SHH! There's a Killer in the House

Rain fell like tears from the sky. Puddles of mud and water were laid out all over the earth and roads. For three days straight, rain has been coming down long and hard. Landon just sat back on Vanessa’s front step, watching the water dance off the trees in her yard.

“Hungry?” She asked, taking a drink of her coffee. When he shook his head, she sighed. “What’s wrong then? You have been coming here every day looking as if you were missing a part of your heart. Who is she?”

He looked up, his eyes boring into her. “No one.”

Vanessa’s laugh was high-pitched. “Landon, I’ve known you too long to believe that. If it wasn’t a girl that makes you like this then you are either gay or stupid to realize it is a girl that is making you like this.”
*****
Bryan’s stomach rumbled. He still wore the Heretic’s Fork on his neck. He gave up trying to take it off long ago. Finally the door up the stair opened. The bitch herself walked down the step with a hellish look in her eyes. She had a sandwich and bottle of water in her hands. “Hello, Bryan, how has your few days been since I left you? Good I hope.”

She pulled him to the wall and chained him up once again before taking off the Heretic’s Fork. “I bet you are wondering why I haven’t been here for a while. Well, an old friend came by and I couldn’t just come down here and let him hear your screaming, now could I?”

He tried to attack her. “YOU BITCH! YOU FUCKIG BITCH!” He screamed repeatedly. His nails were only a few inches away from her face.

“I guess you don’t want the turkey sandwich I brought you then, do you? That’s a shame too because I wasn’t planning to be back here for a while and you would have died by the time I did get back!”

Bryan stopped at the thought of food. “Now, that’s a good boy.”

She watched him eat, her smile growing bigger and bigger with each bite he took. Finally when he ate the last bite, she got up. “Oh, by the way, there was some poison in that sandwich,” she looked at her watch,” you’ll start feeling pain in your lower regions soon then it will slowly stop all of your organs, leaving your heart last. It should take about ten hours in all for it to finally get to your heart then that will take even longer to kill you there. Have fun!” She skipped up the stairs, smiling.
*****
Something shook me awake. “Wake up, Heather, breakfast is here,” Jace said, rubbing my back. The smell of bacon and coffee filled my nose. I tried to burry my head back into the pillow. We’ve been doing this for the past few days. It’s just the same as it was when I was stuck in that little cell except this time. I couldn’t leave to go to the bathroom when I felt like it.

“Go away, Jace,” I mumbled into the pillow when he pulled the blanket off of me. He sighed and started pulling the pillow from out under me. “I give up!”

Jace smiled as I sat up. “I made you some pancakes, eggs, bacon and coffee.” I glared at him. He knew I would only eat the pancakes and if I was hungry enough, I would eat the bacon if I had to.

“I don’t like eggs OR coffee, genius,” I hissed as I poured some of the syrup on the buttermilk, fluffy golden things of yumminess.

He chuckled as I took my first bite. “That’s why I also brought you a bottle of lemonade; it’s sitting on the floor.” He took a drink of the steaming hot black liquid.

We didn’t really talk after that. I ate everything, but the eggs, thinking about how I am going to keep myself from going crazy today. “Done?”

“Yeah,” I sighed, leaning back against the wall. Jace got up and picked up the tray, walking out of the room.

He forgot to close the door. Without missing a beat, I jumped up and rushed out of my hidden room. Jace’s room was empty, his door was slightly open. As quietly as I could, I slid out of the room, staying close to the wall.

A group of men were in the den, talking and watching some action movie. Slowly, I rushed across the doorway and down the set of stairs. “Hi, Heather, what are you up to?” Alyssa’s crackled had me jump ten feet in the air. I dashed out the door.

“HEATHER!” Jace screamed behind me. Millions of thoughts rushed through my head as I jumped into one of the ’08 black Mustangs. I locked the doors. “Heather, open this god damn door up! You can’t go anywhere!” He banged on the window.

When he turned his back on me to grab a rock, I hot-wired the car. The engine purred to life under me. “HEATHER, NO!” Was the last thing I heard from Jace as I drive away.
*****
I found over a thousand dollars of twenties and one hundred bills in the glove box and trunk of the Mustang. “Thank you, Jesus!” I hissed as I counted out the money for a third time on an abandon road. A bag of clothes and a pair of men’s shoes were also in the trunk.

“Where to go now? Hm,” I thought vaguely as a squirrel leaped across the road. “Wal-Mart, gas station, then…. I don’t know where, shit,” I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel. Quietly California by Metro Station played through the stereo. I popped in the CD miles ago, listening to it repeatedly.

That’s it, I’ll head to California. I could get there real quick in this as long as I don’t get pulled over and no one would guess that that’s where I’m going to go because it the first time I even thought about it! “Sweet!” I squeaked, started the car back up and heading to the store a few miles behind me.
*****
Wal-Mart, one of the greatest stores in the world, I thought as I walked through women’s clothes. So much good, cheap stuff comes from them that anyone running away from crazy people can just pop and buy some new clothes, food, and other products. I picked out a few plain V-neck shirts, some tank tops, a hoodie, four pairs of jeans, a pack of underwear, and six sports bras.

Next, I got two packs of Sam’s Choice water, twenty-four packs, that is, different kinds of perishable foods, and a can opener. Germ X, baby wipes, shoes that fit, shampoo, conditioner, soap, sponge, a blanket, pillow, tooth brush, tooth paste, and a hairbrush. “Will that be all?” The tall cashier asked, sending a flirting look at me.

“Yep, I think that will be it,” I said, pulling out two one hundred bills to pay the totally that surprisingly came out less than I thought. Then again, I used the five finger discount on a pack of gum, a map, a key chain, throw away razors, and knock off Tylenol.

“Your change is two dollars and seventy-four cents,” he said, handing it to me.

“Thanks,” I flirted back before taking my cart and heading to the car. Carefully, I pulled the key I found in the fold of the clip of hundreds and worked it onto the keychain before opening the trunk.

A shadow covered my view as I lifted three of the bags into the trunk. “Need some help, sugar?” A man with a southern drawl asked, tripping his hat and the devil’s eye at me.

“No thanks, sugar, I’m fine, thanks though,” I hissed, throwing the first water pack in the trunk, smashing my new clothes.

He left after that and I finished getting putting everything in the trunk. “Good lord, what a loser,” I mumbled, slamming the lid down.

The cab of the car felt cool and dry to my sweating body. I saw one of the guys that was in the den this morning walk past the car. Once he got inside the store, I gassed it out of the parking lot and onto the highway.