Stubbs And Horrord (2) "He went to Iowa today, to see some chick he knows." "Oh..." Lloyd was gone for ten days, and didn't even call Andrea to see how she was doing. On the eleventh day, when he returned, she began to give him an earful. "Why didn't you call?" "I was busy. You sound like my call means the entire world to you." Lloyd was rather blind to her affection for him. "It's not that." She began defensively. "I was run off the road by those guys the night you left. They made me total my car." "Really? That sucks." Lloyd didn't really seem to care. He just said it then picked up his bag of 40 oz. Bud Selects and turned back to the party. Andrea caught a glare from his hand as he turned. Was that a RING? It couldn't have been. He cares only for me, Andrea told herself over and over as the night went on and Lloyd told everyone that he was now engaged. I'll fix this, she thought just as she began to fall asleep. 4 In the morning when Ally woke up, she didn't see Andrea lying on the pallet she had built. It was nothing to really put a lot of thought into though, Andrea could have gone to the bathroom or even to get some breakfast. She got up and walked to the kitchen and saw Lloyd, Chuck (Lloyd’s brother who Andrea seemed fond of and could not find love, except for in the bottom of every tenth bottle) and Stewie, but no Andrea. "Where's Andry?" Ally was kind of puzzled. "I don't know. I haven't seen her. Her car's out front still, and her phone has been beeping for like thirty minutes. It's in your room." Stewie looked at her through his hangover, then turned back to the others and began talking about the events from the night before. Ally went back to her room and found that the phone really was beeping, showing two new messages. By now you have found that Andrea is gone --- The bitch will die for what she did. Ally almost dropped the phone as she ran back to the kitchen. "Andrea's been kidnapped!" She didn't mean to yell, knowing that the others had major headaches, but this was more important. "Who would want to kidnap her ugly ass?" Stewie said coldly. "And how would they do it without any of us waking up? She's just fucking with us." He finished while the other two laughed hysterically. "Then where the hell is she? She sure as hell isn't here! We have to do something." "If she really is gone, there is nothing we can do." Lloyd said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "What are you planning to do? Call the police?" He changed his voice to mock hers. "Yeha, hello? Yeah, I was having a party out here last night and we had a bunch of underage peeps wasted. It was all good until one of them disappeared. We can't find her anywhere." He went back to normal. "Besides, we can't file a missing person's report for two days. What if her mom came and picked her up?" "Look at these fucking messages Lloyd!" She threw him the phone. He read them slowly, and she could tell there was still a considerable amount of alcohol left in him. "Well, that sucks." He said as he passed the phone to the others. "We still can't do anything about it." This pissed Allison off and she stormed back to her room and slammed the door. Two days passed, which turned into a week, and Ally began to really worry. The others seemed really relieved to see that she was gone, which fueled her rage. How could they be so happy that she had been kidnapped? It didn't make sense. They had all jumped in her car to go fight these guys and get them to leave Andrea alone, but was it just an act of courtesy? How could they be so shallow? And what of her parents? Why weren’t they worried about her? The school called them almost daily, because Andrea never missed school until now. Did they not even care about their youngest child? The world was full of messed up people, but the Aldrights had seemed like such good folks. Andrea did tell them what was going on, didn't she? The whole situation makes no sense. Ally did the only thing she could think of, she went to the Comanche County Sheriff’s department and filled for a missing person. They didn't seem to want to do much about it, but she told them the story. "Why didn't she notify us as soon as the threats began? That’s what should have been done." The deputy said. "She didn't think they were serious." "And when she was scratched up? Why didn't she do something then?" "I don't know. She doesn't think like the rest of the world." Ally was getting somewhat aggravated. "What about her parents? Why haven't they brought the case to us?" "She never told them what was going on. She didn't want them to worry about her. Not that they would have really cared though." "Well, I'll file the report with this picture. You know, she kinda looks like that pig on that lion movie my kids watch." Ally just got up and left. She knew people made fun of her, but a cop? What the hell was wrong with this town? Ally drove home and sat in her room. No one wanted to do anything about it. This has got to be a set up, Lloyd thought as he walked from Stewie's house to his. This whole 'disappearance' is just another way for Andrea to get more attention. I can't believe that she would risk school for it though. There was something definitely wrong with her. As he walked into his house, he heard a familiar chime come from his computer. He sat down and read the message. Andrea was only the beginning. It's not over yet. He looked at the sender's name, and it was an email address he didn't recognize. I_will_not_regret@hotmail.com. This took a new spin on the case. He picked up his keyboard and typed back. Who is this? What do you mean? There will be no one left. You think it's a hoax, don't you? Yeah, I do. Andrea, this really is lame. Andrea is dead. And soon you all will be. Bullshit. I'm calling your bluff. Who's next? Ally. Then Kendall, Stewie, Gregg, Chuck, then... Then who? Then I take a trip for the next. When I get back, you die. Why save me for last? Because you actually have something to live for, until I get back. Where are you going? We'll see. The sender signed off before Lloyd could reply. He thought about what had been said for a few minutes, and then forgot the entire thing. A week later, he was forced to remember. He was sitting in his room, writing a song for Ailee when his phone rang. He checked the caller id and saw Stewie’s name. He paused the music and answered. "What’s up dude?' It was now more of a statement than a question. "Have you heard?" There was panic in Stewie's voice. "Calm down dude. I haven't talked to anyone in like three days. What’s going on?" Lloyd hated the sound in his voice. They were the ones that were usually calm all the time. "Ally and Kelly have disappeared. Ally hasn't been seen since Friday, and Kelly went to the store last night and never came back. God dammit dude, I'm going to fucking kill someone if they hurt my sister." Hold on a second dude." He had heard the message tone from his computer. He went to the computer room and sat down. On the screen was a simple message. How lame is it now? "Dude, I'm talking to the person that has all three of them right now." "Who the fuck is it? This isn't funny." "I don't know. They won’t tell me a name." Lloyd typed a reply as he spoke. This is extremely fucking lame. You don't know what you are getting yourself into. If Ally or Kendall is hurt in any way, you die. "Dude, get over here now." Stewie going over there won't help you out any. The cops won't believe you either. Ally tried that before. You are all a bunch of lost little deer, and I'm the hunter. How did you know Stewie was going to come over? I know that you would contact him and call him over. Thank you. Goodbye. It was over just as fast as it started. An hour later, Stewie still hadn't shown up, so Lloyd called his house. His mother answered crying, and told him that Stu had left about an hour ago. Lloyd sat back in his recliner and began to try to piece this puzzle together. Lindsay had disappeared in July. Could that be linked? Andrea did hate the way that Lindsay had given more attention to him than to her. Then Nick had died and all hell broke loose. That was still months ago. Then Andrea went missing, and a week later, Ally, Kendall, and Stewie. What was it that the person had said? What was the order? Ally, Kendall, Stewie, Gregg, Chuck, and then who? Something about taking a trip, but to where? Who could be connected to this outside of Comanche? "NO!" Lloyd jumped up. The bastard was going to go after Ailee. I actually have something to live for, until he gets back. No. If Gregg and Chuck disappear, I'm going to go to Iowa and get her myself. In the meantime, I have to find out where they are going. 5 Lloyd followed Gregg for the next week, but to no avail. Then, just as he was going to give up during one of Gregg's walks, he saw someone emerge from the trees just behind Gregg. Lloyd had been following from the trees on the other side, and watched the figure silently slip up behind Gregg and slammed him in the back of the head. As the attacker carried away Gregg's unconscious body, Lloyd followed. They came to a brown van, and the assassin loaded Gregg into the back. Lloyd tried to get the license plate number but the van's plates were gone. The van sped off back towards town. Lloyd knew he couldn't keep up, and having never seen the van before, he couldn't just assume it was a local. So, he went home and called Chuck. He warned him not to be anywhere alone and explained the situation in full. As he hung up, the all too haunting tone rang from his computer speakers. So, what’s the count? Why didn't you kill Gregg? I don't think you've killed any of them. You're waiting for something. What is it? You're smarter than your friends let on. Do you like to play games? What the fuck? You trying to get to know me or something? You could say that. Have you ever played any? Yeah, I have. I'm going to go to college to make them. Why? Then you know one important lesson. Keep you're enemy guessing. As long as I know what is going on and you don't, I win. You skipped one detail. Really, what? This isn't a game. Oh, yes it is. Another thing you apparently haven't foreseen is a key aspect to playing games. ??? The more the merrier. You just invited others to play with us. How the hell did I do that? Chuck. You told him not to go anywhere alone. Now, whoever he is with plays too. NO! This seems to be a grudge against me. That is why you are attacking everyone close to me. What did I ever do to you? It's not what you did; it's what you wouldn't do. The conversation paused for several minutes while Lloyd tried to figure it out. He had come in contact with a lot of people over the last year, but didn't know who the hell would have a grudge against him. What didn't I do? How is Andrea tied to it? I tried as hard as hell to be nice to her, but I don't like her. How the hell is she in this game? Exactly. Exactly? This isn't making any sense? He had to warn Ailee, but it seemed that his phone was being tapped. If this was a game, and the killer was playing by the rules he laid down, then until Chuck was taken, Ailee was safe. If it's me you want, then you can have me. Let the others go. If it's a game then I lose. You know where I am, come get me. Another key aspect to games. I prefer the home field advantage. Then tell me where to go. I can't give you directions directly to me. I'm not stupid. You'll send the cops. Be behind the old post office in three hours. See you then. Lloyd looked at the clock. Three hours would be midnight. Oh, and if you don't show, it won't be pretty. And NO cops. Really? Well, I have my own terms of surrender. You bring my friends and let them go, I get in the van. Be there or say goodbye to Ally and Stewie. Lloyd had no choice, but he had a plan. He packed his skate bag with some clothes and the machete that his uncle had given him, grabbed his board and left. As soon as the door closed, he called Chuck at work. There is no way that whoever was doing this could have tapped the phone at the store. "Dude, get to town now." "I can't dude, I'm at work." "Take off. I'm about to surrender myself to the attacker. I need you to meet me at Subway. " "What the fuck? Surrender? What?" "I'll explain when you get there." "Okay, I'm on my way." Ten minutes later, the two of them were at Subway, contemplating an ass beating the like of which hell never even thought of much less spat out. Blood would be shed on an extreme scale, and they had to be ready. What am I doing? I'm not a martyr. I have to do this to stop it. I have to do this for Ailee, Lloyd thought as he worked his way across town. I have to. He was lost in thought as he rounded the corner by the red light. The post office and the brown van were right ahead. Lloyd saw a flash in the bushes by the front, and hoped to god that it was who he thought it was. As he stepped behind the building, he looked at his watch. He still had ten minutes. Good. What if the killer doesn't show? Lloyd thought to himself. He will. He has to if he wants me. God be with me. Lloyd had never been really religious, but he needed all the help he could get now. He sat on the back steps and waited. He heard something move behind the bushes to his left, but stayed quiet. He heard the van round the corner by the stoplight right on time. He listened as it pulled around the post office and watched it park ten feet in front of him. A short person wearing a large black overcoat climbed out of the driver's seat and began to move toward him. "Release them first." Lloyd said, surprised at the level of calm in his voice. It wasn't able to be seen, but he was scared to death. The person went to the back of the van and pulled out four seemingly dead bodies. The person backed away from them and Lloyd walked over. He checked each to make sure they were alive, pulled out his wallet and cell phone and dropped them by Stewie. Then he climbed into the back of the van, and watched the doors shut behind him. He looked around, but saw very little. The only light in the van was coming in through the space between the front seats, but he could see that the back had been fitted into a cage. The van slightly rocked as his captor climbed into the front seat again and started the van. The vehicle began to roll out of the parking lot, and the radio clicked on. All of a sudden, the entire van was engulfed in Nine Inch Nails. The sound system in the van surprised Lloyd, but he continued to watch out the front to see where they were going. In an attempt to piss off the driver, he began to sing along with the music. "Will you bite the hand that feeds you? Will stay down on your knees?" He was answered with a quick swerve. He was thrown around the back of the van wildly, hitting his head on the bars that made up the cage. He felt a warm liquid flow down over his left eyebrow and into this eye, then down his cheek. After that, he blacked out. When he came to, he was tied to a chair. He looked around but the only light in the room was directly over his head, and it didn't flow enough to see anything. He took a deep breath and smelled a familiar smell, but he couldn't figure out what it was. His head was throbbing painfully, and he slightly cringed at the pain. He heard movement in the darkness ahead of him, and the quiet, repetitive play of Blink 182's hit Always. "Where am I?" Lloyd yelled into the darkness, though he would have preferred not to be answered. "You, my friend, are at the end of the line. I am going to give you two options, and your answer will determine your fate." The voice was young, feminine. "What are they?" He answered timidly, unaware of his future. "One: you die. Plain and simple. You die, Chuck dies, and Ailee dies." "And the other?" Lloyd saw no choice but to choose the latter, whatever it was. "The others live their lives as they are. You marry me, love me, and stay with me until the day we die." Something inside him clicked. The smell, the voice, the ridiculous plan; it could only be Her. "You are supposed to be dead. If we walk out of here together, questions will be asked. How will you avoid the publicity?" "I will bask in it. There is no need to avoid it. I will tell them what they want to hear. I was kidnapped and you came and rescued me. My kidnapper was injured but escaped." "That’s a bunch of bullshit." As soon as he finished, the other lights in the room flashed on. He looked around, saw Her, and vaguely recognized the room. She was standing in the doorway, and the room was painted a shade of baby blue. Behind her, he saw a slow, quiet movement. "So I choose..." He paused and allowed the shadow to get closer to her. "... Neither bitch." When she started to react and pull a 9mm handgun from her side, the shadow came down in the form of a skateboard onto her head, and she fell aside. "Fucking finally dude. Get the key from her and get me out of these cuffs." Lloyd said to the still shadowy person. As he did, Chuck stepped into the light, and dropped the skateboard. He complied and unlocked the chains. "The cops are on their way, and everyone else will testify that she was the one who kidnapped them." Chuck said calmly. "Good. She's fucking crazy." Lloyd added as they turned to walk out the door. Just as they passed Andrea, a gunshot rang out, and Chuck dropped to the floor. Lloyd ducked and rolled backwards, grabbing the skateboard and hitting her several more times until she didn't hardly even breathe. He kicked the gun away from her and went to check on Chuck. The wound was in his shoulder, but it had missed the bone. They went outside and waited for the authorities.
Copyright © 2006 Brandon Colcleasure |