Postby KP Presents » Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:56 am
The girls watched with Brian and Jack as the fire started to spread up the sides of the barn.
“If we had still been in there....”
“Don’t think about that,” Brian said as he turned and looked at Cindy, who was watching in Dorothy’s arms, her mother’s coat over her body. “You’re not, and you will be...”
“Jack,” Amy said quietly, “we need to get the girls out of here, and to a hospital as quickly as possible. Time to call in the local authorities.”
Jack Hawkins nodded as he looked at Alice. “It’s all over now, I promise,” he said as he reached for his cell phone, but before he could start to dial there was a scream from inside the main house.
A man’s scream.
“Mon dieu,” Chloe said as she stood with Brian, “what has happened?”
“So you are Chris Andrews.”
Anne was staring wide eyed at the two people in front of her. Sara was standing, her head to one side as she looked at the thin man standing in front of her. She had seen Sara at work before, but there was something else going on this time. Her eyes were glowing red, and she was standing with her legs bent slightly at the knees.
As for Andrews, he seemed to be staring mutely ahead, but Anne could see a wet streak appearing down the inside of his trouser legs as he whispered “What... What are you?”
“What am I?” Sara started to move forward, her gait strange, as if she was scuttling with her legs. “I am your worst nightmare come to live Chris Andrews. You have forced yourself upon me, but that is not all you have done.”
As Anne looked at Sara, she watched her crouch forward. “You have threatened a friend, Chris Andrews, but you have also threatened to harm and hurt the young girls I consider my friends. I do not like it when the young are threatened – I protect my brood, and I feed them. Perhaps I will leave some of them for you.”
“Oh my god,” Andrews whimpered. To his eyes, Sara had started to change, four long limbs appearing from her sides, hitting the floor and raising her body from the ground as she scuttled forward.
“No... No you cannot be doing this...”
“Doing what, Chris Andrews? Protecting my young? Thanking you for giving me such an appetite? Or taking revenge for all those you have hurt...”
There was a gun nearby, but Andrews did not go for it. Instead, he sprinted for the door, but Sara moved like lightning, blocking the exit and lifting him up with one hand, her other hand between his legs.
“Not such a big man, are you, Chris Andrews,” she said as she squeezed, Andrews looking at her as his eyes widened in fear and pain. “Not such a tasty morsel either, but you will fill a gap for now, and I will savour every sweet little sip of you.”
“No...” he gasped as in his eyes her head changed, flattening, becoming more like a giant spider, “What are you?”
“I told you, Chris Andrews,” Sara said as Anne saw her smile, “I am your worst nightmare. But I am more than that – I am the daughter of the innocent woman you killed, who gave her life to save not only this woman.”
She glanced at Anne as she said this, then continued as he felt a warm stream running down his leg, “but one of the girls you so cruelly planned to use and kill. I told you, I protect and feed my brood.”
“Srrrrr,” Anne said as she saw her friend, “dnttt....”
“Oh but he deserves this,” Sara said as she glanced at the window, and then threw Andrews towards it.
“Everyone down,” Jack Hawkins shouted as the glass window exploded outwards, the mothers ducking and covering the girls as the body of a man flew through the air, a dark stain on the inside of both his legs. He landed on the other side of the front area, as Brian saw Sara jump out of the window, landing ten feet clear of the house as she literally scuttled towards him.
In the light of the burning barn, he saw the dial of her watch, and mouthed “No..” before saying “All of you stay behind the cars and don’t look. Chloe, come with me.”
He reached into his belt and took out an aerosol spray as he and Chloe slowly walked forward, stopping as Sara looked at them and hissed “NO!!! THIS ONE IS MINE!!!”
“Watch them,” Jack said to Margaret as he ran to the house, climbing through what remained of the window as he looked round. He saw the man on the floor, his head at the wrong angle, and then at Anne.
“Oh fuck,” he said as he ran forward and removed the ring gag, holding the shaking agent, “Did they...”
“No,” Anne gasped, “Sara...”
“Hush,” Jack said as he started to untie her, “Sara is outside with Brian and Chloe – I presume they know what to do?”
“I... I don’t know if they can,” Anne said, “You’d better make a call for me...”
Brian and Chloe continued to move forward as Sara grabbed Andrews and lifted him off the ground. To him, a giant spider had grabbed him in her front legs, and had started to wind silk around his body....
“You killed my mother, you threatened to kill and hurt my friends and their daughters, and worst of all, you were going to enjoy it,” she hissed as she punched him in the chest, several ribs breaking as she did so. “So I am going to enjoy eating you, and you can die, knowing that in the end you have died well.”
Brian was trying to spray the controlling agent over his partner, but the watch dial stayed black. “It’s not working,” Chloe said quietly, “What do we...”
“Sara?”
Sara’s head snapped to the side as an older woman appeared, as if in a grey shadow. Behind her stood two others, one a man dressed in regency clothes, the other a woman with long dark hair, dressed in a simple robe. The older woman was dressed in a bow tied blouse and a skirt, and was smiling.
“Do you see them,” Brian whispered to Chloe, who nodded and said “Oui – who are they?”
Sara looked at the three people, and then said “Mother?”
The first woman nodded, and said “Sara, my dear sweet child, don’t do this. You have saved them – saved them all – and now it is time to rest.”
“But he...”
“Remember what I said in that last letter? Sara, my child, it is not for you to judge him – let the authorities do that.”
“She is right,” the woman behind her said, “we all gave to save others – let him face the price for his crimes.”
As Brian and Chloe looked on, the dial on her watch slowly turned from black to crimson, and then to green, as she dropped Andrews to the ground and staggered back. He lay there, bleeding, whimpering as he said “Get away... Get her away from me...”
“Sara,” Brian said as he came forward and embraced her, “it’s all right, you did what you need to do, come back to me now....”
Chloe looked at the broken man on the ground, then at the three others, who started to fade into the night – but not before the man looked closely at her, and then nodded, as if he had seen something.
“Anne!!!”
Veronica ran forward and put her coat around Anne Duncombe’s shoulders as they stepped out of the house, the sound of sirens coming from the far distance. She nodded and then looked at the trio as they walked back towards her.
“Is it over then,” she whispered to Sara as she came to her.
“It’s over,” Chloe said, but then they heard Andrews saying “DIE!!!” They turned suddenly to see him holding a gun, and somehow fired a shot at them.
“NO!” Sara shouted as she jumped in front of Anne, and then fell to the ground, blood seeping from her shoulder. Brian turned and snarled, but before he could take another step a second shot rang out, and Andrews fell lifeless to the ground.
“Jack?” Brian said as he turned to look at the police officer, but he shook his head as he looked to the cars.
Katherine Jenkins was standing, Natalie looking at her with her legs apart, and a service revolver in both her hands. As a white ambulance drove up, Jack walked over and took the gun from her hands. “It’s all right,” he said quietly, “I know why you did it.”
The door to the ambulance opened and a woman in a white coat jumped out. “Miss Smith,” Chloe said as she ran over, “Sara has been shot.” She escorted her over as Brian knelt and held Sara, more ambulances and police cars arriving...
The phone ringing made Heather almost jump out of her seat. Blossom and Kurt watched as she moved to the telephone table.
“Hello?
“Oh thank the lord,” she said as she looked at the group of women, and then at Blossom and Kurt.
“And they are unharmed? What about Anne?”
Suzanne and Roberta both stood up as they saw Heather clutch at the back of a chair, and say “Yeah, I understand. We’re heading there now.” Replacing the telephone, she said “Get the others – we need to get to Saint Elegius as soon as possible.”
“The girls – are they...”
“They’re safe, but badly shaken,” Heather said as Blossom literally threw her head into her husband’s chest, while her mother looked at her.
“And Anne?”
“I’ll explain on the way,” Heather said as Sue came in. “Sue, Mum, you’d better come with me. The others can follow...”
“CLEAR THE AREA!!!”
The command to the ER was precise and clear, as the police officers helped the staff to clear the reception area. As the first ambulance came in, Miss Smith jumped out with Chloe and Brian.
“Gunshot wound to the shoulder – the patient has lost a lot of blood.”
Two nurses and a doctor grabbed the trolley and wheeled Sara into a treatment room, Brian holding her hand as Miss Smith talked to the staff.
“Sorry, Chloe,” she said as the doors swung open, “You need treatment yourself.” As the doors closed, Veronica walked over and gently took the young French woman by the shoulders.
“Chloe – you’d better come with me and Coral,” she said as Coral walked in with Jack Hawkins.
“Take these two to a treatment room,” he said as Coral and Chloe started to shiver, “Both have been held captive and assaulted.” The female attending nodded and said “come with me please,” signalling to a female nurse to follow her.
Jack turned round to see Margaret walking in, her arms tightly around Alice, and the other mothers following. “Bring the girls this way – you can stay with them,” a nurse said as they were led off to another room. “I’ll be with you in a minute – I need to talk to the officers,” Jack said as Anne walked in with two paramedics.
“I’m fine,” she shouted at them, “I need to know how Sara is, I have to...”
“What you have to do,” Jack said as he looked at her, “is get checked out and treated. The others will be here soon – and you’ll have your sister to deal with. Let me talk to the officers for now.”
“And Sara....”
“I’ll make something up for now – you go and get treated.”
“Detective Hawkins?”
“Go,” Jack said quietly as Anne was led away, and he turned to the Deputy who was waiting in the doorway.
“What happened up there? We have two dead bodies, one unconscious, a fire – and what we found in the house...”
“Look at it this way, Deputy – it’s a mass kidnapping, which makes it a federal crime, which means your job is to gather and contain the evidence – the FBI will be here shortly. Especially as this involves one of their own.”
The deputy nodded, and said "Good point” before leaving. For the first time that night, Jack Hawkins sat down, looked around and then buried his face in his hands, whispering “Thank You” as he did so...
“WHERE IS SHE!!!”
Jack looked up to see Sue Duncombe burst through the doors, followed by Heather and Roberta. She was now wearing a black sweater, pants and boots, but the look of concern was genuine as she said to Jack “Where is Anne?”
“Treatment Room 2,” he said as Sue walked towards it, saying “I am going to ki... Oh dear God. What the hell happened to you Anne?” As the doors swung closed, Blossom and Kurt came in with Suzanne.
“Nurse,” Jack said as he motioned to one of the nurses. “This is Mister and Mrs Dale, the parents of three of the girls.”
“Come with me,” she said, and Jack heard the twins call out “MUMMY!! DADDY!!” as they were led to a cubicle.
Elena, Andrea, Alexa and Joanne were the last to come in. “Where’s my mother,” Andrea said as Jack guided her to the chairs.
“I’ll explain in a minute,” Jack said as they took a seat, “I need to go and see Anne first. Please, be patient with me.”
He went first to the room where Brian and Sara had been taken. “May I come in,” he said as he looked in the door.
“Is he...”
“He’s cleared,” Brian said to Miss Smith as he held Sara’s hand. Jack came in and looked at the woman lying on the table, as a doctor treated her shoulder.
“How’s the patient?”
“Exhausted and hurting like hell,” Sara whispered. “Anne?”
“I’ll find out in a few minutes. What happened there tonight?”
“I don’t know – that’s why Miss Smith is here to do some tests.”
“And now you both need to leave,” the other woman said as Sara winced, the doctor removing the bullet. “Go – I’ll brief you later.”
“Come on,” Jack said as he took Brian by the arm. “Let the doctors do their work...”
As they walked out, a group of FBI agents came in. “Detective Hawkins? ADD Skinner – where is Agent Duncombe?”
“They’re both in treatment room 2 – the doctor can tell you where the other victims are.”
“Mister Carter – where is your partner?”
Brian jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Miss Smith is in with her.”
ADD Skinner nodded as he turned to his men. “Keep everyone out for now – give them a chance to recover, and then we can take statements.” Turning back to Jack, he quietly said “Tell me who killed Andrews and the other man.”
“I’ll make my statement in time – right now, I need to be with my family.”
“Of course – go,” he said as a nurse led Andrea to a booth, and Roberta came back out of a separate booth.
“How are they,” Suzanne asked.
“Exhausted after their ordeal,” Roberta said as she sat down. “Anyone want any more coffee?”
“If you ever pull a stunt like that again...”
“You’d have done exactly the same to me – sooner rather than later. We saved the girls, Sue – that’s the important thing.”
Anne Duncombe was sitting on the edge of the bed, having changed into a grey jogging outfit and a t-shirt supplied by the FBI team. “We saved them, yeah,” Sue continued, “but what you went through – and why was Sara there anyway?”
Anne looked at her sister, sighed and said “What do you know about Project Pink Widow?”
“Only the rumours, but...” Sue suddenly looked at her sister, and then sat down in the chair. “Holy shit – you mean she...”
Anne slowly nodded as Sue whispered “Well that explains a hell of a lot – do the others know?”
“Only one of them – well, two if you count Brian. I think Jack Hawkins has his suspicions now as well, but for the others – we’ll cross that bridge later.”
“Holy crap,” Sue said as she stood up. “I mean, I’d heard the rumours – the Delaware incident, the family of the Governor, but... What are you going to say to her now?”
“Thank you would be a good start,” Anne groaned as she stood up, “Come with me.”
The two women left the hospital room, and walked a short way to the next door, which had a uniformed officer outside. He stood up and nodded as he opened the door, letting them enter as Brian stood up from his seat.
“Have you slept yet?”
“Not yet – I wanted to make sure she was all right,” Brian said as Miss Smith came in. Anne walked over to the sleeping Sara, and put her hand on that of the other woman, seeing her green wrist dial as she said “Thank you.”
“Hey.”
Anne looked at Sara as she opened her eyes. “Some night, eh?”
“How do you feel?”
“Drained – and it hurts like hell, but the others are safe?”
“Like that woman said, you saved them all, and it’s time to rest,” Brian said as Miss Smith and Chloe came in.
“One other, eh,” Sue said as she went to the door. “I’ll be with the others.” The group watched as Sue left, then turned back to the bed.
“So, what’s the verdict,” Sara said as she looked at Miss Smith, “what happened?”
“Well, as far as I can tell, the stress of the situation overwhelmed her biochemistry – it almost made her into a human spider, if you like. The dial on your watch turning Black was the sign of the pheromones overriding everything.”
“So I lost control?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Miss Smith said, “Rather, your maternal instinct kicked in to the nth degree. From what Anne has told me, there was also a very personal side to this Andrews guy.”
Sara nodded weakly, and said “He killed my mother. And now he’s dead at my hands.”
“No,” Anne said quietly, “not at your hands, but what happened? When I came out with Jack, you were standing over him, with Brian and Chloe watching, and then...”
“I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”
“Try me?”
“I saw some old friends, and heard what I needed to hear – that brought me back to something approaching my senses.” Sara smiled weakly and said “She was right though – I did save everyone.”
“Who was?”
Sara just smiled and said weakly “that’s not important – what is is that it’s over now. So how long before I’m back on my feet.”
“Oh no,” Miss Smith said as she pushed Sara gently down again. “I’m ordering a complete rest for you, until you are fully recovered. You need to get away from here for a while – you and Brian. I think you need some me time, rather than others time.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Sara said quietly as the others looked on. “So, how does Barbados sound?”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Brian said. “I talked to Desmond and Lucinda earlier – they’ve invited us to stay for a week or two. They say the house may be a little noisy, but...”
“Sounds wonderful,” Sara said with a groan. “And the others?”
“Yeah,” Anne said quietly, “I was going to come to that. Do you think she can come in a wheelchair?”
Brian gently lifted Sara out of the bed and into a chair, tucking a blanket into her as they left the room, the officer watching as they went towards a communal area.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Sara nodded and smiled as Brian opened the doors. Amy and Veronica stood up as they came in, while Heather was sat with Roberta and Katherine.
“Hey,” Anne said as the door closed behind them, “How are the girls?”
“They’ll be along shortly,” Veronica said quietly, “How are you?”
“I’ll live,” she said as Amy knelt by Sara’s side and took her hand.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, “for everything. I only wish I had known sooner...”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you,” Sara said as she started crying, “can you forgive me?”
“What’s to forgive? Just promise me you’re not going to disappear.”
It was Amy’s turn to start crying as Anne walked over to where the Jenkins family was sitting.
“Hey – how are you?”
Katherine looked up at Anne, and said quietly “I’ll survive, eventually – he was going to kill you, and...”
“It’s all right, Katherine – I just want to say thank you for now.”
“What about...”
Anne looked over at Sara, who was talking to Amy and Veronica. “A tale for later – we all need to talk about what happened at some point, and soon. For now, let’s...”
“Hey – it’s our hero.”
Anne turned to see the twins rushing at Brian, hugging him around the waist as the other girls came slowly in, followed by their mothers.
“Hey hey – don’t all rush at once. You’ll make Sarah jealous,” Brian said as he hugged each of them, Sara smiling as he did so.
“Think they’ll ever know the full truth?”
Anne looked at Katherine. “That’s up to you lot, once you know the whole truth. Right now, I have one thing to say.” She extended her hand and said “Thanks, Annapolis.”
“You’re welcome Langley.”
“Hey,” Heidi said as Amy embraced her, and she looked at the others. “What are we going to tell the others at school?”
“Worry about that later,” Amy said quietly, “You all deserve a few days off – and then we can talk...”