Seth
stuffed the slip of paper in the front pocket of his jeans before flushing an
empty toilet and stepping out of the bathroom. With Melanie home, he figured
she’d most likely be monitoring his every move. How do I keep her from noticing that I’ve left, he wondered. As his
brain churned with possibilities, he was disrupted by a high-pitched scream.
“Sorry, Mel! I thought I’d changed
my ringtone,” Seth shouted as he ran to his phone.
“It’s mine, actually. I did it as a
prank to tease the ladies at work.” She replied, laughing as she responded to
her text.
A
repetitive stream of screams followed as text messages were exchanged. Baffled,
Seth shook his head and retreated to his writing room to work, and think. After
the fifteenth scream, his nerves were frazzled.
“Okay, I get it! The ringtone is
annoying. Please turn it off!” he bellowed. “I’m trying to work!”
“What crawled up your butt and died?
I’m the one who’s sick, remember?”
Squelching
the overwhelming urge to strangle her, he shuffled out of his office, smiling.
He planted a kiss on her cheek and half-heartedly apologized.
“I should be taking care of you …
that’s what you’d do for me. How about a nice bowl of soup and a cup of hot tea—
extra honey and lemon?”
Pleased
that he was making amends, Melanie smiled and nodded.
“That sounds lovely, sweetheart.
Thank you.”
Seth
gave a mockingly grandiose bow before disappearing into the kitchen. With less
than an hour to go until he was supposed to meet Kim, he needed to act fast. Mel can’t know what I’m up to … I need to be
certain that she won’t interfere. While the kettle simmered, he looked
around to see what might help him.
“How ‘bout I bring you some Nyquil
so you can get some rest, Mel?” He called from the kitchen.
“No, it’s too early for Nyquil, Hon,
but thanks. I’ll wait until bedtime for that.”
Damn! What am I supposed to do now? Hmm …
wait a sec. Benadryl, yes! That will work. He opened the capsules and dumped the powder into her tea then
masked it with an overload of honey and lemon. More went into her soup until
she had enough medication in there to sedate an elephant. Seth only hoped that
the medication would take effect fast enough to get out on time. Her items were
loaded onto a tray with extra napkins, and a bottle of multi-symptom cold
syrup.
Smiling, Melanie took a sip of her tea. Her
nose wrinkled slightly and she coughed but she swallowed. She tried to put the
tray aside but Seth wouldn’t let her. Using the same routine she always used on
him, he insisted that she needed plenty of fluids to kick whatever bug was
running rampant in her system. Her own words, coming back at her, added insult
to injury, especially when everything seemed to taste funny. When she
commented, Seth was prepared.
“Babe, I’m sure it’s just because
you’re sick. You know how you always get that icky taste in your mouth when you’re
sick. C’mon now, be a good girl. Drink all your tea and eat your soup first and
I’ll give you a little treat. Okay? I just want my baby to feel better.”
The
last sentence was uttered in baby speak, the kind of voice that made Seth want
to gag but he was running out of time. Once every last drop was gone, Melanie
handed over her tray. He sprinted off to get the treat he’d promised. In the
small refrigerator in his office, he’d been storing a gift he’d won at Melanie’s
last work Christmas party: chocolate liqueur bottles filled with an assortment
of alcohol. He unwrapped two in her favorite flavors and brought them out. She’d
practically inhaled them so all he had to do was wait until it to kicked in.
Within the hour, Melanie was completely unconscious. He knew because he’d
alluded to certain acts he’d like her to perform and she did not respond. He
pulled the covers over her, set the home security alarm, and jumped into his vehicle.
“Damn! I’m late,” he growled as he
dialed the phone. “C’mon Kim, please answer... please!”
vvvv
Angela
heard the thud of his footsteps. Every time she heard him descending the stairs
her heart fluttered like a fly trapped in a spider’s web. Each step closer
could be heralding of her death. He flicked on the light leaving her
temporarily blinded but she did her best not to let her terror show.
“Well, Angela, I hate to say it but
it seems there is very little drive to find you at all, let alone alive. I’ve
had my ear to the ground, so to speak, but there’s nothing brewing. Sounds to
me like your friends have given you up for dead. I want to remind them that you’re
still around because, personally, I think it is a shame that they’ve just moved
on and forgot all about you.”
“What if they’ve figured out that you’re
the guilty one? Obviously, they’d be keeping you in the dark. I wouldn’t count
my friends out. Kim wouldn’t—”
“Wake up and smell the coffee,” he
interrupted. “No one is coming for you. I’m the only one who cares that you’re
here!”
He
stalked to his workbench and fumbled with some of his tools. Against her will,
Angela could feel the salt sting of tears welling in her eyes. She’d vowed to
remain strong but the prospect of being hacked to bits was drawing closer to a
reality. Please, someone find me, she
silently pleaded. A series of clicks preceded a strange hissing sound that
seemed amplified in the tiny room. Straining against the restraints, Angela
lifted her head only to see him heating a blade in the flame of a kitchen
blowtorch.
“I’ll warn you now; the blade is so
hot that as it slices through your flesh, you’ll hear it sizzle like a fajita.
Every time I go to Chili’s I think of the many pets I’ve had in this room. It
makes my mouth water every time I think about it.”
“I wish you’d let me help you,”
Angela pleaded. “If you leave me unharmed I can testify that you’re not of
sound mind. I mean, clearly, you need some psychiatric help.”
“Nice try,” he scoffed, dropping the
blade to address her claim. “I do not need help. What I do need is to get on
with my work. After that crack … perhaps I should stop and have a little snack
first before I really get to work on you. I’ll need to grab a platter but don’t
worry, Angela. I’ll be back.”
vvvv
Seth
had raced across town but managed to get stuck behind every single slow driver along
the way. By the time he pulled into the lot where he was supposed to meet Kim,
it was empty. He slammed the gear shift into park and hopped out, hoping to spot
his friend nearby. Frustration and worry over Kim’s safety gnawed at Seth’s
insides as his inner voice launched a tirade. Damn, she’d be stubborn enough to go off and embark on her plan without
me. I sent her a text that was running late. Why couldn’t she just wait a few
more minutes? He jogged up one street and down another but there was still
no sign of her. Seeing no other choice, Seth cupped his hands around his mouth.
“KIM!” He screamed at the top of his
voice. “KI-IM!”
His
shouts echoed up and down the street. Just as he was about to yell again his
pocket vibrated. Crap, I’ll bet Melanie
woke up, he thought while reaching for his phone. The message read, ‘Are you nuts? Shut up and get back in your
car before you ruin everything. The phone number wasn’t Kim’s. In fact, it
wasn’t a number Seth recognized at all. His mind reeled, wondering who had
messaged him. He looked around one more time before retreating to the safety of
his vehicle. Jamming the key into the ignition, he started the engine and
backed out of the lot.
“For a writer, you are dumber than a
bag of rocks, Seth. Geez, why not hire a skywriter next time to broadcast it
some more? Maybe, take out a billboard. Good thing I anticipated your lack of street smarts. Drive to the
end of the block and hang a right.”
Seth had nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice and then a head popped up from the back seat.
“Holy crap, Kim! Where the hell did
you come from?”
“Did you really think I was stupid
enough to drive my car out here? Whose car is this? I’ve never seen you drive
this before.”
“I took Melanie’s car. Bill knows my
car. He followed me when I left the coffee shop.”
“Damn, that’s not good.” Kim
muttered. “I wonder how deep this perversion of power runs.”
Seth
tried to pry for more information but Kim was lost in thought. When they
reached a secluded neighborhood, she ordered her chauffeur to turn around at the
cul-de-sac and park on the street in front of the second house.
“Where are we?”
“Really? You don’t know whose house
this is?” She asked.
“Oh God, is it Bill’s house? I
really don’t want it to be him.”
“No, it’s not Bill’s house … it’s
much, much, worse. It’s Agent Dictator’s house. This house that we’re parked in
front of belongs to some friends of mine: Daryl and Beth Dixon. Dick lives over there," She said, pointing. "I want you to
go knock on Dick’s door. Tell him you had dropped in to visit your friends,
they weren’t home and now your car won’t start. I need him distracted so I can
get inside. I believe Angela is still alive and we’re going to save her!”
Despite
Seth’s belief that her plan was foolhardy and dangerous, he understood her passion.
He, too, believed Angela was still alive but letting Kim fall into a killer’s
hands seemed too dangerous.
“Kim … why in God’s name, would I
let you go into the house of a killer? Not that I don’t think you can take care
of yourself but let’s think this through for a second. One, I’m guessing Dick
already knows that you and his neighbors are friends. If I show up at his
house, he’s going to suspect something is up. Two, even though Dick isn’t a
prime physical specimen, I am pretty sure he could overpower you. This is not a
sexist statement. He towers over you, sweetie. Yes, you’re a total badass but he’s
got the weight and the reach to take you down. So, let’s revise your plan just
a little. You go to the door and I’ll break in. It makes sense. Besides, if
Angela is in there but injured she’ll need to be carried. I should do that.”
“Why? Because you’re a man?” Kim
snapped.
“The fact that I’m a man is only
relevant because I am taller and I have more muscle mass that you do. Besides,
I can’t bear the thought of you getting trapped in there. You’re young,
beautiful, and you have so much to live for. If I live, my wife is going to
kill me anyway. I doped her with Benadryl so I could get out of the house
without her knowing.”
Seth
chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood and to his relief, Kim joined him. She
agreed to his modified plan with the understanding that if Agent Dictator grew
suspicious she was to call 911 immediately. Kim handed him a pair of latex
gloves and waited as he pulled on his black, hooded sweatshirt.
The sun was dipping below the horizon as
Seth ducked behind a cluster of trees and cut through some back yards to the
hedges surrounding the agent’s property. Taking a deep breath, Kim walked to
Dick’s front door and rang the bell.
vvvv
Angela groaned when her captor returned. She’d
assumed he was going to fix a sandwich or something while he was upstairs but,
instead, he brought down an empty platter. The pungent scent of charcoal clung
to his clothes. It was then that she realized his ‘little snack’ was going to
come from her own body. To torment her further, he stood over her, sharpening
his knives. Again, the blowtorch’s hiss filled her ears. The sound seemed to
grow louder and louder until she was ready to scream.
BZZZZZ, BZZZZZZ, BZZZZZ, a new sound drowned out the flame’s whirring.
She craned her neck to see what he was doing. With the touch of a button, a
monitor came to life. A blurry figure was standing close to the camera. Each
time the specter-like figure raised his or her hand, the buzzing sound
repeated. Her captor muttered an oath before jamming a rag into her mouth and
slapping a layer of duct tape over the gag. Angela’s heart sank. She wouldn’t
be able to scream for help. As he stomped upstairs to answer the bell, Angela’s
will to live slowly withered. It’s no
use. No one is going to save you. The cavalry isn’t going to swoop in at the
last second and rescue you. What makes you think you’re different? You’re going
to end up just like the rest of his victims, the devil on her shoulder
insisted.
vvvv
Seth
peered from behind the shrubbery waiting for Kim to walk past with Dick by her
side. The eerie feeling that someone was watching him made his skin crawl.
Every rustle of wind through the leaves or snap of a twig from the neighbor’s
cat prowling for prey made Seth jump. I
can’t believe I’m doing this. What was I thinking? I must have lost my mind,
he silently berated himself as he crouched down lower. Kim walked by, chatting
with Dick. That was his cue to get moving. With his heart in his throat, Seth
sprinted to the back door. He froze for a second to look around. He was certain
he’d heard footfalls behind him.
“Here goes nothing,” he muttered.
His
latex gloved hand reached out for the door knob. A searing pain hit his temple
then everything went black.
vvvv
Angela could hear dull thuds and a strange
scratching sound. To her, it sounded like a body being dragged across the
floor. The terror had reached a fever pitch unlike anything she’d ever
experienced. She’d always been a fan of horror movies but the fear of being
butchered alive had overwhelmed her. It had always been easy to say ‘it’s just
a movie’ before but this time she’d landed in a real life horror and there was
no director to shout, ‘cut’ before the bad guy came back.
When he did return, Angela’s captor was
laughing. The cruel, heartless, sound made her stomach turn. He was accompanied
by more of the same dragging, scraping sound.
“Well, my dear, it appears I was
wrong. Someone did miss you. She tried to pretend that she was having car
trouble. Pathetic, really.” He sneered.
A
moment later, he threw Kim’s body down onto the stained cot where he’d
slaughtered Jill. Angela tried to scream but her gag kept her quiet. The gash on
Kim’s forehead had unleashed a river of blood. Though she tried to remind herself
that head wounds bled worse than any other, Angela feared for her dear friend’s
life. She thrashed against her restraints praying for a miracle but doubting
that it would come. Within seconds, Kim was tied to the cot, he was gloating,
and Angela’s face was streaked with tears.
“What are you crying about? You
should be glad. Now you won’t die alone. Funny thing is, I had planned to pin
the guilt on Kim but she gift-wrapped a patsy for me. She arrived in …” he had
to pause he was laughing so hard. “She came in Melanie’s vehicle which means
Seth is going to rot in prison. Well, he’ll rot until they fry his ass. Thank
you, sweetheart.”
He
leaned down and kissed Kim’s bloody cheek then licked his lips. A deranged
smile split his face. He seemed so gleeful that he practically skipped to his
workbench and for the third time the torch was lit.
“This time,” he sang, “there will be
no interruptions. Now, I can ensure my work will carry on after Seth is behind
bars.”
Agent
Dictator turned with his knife raised high. Laughing manically, he stepped
toward Angela. Drool poured from his gaping mouth and dribbled down his chin.
In his mind, he was already tasting the succulent flesh of the ladies who had
always snubbed him. Mock me, will you?
Just as the blade came closer Angela closed her eyes.
BANG!
Certain
she must be dead; Angela breathed a sigh of relief. At least it didn’t hurt, she’d silently consoled herself. While she
didn’t feel pain, there was a heavy weight pressing down on her chest. Her ears
felt like they needed to pop; enveloped in a high pitched whine. Only when she
felt something shaking her did she open her eyes. A bright light blinded her at
first but there were faces hovering over her.
“Angela! Can you hear me? Can you
speak?” One of the shadowy faces asked.
Her
ears popped and the muffled silence gave way to shouts and frantic voices
barking into radios.
“Angela, can you hear me?” The voice
seemed to be two hundred decibels too loud.
The
weight on her arms and legs lifted and only then did she recognize the voice. Bewildered,
she looked around and the crime scene investigators were milling around. Bill
was standing over her, smiling. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around
her. Kim was being patched up by the EMTs and so was Seth. Dick was cuffed:
both hands and feet, to the litter as they wheeled him out. Bill helped Angela
sit up and she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a bear hug.
“Thank you,” she sobbed. “I was
beginning to think … I-I was so af-f-f- afraid I was going
to—“.
“Shhh, it’s all over now. You’re
safe. Kim and Seth will be just fine. I figure the minor injuries they’ve sustained
will be punishment enough for ignoring my orders to leave this to the
professionals. Dick got Kim, slammed her head against the hood of the car while
he was supposedly helping her get the engine running. I guess I was a little
overzealous when I took Seth out. I cracked him upside the head with a pretty
heavy branch. We’d been watching Agent Dick for some time now and I couldn’t
have Seth messing up our investigation. I had a suspicion you were here but I
couldn’t get anything solid until we saw him dragging Kim back inside but we
can give you all the details later. For now, we need to take you over to the hospital
to get checked out and then I’ll need a statement from you, okay?”
vvvv
The ‘Angels of Death’ and Seth were big
news over the next few months. They made the rounds of nightly news interviews,
local paper features, and even talk shows. To protect his friends from legal
ramifications, Bill stretched the truth and said that Kim and Seth were part of
the sting. The media circus following Agent Dictator’s trial was the truth
behind made-for-TV, late night movies ‘based on a true story’.
Months later, Seth received a letter with
the state penitentiary return address on the envelope. Inside, he found a
letter from Dick Dictator asking him to visit. Melanie flatly refused to hear
any discussion on the subject but, eventually, the curiosity had gotten the
better of him. After the scanning and
instructions on what would and would not be permitted inside the visiting room,
Seth was led to a bank of phones with bulletproof glass between him and the
prisoners. Dick took his seat and lifted the phone. He motioned for Seth to do
the same.
“Hello, Seth. I wanted to see how
dedicated you are to your craft. I have a great idea for a story … you should
write about me!”
THE END
