Roxanne sat in the bar, a book open in her lap, and a cigarette between her lips. She glanced up, and could see the sun setting behind the tinted window next to the front door.
She stretched, arm muscles aching from lack of movement.
Well, the day hadn’t been a total waste. She had met one of her favorite authors, and even got an autograph out of the whole thing. She knew Spirit Lake was the right spot for her. Julie Kramer was a sign that, at least for now, this would be her new home.
The front door of the bar opened slowly and a young man walked in.
"Sorry, we’re closed." Roxanne put her book down and stood, leaning against the bar.
"Just one drink?" The young man smiled.
"You don’t look old enough to vote, let alone drink." She laughed, lighting up a cigarette. "Come back when you’re twenty one."
"I don’t think I know you." He took a step towards the bar. "I’m Harvey, and you are?"
Roxanne froze. She had heard Roy tell Julie about what had happened in the library the night before.
"Look, Harvey, I told you, we’re closed." Her hand went under the bar, feeling for the bat that Roy kept there.
"Oh come on. Roy won’t mind." He took another step closer.
"Oh, but I do." Her hand wrapped around the bat’s handle. She pulled it out, letting it dangle by her leg, just out of Harvey’s view.
"No need to be so hostile." He was at the bar now. He leaned forward, his face inches from hers. He smiled. "I wonder what you look like naked." His voice was a whisper.
"Back off." Roxanne swung the bat, just missing Harvey’s head.
He took a step back, crouching down, his eyes watching her move.
"So this is how we’re going to play." He lunged across the bar, grabbing her shoulders.
Roxanne screamed, her hand swiping at his face, scratching his cheeks.
Harvey howled and fell back, covering his wounds. He crouched down on the floor. Roxanne leaned forward, looking at her attack. His shoulders seemed to spasm, and it sounded as if he was crying.
He looked at her, his eyes wild, his mouth contorted into a vicious grin.
"God you know how to turn me on." He lunged again, but missed this time, falling over the bar and onto his stomach.
Roxanne tried to run, but Harvey grabbed her ankle, yanking her down to the floor. He started to crawl on top of her, his hands grabbing at her.
"Get the hell off of me!" She tried to kick out, but it wasn’t doing any good.
He had her pinned to the ground, his hips grinding against hers. His eyes moved from her chest to her neck to her face, soaking in her image.
He leaned down, close, his breath was sour. He kissed her, and Roxanne had to hold back the urge to vomit. Instead she opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to enter, then clamped her teeth down hard.
Harvey tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let go. He smacked her on the side of the head, and Roxanne could feel the flesh between her teeth tear as the blow sent her head shooting sideways.
Harvey stood, screaming, blood pouring from his mouth.
Even with her head still spinning from the blow Roxanne knew this was her one chance to stop him. She kicked up, her foot connecting with Harvey’s crotch. While he was bent over, howling even louder she stood, grabbing the biggest bottle she could find off the shelf, and she brought it down on Harvey’s head.
The glass shattered as it connected with his skull, sending sharp little fragments of bottle and Vodka all over the floor behind the bar. Harvey stood for a second, stunned, then he collapsed, his face landing in the small jagged pieces of glass.
Roxanne stood up straight, wiping Harvey’s blood from her lips.
"You don’t screw with Chicago."
She looked around, trying to find something to tie the kid up with. She ran to the back room, throwing open drawers and cupboards. Finally she found a role of masking tape.
"Perfect." She grabbed it, heading back into the bar.
She looked a the floor, but Harvey was gone. All that was left was a blood trail that led to the front door, and out onto Main Street.
She wasn’t sure how far Harvey was going to get though. He was bleeding pretty badly, and she had done a number on his skull.
She grabbed her cellphone and dialed the police, but hung up before they could answer.
She had heard everyone talking the night before. She knew that whoever this kid was working for had ties in the town.
She ran to the front door and locked it.
She would wait till Roy got back. He would know what to do. If he didn’t then someone would. She hoped someone would at least.
-*-
Roy pushed open the double doors that led to the main hallway of the hospital. He just wanted to get Paul, and get the hell out of there. William was still at the front desk, filling out the rest of Paul’s paperwork.
When the door swung open he nearly screamed. Paul was on the floor, crawling towards him, and Nurse Fitch stood behind him, a scalpel raised over her head, ready to strike.
"Get away from him you crazy bitch!" Roy screamed, rushing at her.
She slashed at him, but missed.
All the noise had drawn a group of people at the other end of the hall. Roy wanted to scream at them, tell them to help, but he didn’t have time. He grabbed the nurse’s wrist and twisted.
She let out a shriek of pain, the scalpel falling from her hand. Roy took his chance, kneeing her in the stomach.
Nurse Fitch stumbled back, her hands clutching her aching gut.
Roy grabbed Paul and started to run for the waiting room.
"You’ll never get away!" Nurse Fitch was shrieking.
Roy turned and watched as she stumbled forward, slipping in a growing pool of blood forming around her feet. She bent down and picked up the scalpel. With a shriek she charged at them, scalpel raised above her head, eyes wide, an insane, blood covered smile on her face.
Roy pushed through the doors and found a gun pointed at his head. He ducked, dragging Paul with him. He covered Paul’s ears from the deafening gunshot.
He glanced back just in time to see the bullet rip through Nurse Helen Fitch’s skull, splattering the hallway in bits of bone and gore.
He looked up at the police officer standing there, shocked. He lowered his gun and took a step back.
Roy stood, helping Paul to his feet. William ran to them, checking them both over.
Suddenly Roy felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked down and saw a long gash cutting through his shirt. Apparently she hadn’t missed when she had slashed at him.
He looked up. William was tending to Paul, and everyone else was rushing around as if the world was going to end.
Suddenly the room began to spin. Roy leaned out, his hand just missing the main desk, and instead he found himself falling to his knees.
"Roy?" He could hear Paul’s voice. "Roy, what’s the matter?"
Roy tried to speak, but couldn’t. When he opened his mouth he felt the bile rush up his throat and out his mouth. It splattered on the floor.
He felt a hand on his back, and someone at his side.
"It’s okay." William was speaking. "It’ll be okay."
Roy wasn’t so sure about that.
He wretched again, but nothing came out. He could feel William’s hand moving in large circles on his back, trying to calm him.
He glanced, through tear blurred eyes, at Paul. He was safe, that was all that mattered.
"Lets get you stitched up." William was trying to help him to his feet, but Roy didn’t want to move.
"Please." Paul was crying. Roy could hear it in his voice as he spoke. "Please take care of him William."
Before William pulled Roy into one of the offices he looked back, and the image that greeted him nearly broke his heart. A blood splattered, weeping Paul sat there, clutching his black duffle bag against his chest.
"I’ll be fine." He whispered, but he knew Paul had heard him.
"You better be." Paul called over all the commotion in the hospital waiting room.
-*-
Julie stopped her car at the front gate to the Kramer Mansion. She put it in park, and stepped out, her shoes crunching on the loose gravel and stones. The street needed to be repaved, but there was no way she was going to pay for it. Still, it did a number on her car.
She leaned against the gate, looking up at the mansion. From this distance it looked like a matte painting from an old horror movie. It didn’t look real, hidden behind all those trees, the purple night’s sky glowing behind the silhouette of the place she had never wanted to call home again.
Julie suddenly felt like she wasn’t alone.
She turned, and standing behind her on the road was a woman, almost completely naked except for a black cloak she wore. The hood was down, revealing her beautiful face, her long black hair, and her shocking red lips.
"You should have left when you had the chance." The woman’s voice was deep, rich.
Julie took a step towards her.
"You’re the cause of all of this." She stopped. "You’re Moira, right?"
"I have been called that name in a long time." She smiled. A sudden gust of wind caught her cape, causing it to flutter behind her, revealing her body to Julie.
"You don’t look anything like your picture."
"Time can change people." Moira turned, walking back into the shadows, little slivers of moonlight breaking through the trees revealed her every couple of steps.
"It’s more than time." Julie was shocked at how loud her voice was.
Julie stopped, turning towards her, smiling.
"So much more." Moira pulled up her hood. "You should have left. It’s to late now, though. You and your friends will fall, and I will win."
"That’s what you think."
Moira didn’t speak. Instead she stepped into the shadows, vanishing from Julie’s view.
Julie fell back against the gate, feeling as if the life had been sucked out of her body. The fear finally decided to creep in, causing a cold sweat to break out on her forehead.
This was all very real. It was at that moment that Julie realized that not everyone would get out alive.
She slid down the gate into a sitting position, pulling her knees to her chest, and burying her face in her jeans. The tears came quickly.
She wasn’t crying for those she had already lost, but instead for those she knew she was going to loose.
She stayed there, leaning against the gate until the tears refused to come anymore. Then she stood, opened the gate, got back in her car, and drove up the long driveway, knowing now that running was no longer an option.
She could not abandon her friends this time. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she did that again.
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