“You’re going to get caught. You know that?” Connor mumbled from across the room.
She let out a laugh. “Okay.”
Literally seconds later, he was gone. The lights had been turned off in his mind. His soul had left the building.
Down the hall she heard the blonde-headed woman. She rubbed her hands together. Time to strike again!
Slowly, she tiptoed down to the bedroom. She jumped into the doorway, shouting, “BOO!” Then came her witch laugh.
The woman jumped back, placing a hand over her heart. “You scared me!”
“Duh, that was the point!” Her eyes squinted in anger.
Blondie looked confused. “Well, I’m going to go.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said no. What part of that don’t you understand?”
The woman shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t want to be a part of it. Connor’s a great guy and all, but not worth the hassle.”
Inside herself, she laughed. Did Connor have any idea the woman he was having an affair with felt this way? “Go tell Connor you’re done then,” she commanded. She couldn’t wait for her to realize Connor was dead! The suspenseful waiting for the revelation was almost enough to make her want to jump up and down like an excited little girl. Almost.
She moved aside, blondie walking passed her, staying as far away from her as she possibly could. The whole time she kept her eyes on the woman, walking closely behind her. She knew when she’d find him, she’d freak. And that’s when she’d attack. She started counting down in her head.
Within a matter of seconds, the woman saw Connor and screamed. Her hands covered her mouth. Slowly, she turned.
Showtime! In one swift movement, she lunged forward, stabbing her in the neck.
The woman got even more dramatic! She grabbed her neck and squealed as if she were being choked. It was pathetic and totally unnecessary. What on earth did Connor see in her? Then again, just looking at her body, it was more like what Connor saw on her. Pig.
“Why are you doing this to me? I don’t deserve this,” the blonde whined.
As she rolled her eyes, she snickered. Didn’t deserve this? Right. She supposed that pigs flew, and hell froze over, too.
Blondie started coughing. “What did you put in me?”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it works.” Getting in her face, she muttered, “Which it will. Just wait.”
The woman tried throwing a punch. She completely missed.
“Just think, if you wouldn’t have gotten involved with Connor, you wouldn’t be dying right now.”
“Dying?” Blondie freaked out some more.
“And more than likely, Connor wouldn’t have had to either!” She pushed the woman over, causing her to fall limp on the floor.
Crying was all that was heard. The blonde-headed woman closed her eyes but tears still fell down her cheeks. Eventually she started to make sounds fewer and farther in between. And just when she thought the blonde was dead, she’d gasp once more.
Silence. Stillness.
She kicked her lightly on the feet. Then the back. Finally, the head. There was nothing. She was dead.
Standing straight up, she put her hands on her hips, and looked around once again. Everything outside appeared serene. Quiet. Beautiful. Much like what she made possible inside the walls of Connor’s apartment. She did well. She was happy with the results.
But there was still one more thing she had to do. Digging through her purse, she reached for two cards. On each, she wrote a number and signed her name: Margaret. It never got old writing that name. It was an identity. Something as real as any human could be. Beside it, she placed a kiss in her favorite shade of red: Cherry Passion by Only One You.
She stuck the #13 card between the blonde’s skirt and skin along the waist. A tiny part of her was irked because someone else was supposed to be #13. But what could she do? She couldn’t go back and bring someone to life. Or change the course of history.
Walking to the door, she stuffed the #12 card under Connor’s boxers. She was tempted to peak at what else was under there but had the self-control to not to. Her own man was all she needed to see. She licked her lips thinking about him.
After closing the door behind her, she traveled down the hall. The elevator took her to the first floor. Like before, she strutted passed the man at the front desk, completely ignoring what he said, and then continued her journey under the chandelier and out of the building. Once she crossed the street, she got into her car, slamming the door. She quickly started the engine and sped off just as two cop cars, with their lights on, headed right where she came from.
She exhaled a sigh of accomplishment and relief. That was it! Now it was time to get back home and get some sleep. She had a feeling the road ahead might be a little tricky.
Chapter 17
L
aura sat up abruptly. The room around her was pitch black. All was quiet, except her heart pounding within her rib cage. Her hand covered it so it wouldn’t break free. Was that for real? Or was she simply dreaming? She settled on it being a living nightmare.
It was lifelike. The anger she felt. The sounds of their voices. The look on their faces. His apartment was just as she remembered it from the last time she had been there. How effortlessly she killed them was probably what scared her most.
But there was no way it could be real. She was dreaming. After all, she was in her pajamas, still in the bed that was in Marissa’s spare bedroom. It was the middle of the night. She never did anything in the middle of the night. Then why the eerie feeling?
She had to get some light. This darkness wasn’t helping her nerves any. She fumbled around for her phone. The flashlight from it would offer the only light, unless she got up to turn on the light switch. Why Marissa didn’t have a lamp next to the bed was beyond her. Maybe she could get one if she were staying for a while.
Turning the phone on, she examined her surroundings. Being here was different. She almost felt like a coward. Yet, at the same time, it was nice not being alone. Maybe she should get a roommate. It was something she’d think about more later. Right now, she wanted to figure out why her hand felt like something covered it. It was almost a sticky, wet sensation. She got the flashlight to focus.
Her hand was covered in blood!
Laura blinked a couple of times to believe her eyes. Sudden panic ravaged through her veins, and she wanted to scream! Hyperventilating, she knew she had to get up and turn on the lights to see what else was a mess. The few steps were challenging. She was weak in the knees, and her heart raced as if to a finish line.
Did the blood prove her dream was no dream at all? Did she somehow kill two people without being truly aware? What was going on?
The lights now on, she saw more blood on her pillow, but only on the one side. She rustled through the sheets. Didn’t see any there. Then it hit her. It must be from her bandage on the head. She checked with her clean hand, and sure enough, there was a slow oozing from the wound.
Laura had never been so relieved in her life! The blood must simply be from tossing and turning in the night, messing up her bandage!
The first thing she did was sit down to catch her breath. Her mind and body back under her control, she got up to use the bathroom and get cleaned up. Her head and hands would be no problem. The pillowcase, on the other hand, might be. She hoped it would be able to come clean in the wash. She also hoped Marissa wouldn’t mind.
After thoroughly washing her hands with soap and water, she removed the bandage on her head. She grabbed a washcloth, put some warm water on it, and began dabbing at her wound. She cringed at how it stung. And it looked awful. Who knew she could do something like that by simply falling on the corner of a table? Thankfully, the swelling had gone down some already. She put another bandage on.
The abrupt waking and bright lights, as well as the wound, was causing a headache. So, she opened the cupboa
rd to get herself some more medication.
Suddenly, a boisterous thud echoed. She jumped out of her skin. There were no dogs or cats here. The wind couldn’t have done that. Did she dare check it out? It was obvious she had to because her curiosity always got the best of her.
Laura got out of the bathroom and walked down the hall. She saw her friend picking up this statue-anchored table that was placed by the door. Still littered on the floor were various keys, mail, and whatever else it was that the table held. “Marissa?”
Her friend jumped, turning around toward her, her hand on her chest. “Laura, you scared me!”
She apologized. Noticing that her coat was on, she asked, “Um, were you going somewhere? Or did you just get home?” She crossed her arms in front of her.
“Oh! No, no, no. I, uh, actually heard something outside.” She used her thumb to point behind her toward the door. “I just went to check it out. On my way back in I accidently knocked the table over. I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” Marissa proceeded to take her coat off and hang it over the back of a chair.
Ignoring her question, Laura asked one of her own as she eyed her friend’s every move. “What was it?”
“What was what?”
“The noise.”
“Oh, um, nothing. Nothing.” She offered a smile, acting like everything was peachy keen.
One of Laura’s eyebrows arched. She didn’t know if she bought all this. But it was late, or early, depending on how one looked at it. How far should she take it?
Marissa yawned. “I’m exhausted. I’m just going to go back to bed now.” There was another smile and even a wave. She brushed passed Laura, heading to her own room.
“Good night,” Laura said to her friend’s back. She looked around the room. Sighing, she also went back to her bedroom as there was nothing left to do where she was standing.
As soon as she laid down and pulled the covers up to her chin, a funny thought hit her. Marissa was dressed under that coat she was wearing. Had she not gone to sleep yet? Did she just dress herself before going outside? Laura checked the time once again. It was after two in the morning. Something wasn’t adding up. It made her shiver.
Many thoughts ran through her head as she tossed and turned in bed. They were a mix of Connor, Marissa, and her living situation. Did she want to contact Connor? Or forget about him? Should she at least try to get closure? Why was Marissa acting so funny? Was she honest about the whole ‘heard a noise’ situation? What could she be hiding, if anything? Did she want to stay here much longer? Did she want to go home? Maybe now would be a good time to go back to Bennington Hills to visit family and old friends!
Over an hour passed without her being able to fall back asleep, and now she was getting hungry. But what could she do to help fix both of these trivial problems? Swallowing, her mouth was quite dry. Warm milk sounded like a good solution.
Laura got back up and crept to the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as she possibly could. She got everything out and heated some milk. Pouring it into a mug, she began to sip slowly. It tasted and felt so good! Now, hopefully it would work.
Standing there, relaxing, she heard something. Was someone talking? That couldn’t be. Only she and Marissa were here. Wasn’t Marissa supposed to be sleeping? Maybe she couldn’t sleep either. But then why would she be talking? And to who?
She tiptoed down the hall, stopping just outside Marissa’s bedroom door. It was her. She was speaking with someone on the phone. Laura’s eyebrows furrowed. She didn’t think her friend stayed up until the wee hours of the morning chatting with others. Living with her for a while was going to be interesting.
Laura tried to listen in to get clues as to who it was, but she couldn’t make sense of the one-way conversation she heard. And some words she didn’t hear correctly either, she thought. Not making much out of it, she considered it pointless. It wasn’t her business anyway. Taking her mug of warm milk, she walked the rest of the way back to the spare bedroom, closed the door behind her, turned off the lights, and climbed back into bed.
Moments later, more noise was heard down the hall, sounding like Marissa had gone to use the bathroom. She was no longer talking with anyone. Laura lay in bed hyper aware. Why did she have a bad feeling about everything? Was it the dream? Was she just tense from all that’s been going on? Was it because she was in a new place?
Trying to get comfortable, Laura sighed. She repeatedly assured herself that nothing was going on, that she was just being a little paranoid from recent events. All she had to do was talk with Marissa in the morning about it and get the full story. Then she’d see and hear for herself that all was well.
Now if she could just fall back to sleep.
* * *
Tinkering on the brink of consciousness, Laura’s eyes slowly opened. Had she really fallen asleep? She never realized she did, but she must have because her mind and body felt refreshed and ready to go. Stretching, she kicked off her sheets and sat up on the edge of the bed. She focused on where she was, and the day and time.
Opening the spare bedroom door, she noticed Marissa must still be sleeping. No lights were on. No sounds were made. Laura walked to the bathroom. The mirror was not her friend. It revealed someone that looked like they had gotten hit by a freight train. Her hair was a mess. Her bandage was needing to be replaced again. She had crusts in the corners of her eyes. And even her lips were dry and cracked.
After the bathroom, she ambled down the hall. Breakfast sounded good. She even thought she’d make some for Marissa. It would be a surprise and thank you all in one. The refrigerator revealed a few options. What sounded best were bacon and eggs. No one could go wrong with bacon and eggs.
She wasn’t sure where everything was in the kitchen so she raided through it as quietly as she could. Getting all the ingredients out, as well as the necessary pans and utensils, Laura busied herself with preparing the food.
Just as the bacon started to sizzle, in walked Marissa in her blue flannel robe. “What smells so good?”
Laura glanced her way and smiled. “I thought I’d make breakfast for us. I hope you don’t mind. I’ve got bacon and eggs, and there’s even some coffee brewing.”
Marissa’s eyebrows arched. “Wow. Thanks.” She took a seat at the table, head in her hands.
Laura watched her. She still hadn’t forgotten about earlier that morning, and she had every intention to ask about it. But she would wait for the food to get done first.
Two pieces of bacon were put on each plate, as well as a heaping spoonful of the scrambled eggs. Laura put the plates on the table, and then proceeded to pour some coffee into plain green mugs.
“This looks wonderful,” Marissa commended, as Laura handed her a mug. “Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.” Taking a seat, she asked, “So how did you sleep?”
“Not long enough.”
“Does it have something to do with whatever happened in the middle of the night?”
Marissa took a sip of her coffee. “Well, that didn’t help, but I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I just couldn’t get to sleep.”
Laura wasn’t sure how to ask about all the things that made her paranoid. She didn’t want her friend thinking she believed her to be a liar. “You sure you heard something outside?”
“That’s what it sounded like. But like I said, I couldn’t find anything.” She didn’t make eye contact. Her gaze was focused on bringing more eggs to her mouth.
Laura slowly nodded. She took a few minutes to eat some bacon and drink some coffee. Pacing herself would make it less like an interrogation. When it was time, she asked, “Were you on the phone last night or something? I thought for sure I heard you talking.” She wasn’t going to mention anything about eavesdropping.
Marissa put down her fork. Her eyes looked distant and unkind, but suddenly a small smile stretched her lips. She said, “Yeah, my boyfriend works odd hours. Since I was up, I thought I’d give him a call.”
“How nice!” Lau
ra smiled back. Why did she not think of that? “How are things between the two of you? I don’t think we’ve talked about it lately.”
“Things are good.” Marissa wiped her mouth. “Yeah, good.”
Laura giggled. “Good? Okay.”
Marissa added, “Sorry, I just feel like a teenager with a crush. I’m really happy.”
Seeing how her countenance lit up, Laura believed every word. She was thrilled for her, too! She knew how hard it was for Marissa to find a good man. Partly because she was more reserved. Partly because she was picky. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
Marissa finished her plate and brought it to the sink. “Did you get enough?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Bringing her own plate into the kitchen, Laura asked, “Hey, what are your plans for today?”
Leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, Marissa replied, “A whole lot of nothing. I wanted to relax before going back to work tomorrow.”
“Want to have a movie marathon?”
Marissa thought about it for a moment. “We could do that, I suppose. Why don’t you pick out a handful of movies while I clean up?”
“You sure? I can clean since I made the mess!”
Marissa waved Laura off. “I’m sure. You cooked. I’ll clean.” She half-smiled.
“If you say so.” Laura finished her coffee and brought the mug to the sink. She walked into the living room feeling much better about last night. It must have just been her nerves from the nightmare and waking to blood on her hands. She was looking too much into things. Everything Marissa said made sense. And she was actually excited to talk more about her boyfriend later. She wanted to get all the juicy details of how this man made her so happy.
That thought surprised her a little. She thought she’d be jealous or something, seeing as she was very well boyfriend-less. But maybe she just had hope things would still work out. And it wasn’t like something this great happened to Marissa all the time. Usually she was the one who got all the attention, not her friend. So, yeah, she was happy.
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