Ever, Sarah (33 page)

“Ssssssssssaaaaarahhhhhhhhhhh.” He loudly hissed my name, spitting the words out between his teeth and I knew it was the creepiest sound I’d ever heard. But instead of hitting its mark and scaring me, it made me stronger, it made me angry.

This motherfucker. This sick, twisted psycho fucker.

Who the hell did he think he was, Hannibal Lecter?

He may think he’s got me, but
I
will make
him
pay.

I slowly slid my socked feet along the wooden floor, in a skiing motion, and after what seemed like a lifetime, finally reached the landing at the top of the stairs.

I leaned over and looked down.

I saw Brad’s body sprawled across the floor, lying still and immediately clapped my hand over my mouth to stifle the gasp.

He was
too
still.

He lay face down in a pool of his own blood, the halo that circled his head slowly spreading across the surface of the floor.

I breathed in deeply, making sure not to exhale audibly. I knew I had to get him help right away that the blood loss was too great.

I quickly glanced across the room and spotted his cell on the table where he’d left it after talking to the detective.

I took one step at a time. All the while praying there isn’t a squeaky floorboard that would give me away.

This is where having one’s memory would be useful.

I clenched my elbow and arm against the railing and took one step after the other.

“Ssssssssaaaarrrahhhhhhh! I killed your mister
perfect
. Now it’s just you and me!”

He sounded almost childlike in his taunting.

I closed my eyes briefly and hoped I had the courage to do what I needed to do. I wanted this fucker dead.

Brad was still alive, he had to be.

I chanted that over and over in my head like a mantra.

I had to believe that.

But he was lying was so still. I strained, but wasn’t able to see his chest rise and fall. I felt the tears threaten, but fought them back, refusing to let them fall.

I will not be a victim again.

I continued to take one step at a time. And when I got down to the last step, I glanced up and in that second, I knew that I could run out the front door.

I could get away.

I could escape.

But I knew I’d have no life worth living if I left Brad here to die.

I loved him.

That much I knew about myself.

I knew that my life without him would be nothing and I’d rather not live than be nothing. I’ve been lost inside myself for too long and it was time to make some changes.

I stood up slowly and slid on the floor over to the table and picked up Brad’s cell. I stopped and nearly screamed when I saw the amount of blood.

I felt the bile rise in the back of my throat and I had to fight back my need to reach out and touch him, I couldn’t move him. And that son of a bitch upstairs would definitely hear me if I tried.

I turned my ear in the direction where I knew Kevin to be. The volume of his voice was louder, the tone more menacing. I could tell that his anger was building. He was looking for release.

He was stomping now and I knew I had very little time to act. I shuffled into the kitchen and placed my nail file and cologne on the counter. I slowly backed out the doorway walked into the laundry room and calmly dialed 911. Making sure to keep my voice to a whisper.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“There is a man in our home. He is threatening to kill us.” I said calmly.

“Ma’am, please stay on the phone with me. I’m dispatching a unit to your location.”

“He’s hurt my fiancé, you need to send an ambulance.”

“Ma’am, are you in a safe place?”

“Please hurry, he’s going to kill me.”

I killed the call and walked out of the laundry room, picking up my bottle of cologne off the counter.

“Am I in a safe place? I am, but that bastard isn’t”

“Asshole!” I called out; it was my turn to taunt. I took a deep breath and planned what I’d do all out in my head.

For a few seconds there was silence and I knew he heard me but was trying to figure out where the hell I was. I was sure I knocked him off his game. This was
his
thing, he was the one used to scaring the little girls. Well, fuck him!

I got my calm during those few precious seconds.

“Ssssssaaarahhhhhh.” his hissing was beginning to get on my last nerve. Sarah, darling, baby. Love of my life. You fucking cunt, where are you?”

I cringed at the use of his last endearment.

I hated that word.

I hated the man who used it more.

The man who killed innocent women.

The man who tried to kill me.

“I’m down here
you bastard. Come get me!” 
I shouted.

I knew there was no one that would hear me. I knew that the police were at least five minutes out…and I knew that I wanted him to pay.

I took one look at Brad lying on the floor, with his head still bleeding, and I knew time was not on my side. I needed to get him help and I needed to do it now.

I heard the sound of his heavy footsteps on the back staircase and my brain went into shock mode. It was like everything inside me went into slow motion. That setting that your brain takes when it knows something evil is this way coming. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight and I had time for one last deep breath.

His feet pounded down step after step, slowly. Like he wanted to take his time, draw it out.

I stood at one end of the kitchen, the one closest to the garage.

“When I woke and you were gone, I got so worried.” He said as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Yeah, worried the police would catch you. You coward!”

“You’d better watch your tone with me my sweet.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” I said as calmly as shattered nerves allowed and for a moment, he had to think. Think about what I was saying.

“You left me in a bad way my love.”

“I left you alive, which is more than I can say for Mary, Tanya and Julia.”

I was frightened beyond words; my wet jeans, a testimony to that. But I was also angry. So angry I could do things I never ever thought I could before.

“You took my life from me. You robbed me of my memories, of a happy time, when I was…” I didn’t recognize the high-pitched screech that came rolling out of my mouth.

“I took nothing you weren’t so eager to give. Bitch!”

He advanced towards me and I stepped back.

This was so odd, Brad lay inside and we were having an insane conversation just feet from his bleeding body.

“You walked past me like you thought you were better than me.”

“I didn’t.”

“You didn’t pay attention.”

“I did.”

“You didn’t accept….my gifts…you didn’t…me.”

“You are right.”

I could see he was confused.

I sucked that in.

It gave me power.

It gave me purpose.

“You are shit. You are a worthless shit. You stole my life from me and now you are going to pay…with
your
life.”

“Listen, princess, you would be nothing…”

“YOU ARE NOTHING!”  I screamed as loud as I could, the sound bouncing off the high ceilings and tall walls.

The hurt look that flashed across his features didn’t go unnoticed by me, but it was quickly replaced by bewilderment. He looked like a child who was just chastised by an angry parent.

I heard the sirens in the distance, and I noticed so did Kevin/Paul.

“So Kevin…Paul, whatever you’re calling yourself these days. You like to hurt women? Prey on us like some evil animal?” I didn’t give him time to answer, “Do you feel powerful and strong when we can’t fight back? And you make sure of that by keeping us drugged, you fucking coward. You take. That’s what you do. You take.”

“You stupid bitch. Who do you think you are? You would be nothing without constant adoration. I know your type. I see it on the streets every day. Walking past me waving your ass’s in the air… You
all
sway your asses, looking for attention.”

“I swayed nothing, you fucking pervert. I wanted to be left alone. But no, you couldn’t take no for an answer. Did you steal my panties when I was nearly dead? Are you that depraved you piece of shit?”

The sound of the sirens on the main road caused us both to look briefly at the front door.

“You were mine. I loved you; I know you would have loved me too. We just needed time.”

The switch, change of his maniacal mind could be heard outside his head. It was like a loud tick. I swallowed hard.

“I was never yours. I always loved Brad.” I took a backwards glance at Brad and the tears slipped down my face, Brad forgive me. I cringed when I noticed he still wasn’t moving and I was willing to die with him. “I want to give you something to remember me though. I need you to do one last thing for me.”

“You need me?”

“I do.”

He stepped closer. The sirens were close. We could hear them on the driveway.

I stared at him like he was the last man alive.

“You do?” He seemed distant. His eyes glazed over as if he was lost inside his own world. “You are right, I do need you.”

I tightened the grip of my hand holding the small, slim blade, and held it close to my side. I smiled warmly at him and stepped closer. He was disarmed by the change in my tone.

Little by little I raised my left hand with the cologne in it and before he could process what was happening, I sprayed two or three pumps into his eyes. “I need you to die.”

He raised his hands to his face screaming, dropping the knife he was holding. It clanged loudly as it bounced on the ceramic tile.

“You fucking cunt. You bitch. I’ll kill you; just like the others…I thought you were different. I thought…YOU CUNT!”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint.” I took the nail file I was holding and brought it up to his head then plunged it down into his neck.

The moment when the point penetrated his skin made me shudder, but I pushed it up to the hilt into his neck.

He fell to his knees grabbing his throat, and I slowly pulled it out. Blood spurted through the small hole it left, but I could see by the amount of blood pulsing from the small wound that I hit the artery. I held it up, prepared to plunge it into his eyes should I need to, but when I saw him fall to his knees and slump slowly to the floor I let it fall to the floor.

The little tingle sound it made as it bounced off the tile floor, ironically landing next to the large butcher knife he carried, was softly deafening.

I leaned in and whispered close to his ear.

“Fuuuuuucccckkk Yoooouuuuu! DIE!” I hissed.

I pushed him over using my foot, like I was kicking garbage to the side. He fell to his side whimpering, holding his hands over his gaping wound. I didn’t look back.

I turned and ran to Brad’s side.

“Brad! Wake up Brad.” I yelled. “Bradley Hunter, if you die I will kill you!” I could hear the panic rise in voice.

“Bradley!!!!”

He moaned and I nearly fainted with relief.

“Brad?!”

“Sarah?” His voice was so weak. I began to shake. It felt as though all the adrenaline that had been building up in my body since I found out Kevin was here was released at once. I didn’t think I had the strength needed to stand.

I held his head in my arms and lowered my body to his.

“Bradley, promise me you won’t leave me.” I was wailing.

Nothing.

“Bradley. Please!”

“Sarah. You okay.”

“I’m okay, if you’re okay.”

“Still corny.” He mumbled before he passed out.

I laughed.

It was a strange laugh, like a twittering.

It was a release.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I sat up on my knees and cradled his head in my arms. My tears were falling rapidly now and I could feel my body rack to and fro with sobs. I bent to kiss his forehead.

“I love you Brad.” I brushed his hair from his eyes, it was soaked with blood but I didn’t care. I needed to touch him, feel him.

I almost fell backwards when I heard a pop, a very loud pop.

I turned around to see Kevin collapse like a sack of flour on the floor. A tiny rivulet of blood ran from the hole in the front of his forehead down his face into his gaping mouth.

I was unable to turn away. It was like watching a horror movie unfold in front of me. Only this piece of film noir had a hold on me. I stared at his form, the new wound bled out the back of his head profusely, where all those horrific things he had done to all those women ran out of his head.