Love Lies Dying

by Steve Gerlach

  Sherrie looked at him across the darkness.

  “You mean take her with us?” There was worry in Sherrie’s voice.

  John shrugged his shoulders, “Yes. I think so. I mean, maybe. I don’t really know at this stage.”

  “How are we going to explain a dead body to the police?”

  “Helen’s body, you mean. I don’t know. We’ll work it out later…”

  “No, I don’t think we’ll work it out later. If you take Helen’s body with us or they find us with it and we tell them what’s happened, do you really think they’re going to believe us? If we do that, it still works out for Zoe! You can’t beat her that way.”

  Thunder echoed as the rain eased slightly.

  John nodded after a few minutes of thinking. “You’re right. Even if we do, we still play into her hands.”

  “Exactly!”

  “I can’t get rid of some of the trace evidence she’s used against me. If we take Helen with us we’ll just be handing Zoe what she wants.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “We’ve got no choice,” John replied. “We have to make her see reason and admit to what she’s done.”

  “Will that be possible?”

  “I have no idea,” he said. “Maybe if you talk to her. Maybe you can make her agree to tell the cops everything and turn herself in for some psychiatric help.”

  “But you said she’s crazy!”

  “I know.”

  “Do you think that will work?” Sherrie asked.

  “I have no other plan…”

  “When do you think we’ll see Zoe again?”

  “She’ll be at the church,” John replied.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded, “It’s all part of the game. She’ll be there waiting for us to see how we react. She’ll be watching us. That’s all part of the thrill for her.”

  “This is all so fucking crazy!” Sherrie balled up her hands into fists and hit at her thighs in anger.

  John nodded in the night as lightning flashed outside.

  “How’s your head and ribs?” he asked her.

  She smiled a lop-sided smile. “I’ll live. What about you?”

  “I can’t feel much. I’m too cold. I think that’s a good thing.”

  “Probably.”

  They fell silent for a time, listening to the rain above them.

  “You should’ve told me about her,” John continued. “And what you two used to do.”

  “It’s not something I’m terribly proud of, John,” Sherrie replied after a deep sigh. “I’m trying to forget it myself. I’m hardly going to tell the man I love that I had a lesbian relationship just before we met.”

  “Still, if you had told me –”

  “It would’ve made no difference to what Zoe was going to do to you. It wouldn’t’ve made you any more prepared and it wouldn’t’ve helped you in any way.”

  The rain eased more, lightly falling on the roof.

  The silence between them was long and hard.

  “I’m cold,” Sherrie whispered.

  John stood from the bunk and moved to her side. He took her in his arms and rubbed her back and sides, trying to get the circulation flowing in her body.

  “I wonder what time it is,” she said.

  “No idea,” John replied. “Zoe took my watch when we first got here, after she handcuffed me to the Jeep.”

  Sherrie shook her head and sighed.

  John pecked her on the cheek.

  “Don’t worry about it now,” he replied. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk about what happened once we’re out of this situation. Don’t worry about what’s past now.”

  “If we get out of this situation…”

  “We will.”

  He continued to rub her shoulders.

  “I don’t know if this is helping,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Just having you close to me is helping though,” she replied.

  She turned to face him.

  He could smell her and feel her warm breath.

  He kissed her hard on her cold, wet lips. They parted and let him through. Their tongues danced wantonly, seeking and finding each other. Their breath steaming from their mouths.

  He ran his hand through Sherrie’s hair, brushing it from her face and pulling it away from her neck and shoulders.

  Sherrie’s hands glided up and down his back. Her breathing quickened and the warmth returned to her lips and face.

  They hugged each other tight as thunder growled around them.

  “John,” she whispered as they kissed. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” he replied.

  This is all that matters.

  This is all I want.

  “Jooooohhhhhnnnnnyyyyy!”

  At first he thought it was all in his mind, so he pushed it to one side.

  But then he heard it again.

  “Jooooohhhhhnnnnnyyyyy!”

  Out in the night.

  And close by.

  Sherrie froze.

  They were both still, faces only inches apart, listening into the night.

  “Jooooohhhhhnnnnnyyyyy!”

  “It’s her,” he whispered.

  “I know,” Sherrie nodded. “She’s close.”

  The rain sprinkled lightly across the roof of the caravan, just enough to make it hard to pinpoint where Zoe was calling from.

  “Jooooohhhhhnnnnnyyyyy! Cooooome toooo meeeee, Joooohhhhnnnnyyyy!”

  Fear charged up John’s spine.

  “What do we do?” Sherrie asked.

  He didn’t answer.

  “Do we stay here?”

  John shook his head, “No. She must know we’re here, that’s why she’s calling.”

  “You mean she’s been following us?”

  “Probably.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s all part of her fucking game,” he replied.

  “Pushing us to the edge?”

  “Yeah, more of her edge play.”

  “Why, John?”

  “To see how we react, maybe?” he shook his head. “I don’t know, honey. I just don’t know anymore. She’s so fucking crazy!”

  “Jooooohhhhhnnnnnyyyyy!”

  “What do we do?” Sherrie asked.

  “I don’t think we have any choice. We have to go outside.”

  She nodded.

  “I love you,” he whispered as he kissed her hard and fast.

  “I love you too. And always will,” Sherrie replied.

  “We’ll get through this,” he replied, staring into her beautiful green eyes. “You and me, we’ll survive this.”

  “I know.”

  “We won’t let her win. She won’t beat us this time.”

  She nodded.

  He grabbed both her hands and squeezed them.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “Okay,” he ran his hand through her hair once more. “Let’s do it.”

  They turned to the door.

  “Jooooohhhhhnnnnnyyyyy!”

  John reached out to the handle, turned it and slowly opened the door.

  Lightning flashed, blinding them with its light as the door swung wide.

  John stepped in front of Sherrie, moving her to stand right behind him, and peered out into the night.

  The rain was falling as a mist, light and soft.

  “Stay here,” he whispered to Sherrie as he stepped down from the caravan.

  His feet sloshed heavily on the earth as he took a step forward into the night.

  “Jooooohhhhhnnnnnyyyyy!”

  Her voice again. It seemed to echo from all around them. He tried to pinpoint it but couldn’t as thunder rolled across the sky.

  He stepped deeper into the night.

  Show yourself, bitch…

  The mist hung in the air, making it hard to see beyond a few feet. The night was cold, but the wind had dropped. The mist settled on him as he walked. All was still except John, who took an
other step further away from the caravan.

  “John,” Sherrie called quietly.

  “Stay there,” he said over his shoulder. “At any sign of trouble, shut the door and barricade yourself inside. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she called back.

  He stepped forward again.

  Careful.

  Take it nice and slow.

  Wait for her to call again.

  Work out the direction.

  And then nail the bitch.

  With what?

  It doesn’t matter.

  What will you use?

  My own two hands if I have to.

  Lightning flashed above and illuminated the pines in front of him.

  He looked up to the sky in time to see the second flash of lightning.

  When he returned his eyes to the pines, she was standing in front of him, leaning against one of the trunks.

  She had a smile on her face, and her arms were across her breasts.

  Zoe…

  Her hair was plastered down her face and body. The rain made her skin shine and her diamond sparkle. She was wearing the leather strap bondage outfit and she was still barefoot.

  She was only a few feet away from him.

  “Hi, my lover,” she said.

  John’s heart began to pound hard, his breathing increased and he stopped dead in his tracks.

  “I knew you’d come to me,” she continued. “You can’t deny what we had together. You can’t go back with Sherrie, not after you’ve tasted me. And I know you like what you tasted.”

  John stared at her.

  “Is this all part of the game?” he said through clenched teeth.

  Zoe’s face fell.

  Thunder drummed loud and deep.

  “Is it?” he asked again.

  She shook her head, “No, Johnny. It isn’t. I miss you and I want you back. That’s why I’m here. I want us to be together forever. I made a mistake and I’m sorry, but I want to be with you. Can you forgive me?”

  “Forgive you?” John couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you serious?”

  “Please…?”

  “You tortured me for days and you killed Helen! Do you remember that? You killed my wife!”

  “You didn’t love her anyway,” she replied.

  John’s mouth opened to reply, but he couldn’t think straight. He didn’t know what to say to her. He shook his head and just stared.

  “John?” Sherrie called to him.

  Zoe’s eyes darted over his shoulder towards the caravan.

  “Stay where you are!” John called back to her.

  “Does she fuck as good as I do?” Zoe asked, staring back at him. “Does she?”

  John didn’t answer.

  “Does she give you what you want, fulfil your dreams like I do, Johnny? Does she make you cum so hard it hurts? Does she bend over in all the positions you like? Does she drink every last drop of your cum? Does she?”

  No reply.

  “I’ll take that as a no, then,” she continued. “And you’re right. I know, I’ve been with her too, remember? She can’t satisfy you like I do. I know that already. But you’re giving me up for her?”

  “I never loved you,” he replied. “So I can’t give you up.”

  “You’re turning me down again…” she said to herself. “After everything, you’re still saying no.”

  “I love Sherrie,” he said. “I never loved you.”

  Sadness swept across her as lightning broke the night.

  “I swore this would never happen, Johnny,” she said in a sad, soft voice. “I swore no man would ever break my heart again.”

  “I’m sorry, Zoe. But I still want to help you. I think you need help.”

  “I swore you’d never break my heart twice. But you have.”

  John stared at her, his mouth wide.

  “Twice?”

  “How could I be so stupid?”

  Thunder rolled and the rain returned in a wave, hard and heavy, beating into the ground and trees around them.

  They stood in silence.

  One last chance…

  “Zoe, come with us and we’ll get you some help,” John held out a hand to her. “If you tell the police everything, they’ll understand and use it in your favour. With a few years of the best doctors and psychiatric help, you’ll get better. I promise.”

  “I don’t need your promises, Johnny,” she replied, rubbing her shoulders. “I don’t need you at all anymore. I should’ve known nothing would’ve changed.”

  “Let me help you,” he reached out further to her.

  “No!”

  John took a step towards her, “Please…”

  “NO!” Zoe screamed and took a step backwards.

  John let his arm drop away and fall to his side.

  “Stop hurting John to get revenge on me!” Sherrie called from behind him.

  He turned to see her walking towards them.

  No! Get back!

  Zoe looked puzzled, “What are you talking about?”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Sherrie was by John’s side now. “I’m through with you, Zoe! I told you months ago. So, just leave John and me alone! Leave us and take your sick evil games elsewhere. I don’t love you anymore! Get it?”

  Zoe smirked, “This has got nothing to do with you, Sherrie. This is all between John and me!”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m not here for revenge on you!” she continued, her smirk widening and stretching the jagged cut on her left cheek. “I left you, remember? This is between John and me.”

  “But I don’t even know you!” John replied.

  “Really?” Zoe placed a hand on her hip. “Think really hard, John. Be truthful to yourself and think really hard. Go back through the years and find me. You will. And remember what you did to me. I’m there, you just have to find me.”

  “Zoe, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  “Don’t start believing your own lies, Johnny. That’s when you’ve become really sick, when you can’t even remember what’s the truth and what’s lies anymore. Are you that far gone? Have you deluded everyone, including yourself?”

  The rain fell heavier.

  There was silence between them all.

  Lightning slashed at the sky.

  John looked between Zoe and Sherrie.

  They were both staring at him.

  “Pal, it’s time the truth came out,” Richard said loudly in his head. “It’s time to sweep away all those lies…”

  Seventy-two

  “You’re so blind,” Zoe continued. “You can’t even see it anymore. You can’t remember, because you’ve blotted it all out. Covered it all up…”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” John replied, but he had an uneasy feeling about the direction the whole conversation was taking.

  Thunder rolled.

  “What’s she talking about, John?” Sherrie asked.

  “I have no idea,” he replied.

  “I think you do,” Zoe continued. “But I don’t know if you want your lover-girl here to know it all.”

  Sherrie put her arm around John. “I stand by him, Zoe, no matter what! Nothing you can say can change how I feel. Nothing you can do either.”

  Zoe laughed, “Sherrie, you’re so loyal. So blinded by everything you feel for him. So noble. And so fucking boring…”

  John stepped forward, shielding Sherrie.

  “You won’t talk to her like that,” he replied, staring straight at Zoe.

  “Yes, Johnny. No, Johnny,” Zoe mocked him. “Whatever you want, Johnny.”

  The rain fell in a steady torrent around them. The night was cold. Their breath fogged and hung in the air.

  Rivulets of rain streamed from Zoe. Down her hair and over her breasts and erect nipples, snaking their way down along her tight stomach and around her belly button diamond. Down to the valley between her legs. And deeper.

  “Think back, Johnny,” sh
e continued. “Think right back to your past and the events you’ve buried in it.”

  This is crazy.

  She’s crazy!

  We’re playing to her rules again.

  Yes, we are!

  She said this was my game.

  MY rules!

  We’re not playing by hers any longer…

  John grabbed Sherrie’s hand.

  “Come on,” he said. “We don’t have to listen to this bullshit. We’re leaving.”

  He turned and marched away from Zoe, heading back towards the caravan.

  Sherrie followed.

  “Think about Patricia Bourke!” Zoe called to them.

  Who?

  “Who’s Patricia Bourke?” Sherrie asked as they neared the caravan.

  “I don’t know,” John replied.

  Lightning crisscrossed the sky.

  Patricia Bourke…I know that name…

  From where?

  “Remember ‘Pattie the Fattie’! Remember what happened to her!” Zoe called again.

  John stopped in his tracks and turned around.

  My God! ‘Pattie the Fattie’? From college?

  He let go of Sherrie’s hand.

  “John?”

  And stepped back towards Zoe.

  “You know ‘Pattie the Fattie’?” John called to Zoe through the rain.

  Zoe shook her head.

  “I am ‘Pattie the Fattie’,” she replied.

  John’s world shook with the thunder.

  What?

  No!

  But she was…ugly. She was disgusting.

  Zoe’s different. She’s crazy but she’s different.

  She’s LYING!

  She has to be. She can’t be Patricia Bourke.

  It’s not possible.

  She CAN’T be!

  It’s just NOT POSSIBLE!

  As if reading his mind, Zoe stepped towards him.

  “I’m Patricia Bourke, Johnny. And I’m taking my revenge.”

  He stepped back away from her.

  No, no, nono. She’s lying. She has to be!

  “She’s not lying, pal,” Richard said in his head.

  Fuck off, how would you know?

  “It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, pal.” Richard continued. “Don’t let the lies you’ve created over the years blind you to what really happened.”

  Fuck you!

  “Open yourself to the truth for the first time…” he whispered in his head.

  Fuck off, go away! I don’t need your fucking voice in my head now.

  “John?” Sherrie was by his side.

  He turned to face her. He didn’t know what to say. He stared at her, confusion in his eyes.