Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. There, I said it. Oh, and I don't know who the theme challenge belongs to but again…I'm not the owner.
A/N: As always, my A/N in the first chapter will always be my longest. I should start off by saying that I wanted there to be a twist in romance and how people viewed romance to be. It comes in many different forms of looks, gestures, and feelings. I was taken back by the fact that there are so many people out there writing the same fics over and over again for the theme challenges having the only difference being the couples. With that said, keeping an open mind about love is a must. If you have a weak stomach, or just don't like anything out of the ordinary, I suggest you go back now. The challenge to myself is writing 40 stories dealing with the themes in horror yet still keeping the romance intact throughout the characters' feelings toward one another; hence the Horror/Romance summary. The chapters will be rated a strict M for the simple fact that much of it will be gory or dealing with adult situations and language. Well, enough with the explanations, if you still dare, hence forth and read on…
Thy Collection of 40
'Love is all in how you look at Romance'
Pulling the horse by the reigns back into its stable, Tommy Oliver heard a series of gallops and loud neighs from the other horses surrounding him. Mustard, the black Mustang horse he was trying to tame the entire day lifted its frontal legs and began to sway its head from side to side in a desperate attempt to get away from the teenage boy.
"There…there boy" Tommy told the horse trying to calm him down for the umpteenth time today. Though trying to pet him, the horse's strength was overpowering his own, before he felt a hand take over the reign.
"I'll take it from here" a deep man's voice was heard from behind him. Turning around, Tommy looked three inches up to find the horse's owner taking care of things and controlling the situation.
"Oh, uh…" he began to say with embarrassment in his voice. It wasn't much that he couldn't control the horse, it was his job to control the horse. He and Kat had taken up a part-time job together to tame young horses as a time killer for the summer. "Okay" he simply said letting go of the ropes and letting the owner take over.
"It's alright Oliver," he said keeping the horse in front of him pushing his head down forcefully. "Hillard's out back waiting for you. I expect to see you both here bright and early tomorrow morning." The boss always called his employees by their last names. He thought it had a more professional approach to it and wanted the kids to treat him with respect; it was his philosophy.
Tommy looked down at Mr. Buck's blue cowboy boots and saw his stance was still struggling with the horse. Knowing his boss all too well in not wanting help, he simply got out of the way as quickly as possible and let Mr. Buck do what he did best. "Yes sir" he told him walking out of the large stable and rubbing his hands against his jeans in the process.
Coming out of the ranch, he saw Katherine 'Kat' Hillard already in his black jeep waiting for his arrival. She took out hand sanitizer and poured a rather large drop on her left hand before beginning to rub both hands together to cleanse her skin. She hadn't noticed Tommy getting into the jeep until the sound of the door next to her opening and shutting loudly. Turning to look at him she smiled weakly. "So" she told him, "lunch at the Youth Center?"
"Nah" he said sheepishly, "it's usually crowded this time of day. I was thinking of something more…" he paused for a moment, yet decided to take the dive, "something more, private?"
The statement came out as a direct question making her look at him questionably. "What do you mean?" she stated cocking her head a bit as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
"Umm…you know." After that question, he really didn't want to go through with the proposal at all. If she hadn't figured what he was talking about, then dating didn't cross her mind at all. "Like, maybe just having lunch at the park this time." He felt safe enough with the new angle he took, though to him, it was more of a 180-degree turn. It wasn't a date; it was just lunch…again…like friends…again.
- - -
Driving to the Youth Center silently after the awkwardness of what seemed like a small attempt from his part, Kat was playing the scene over and over in her head. Had he really meant to ask her out? Nothing would prove other wise, unless one counts that spur turn of events from going private to a public park. Mental numbness drew an outline above her forehead, as she felt stupid in asking the question instead of going along with it.
Once they arrived at the Youth Center, she was going to get off but she felt a warm hand above hers for a split second before hearing the door open from the other side.
"Don't get off. I'll just be in and out and we can head to the park" he told her wanting to smile but something pulling him back didn't allow him to.
"Oh" she said, closing the door knowing all too well that it was still open. "Okay" she simply stated before sitting back on the seat once more. "Take your time" she said not having anything more on her mind to tell him as she saw him get off and enter the building. How could I be so stupid? She thought to herself again replaying the scene in her head. I gotta do something before he thinks I don't like him.
- - -
The park was surprisingly calm that afternoon. Looking around, there were not that many people surrounding the area at all. Wow, was Tommy's first thought as he placed his and Kat's drinks down on the picnic table under the shade. She sat next to him as she gave him his burger and placed hers in front of her surprising Tommy that she didn't take her usual spot across from him. The whole time she sat in the jeep, this was the best she could come up with. Of course, telling him how she felt crossed her mind a couple of times, but that really wasn't something to be said and left just out in the open.
As they both were concluding their meal, Tommy looked over to his right and then his left. The park brought back so many memories of sparring with his brother, David. Looking down, he didn't feel the need to finish his last bite.
Kat, seeing this placed her hand on his back and swallowed the last bite she was chewing. "Are you thinking of David again?" she asked him knowing what the answer would be.
Nodding his head he inaudibly whispered, "yeah."
She pressed her lips together before licking them. Thinking it would buy her at least a second to think about what to say. All she could do was nod slightly while looking down at his trembling fists. She reached over and pressed her hand on his, squeezing it to stop the shaking.
"I miss him so much" he told her in a sad tone.
"I'm so sorry." She meant what she said. She too knew the loss of someone so close to her. Only four months ago, the loss of her mother made her petrify life itself.
Turning to face her, he saw the grief she still held for her mother clear as day on Kat's face. "No Kat. I'm sorry" he told her taking her hands into his. "I should be comforting you" he told her his eyebrows still remaining in a soft sadness. He mentally kicked himself for bringing up death having Kat lose her mother only two months prior. Though, truly if it wasn't for their deaths, they wouldn't have been so close now.
-FRIENDS-
"Mum" Katherine called out to her mother whom was cooking in the kitchen downstairs. "Mum…have you seen my pink sweater?"
"No Katherine. Are you sure you didn't throw it in the wash?" Her mom, Erin told her daughter as she made her way up the stairs to help her.
"I don't think…so…ugh" Kat scoffed at the clothes as she pulled a pair of jeans out of a pile of clothes sitting on her chair. Her closet was a mess; she didn't even dare look in there. If her friends would see her room, the sight of revealing that she wasn't a clean freak, like they all assumed, would definitely frighten them. The only person who knew about her lack of organization was Tanya Sloan, her best friend; and that's because she lived with the Hillards for a short amount of time. "I'll just wear my white jacket I guess," she said blowing a strand of hair away from her face and snickering at her laughing mom.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you Katherine" he mom told her in her thick Australian accent, "they should have a teen seminar on cleanliness."
"I am clean mum" Kat argued, "I'm just no very organized, that's all."
- - -
Though, it was cold, he did see an upside to walking to the gym. It gave him time to think things through. It wasn't even six months since he saw his brother last. The car accident was embedded into his memory like a nail hammered into a piece of wood all the way through. The news barged into his life making an earthquake seem like a small noise caused by the fall of a child's chair. He couldn't think of anyone to help him in his situation. Not having his brother anymore after just weeks of knowing he actually had one, was making him emotionally unstable and moronic; worst part is, it was killing him physically as well.
Only three weeks ago he thought twice of slitting his wrists, once actually attempting to do it. The only thing that stopped him was the fear of leaving this world like a coward and not facing his problems, though the thought never left his head once.
The cold January breeze blew his loose hair back as he walked into the parking lot of the popular teen hangout. Sticking his cold hands into his pockets, Tommy cursed at himself for not taking a jacket knowing the weather would be cold. His mother had warned him, though, the terrible fight they had didn't help one bit with his memory loss. Leaving the jeep in the garage by her orders, he had to walk the twenty or so blocks to the Youth Center.
Almost tripping on his own lasses, he looked around embarrassingly to see if anyone had seen him trip. He felt relaxed when he noticed no one was around the parking lot but him and a bunch of empty vehicles. Bending down to tie his sneakers, he felt a bright orange flyer swap him on the right side of his inner thigh and remained there as if it were stuck even though the tips where still blowing in the wind. He disregarded the flyer but instead of throwing into the wind, he cupped it under his shoe and stepped on it to hold it down. As he stood up, he grabbed the flyer to take it to the trashcan indoors. Something compelling about it though made him read it to himself:
Teen Suicide is a growing Epidemic.
Having trouble sleeping?
Talking?
Or just plain living?
We can help, call 555-9375
"Hmm…" he said out loud after reading it. He walked steadily in through the doors of the Youth Center and inserted a quarter in the payphone.
- - -
Jason Scott practiced his kick over and over again for the ninth time now still waiting for Tommy until he saw him coming in through the doors. "Hey man…you're not just a little late this time…"
"Hey Jase" Tommy interrupted him not minding his own rudeness. "Do you think you could go with me to this place I found out about today? I mean… it's not that I wouldn't go alone, but… it's a new place and I just don't wanna drive an hour by myself."
Jason was gladly going to say yes to the invitation, but remembered his long awaited date with Emily. "Ooh" he said concern in his voice, "I would go bro, but…I promised Emily I'd take her out tonight to celebrate her birthday before she leaves."
Tommy looked down at the blue floor mats under them and nodded. "Okay bro" he said before looking back up and grinning, "I understand."
"Sorry man" Jason told him seeing Tommy turn and walk to their usual table.
"It's cool Jase. Don't sweat it," he said. Even though he was feeling bummed out about his best friend not being able to go with him, he understood that Emily was leaving soon to visit her godparents up state and she wouldn't be back for two weeks. "I'll just find someone else to go with me."
Jason went back to practicing kicks. Seeing Tommy's slumped posture, he didn't want to ask him to spar. He knew he'd probably wasn't up for it at the moment.
Tommy walked to the table and sat down with a sad look on his face. He looked down at his hands as if they were the only things in the world at that moment. For an instant he could swear he smelled the aroma of a sweet scent come into his nostrils. Sure enough, as he looked up to see what it was, he saw Kat sitting in one of the many vacant chairs there.
"Hi" she told him once she saw that he had looked her way.
"Hey" he countered her way grinning as best he could.
"What are you up to?" she asked seeing if she could turn his frown 'upside down'.
"Nothing much, I just found this flyer and…" he shook his head, "forget it."
"Oh come on," she said brushing a stand of blond hair behind her ear. "You found a flyer and…" she said waving her hand in a motion urging him to continue.
"…and" he said, "I called the number on it and they gave me an address to go there."
"Oh" was all she said not knowing exactly what was to be said after that. "So…are you going?"
"Maybe" he shrugged handing her the flyer. "I don't have anyone to go with. I don't really wanna go by myself." The thought of asking Billy to go with him popped into his mind then.
As she retrieved the flyer, her eyes widened. She knew Tommy was feeling down, but she never thought it was this serious. Could he possibly be thinking of suicide? "I'll go with you" she told him easily.
He looked up at her with hope in his eyes, "really?" he said grinning.
"Yeah. When do you plan on going?" she asked him as she folded the flyer back to it's original crumpled self.
"I was thinking of going today" he said his tone getting a bit down for thoughts of her backing out entering him.
"Oh, okay. I'll have to go home and change though" she answered him raising her eyebrows at him.
"It's an hour drive though" he told her wanting her to get the full information now before it was too late and she didn't want to go later.
"Hey, what are friends for?" she asked smiling at him glad to be getting a smile back from him. Sure it was a sad smile, but nonetheless, it was a smile.
- - -
They arrived at the address told to Tommy right before eight. He didn't want to give too much information out. He just went to see what the place was all about and see if it was worth coming back to. Katherine was there for moral support. She really cared about him in ways that she herself couldn't explain.
"It starts at eight right?" she asked him as she got off the jeep and headed inside along with other people walking in the doors.
"Yup" he told her checking the address again wanting to know for sure that they were in the right place.
Katherine looked around for a moment and noticed something very odd about the rather dark theater they were entering. "Umm…Tommy" she said turning to him wrinkling her eyebrows in the process. "Do you notice that there are mostly middle aged men in here?" Her tone was low and discrete.
Tommy at that looked up from the paper and around at their surroundings. "Yeah" he said in a slow manner looking around in puzzlement.
"Are you sure they said teens were going to be here tonight?" she asked him wanting to make sure they were in the right place. "It doesn't look like a counseling center at all."
The place looked more like a show to her. For some reason she was getting bad vibes out of the whole situation. The place had a really bad smell to it. A smell she couldn't place her finger on, but she could have sworn it was a strong gory scent of some sort. Tommy as well looked around to find the men paying the entrance. They hadn't told him anything about a cover charge to get in here. The few women that were there as well seemed dirty and middle aged like the men did. He shook his head not knowing what to say at the precise moment.
"Tommy" Kat began, "I don't like the looks of this."
"Me neither" he told her still looking around. He was going to suggest the exit at that but a man with a loud hoarse voice got up on a chair and started announcing the show.
"The show's about to begin! Hurry, hurry, hurry" the man on the chair said. He looked as if he were in his late fifties and had a bad case of gingivitis. Looking dirty, drunk, and drugged, he got off the chair struggling even though he had help and walked through the entrance doors of the show.
"We should check it out" Tommy heard Kat say as he saw her take a step forward and pulled out a twenty dollar bill.
"Kat wait" he told her but also thought they should check it out. He immediately stopped his protest as they handed both of them slips of papers.
They both filled out the forms stating they were completely a part of and responsible toward anything that was seen and done that night. They were a little self-conscience about the whole thing, but they had to fill out the quick papers to see if it was a matter that the law should get involved in. As they both started heading in through the doors, a tall old man with a long beard called out Tommy's name making him step back once more.
"You didn't write down your driver's license number kid" he told Tommy who was now at the front once more.
"Oh" he simply said taking the form and jotting down the numbers quickly.
Once inside, they noticed the men and women standing in front of a stage waiting for the curtains to be pulled up. They both looked at each other and wondered what could possibly be going on when the lights dimmed. Tommy quickly grabbed Kat's hand to make sure he didn't lose her at any point in time that they were there. He pulled her toward her as they began walking to the center of the crowd so they could have a center view of what was going to happen.
As the curtains opened, the people around them applauded causing Kat to widen her eyes and remain in awe with her mouth open at the sight she had in front of her. A woman sat naked in a chair tied down to it gagged and unable to move.
"Oh my God" Tommy whispered silently looking at the other people's reactions to the sight that lay before him. No one seemed uncomfortable by this at all making him turn to Katherine and she to him while they both looked at each other questionably before looking back at the stage.
A man wearing a black leather mask walked up next to the woman who started crying uncontrollably. He got two butcher knives off the cart and began running them all around her body. The woman began squirming as best she could to untie herself from the tight ropes. The man then stabbed the woman in the stomach four times continuously. Blood gushed out of her abdomen. He then proceeded in using the other knife to stab her in her right eye with his left hand as the right was used to drop the knife and stick his hand inside her body grabbing any organ he could find and yanking it out forcibly all the way.
Tommy at this couldn't believe his eyes. The only thing going through his mind at that moment incredibly enough was reason. He thought of going up on stage and rescuing the poor woman, but that had meant it might have been the forty guys in the audience against him. There was no telling what they might have done to them, to Kat. He then thought about her well being and knew that something horrible would definitely happen to her if he were to pull something stupid in a place he knew nothing about.
He looked over at Kat whom remained still through the whole ordeal. She was frozen. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. A murder right before her very eyes. A cold-blooded murder and she didn't do anything about it. For some neurotic reason, she was somehow hypnotized with the snuff show going on right in front of her. She couldn't move a muscle, though her mind was racing at the speed of light. She couldn't save her anymore.
It was too late to do anything now. The chainsaw's roar was loud and fierce as it was used to chop her body into different bits. First, the toes where cut off by an inch away from their separations, then her hands about an inch away from her wrists. Pieces of her body were just being dropped to the stage's floor and some even rolled off. Dark red blood was sprayed to the audience even though miraculously, Kat didn't get sprayed, they both knew they would be taking a shower as soon as they got home…if they made it out of there alive that is.
Katherine blinked only once and felt a cascade of tears running down her face. That was it. It was finished. She couldn't believe her eyes.
The short twenty minutes they had been there seemed like an eternity to Tommy. It was as if he was watching the whole thing in slow motion yet couldn't do anything about it. The whole time he never let go of Kat's hand, yet knew she was feeling the same horrible way that he was because of the strong grip she held as she clutched her fingers tightly around his.
They both knew the trip home would be dealt by a long ride of unbroken silence.
- - -
Two long weeks were spent almost wordlessly between Tommy and Kat. Their friends knew there was definitely something going on between the two, but neither would say a word to their friends about what happened. Tension would always arise once these two would be in the same room together. They found it better to not say anything to each other or anyone else for that matter.
There was so much to be said, yet Kat didn't have the courage to say it. Finally, Tommy called her up on the phone that afternoon and told her to meet him at the park to talk about what was going on and to discuss what they felt about the show. She agreed, though, she had ballet practice. She'd meet him afterward. He argued urgency, but she wouldn't swallow it. Priorities came first, and she had to practice more than anything. At ballet practice, Katherine still couldn't believe what she witnessed not that long ago.
- - -
Arriving at the park and finding Tommy were the easy parts that day. Once he saw her coming up to him, he ran toward her meeting her more than half way there. "Kat" he called to her waving a paper in front of her face.
"What is it?" she asked him trying to maneuver her head to get in focus with the swaying orange paper.
"I got this flyer at home. I barely got it before my dad could see it," he said folding the flyer and putting it back into his pocket. "Did you get one?"
"No…I didn't," she said recollecting her steps of the day. "I haven't been home all day." She tried to remember if she had seen the mail being picked up by either of her parents this morning but not one thing came into her head at that time.
"Well, maybe since I was the one that called, they sent me a flyer" he told her trying to reassure her now worried look.
"I better get home," she said quickly picking up her gym bag and taking out the keys to her car. Not even bothering to say goodbye, she turned and started walking as fast as she could to her car.
We actually witnessed a murder right in front of us, Tommy thought as he saw Kat walking away. We were part of the murder. We're…murderers. I could've done something to save that poor woman. He looked down at the wet grass placing his hands on his sides. Shaking his head, he cursed himself for signing the forms and showing his ID to those jerks. How was he any different from them? He was there. He could have done something.
- - -
"Mum" Kat called out to her mother as she walked inside a quiet house. Her father must have been at work like always, she knew her mother had to be either home or maybe grocery shopping. Seeing no mail in the mailbox outside, she started looking around the house to see if a flyer was sent there. If not, it was her job to bring in the mail for the rest of her life. Walking into the kitchen, again she called for Erin. No answer. Cocking her head to the side in a questioning motion, she peered at the counter where an orange paper lay face up. She walked up to it as if it were a cobra waiting to bite her. She read what it said:
DARE to save your TEEN conference.
Have any questions?
Comments?
Or just plain concerns?
We can help. Call, 555-9375
Kat felt a pain in her stomach as she wrinkled the paper in her hand squeezing it as tightly as her grip could bear. She walked to the trashcan and stepped on the lever so it could open. As she threw the paper in the trash she looked up and noticed a note on the refrigerator door, it read:
Went to conference
-Mum
At this, Katherine felt nausea in the pit of her stomach starting to rise. It was no time to be feeling sick now. She checked the time on the microwave oven, 7:23pm. "Oh my God!" she yelled out loud running to the living room, retrieving her car keys, and running out the door. Her first instinct was to drive straight to the place, but thought ahead and decided to pass through the park in case Tommy was still there. To her surprise and maybe her prayers helping, he was. She honked her way there as she sped through the grass making him wonder what was wrong with her. "Get in the car, now!" she demanded.
With everything that had been going on, he didn't need to ask what her problem was. There'd be plenty of time for that in the car. He ran to the passenger side and got in the car as quickly as possible. "What's the matter" he questioned with concern in his voice getting pulled back as Kat hit the accelerator.
"It's my mum…she's at the show," she said not even noticing her voice breaking or her hands trembling.
- - -
They ran inside, paying and signing the forms as fast as they could. Again, Tommy forgot to write down his driver's license number. Calling him back, the man demanded he write it down and showed his ID. "Just go Kat!" he told her as he snatched the form from the old man.
Katherine ran into the room pushing the doors wide open. Running into the crowd, she searched for her mother. "Mum!" she called out looking for her in the crowd, until she looked up at the stage. There sat her mom, naked, dead eyes wide open as if looking right at her daughter; the blade of the chainsaw ripping through her ears. "Mum! No!"
-FRIENDS-
A/N: I know, I know, it had to be a dribble but with the way I write…what did you expect?