Lady Killer

I was running for my life in an unexpected turn of events. Who knew that loving a guy could cause so much trouble? I sure hadn't. I turned the corner and found myself welcoming the crowd of people outside the bar. With a sigh of relief I shoved myself through the throng and into the bar. It was dark, but still much lighter than outside. "Not to mention safer", I told myself.

I realized it was packed because there was a live band playing tonight. I moved through the crowd to the music, unable to calm my beating heart. I could hear it pound in my ears over the bass that blasted through the speakers. The people were packed together like sardines all over the bar.

I sat down at a table near the back. Everyone was crowded up at the front near the stage and I was thankful to be left more or less alone. The people closest to me were standing facing the stage. They didn't even notice my arrival.

I was resting while I used this time to plan my next move. That crazy bitch wasn't going to give up on me that easily. I could see it in her eyes. Even Steven knew it. His words echoed in my mind, "She knows I love you still. You're just her latest kill."

Anyone who knew Steven would think he was just joking, but the way he said it told me this wasn't a joke. This witch of a woman was really out to get me. She had long blonde locks and bright green eyes that could knock over any man. Steven however, wasn't interested and no matter how much he had made this clear, she hadn't quite relinquished her grip on his life.

The band had finished playing and as they went backstage the crowd began to thin. I knew I had to find somewhere else to go. Preferably where there were lots of people. I followed the crowd out the door and walked the now busy streets as people walked home or to their cars.

The wind whipped my hair around me and I pulled my jacket tighter. I felt like someone was watching me, but I knew I was just being paranoid. I quickened my pace anyways and kept walking with no real destination in mind. Another block more and I would be close to Steven's place. I could take refuge there for the night. Broken up or not, he still cared about me.

We had been together for several months before I started to notice the small things that kept wrecking our happiness. We would get into fights over him not calling when he swore up and down that he did. At some point we realized his phone was hacked into and redirected each time. Other times we would be eating dinner out and "she" would come in, sit down right at our table and talk to us the whole time. I quickly got tired of her little game.

The streets were beginning to become more empty, the farther I walked from the bar. My panic increased and I began to walk faster. I started to hear a soft clicking in the distance on the sidewalk. I crossed the street, looking around me wildly. It was empty except for an occasional car and I could feel my body begin to go cold as I realized how alone and dark it was. I broke into a run, seeing the apartment complex in the distance. I was almost there. You better run to survive.

I tripped and felt my life flash before my eyes. I hit the ground hard, the wind knocking out of me. I lay there for a second, collecting myself. I was able to breathe again before I sprang back up, in a hurry to get out of here. That dream was crushed by her standing in front of me.

Victoria was strikingly beautiful and yet terrifying. Her eyes sent shivers down my spine and her smile was enough to knock a person down. "Where do you think you're going?", she asked, a sharpness in her voice.

To say I was terrified was an understatement. I felt my airways constrict and my heart beat faster. "I was just on my way home." I stared her in the eyes, doing my best to not lose my confidence. If I stood my ground maybe she'd leave me alone. I think that girl's insane.

"It looked to me like you were going to Steven's." She took a step closer. She was only an inch taller, but her heels caused her to tower over me. I couldn't hear any cars now and I wished one would come by soon.

"No, Steven and I are over. We broke up last week." I knew my voice was shaky and I worked to control it. It was true what I said. Steven and I had broken up, if only to protect me. He had suggested we see each other in secret, but I couldn't handle that. My heart couldn't stand the idea of hiding our relationship. Instead I broke it off for good. If only he had quit loving me when I did this. He wouldn't just let it go. Then again, neither could I.

"Then why does he call you all the time?" She was glaring at me now. Her green eyes like daggers on mine.

I had suddenly come to a loss for words. "I'm not sure. We're over."

I could tell by her expression that she wasn't buying it. "Now Nora, you know he still loves you. You have two choices." She latched onto my wrist, her fingers curling tightly around it. I was frozen in place. "You can either move far away and get Steven to give up on you, or I can take care of this problem my way."

I knew what her way was. She was going to kill me just like she had the others. The girls that Steven had dated, who mysteriously disappeared or moved far away from him. Now I had to make a choice of which girl I was going to be. Would I stand my ground against this monster or cower in fear and run away?

"I'll do it. I'll convince him." I felt the pressure come off of my wrist and I pulled my arm back to my side gratefully.

"Good. I expect you to have done this by the end of the week. Do we understand each other?"

All I could do was nod as a smirk crossed her face. She stepped sideways and walked past me. Her heels clicked along the sidewalk, making sure I could hear her every step until it faded in the distance.

I ran to Steven's not stopping until I was up the stairs and at his apartment door. I knocked loudly, holding myself steady against the door frame until he opened the door, ushering me in. His apartment looked just the way it always did; a total disaster. Clothes were everywhere and coffee mugs littered his kitchen table.

"Nora, are you alright? What's going on and why are you here?" He led me to the couch, sitting down next to me. Our knees touched briefly, and I was stuck between wanting to pull away and just curl up in his arms.

I sucked in a deep breathe, releasing it slowly, saying, "You have to give up on me Steven. We can't be together." I had gone with my first choice and moved the slightest amount away from him. He sensed my small shift and let his hand drop from my shoulder.

"This is because of Victoria isn't it?" His tone was that of anger and sadness. "I wont let her come between what we have. This is real. I love you and we deserve this." He voiced his feelings so passionately I wanted to kiss him. I fought to stay where I was, unmoving. I knew in that moment that I was going to have to break his heart.

"No Steven, I don't love you. We have to stop this." It didn't feel like I was the one saying it anymore. The world was so distant.

"You're just saying that. You don't mean it."

I wanted to tell him the truth, but I couldn't. I had to keep hurting him, like a stab right through the heart. "I do." I let my face become emotionless. I stood up and walked toward the door. It all felt like it was in slow motion. I could hear him call my name behind me, but I knew I couldn't stay. I walked right out of his apartment, an ache in my chest.

Laying in my bed at home I knew I had to do it. She was going to kill me. No doubt about it. Even Steven knew she would, but he couldn't let me go. He wouldn't just stop trying to make this work. Victoria would never let him be with anyone but herself. Yet, I felt like I couldn't just let this go. Maybe I could go to the authorities?

No, she couldn't be caught. She covered it all up amazingly well. Her father was a police officer and her mother was a lawyer. She knew what got criminals convicted in court and had the connections to keep out of trouble. I wondered if her parents dying had been what pushed Victoria over the edge.

The other women Steven had dated could help verify that Victoria was crazy. Maybe even that she'd murdered a few of the women. Still, she would have to find those women first. They had went out of their way to stay hidden and be far away from Steven.

No, I was all alone in this. If I really wanted to be with Steven, I would have to stop Victoria on my own.