It's up to Me to Make You Bleed

My body froze in place, as my mind raced with the speed of thousands of thoughts. This wasn’t supposed to happen…had I really lost track of that much time? My breath was stolen from my lungs as I felt trembling, bony fingers wrap around my ankle.

He was just about ready to use his other hand, which seemed to be missing some flesh, to pull the cover off of his head. My heart seemed to thud in sync with the footsteps coming up the stairs down the hallway. I didn’t have enough time, but somehow I needed to play this out.

The cover was making its way up toward his nose now. I emitted a low growl before sending my foot flying forward with the precision and strength of a soccer player. The tip of my shoe met his chin, sending him recoiling backward into the wall, simultaneously freeing me from his grip, of course.

I went through the motions of opening the window and quietly walked over to the door, taking a few steps down the hall before turning back around and peering into Jimmy’s room.

“Oh my God, Jimmy!” I shouted frantically, running to his side and tugging the pillowcase up over his head. “W-what the hell happened?” I asked, intentionally allowing my voice to crack for effect.

He glared up at me, holding onto his bloody head and forcing himself up to his feet. “Just get me an ambulance,” he muttered, stumbling toward the door, before falling into an unconscious heap on the floor.

“Sweet dreams,” I smirked.

Brian and Zacky were upstairs now. I ran out of the room with forced tears teasing along my eyelids. They both tensed up upon seeing me like this, presumably for different reasons.

“What’s wrong, Chelsey?” Brian inquired.

“It’s…it’s Jimmy. I was in your room trying to take a nap, when I heard some strange noises. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but it made me uncomfortable so I went to check it out. He was all bloody and soaked in water…unconscious. He needs help!” I cried passionately.

They each exchanged incredibly concerned expressions as they followed me back into Jimmy’s room. I called 911 and we awaited their arrival.

I couldn’t help but pass the time by watching the blood flow out of his body, leaking into the carpet. It was unusually amusing.

*Matt’s POV*

Since I knew that everyone else had cleared out of the hotel room, I wasn’t really in any sort of rush to return home, especially since I knew Jimmy would probably still be mad at me for sparing Sarah. I didn’t really care though. We’ve been doing this for ten years now. The thousands of girls we’ve killed should be more than enough to make up for her life.

“So,” Sarah said casually as we walked back out to the car, “where to now?”

I was about to respond with a fun answer – such as “the beach,” “the mall,” or even “the movie theatre.” But after reading a single text, my answer was drastically different.

“The hospital,” I whispered, staring at the phone screen in disbelief. “Jimmy was attacked.”

Sarah gasped, “Was it the same people who killed your father?”

I grimaced at the sound of my lie coming from her mouth. Thankfully she didn’t notice. “I’m not sure,” I replied sincerely, “but we need to get there soon. It sounds bad.”

She nodded in understanding as the car ripped across the highway, zigzagging through traffic until the Orange County Hospital came into view.

Once the car was parked, I sped off not really caring whether or not Sarah was still behind me. So many questions were racing through my mind…and answers seemed far from reachable. How could Jimmy of all people be attacked? He’s a psycho. No one in their right mind should feel even remotely tempted to want to take him on.

Brian, Zacky, and Johnny were standing stiffly outside of his room. “How’s he doing?” I breathed, leaning against the glass for support.

“Better now,” Brian shrugged, “he just had a couple of stab wounds and a lot of burnt flesh.”

“Burnt…how?”

“Boiling water was hurled at him.”

“Who would do that?” I muttered.

Zacky and Johnny, noticing Sarah’s confused expression, offered to show her where the cafeteria was; honestly, we could all use a good cup of coffee right about now.

Brian waited until after they were out of earshot before he continued conversing. “This shit has to be something personal. Whoever did this practically suffocated him with a pillow case just to conceal his identity.”

“But it doesn’t make sense,” I sighed in frustration, “we’ve always been sure to cover our tracks. It’s not like anyone ever lived to seek vengeance anyway.”

“We can only hope,” he replied uneasily.

“Excuse me,” a woman’s voice spoke timidly behind me, “I’m sorry, but the visiting hours are ending in five minutes.”

We nodded in response, taking one last glance at his still body before making our way to the waiting room. “So, where’s Chelsey?” I asked, noticing that she wasn’t there earlier.

“She was the one who found Jimmy in this condition. The police wanted to talk to her about it,” Brian said.

For some reason, I found it strangely odd that of all people, she was the first person to find him. I’m assuming no one noticed whether or not the alarms ever went off during the attack, but I find that to be rather convenient.

*Normal POV*

The officers took me through the same general routine of inquiry. I was honestly bored after a minute into the interview.

I was an assassin – and we have certain “codes” that we live by; one of them happened to be to never let a target live after an attempt on his or her life. Sure, I wasn’t exactly the quintessential assassin, but that rule was really itching in the back of my mind. Maybe it was just because of who the target happened to be in this situation.

Regardless of the reason, I needed to swallow my growing urge to kill while in the presence of these numbskulls. They cared more about this crime than what was done to me? To my mother? That’s just fucked up to me. Nevertheless, I gave them all the answers that they probably wanted to hear and made my way back in the general direction of Jimmy’s room.

I had seen a sign that mentioned when visiting hours ended, which would be soon. I’d have to be stealthy about this one. I turned a sharp corner, accidentally knocking shoulders with Matt.

“Where you heading?” he asked with slightly narrowed eyes, raising several suspicions in my mind.

I faked a small smile – large enough to appear friendly, small enough to respect the “upsetting” situation we were supposed to be in. “After the interrogation, the cops offered to buy me some food from the café because I was really shaken up. They brought back some soup, and just out of courtesy I tried it. I don’t think my stomach was much of a fan,” I explained, cradling my stomach and cringing as if I had a raging stomachache.

“Oh,” he said flatly, “well try to hurry up, okay? We’re heading home shortly.”

I nodded and watched him return in the opposite direction. I knew he was watching me, I could feel his devious eyes burning into my flesh. So, I had no choice but to actually go into the bathroom, for now.

I passed the short amount of time by staring at my reflection in the smeared glass. Another woman flushed the toilet and made her way over to the sink, crowding my space. With a sigh, I decided that I didn’t have much of a choice – I had to get this over with.

Jimmy’s room was thankfully located on the end of the lower floor, which meant that I had convenient access to the floor’s main light switch. My finger clicked the switch downward and I grinned almost mischievously as I crept through the darkened hall. The light in the patients’ rooms was still on; but that wasn’t too much of interference because not all rooms had a glass window like his.

Based on the window view, I’d say he was still asleep. I slid into his room, drawing the curtains closed and flicking the lights off. I gently placed my purse on the floor while I dug around for my night-vision sunglasses.

As a trained professional, I always carried some of my gear around with me at all times, regardless of the company I kept. Just as I slid the glasses securely on the bridge of my nose, I heard the sheets rustle from behind me. I smirked to myself before spinning around.

Show time.

*Jimmy’s POV*

Aside from the monotonous beeping from the monitors, the air was silent around me. I could’ve sworn that I heard the sound of the door opening and closing, but thanks to all these fucking drugs and pain killers they’ve got me on, it was near impossible to discern for sure.

I shrugged some of the sheets off and shifted positions a couple of times to get comfortable. I’m assuming that since the lights are off, it’s probably fairly late in the night. I didn’t really care if it was the middle of the damn day though; I was incredibly tired, pissed off, and – as much as I hate to admit – I was confused.

It was driving me crazy trying to figure out who had attacked me. I could’ve sworn that in the briefest moment that the sheet had loosened I saw a pair of heels standing above me. But that just wouldn’t make any sense…

Suddenly, a gust of air blew past me. I couldn’t make out what had passed me by due to the darkness; but where the hell would they have to go? This hospital room is a 2x4. After all the money I’m going to have to dish out for this, you’d think that the least they could do is give me a decent room.

The beeping on my heart monitor increased in volume and intensity, but I didn’t need to hear that to realize what was happening…there was something in my room and it was a little freaky. Once again, I’m going to blame this paranoia on the drugs; I can’t be held responsible for something when I’m not in the right state of mind.

My mouth grew arid as I gripped the railing that lined the edges of the bed and strained to reach for the nurse’s button. Just as my finger met the red light, something dropped onto the bed, on top of me, and a chillingly cold hand gripped me in an unexpectedly harsh hold.

The bed creaked as the weight shifted and someone crawled on top of me. I could hear them breathing as they came closer. Finally, the person stopped and said lowly, “Hello Jimmy.”

*Brian’s POV*

I was silent as we waited for Chelsey to join us. Matt kept mumbling and grumbling about how it shouldn’t be taking her this long to go to the bathroom. I was just too absorbed in my own thoughts to really offer any sort of response. Yes, it was taking quite some time, but it’s not like we had anywhere to be right now.

I’d much rather wait around here and figure out who are target is than rush back home and try to forget that it ever happened. Everything’s seemed unforgettable since running into Chelsey last night.

There it was again…that weird feeling I got earlier this morning with Chelsey. It did seem weird that she was the only one home with Jimmy. No alarms went off, almost as if it was an inside job. But what motivation could she possibly have? For fuck’s sake she just met us yesterday! Unless…

No, it’s crazy to think that somehow Courtney was back. We killed her and threw away her remains, as we did with Julianne, and I don’t see her mommy anywhere around here trying to kill us. Actually, fuck all of that. Courtney and Julianne are dead.

There is no physical evidence that Chelsey was responsible for any of this. It’s just all a bad coincidence.

“Are you alright, man?” Zacky asked concerned.

I sighed, holding my head in my hands and feeling it pulsate. “Just have a lot on my mind,” I answered briefly.

“Don’t we all,” he nodded.

After letting my mind rest for a minute, I glanced up and met Matt’s eyes. He was staring at me harshly, intently. Based on his unusual bitchiness about Chelsey, I’d have to guess he may be ready to reach the same conclusion.

Although, that would make me the only crazy one to think that Courtney was back. Regardless of what the real answer becomes, I won’t stop until the person who did this to Jimmy,and to my mind is found.

*Normal POV*

Aside from my indoor-night vision-sunglasses, I also had some gloves and socks that were covered in small, round pieces that resembled suction cups, which were used to sneak around the room, covering every inch – including the ceiling.

I crawled around the room like a spider, analyzing my prey. I could tell that he knew someone was in the room…but I bet he didn’t know where I was. I watched as his fear escalated and he found the need to summon the nurses to tell him everything was okay. Well, unfortunately for him, everything was not okay.

Deciding to have some fun with this, I decided to finally speak after I had landed on him. I lowered my voice making some adjustments so that at the very least he’d know it was a girl, though not me or my alias.

His body stilled temporarily for some reason and I was honestly almost afraid that he was able to see through my ruse. Regardless, I worked through it and continued what I came here to do. I savored the ability to see his fearful, confused expression through my glasses.

Slowly, I ran my fingers up his bony arm until I reached the incision point of the IV. I ripped it from his flesh and felt a splash of blood coat my face. He groaned at the sudden pain. I shook my head in disappointment.

“I’m ashamed of you, Jimmy. What happened to the sadistic bastard you portray yourself to be?” I taunted, reaching down into my boots for the tool I’d be using to issue his ruin.

“Who are you?” he demanded, though his voice was shaking.

I wanted him to know it was me before he died. But I need to wait until just before death comes. I reached forward and gripped his head, forcing him into an upright sitting position. Then, I moved around him and crouched against his elevated pillow. I wrapped a chain around his neck and pulled him up against me.

His body convulsed on top of me as he struggled for ragged breath. This was it! This was the moment I’d waited for, ten years in the making. I kept memories of the day they killed my mom fresh in my mind so I couldn’t back down.

He deserves this…had it coming all along. And this isn’t even personal anymore. Just thinking of all those tapes capturing all the lives they stole and destroyed. He deserves this.

Tugging tighter, I propped my chin on his shoulder so I could whisper into his ear. “I bet you’re regretting the past decade now, aren’t you?” I growled, flexing my grip and watching the metal links dig into his skin.

He actually stopped struggling to remember. Then his gasps became more intense, the look in his eyes grew fierce. “Courtney,” he wheezed, sounding completely pissed.

“Good to see you again, bro,” I sneered.

Now, typically when a victim is being choked and stops struggling, that was a sign that they were close to dying. I let my guard down for the briefest millisecond, and he took advantage of that. He relied on the very last shred of his strength to elbow me roughly in the shoulder.

The simple gesture caught me off guard, thus breaking my hold. The chains clattered onto the ground as he scrambled to get out of the bed. He paused for a couple of moments to catch his breath, understandably.

“It’s impossible,” he spat, “we killed you! We watched you die! Not to mention there’s no way Courtney would ever have the balls to try something like this.”

“You’d be surprised what ten years can do to a person,” I replied, joining him in a stance across the room.

He began laughing quietly to himself. “I don’t know if I’m buying this yet…but even if I did, you’re fucking stupid to think you’ll be able to kill us.”

“I got you into a hospital. That’s a pretty strong start.”

Since it was still dark, I was able to see his bitter expression. He knew I was right.

“You caught me off guard. Only cowards would pull a move like that.”

“I don’t care what you think of me. I won’t rest until each and every one of you mother fuckers are dead,” I proclaimed.

“Once Brian and Matt find out the truth, you’ll be the only dead one.”

“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”

The chains were laying on the ground within arm’s reach. In an instant, I crouched down and grabbed them spinning in a crouching position before whipping him directly where it hurts. He yelped and fell to his knees, at the perfect level to whip him harshly across the face.

He was unconscious in an instant, thanks to the previous loss of breath. To avoid as much suspicion as possible, I dragged his body back up onto the bed. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but the others can’t find out my true identity, not yet.

Speaking of avoiding suspicion, I needed to get the hell out of here. With my luck, Matt’s probably still lurking around the corner. What was my excuse? Something about the bad food…

Unfortunately the light in the hallway was restored, so I made a mad dash down the hall, face covered in blood mind you, and into the bathroom, anxiously locking the door. I stole a brief glance at the mirror before turning the faucet on and splashing my face with water. I was rushing, which meant my accuracy wasn’t the greatest in the world right now, but I didn’t care.

I had a way to seal my alibi. With a shrug, I shoved three fingers into my throat and cringed as warm chunks of previously digested food coated my fingers and leaked onto my shirt. Matt would have to buy that.

Not wanting to further waste time, I left the bathroom and made me way down to the entrance. Everyone seemed to perk up when they saw me, and not in a happy way. “We were starting to get worried – holy hell what happened!” Sarah exclaimed, not noticing some of purposely remaining puke chunks right away.

I groaned and clutched my stomach, “That cafeteria food did not sit well with me.”

“I’ll say,” Johnny nodded.

Matt’s stern expression cracked ever so slightly, causing me to beam inside. Brian was the only one who remained seated, hardly acknowledging my presence. That’s odd.

After we’d gotten back to their house, I immediately changed clothes and crawled into Brian’s bed. He was laying on top of the blanket, in nothing but boxers, staring blankly at the television.

“I feel like it’s been days since I’ve seen you,” I pouted, resting my head on his bare chest. He barely grunted a response. “You’re incredibly quiet…”

“Yeah.”

“I was a virgin before I fucked you,” I tried.

“Cool, Chels.”

The light radiating from the big screen TV wouldn’t be enough for him to see my disgusted expression. I went through all that trouble to put up with his sexual obsessions, just to get the cold shoulder?

Heat seemed to flow through my body as I shoved myself off of him and turning away from the TV. How dare he! He’s lucky I don’t just kill him right now. My blade is only a couple of feet away…

No, I decided it was too soon for that. Instead, I settled for searching for some alcohol. This was a very long, exhausting day and I could use a drink. The kitchen was empty, thankfully, giving me perfect access to whatever stash I was sure they would have.

I settled for something simplistic yet effective – vodka. I poured some into a large glass and stepped outside onto the deck that overlooked the shoreline in the distance.

As I felt myself finally beginning to relax, a pair of heavy hands landed on my shoulders. I spun around, coming to face Matt. “You scared me,” I said casually, swirling the contents of my glass.

It looked as if he was about to say something until one of his hands moved up to my jaw, tracing it slowly. “Is that blood?”