most importantly, never tell.”
Jen looks at Nancy’s lake, then at the crazed look of her captor and thinks to herself, this will not be her final resting place. She’s not sure how she’ll get out of this, but she is determined not to die here. She just needs an opportunity, a small chance, a small opening... and things will go her way. Something has awoken in her. She’s not sure what it is, whether it was there all along, or put there by her friendship with Laura, but however it has come to be, she likes it. She’s feeling strong, powerful, capable. Although she's drenched, shot, bleeding, covered in dirt and mud, missing a finger, hurting and held at gunpoint, she wishes Laura could see her now. She would be proud. She’s not afraid. She’s not scared anymore. And she’s not giving up.
As Laura moves out of Susie’s shadow, the bright lights of the truck shine on the gun at Laura's side, the one she's been trying to hide. Susie sees the light reflecting off The partially hidden gun and begins to reach slowly and discretely into her raincoat to get her pistol. Laura immediately takes notice of Susie’s seemingly covert action. Laura has had enough. Before Susie can make any further moves, Laura quickly gives her a swift and forceful kick, knocking her to the ground and puts her gun to Susie's face.
“Go ahead, open your coat!”
“Hey, what’s going on?” She says while on the ground. But Susie's bad acting job is just pissing Laura off.
“I don’t have time for this shit! Open your goddamn coat now!”
“Wait, wait. You came looking for your friend, right?” Susie says nervously, afraid that Laura means business.
How the hell does she know why I'm here. Shit! Fuck, wait… there was a woman in the damn elevator with the doc. That's how she knows.
“You got ten seconds to tell me where the hell she is.”
“Ok. Ok, Laura. Can I get up?”
“Listen, I don't know what you think this is, but you're dead if you don't start talking.”
He’s enjoying this as he watches from across the road as Laura quickly took her down. He thinks Laura’s one tough broad with some great moves and that kick was definitely from someone who knows how to handle herself. He’s loving it. But since he doesn't see the doc, this is really none of his concern. He’ll continue to watch. But if he doesn't see the doc, he intends to let the drama play out.
The doc sees he is focused. He wants to move on him. He begins moving toward the distracted sniper.
“I really had nothing to do with it. He made me help him.” Susie says, wanting to calm Laura down.
“Okay, so you were forced, big deal. Now, where the hell can I find Jen?”
Susie would like the answer to that question too, but she doesn't have a clue really. This doesn't stop her from making something up.
“There's a house in the woods just past the inn. That's where he keeps them. I can take you there.”
Laura agrees but forgets to check Susie’s coat for the gun she’s concealing.
"Ok, get up. lets go."
Susie gets to her feet and as Laura is distracted, wiping the hair and rain away from her eyes, Susie sees an opportunity. In the couple seconds Laura’s hand covers her eyes, Susie makes a quick surprise attack, hitting Laura's arm, knocking the gun from her. Then she begins to reach inside her coat for her pistol. But Susie miscalculates the toughness, speed and unforeseen skill of this seemingly dainty big city lawyer. Laura, who has won a number of mixed martial arts competitions, is no easy mark. She executes a perfect round house kick with lighting swift accuracy, knocking Susie back to the ground. She hits the cold wet ground so hard that her revolver falls from her coat this time, then continues to slide over to the side of the road. She moves swiftly, rolling over to retrieve it but Laura manages to recover her gun first. And as Susie grabs her revolver, she rolls back over, on the puddle soaked ground, with pistol in hand, turning to see Laura already standing over her like the perfect fearsome foe she is, calm and with an exacting disposition, poised in the torrential night storm, with her lovely, powerful friend in hand, whose laser scope is now aimed, cutting through the dark rainy night, forming a perfect little red dot over Susie’s heart.
“Ok, Susie, enough games. Stop it. Put it down. Let's go. Let’s get Jen.”
She gestures for her to get up. But Susie doesn't stop. She doesn't drop her gun. She’s still pointing it at Laura, looking as though she's ready to shoot. Laura has seen this look in an opponent’s eyes, it's the look of a tiger about to leap, pure aggression, extreme ferocity and Laura doesn't hesitate. She is her father’s daughter. She taps the hair pen trigger of her magnificent firearm twice, releasing two heart stopping 40 calibers that explode through the air, ripping a massive hole in Susie’s chest, killing her instantly.
Chapter 32
The Blood Queen
Ding dong the witch is…
As a testament to his bad deed, the little deformed and shame-ridden dwarf hangs in the basement of the old home. He was left dangling, bound, suspended inches from the ground in the traditional VonNetzer straight jacket, in the middle of a 6x6x8 cage, until his mother, the blood queen sees fit to remove him, which could be awhile as she is very very vexed with her beloved idiot.
The cage is a newly added twist on an old mid-victorian punishment, used first by great great grandpa VonNetzer, “Peter the Wicked” as the whispered voices of 19th century AnnArbor called him, for he was known for his mean temper and his harsh discipling of his children. His wife, his beautiful but insane first cousin, had spent some time at the local sanitarium. When the doctors came to retrieve her, he saw for the first time how this new invention, this straight jacket helped to bind, control and calm her. And from that day forward, when one of his children got out of hand or put him off, an evening or two in the straight jacket would remedy their wild and willy ways. Even more vicious than her great great grandpa, Nancy added the cage to the VonNetzer punishments, for what she calls “a tighter psychological disciplining.” And sometimes, like this time, when she’s feeling extra wicked, she drops the key to the cage just out of reach, as though by clumsy accident, just a little more torture for her undisciplined children.
Her middle child helped to confine her odd little brother into his straight jacket and caged prison. But as she hung him on the hook, while her mother’s back was to her, she saw fit not to bind the jacket too tightly. So he should be able to free himself, should he really work at it. Though she loves her mother, the dwarf belongs to her, in their odd little master-pet relationship. Only she can bestow any real punishment on him. And in the true sickness of this family, she sees her mother as more of a rival, for the possession, or bizarre love of her dwarfish brother.
John enters the home as chuck has just freed himself from his miserable little rusted prison.
Jen’s feet have just reached the outer edge of the dark, murky lake. She feels the cool water seeping into her boots, moving between her toes. The invading water sends a chill up her spine, as a cold reminder, it’s about to be all over for her. The bright moonlight of this night allows her to see everything as though it were day. Part of her is taking in everything, trying to feel and remember every detail, every distinct thing of this night, as though it were her last night on earth, but there's another side. There is a growing hope. There's something in her not wanting to give up. She decides to focus on this side. Her eyes look to Nancy’s eyes, for some kind of tell, to see if she has a chance. Jen’s face is soaked but this time not from tears of fear, but from the rain that runs in a steady stream down it. Nancy’s smile reveals her cold intentions. With the rifle barrel pointed directly at Jen’s face, she pulls the trigger, but there’s a problem. This rain-drenched antique of a rifle, which hasn’t been cleaned properly nor used in decades, fails to fire. Jen is gratefully surprised, but doesn't hesitate. Moving quickly, she rushes Nancy, pushing her to the ground, ready to take off. Nancy manages to trip Jen before she’s able to get away. They both roll in the mud, dirt and rocks as they struggle at the edge of the dark cold lake, in the pouring rain. Even in her weakened condition, Jen is still the stronger of the two and it seems more determined. She is the first to get to her feet. But Nancy doesn’t relent, she swings the otherwise useless winchester at Jen’s leg, connecting with a solid blow. Jen bends over. Before she can recover, Nancy gets to her feet and hits her again, this time, it's directly on the gunshot wound on her side. The pain is too much for Jen. She's immobilized. Nancy hits her again quickly. She falls backward into the shallows of the lake. Before she can't get up, Nancy pounces on her, grabbing her face, holding her under, trying to drown her in the less than 2 feet waters of the shallows. But Jen has become a fighter. Nancy is having difficulty keeping her down. Every few seconds, she’s able to get her head above water, deeply sucking in as much air as she can manage, in her strongly determined hunger for life. Nancy is in a rage of furious anger, during this violent struggle, as she continues forcefully to try and hold the stubborn girl’s head under. This heated struggle reminds her of the first time she gave a life to this lake. Her weak husband wanted to leave her and her kids. He was no VonNetzer. He never struggled to keep the marriage and family together, but he sure tried to fight for his life the night she held him down 25yrs ago, not too far from this very spot. He was made of weak weak stuff and there was no way he should get to live if it was not going to be with his family.
He’s thinking why didn’t she put on the damn suppressor. Those shots were too loud and bound to attract a great deal of unwanted attention. He rushes over to tell her it’s time to get ghost.
Peter, who was nearly on the unsuspecting sniper, slips back into the woods.
And he’s right. Everyone on the property heard the shots.
“You’re a tough one. Aren’t you. Who would’ve thought. I can see why Peter wanted you.” Nancy says as Jen lies on her back, submerged in a couple feet of lake water, still struggling, choking, gurgling on the waters of the lake, gasping for air, while Nancy straddles her, pinning her down with both hands held firmly on her head and neck, and one knee digging deep into the gun wound on her side.
The fighting spirit is beginning to leave Jen. She is exhausted and in a great deal of pain. Now, this is the moment where death usually slips in, the ultimate surrender, the sweet stillness of oblivion. Jen relaxes into her fate, welcoming the dark lover. She removes her hands from Nancy’s and lets her arms fall to her side, allowing Nancy to do her business without anymore resistance. She did what she could and that was already more than she had imagined before this night. She is at peace…But Laura’s shots did carry, reverberating, echoing across the lake. Nancy is startled by them. Her grip eases up for a moment. Jen feels Nancy’s loosening grip. With her hands scraping around the bottom of the shallows, she feels the flat rocks that make up the shallow lake bed. She grabs a hefty jagged one and plunges it, with all fury, deep and forcefully into the left eye of the mildly distracted blood queen.
John grabs his rifle, leaves the house ready to head in the direction of the gunshots.
Jen’s not sure if she killed Nancy or not, and at this point, she doesn't care. She leaves Nancy lying motionless at the lake and takes off running, barely feeling the life draining from her body as her gunshot wound is still claiming her crimson essence, killing her slowly.
As Laura stands over the lifeless body of Susie, in a mild state of shock, he grabs her shoulder, yelling and looking around nervously.
"Come on. Come on. Hurry. The doc, the neighbors, someone heard those shots…”
Laura begins to regain her composure, interrupts him. Half out of breath from the high levels of adrenaline still coursing through her veins. “There's a house…a house…we have to go there.”
“Why? Where?”
“The doc and Jen are there.” She says shaking and pointing in the direction past the inn.
He likes the sound of that. Though he hates closed quarters. He's not an inside kind of fighter, distance, always distance. Still, if he's there for sure, it all ends tonight.
“Okay, we’ll go but we can’t leave things like this. This is far too messy. Even a passerby will stop to see what’s going on here. Go shut off those damn lights will ya, and turn off the engine of that noisy beast. I’ll move that body into the brush.”
Ok, at least one of us is thinking clearly. I don’t think with how I’m feeling, I would have ever thought about this stuff.
As Laura is about to climb into Nancy’s truck, he yells, stopping her.
“Whoa! Whoa! hey, don’t do it like that. Are you crazy, shit!” as he reaches into his pocket for surgical gloves… “Put these on, no prints, ok, no evidence. We can’t leave a trace. We need to leave as small a footprint as possible. You’re gonna have to start thinking differently, do you understand. Things ha
ve changed.”
As he said that, it hits me. He is absolutely right. Things have changed. I don’t know how I can ever go back to my life. But right now, I still need to focus. The doc is still out there with Jen somewhere. I have to remain clear headed. I can’t think about the future. I have to stay sharp, focused on what I need to do now.
After the two clear up the crime scene, removing all traces from the open road, the rain begins to let up. The night is now clear and dry as they head into the woods, looking for Jen, the doc, and the cottage.
John jumps into his jeep, armed, heading to the main road.
She’s tired and still losing blood. She knows she has to do something quick or else, but she needs to rest just for a bit. She's feeling drained. As the rain has stopped, she feels ok to rest for a minute. She sits in the wet grass and mud, and leans back onto a tree and passes out.
“Hey, Laura, how do we know where we’re going?”
Shit, I really don’t know. But I do remember seeing a creepy looking cottage across from the lake when I stayed here. It’s got to be what Susie was talking about.
“There’s a small cottage not too far, just past the lake.”
“Ok.” He says as he begins to prepare himself, readying his weapons. He starts to reminisce on what just happened earlier “You know, those were some fancy moves back there. So, you’re good at hand to hand combat, huh?”