Hope Falls

by Jamieson Wolf

  "No, but I guess I must of. No one knows we're here, so it must have been a dream. Wasn't it?" Naomi shook her head. “I’m sorry guys, I'm sorry for waking you up for a silly nightmare."

  "It's okay." Susan said, sitting on her bed beside her.

  "I just feel so stupid." Naomi said. "I've been so scared that they're going to find us." She stopped talking with a look at Derrick.

  He took the hint. "I know where I'm not wanted. Goodnight." He looked at Miriam, smiled and closed the door.

  Susan rubbed Naomi back and talked to her soothingly. "I know you're afraid honey, we all are, but we can't let them win, Okay? We just can't. We have to fight them at their own game."

  "How do we do that when we don't even know what game their playing?" Naomi wailed. "They're trying to kill us for talking to Miriam, for her talking to us. But she doesn't even know the whole story."

  "There is only one person that does." Miriam said.

  "Who's that?" Susan asked.

  "Howard."

  "No," Susan said. "This seems to be bigger than just him. He's probably working for someone higher. We have to get back into his office."

  "Wrong." Miriam said. "Sabrina White is going back into his office. But first I have to get my costume back."

  "We'll do that tomorrow." Susan said. "The less time we waste now the better. We have to fight fire with fire." She stood. "Let's go back to bed."

  "I'll just close the window." Miriam said. She went to the sill and was about to close the pane of glass when something caught her eye. A white tape X, just below the window, with a note attached, flapping in the wind. She grabbed it and stuffed it between her breasts before Susan and Naomi could see. She wished them both good night and hurried back to her bedroom.

  Derrick was waiting for her outside her bedroom door. "Hello."

  "Hi." She said, blushing.

  "Listen, you don't have to tell me what's going on. But I know you're in trouble."

  "Derrick, I-"

  He held up a hand. "Tell me when you're ready. Only then. I just wanted to let you know that you can trust me. And I wanted to say good night."

  He leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips, soft like velvet. Miriam felt the heat in her stomach increase as she kissed him back, just as softly. When he pulled away, slowly, she could still smell his scent of Ivory soap. "Good night." He said.

  "Good night, Derrick." Miriam watched him descend the stairs before she went into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She took the note out of her camisole and opened it, recognizing the paper. It was a message from X. She read the note and felt her skin go pale.

  FORTY EIGHT

  X marks the spot

  Miriam, shaken by what she had read, read the note again. She could not believe that X was being so foolish. The note made her blood boil more. It read:

  Miriam,

  I am protecting your friends as well, watching over them. You are my angels and we will defeat the demons. They will not win. I am a friend, please trust me and do not alarm your friends, I do not mean you any harm.

  A Friend

  X

  Miriam could not believe that X would be foolish enough to scare Naomi to the point of hysteria. It was as if X was the shepherd and they were slowly becoming the Sheep. While she was being spied on by Hope Falls, she now had another watcher. This watcher might be just as deadly. She didn't dare mention this to the other two yet. But if X slipped up again and let Naomi or Susan get a glimpse of them, Miriam would have to come clean.

  She was sick of all this not knowing, this not being able to have any control over what was happening. She was a pawn, a piece in a game and she didn't know how to play it. She didn't know who her opponents were what the stakes were. She had to get into Howard's office, find more information. There had to be something. Sabrina White would be able to help her. Tomorrow, she would get her costume and than she could start fighting fire with fire.

  There was a light knock on her door. She went to it quietly and opened it slowly. Derrick stood there, wearing a pair of dark corduroy pants and a maroon colored top. The sight of him made her ache. "Hello Derrick." She managed to get out.

  "Miriam." He said. His voice was like a caress. "Would you like to continue our walk outside?"

  "You came back to ask me that?" The fact that he wanted to see her made her feel giddy.

  "Yes." He smiled. "I also wanted to know if you wanted to ride Midnight."

  Miriam smiled widely, her eyes beaming. "I've never ridden a horse before!"

  "Than come on, the night is almost over."

  "Dressed like this?" she motioned to her camisole and panties.

  "Yes." He smiled. "It will be much more fun that way, don't you think?"

  She laughed at him and smiled. "Let's throw some clothes on. It's cold outside. You wouldn't want me to catch my death."

  Five minutes later, Miriam met Derrick at the front door of the house. She had on a soft, blue wool sweater and a pair of jeans. Miriam eyes how Derrick's pants hugged his curves and felt lust rise up in her. She wanted his hands on her, could think of almost nothing else.

  He held out his hand and she took it. It felt like it belonged there.

  They returned to the stable to find Midnight munching contentedly on a bale of hay. Derrick had already saddled the horse and laid a blanket on top of the saddle so that she would not get too sore. She was surprised when Derrick hefted himself into the saddle.

  At her inquisitive look, he held out his hand. "You've never ridden before. I'll ride behind you so you're safe on your first ride. It is night time after all."

  She nodded, unable to speak for the lump of anxiety in her throat. To be pressed so close to him…she grabbed his hand and he hefted her up in front of him, wrapping an arm about her waist.

  Miriam felt the heat pulsating from him and she was warmed by it. It spurred on her own heat and she felt it rising in her. As the horse began to move in a slow trot and than a fast gallop over the long open field, Miriam marveled at the feel of the horse under her, of Derrick behind her, her back pressed into his chest. She felt him growing hard, felt the heat pressed into her.

  He stopped the horse underneath a low hanging tree. He got off the horse and helped her down. He spread the blanket on the ground and pulled her down to him.

  Derrick's eyes were like jewels in the night. "What are you doing?" Miriam asked.

  "What feels good." He said. "You make me feel good, Miriam."

  He leaned forward and kissed her with such heat it felt as if his lips would burn hers. She returned the kisses, the wool of the blanket scratchy on her skin. But she didn't care. All she felt was Derrick.

  When he took off sweater, oh so slowly, she didn't object. He slide her jeans down her legs, one at a time, until she was left wearing her bra and panties again. She wanted to be covered by him, wanted him on top of her.

  Miriam almost purred as she pulled the turtleneck off of him and ran her hands along his chest. He let out a harsh breath as she ran her thumbs over his nipples. She smiled when she undid his jeans and ran a hand over his groin. .

  She helped him undress and looked at him in the moonlight. She was shivering, but not from cold. When he leaned back with her, pressing his body against hers, she thought it was the most wonderful thing that she had ever felt. His chest hair, rubbing against her soft skin. She kissed Derrick deeper.

  Miriam wanted to feel him all over her. She pressed herself closer to him, felt him slide her legs slowly apart so that he could slip off her panties and slide inside her. Just as he was about to enter her though, they heard a noise.

  CLICK

  Derrick turned around. There was a gun pointed at them, its smooth black surface shiny in the moonlight. .

  The man holding it was tall and had dark hair. The Tall Dark Haired Man had returned. He gestured with the gun. "Alright, lovebirds. Stop your merrymaking and get up."

  Derrick started to comply, Miriam stared with horror at the muzzle of the
gun.

  * * *

  From "STAR SCOOP WEEKLY" August 2005

  STAR SCOOP WEEKLY, August, 2005

  STAR SCOOP WEEKLY

  Since her disappearance off the show, the storyline itself hasn't been touched. Yet STAR SCOOP WEEKLY can confirm that fans are not happy with the show's treatment of Sylvia Stevens as of late.

  "It's no wonder that Miriam Parker is off the show for a bit," said one fan. "The stuff their doing to her character. They're screwing with her."

  Another fan says: "They're making her character do things that her character would never do! Sylvia Stevens, a serial killer! I've been watching the show for it's entire run and Sylvia would never hurt another person!"

  IS THE STAR MISSING?

  STAR SCOOP WEEKLY has tried to get in contact with Miriam Parker to get her take on the past months events. What does she think of the storyline? Where has she been? Why did she suddenly leave the show? Does she know how outraged her fans are?

  Regrettably, Ms. Parker was unavailable for comment. We were, however, able to reach Mr. Kowalski. "Miriam is having a much needed vacation." He says. "She's been worked really hard with this storyline arc. It's taken a lot out of her

  STAR SCOOP WEEKLY wonders when she will return. Will she disappear like the other actors only to come back to life? STAR SCOOP WEEKLY can confirm that….

  FORTY NINE

  Miriam fights back

  The Tall Dark Haired Man smiled at them in the moonlight. "What do we have here? Having a little rumple foreskin?" He laughed at his own bad joke. "You must have the biggest case of blue balls right now, I can't believe you’re still fucking hard with a gun pointed at you."

  He turned the gun on Miriam. "I should have killed your friend when I had the chance."

  "I'm glad you didn't."

  "It was you, wasn't it? That hit me from behind in the apartment?"

  "Yes."

  "You are supposed to be dead."

  "I'm sorry to disappoint you." She snapped. "But looking at you, I'd say you were someone used to disappointment."

  The man scowled. "Bitch. Betty was supposed to get rid of you."

  "I wasn't there when she came by." Miriam saw Derrick moving slowly, just out of the Tall Dark Haired Man's field of vision. She hoped that by keeping the man talking she was giving Derrick enough time to do what he needed to.

  "It's the reason you're still alive."

  This took Miriam by surprise. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, you were supposed to be dead. I was sent to finish off your friends. After that bitch Susan got the better of me, I was pretty pissed. But now to find that you were the one who hit me…when I saw you there, lying under the stable boy, well, I figured I'd watch for a while, see the sights, you know?" he laughed a hard, cruel laugh. "You have very nice tits."

  Miriam covered herself. "I'll thank you not to look at my breasts."

  "What are you going to do if I do?"

  "It's not what I'm going to do." Miriam said, smiling.

  "What do you mea-?" But before he got the words out Derrick jumped from behind the tree and tackled the man. Derrick’s head butted the man squarely in the gut and brought him down to the ground. He took Miriam's camisole and tore it into strips to tie the man up, still kicking the man. His rage was incredible.

  "Don't kill him." Miriam warned.

  "You sure?" Derrick asked. "What are we going to do with him?"

  "Bring him back to the house for now, but we can't kill him. It's make us no better than him. Than Them."

  Derrick nodded but kicked the man one more time in the ribs. Hard. "That's for interrupting and not letting us finish." He said.

  *

  Susan and Naomi were sitting in the kitchen when Derrick and Miriam got home. Derrick had covered Miriam in the wool blanket and slung the man on to the back of the horse. They had hog tied him and gagged him with the pieces of Miriam's camisole. Susan looked them up and down as they dragged in the Tall Dark Haired Man.

  "Out having fun? Nature walk?" Susan said, smiling.

  "Who's your friend?" Naomi asked. "I didn't know you were into threesomes."

  "Susan should recognize him." Miriam said.

  Naomi stood from the kitchen table, leaving her mug. She gestured to it. "Neither of us could sleep." She looked at Derrick. "Would either of you like a brandy?"

  "That'd be nice, Naomi." Derrick said. "Thank you."

  Susan wandered over to Miriam and Derrick where they were holding the man. "It's the assassin!" Susan said. "The man who tried to kill me! My god, where did he come from?!"

  "Derrick and I were out riding and we were…." Her voice trailed off. She did not want to tell her friend that she had almost just had sex with her stable boy. "And he came upon us. It was Derrick's quick thinking that saved us."

  "Hear hear!" Naomi said, raising her glass of brandy.

  "Is he dead?" Susan asked.

  "No," Derrick replied. "I could never kill anyone. I beat him up pretty good, though."

  "I bet you did." Susan said, smiling. "I have an idea."

  "What?" Miriam asked. "Where are we going to put him?"

  "The cellar." Susan said. "And then we're going to get some sleep. I don't know about you guys, but I feel as if this night has gone on for days!"

  FIFTY

  there's a guest in the cellar

  Loud thumping came from the basement. Miriam smiled at Susan as they enjoyed their coffee. "Sounds like our visitor is awake." Susan said.

  "Yes. Should we bring him a coffee?"

  "Give him a bit." Susan smiled. "He still sounds pissed."

  After Derrick and Miriam brought the Tall Dark Haired man home, Susan had thought to put him in the cellar in the basement. To get to it, you had to go down a long flight of steps, each step getting colder as you went down.

  Once you reached the basement, there was plenty of room for the laundry machines, the line for clothes for a windy day, the toys and boxes that would not fit in the attic. By these boxes, underneath a pane of glass, is a trapdoor covered by a soft throw rug.

  The cellar is under this trapdoor. It is dark and cold, dirt walls unfinished. Susan's parents had used it to store meat in the cold of winter. They wrapped the meat in ice and hay, to keep things preserved. It had not been used for years.

  Until now.

  They had thrown Tall Dark Haired Man down into the cellar unceremoniously and shut the trapdoor. Derrick had placed the rug back over top. "Is that all we're going to do?" Naomi had asked.

  "What more can we do now?" Susan had replied. "The man is hog tied and buried alive deep beneath the ground with no light and crumbling walls of dirt." She smiled. "I'd love to see his face when he wakes up tomorrow morning."

  "You have a sadistic side, you know that don't you?" Naomi asked.

  "You love it." Susan said. "You're just jealous."

  "You don't think he'll die down there?" Naomi asked.

  "He's too mean to die." Miriam had whispered.

  Susan had been right. Now, hours later as they enjoyed their coffee, their guest woke and was causing quite the racket. Naomi joined them in the kitchen. She yawned as she helped herself to a cup of coffee. "He's certainly got a lot of energy in the mornings." She said, referring to the man in the cellar. "I wonder if he knows we can hear him moving."

  "Someone should go make sure he'll not be able to get out." Susan said.

  "Already done." Naomi replied. "I just went and put a chain and a lock through the loop of the trapdoor handle. He won't be going anywhere."

  Miriam smiled. "Good thinking." She felt elated. They had one a mark against her pursuers. They were fighting fire with fire. "Just one question. What do we do now?"

  "I say we interrogate him."

  They all looked around as Derrick entered the kitchen and sat down beside Miriam. Naomi and Susan hid smiles as they watched Miriam blush.

  Derrick and Miriam had still not consummated their relationship as the two had been so tired to d
o little more than cuddle in the same bed. Derrick had had to take a cold shower this morning just to cool himself off.