by Blythe Stone
The pain didn't register right away but she stopped moving and fighting. He took the knife hilt, looking down at where it was lodged into her side just below her ribs. The blade was over halfway in, a good five inches.
“Oh fuck, look what you made me do,” he moaned.
She swallowed and gasped again when he pulled the knife out. Bright red blood flowed from the wound and onto the bed. She coughed and it continued to flow.
“Awww, baby,” he whispered.
He jumped up and bent beside the bed while she bled and tried to come to terms with what was happening.
Tears welled in her eyes. She might not ever see Nat again. Her mom, dad, Stan, everyone she ever cared about.
He jumped back on the bed and pressed a wadded up t-shirt into the stab wound to try and stop the blood.
He was crying too and she had to speak.
“Call for help,” she rasped.
He shook his head. “I can't they'll take you away,” he said.
“No, no they won't I'll come back. I promise. If you don't I'll die and we'll never get to get married and live happily ever after,” she said.
She felt cold and so alone with this man on top of her.
“Okay, okay,” he sobbed.
He reached into his back pocket with his free hand and brought a cell phone out but it slipped from his hand and landed on her chest.
“Just use the room phone,” she said.
“I can't leave you. I have to hold this,” he said.
“I'll hold it, you call and hurry,” she said.
He obeyed her and left her side to call. Once his back was turned she used the last of her strength to pick up his cell phone and go to the call app.
The blood on her hands, a mixture of his and her own, had dried enough that she could type Nat's number in. She ignored the shirt she was supposed to be holding on her wound and hit the call button.
It rang twice and then a voice came over the line. It was Nat.
“Hello?” She said.
“Baby, it's me. I'm so sorry. Prescott Hills. Knight's Inn. I love you so much. It's ok,” she managed.
Billy turned around at the sound of her voice and snatched the cell phone away from her hand.
“You called her?” He yelled.
The line went dead when he threw the phone into the wall and the back shattered, sending the battery flying.
Chapter 30
Not Again, Not Today
The voice on the line had been shaky enough to incite fear and rage in Natalie.
When it went dead she rushed to relay what she heard. The cops had been hanging out with Brian and Michael just outside the theater near their cars.
“Prescott Hills. Knights Inn,” she relayed.
“Can we take that?”
“Yes,” she said, handing over her phone.
There was a small possibility they could I.D. someone through Iris's phone. By now they'd gone over the security footage from the theater and they'd seen that a man with a knife had dragged Iris from the bathroom to his truck.
From what they'd told Nat they were working on deciphering his license plate when Iris's call came through.
Tears of rage welled up in Nat's eyes.
“It's gonna be okay,” Brian said, pulling Nat into a hug. He didn't know that, of course. Iris had not sounded right over the phone. Her voice was more than just shaky. Nat's mind went to dark places. She didn't know Prescott Hills or the motel but villains and private motel rooms were not known for happy ending tales. In fact, that combo was only saved for the most vile of things. None of which Nat really wanted to be thinking about but here she was.
The Sheriff was quick. He ducked into his lead patrol car and scrambled off the important information he'd just heard.
Nat cried silently and held onto Brian, watching the sheriff through his patrol car window. When he came back out he addressed them.
“Prescott Hills police department is on it. They've got the description, the location. We know what style truck this guy drives. We’re gonna get him. We’ll get her out of there.”
“Should we go down there,” Michael asked.
“Uh. I'm not sure that's recommended. You'll be safer here. Once we have the perp in custody we'll contact you and let you know.”
“Shouldn't we go out there to be with Iris though?” Michael asked. “She shouldn't be alone.”
“EMT has been deployed to her last specified location. Chances are she'll need to go through a medical debrief. At the very least she's been through a very terrifying situation. It might be good to give her a little time.”
The rest of the words sounded muffled in Nat's ears.
“Will you take me to her?” She whispered to Brian. “I'm so sorry.”
“Natalia,” Brian sighed, hugging her tighter. “Of course I'll take you. This is just a movie. Stop killing yourself.”
“Come on,” Brian said authoritatively. “We’re gonna go down to meet Iris. Will, you call us if you hear anything more.”
“Of course,” the sheriff nodded. “In fact. Since you're so insistent on going down there I'll escort you. It wouldn't be right if I didn't.”
“Thank you Sheriff. You've been very helpful.”
Brian sent a text off with his phone. His car arrived about a minute later and he held the door open for Nat and for Michael.
The press at the event had gotten really bad. Taking a car to the site of a crime was probably idiotic but they needed to make sure that Iris was okay.
Chapter 31
A Bloody Mess
At this point, Iris was pretty sure she was in shock but there was no feeling left in her pain. A nervous Billy paced back and forth in front of the door, peeking out the window at the assembled cops and EMS.
The room phone rang again and he picked it up.
“Tell them only one and don't try anything. I've got a gun,” Billy said.
He hung up the phone and went to the door, peering out the peephole. The standoff had started as soon as the first cop car arrived.
They didn't even get close to the room door before Billy was telling them to stay back. The negotiation started as soon as the EMS arrived.
The result of that was the woman that Billy was letting into the room. He closed the door behind her and turned to watch the paramedic set her bag down and start to assess Iris.
“Iris, I'm Hailey. I'm gonna take a look at this, okay?”
Iris nodded and closed her eyes as she felt the makeshift bandage lift away from her side. She moaned as Hailey pulled her blouse up and inspected the wound.
“This is pretty deep and you've lost a lot of blood,” Hailey said.
Billy paced again and held his hands up to his head, the knife clutched in his right one.
“Just fix her,” Billy insisted.
“I can't. She needs tests, blood, and probably surgery. I can't do that here. You need to let us take her or she'll die,” Hailey said.
“I gotta think. Just do something! Anything!” Billy said.
Hailey started to pack the wound with gauze and speak softly to Iris while she did. It was a sweet gesture but Iris knew everything wasn't going to be ok.
“Tell Natalie that I love her,” Iris murmured.
“Tell her yourself,” Hailey replied.
It had been an hour according to what Billy told her when Iris had asked. Maybe she could just hang on a little longer. A lot of blood had been lost.
Outside, on the other edge of the motel parking lot, Brian, Nat, and Michael were pulling up and witnessing the scene.
The sheriff who escorted them led them across the tape and onto the crime scene. That's what it all was now. A crime scene.
Cops held guns and pointed them at the motel door where Iris now was.
“She's still inside,” the sheriff informed them. “It's uh. It's not good. Your friend has been stabbed. The suspect requested a doctor but he's armed and refusing to come out or let us in to see her.”
�
�What do you mean?” Michael said. “You have guns. He's out numbered. Just go in.”
“I'm afraid it's not as simple as that,” a different sheriff said. “If we rush the scene he could kill someone. Possibly your friend.”
“But. She's hurt,” Nat squeaked. “You-you have to do something. Please,” her chin quivered.
“She's right,” Brian said, supportive. “If Iris is hurt it's crucial she gets to a hospital.”
“The safety of my men is important,” the sheriff said.
This was the point where Nat realized the police were not going to risk their lives for a complete stranger.
She slipped from Brian's side and made a beeline for the closed door that everyone was so focused on staring at.
“Ma'am! Back away from the door,” a voice said over a loud-speaker.
Nat didn't care, she grabbed hold of the handle and twisted it, pushing the door and feeling as it caught on the lock and kept her from entering. “Iris?! Iris?! Baby, I'm here,” Nat yelled. She knocked on the door with her knuckles in an attempt to stir the man inside who was most definitely some inhuman demon sent from hell.
“Back away from the door ma'am,” the speaker called again.
“Let me in,” she yelled. She looked to the side of the door and saw a large window with a heavy wooden chair just beneath it. No time left. She knew what she had to do. The police and this asshole weren't exactly giving her a choice. The waiting game could get someone murdered or mauled and Nat wasn’t a fan of either of those odds for Iris.
“NATALIE! DONT!” Brian yelled.
It was too late though, she'd lifted the heavy chair and thrown it at the glass. The cheap window with its flimsy metal frame fell right out, leaving the opening clear and waiting. Nat climbed inside without fear or care. The only choice now was whether to fight him or talk and Nat always knew which action would bring her results.
Her hands found the jerk’s neck and then his face. Within a second she both choked and scratched him, pushing her thumb into his eye and hearing it as he screamed.
The window had been heavy and it had fallen directly onto him, making him ill-prepared for an attack.
“Get off me,” Billy yelled, pushing at Nat and the thick layer of heavy glass.
Slipping and hurting himself, he landed on a large piece of the broken window frame. On his other side, a knife stuck out of his back from where Iris had stabbed him. He threw out his legs and tripped Nat. She fell forward onto the bed, landing in the red stain of Iris's blood.
The knife had flown from his hand to lay at Hailey’s feet. Hailey was sideways, almost off the bed, having been tossed by Nat’s impact. She slid to the ground and grabbed the knife, brandishing it at Billy.
“Stay still or I’ll have to use this,” Hailey warned.
The police stormed the door and kicked it in, two of them moving to secure Billy and two more holding their weapons on him.
“Nat, you shouldn’t have,” Iris said.
Nat's eyes fell onto Iris. “Oh god,” she muttered, moving down beside the bed to Iris's side. “Baby,” she gasped, fully crying now. All the damage was so clear. Blood, blood, blood. Blood everywhere.
“If it helps, I stabbed him first,” Iris tried to joke. Her face was pale and she could barely keep her eyes open. Moving was impossible.
Nat pet Iris's face and kissed her cheek as she gasped. “Stay with me,” she begged. Once the fight had ended her nerves had all gone and she was shaking again.
“I can’t go anywhere now that you’re here,” Iris promised.
“I love you,” Nat reminded.
“I love you too. Sorry he ruined our big night,” Iris said and then wheezed, falling silent and closing her eyes for a moment.
The other paramedics came rushing through the door once the glass had been cleared away and Hailey stepped up to Nat.
“We’re going to take her now. We need to get her there asap.”
They pushed in and started to take care of securing Iris. There hadn’t been enough time to start an IV when Hailey had first come in but they did that now and got her on the backboard and gurney for transport.
Hailey led the way as they wheeled her to the ambulance but she looked back at Nat.
“You want a ride?” Hailey asked.
“Yes,” Nat breathed. For a second she thought that she might never see Iris again. It was a terrible second so relief filled her up.
Iris was loaded into the ambulance. Paramedics continued to work on her while someone drove. The hospital was ten minutes away from the motel during this time of day but they made it in eight and a half since most of the traffic was off the roads.
“Hey, where did she go?” Iris asked, attempting to move and look around for Nat who was on the other side of Hailey.
That was the last of her energy. Iris went still and her eyes closed. The beeping of her monitor started to slow and Nat saw the paramedics start to pull vials out of drawers.
Iris’s heart was slowing down.
“I'm right here,” Nat tried.
The ambulance parked in front of the ER and the paramedics readied Iris to be offloaded. Nat got out first and then they followed with the gurney. They rushed inside, pulling away from Nat and as soon as they hit the doors there was staff there to meet them. They started throwing out medical jargon and wheeling Iris away. All Nat could see was her bloodstained hand rising into the air as the doors closed and her view was cut off.
She swallowed and felt scared. Anything could happen now. It was out of her hands.
Dazed and effected, she walked back down the hall towards the waiting area and began to break down.
It was so sudden and so intense that she had to stop herself a moment and rest against the wall. There was nothing worse for Nat than the feeling of being helpless. She worked her whole life to try and avoid this exact thing.
A stranger in the hall came to stand beside her and touch her back. “It'll be okay,” the stranger tried.
Nat sniffed and tried to gather herself.
It took awhile. Eventually, she made her way to the waiting area and found a chair she could sit in for a time.
Brian and Michael found her a few minutes later. They'd been in a hurry to get to her, knowing full-well she needed someone to make sure she was okay. What Nat had done was unnaturally brave. Stupid but brave and they were both shocked by her. They would never have done that, they both knew.
“Is there someone we should call?” Brian asked. “I know you're not close with your mom.”
“Olivia,” Nat said. “Call Olivia.” The questions had been the only one she might have a specific answer for at the time.
Neither Michael nor Brian knew who Olivia was. They stared at each other for a long second. “I'll take care of it,” Michael said. Asking around could get you a lot of things, including the right information, he knew where to go.
The Sheriff had taken Nat's phone. Michael knew he could find him outside, at least get a number from it before they stored it away in a plastic evidence bag.
Brian sat beside Nat and held her while she wept. The scene had been a nightmare, the kind of thing he always strived to create in his fiction.
“Well, I guess, if anything, this is good press,” Brian joked.
Nat laughed, still miserable. Brian knew she felt terrible even though it was nowhere near her fault.
“They threw that asshole on the ground. You should've seen it.”
Nat didn't care. The guy who stabbed Iris deserved to be put down without trial. A small spot of abuse was nothing short of a delay and she couldn't care for it.
“Natalie?”
A familiar voice struck Nat. Surprised, she looked up from Brian's chest to find Olivia standing in front of her.
As soon as they saw each other they both started to cry.
Olivia knelt and Nat caught her in a hug.
“I'm so sorry,” Olivia whispered. Her voice shook.
“Huh-how did you know-”
“It's all over the news,” Olivia said.
They held each other for so long that Brian took this as his opportunity to sneak out and start in on the damage control.
Olivia took Brian's chair and held onto Nat. They couldn't catch a fucking break. Not either of them.
By now, a few crucial videos had gone viral. The police released the video of Iris being kidnapped almost as soon as they found it. But then there were eyewitness testimonials. People from both the theater and the motel.
No video was more widely spread than a cellphone recording of Nat throwing a chair at a motel window and charging in to save her new girlfriend.
Olivia held Nat's head against her chest and held her hand, resting her nose in her hair.
“It's gonna be okay,” she spoke sadly. She was trying to will that into existence, see. Make it become a truth instead of what it was, that being, the actual gross little world where they were born and forced to try and live.
At the very least, they had each other. Always, always. It was the one truth that would never fail.
Olivia had flown out just to remind Nat of that. She could afford to do it and she knew Nat would want her support no matter what they'd been through or how confusing life had separately been for the two of them.
Stan ran up from the other side of the emergency room.
“Where is she?” He asked.
Nat sniffed. “They took her away and they won’t let me see her.”
Nat wasn't sure what any of it meant. Either the doctors were still busy trying to save her or they'd completely put off telling her that everything was okay.
Despite how long Iris had been held up, and how big that stain of blood had been back at the motel, Nat tried to quiet her mind and hope for the best.
Stan turned away from them and walked up to the nurses station. He was gone for five minutes before he came back.
“She's in surgery,” Stan told them. “They won't tell me anything else until her parents get here. I talked to them and they're already at the airport. They'll be here in about three hours.”
“Thanks,” Nat said.
“I'm Olivia by the way.”