Nightmare in Niceville (11 page)
The man stood and walked toward the girls sitting in the hall, then he walked into the bathroom. I bent down next to Lily so I could get her attention. She was sitting with her head between her knees, her hands tangled in her hair. We needed to move where we would be safe. She yelped and shot up when I touched her shoulder.
“Sorry! Shhh! It's okay. I'm here,” I said quietly as I wrapped my arm around her. She just breathed heavily.
“Come on. We have to go,” I said as I pulled her off the floor. I tugged her out of the door and into the hall. She rubbed her eyes as she walked with me. Sarah looked over at us, and her eyes widened. A small smile of hope lit up her sad face. It was sort of strange. The smile faded to worry, and then she turned around to look toward the bathroom. Emily leaned out from behind her with an expression of fear. She shook her hand, signaling for us to leave. I wanted to ask them what was going on, but I broke into a jog, pulling Lily with me. We were just in front of the big entryway to the main entrance when we heard the man's voice.
“LILY!” he yelled.
I sped up into a run, not looking behind us. I heard a little yelp, and I hoped it wasn't what I thought it was.
M
y father stood above me. I was on the floor. Everything was blurry and hazy. I lifted my hands to rub my eyes and gasped when I saw my bloodied hands. Everything hurt. It hurt just to breathe at all. I looked down at my body. There was blood everywhere. I shifted my weight a little to see where the blood was coming from. I winced. My stomach, my chest, and my leg ached. I tasted the blood in my mouth. It made my stomach twist and churn, which didn't help any with the pain. I looked back at my father. He was holding a knife dripping with blood, my blood. It was probably a little of someone else's too. I groaned. I knew this would happen one day; he would get me. It was only a matter of time.
“Look what you made me do, Lily,” he said, looking around me. I blinked and let my head roll to the left. I let out a scream, which was cut short because of the new stabbing pain in my chest and stomach. Emily stared back at me, her eyes frozen, never blinking.
“No!” I cried out, and looked away as tears spilled over, running down my cheeks.
“That's not all,” my father said. I looked to the right even though I didn't want to. I couldn't control anything around me. The tears poured out even faster as I jerked my head back toward the ceiling. Scott was on the other side of me, his eyes frozen in fear. My tears further blurred my vision as they fell. I closed my eyes and sobbed. I felt the horrible stabbing pains as I sucked in each breath. I opened my eyes to see my father bent over, the knife inches from my face. I screamed. Then I felt the pain from the knife . . .
My head jerked up, and realized I had cried out. The darkness of the theater confused and disoriented me. Visions and memories of my father shot through my head . . . it was just too much.
“I'm sorry! Shhh! It's okay, I'm here,” I heard Scott say in the darkness as he wrapped his arm around me.
“Come on. We have to go,” he said, pulling me off the floor. He made his way out of the door, tugging me along. I looked at my handsâno blood. Scott took my hand, which gave me comfort.
I was so exhausted and tired. I wanted more than anything to escape into sleep and wake to find all of this a horrible nightmare.
I was now set on the fact that my father was responsible for all that was happening tonight. It had to be him. Who else would be on a killing spree trying to get to me? And with all the strange coincidences . . . the call at work, his release date . . .
It was sick. Guilt locked in every muscle of my body. It covered me like thick ooze. I felt dirty. I was the cause of all of this. I couldn't believe I was the child of this crazed lunatic. How could he still hate us that much? Why couldn't he just leave us alone? He hurt my friends and murdered so many innocent people! Why? Why?! What did we do to him? I remembered when he had been a gentle and loving man. He would look at me with slow, patient eyes. Then his eyes became stressed and worried and strained. And then they were red and angry and tired. But most of all, they became angry and full of hate. Please, Lord, let the police come. Let them save us before anyone else got killed. Let them catch my father before he got to my family . . .
The main entrance was right across the hall from the theater we had just left. Scott was staring down the hall. I followed his gaze and saw Max's body lying on the floor. There was a huge pool of blood soaking the carpet around him. I shut my eyes for a moment and scooted closer to Scott.
I looked further down the hall. Sarah was looking at us with a worried expression. Emily poked her head out from behind her and smiled at me. I smiled back and let out a sigh of relief. I was so happy Emily was okay, at least for now. She did look pretty beat up. There was a large bruise under her eye, and her lip was busted and swollen. Dark stains bled through her shirt. I grabbed my stomach. It made me sick to see her so hurt because of me. I swear I would kill my father if I could. I wanted to go to her, but Scott was pulling me away. He jogged across the hall, and I followed. I would go to her when it was safer . . . and who knew when that would be? A deep feeling of sadness and defeat washed through me. I was still groggy.
“Lily!” a deep voice yelled. That voice was so familiar.
I was suddenly running faster than I could keep up with. I realized Scott was pulling me across the main entrance of the theater. We were halfway across the small room when something hard caught my foot, and Scott's hand slipped from mine. I tripped and landed on my hands and knees.
I felt like screaming. I had tripped over someone's body. I used my feet to push away. I winced and cried out, pain searing through my left ankle. Scott was grabbing under my shoulders.
“Lily! Come on!” he said, trying to pull me up.
“My ankle!”
Scott stepped in front of me.
“Lily, I've been looking all over for you,” a dark voice said. Flashbacks came at me a hundred miles an hour.
Pull, Lily, pull! Let me in there now! Shhh, it's okay, Lily, there's nothing to be afraid of.
I sucked in heavy breaths as I heard echoes of his voice. Tears slipped down my face.
“Daddy?” I whispered so faintly no one heard me.
“I'm not going to let you hurt her!” Scott yelled. I knew it was my father. I couldn't see him because Scott was standing in the way, but I didn't need to. The voice was all too familiarâthat deep, rumbling voice that I could never forget.
“Why are you even doing this? We haven't done anything to you!” Scott shouted.
“I don't have to explain myself to you, boy. Now move so I can do what I came to do,” my father said.
“No!” Scott said loudly.
“You want all of these people to die in vain?” my father asked. I saw a little piece of paper in his hand, then he started reading it.
“Lily, sorry we aren't home, I have to take Ashley to her dentist appointment. Be back in a little while! Love you! Mom & Ash! P.S. I love you! Ashley.” He said all of it with fake enthusiasm.
My note! I must have dropped it when I was running. Oh God, please let Ashley be okay. Please let Mom be okay. More hot tears rolled down my cheeks. Please let them be safe.
“I found this outside your work, Lily. I was waiting for you, but you were never alone. You dropped this little note. That's how I knew for sure it was you. I followed you home, and then here with your little friends. And now I have you right in front of me. I've been wondering how your mother was. And little Ashley can write now! I've missed you all so much.” He chuckled a deep and throaty laugh. When he was done killing everyone here, he was going to kill Mom and Ashley too.
“No!” was all my mind could muster. Tears slid down my cheeks as I stared at my father.
S
eeing Lily and Scott bolt around the corner made my heart speed up even more. I looked toward the voice coming down the hall and knew I would see the man running after them. And he was.
Suddenly, Emily's flash of blond hair rushed past me, her body lunging off the ground. She landed on his back and reached for the knife in his hand. He tumbled forward from the unexpected impact. Emily jerked up and started pounding her small fists into the back of his head, but it didn't seem to do anything but make him angry. The man reached his arm back so fast I didn't know what happened until I saw the blood. Emily screamed. He had stabbed her leg. The man reared up, sending Emily to the ground. He was around the corner in a second. I scrambled to Emily's side where she was wailing and crying.
“Emily!” She was curled into a ball, holding the bloody spot on her leg. Blood was starting to drip down onto the floor. I brushed her hair back gently.
“I'm so sorry, Emily” In that moment, I felt as powerful as a superhero. I bolted off my knees and around the corner to join the rest of them.
The man was taking a step toward Lily and Scott. I focused on him and nothing else. Emily had inspired what I did next. I leapt onto his back and tightly wrapped my legs around his waist. I grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pulled with all my strength. This made me morbidly happy since this was the treatment he had been giving me and Emily all night.
“How do you like it?” I screamed into his ear. I felt him flinch away, and then a sharp stinging pain stung both of my ankles. I yelped and crashed to the ground. I reached for my ankles and felt the warmth of blood, my hands covered in red. I stared, shocked for a moment. Burning tears rolled down my cheeks. When I looked up, Lily's eyes met mine, full of worry and fear. That broke my heart completely in two.
Scott was standing protectively in front of Lily, ready to pounce like a wild animal. The man had started toward them again, all but forgetting me and my small attempt at defeating him. Their words were like static; I heard the voices, but couldn't make out what was being said. I fought back the pain enough to put weight on my ankles and rock forward to snag the man's calf in my bloody hands.
“No!” I screamed, not realizing why I was screaming. There were too many thoughts in my head, but
no
was all my mouth could manage.
I pulled his leg back, trying to get him away from Lily, trying to make him trip or fall. Something! I saw a flash of silver and red, and then his knife was deep in my arm. I screamed and yanked back. I couldn't stop the whines from escaping my mouth as I cradled my arm against my chest. I heard Lily call out my name. Warm liquid soaked through my shirt, and the horrible smell filled my nose. I gagged and my stomach heaved knowing it was my own blood. I already felt weaker. As much as I wanted to keep fighting, I knew I couldn't. I hoped they got more time. I hoped the police would bust down the door at any second.
I was so tired and weak now. I knew I was dying. I was giving up. It killed me, knowing she was calling for help, but I had done my best to stall for Lily, to try to save her. This pain everywhere was too much. I missed my mom, and I would never her hug again. And my dog would never lick my face again. I hoped this would all be enough.
I
peeked out from behind Scott just in time to see Sarah jump on my father's back. She pulled his head back by his hair.
“How do you like it!” she screeched. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she pulled his hair with her hands, trying to knock him down. He gripped the knife in his hands, raised it, then sliced both of her ankles in one fluid motion. She cried out in pain and dropped to the floor, releasing her grip on his hair. I still didn't get a good look at his face. I kept my eyes on Sarah as she fell. She curled her legs to her chest. Blood oozed from her cuts, her hands covered in blood as she tried to stop the bleeding. She stared at me, her eyes glistening with tears.
“No!” Sarah yelled. She was on her stomach now, and her hands were around my father's ankle. She pulled herself forward and held on tighter. He bent down, and the knife sliced her arm, right above her wrist.
“Sarah!” I shouted and tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shot through my ankle. I cried out and flopped down again. Scott was yelling and stepping forward now. I shook my head, but words couldn't escape. It was all over. Emily, Sarah, Scott, Max, Angela, Luke, Ashley, Mom, and I would die. All of those innocent people surrounding me on the floor were dead. All because of me. I blinked as if everything were in slow motion and my heart pounded, blocking all other noise out. Scott swung a fist in my blurred vision and hit my father in the face, making him stagger back.
Sarah screamed again and jerked her arm away. She held her arm to her chest and curled up on the floor. Blood soaked her shirt. She looked at me, then back at the floor, and I knew she had given up. My vision all but disappeared as tears gathered.
I blinked, and Sarah's expression had changed completely. She used her good arm and fished something out of her pocket. She threw the object at me, then cradled her arm and closed her eyes. A little ball of crumpled paper landed by my foot. I snatched it up, frantically opening the ball of paper, and trying to avoid the blood spots. I gasped, shocked. Names were scribbled on the piece of paper. Anger raged through me, heating my face and shaking my hands. I got up the courage to look at the horrible face of my attacker. The man . . . he wasn't my father at all! If he wasn't my father, then who was he?! Why would a random stranger go through all of this trouble just to hurt people he'd never met in his life!
“HEY!” I shouted. And it caught both men off guard. Scott took the opportunity for another punch, then stepped in front of me. I used his jeans to pull myself up so I could face this man head on.
I glared at him. He stared at me almost lovingly, but with a hidden hatred. His hair was brown, and his eyes were a green similar to my father's. But who was he? How did he know my name? My family? Who were the people scribbled on the piece of paper? I looked at the names once more. Then it hit me. There must have been some connection . . . somehow. I couldn't figure it out, but those names were important to him for some reason, and I was going to use it to my advantage.