Beast of Blood: by Vanessa S. Quest (title thanks to Malice Mizer)
She threw her hair back into a ponytail that morning, and tossed on a gray t-shirt and black flare jeans. Her blond bangs fell into her eyes perfectly although not yet brushed.
Venus stood up, and walked towards her trunk, scrimmaging through it's contents she came to a silver compact with a butterfly engraved into it, still very reflective. She turned it over, feeling it's back. Several notches on the lid, "Veronica. Lauri. Jenna." She slid it back into the spot she had found it, then grabbed a pile of old photographs. 'Uncle Phil's coming by today.'
The first photo came up, Lauri on her shoulders, she 10, Lauri 7. Hot tears poured down her cheeks. She ran back to her compact, opening it, she saw the broken mirror.
The memory came quickly to her; she was laying in bed now. Her black turtleneck sweater laid beside her as she leaned back in just her bra and be blue jeans.
Jenna smiled. She took up the shirt, and slid it over her shortened blond hair. She fixed her bangs so they covered her forehead, looked into a picture of Venus as if to herself, "Just right!" She took up her bag and gray petticoat and left her home.
She was 12, 2 years older than Venus, and her cousin, through adoption, Phil Corbin's biological daughter, and Venus's arch nemesis at times as children.
Darren had called Phil over for dinner though, and of course he planned on bringing his daughter. Neither brother was married, Phil's fiancé lost to illness after giving birth a reason they both put off the marriage, and Darren's first an only real commitment having such a horrible end, he never knew if he could move on.
Regardless, the dinner was to be held, at 7 O'clock, and Jenna to be ready and polite to Venus, and she the reverse. It was the first time they had seen each other in months, they might have grown past that stage of dislike. and into a stage of dementia.
The door rang, that fateful night years ago, Venus answered it, her autumn dress on, shoes polished, hair in bow and lips pearly with lip-gloss. She looked perfect, like the model children that can only be photographed and admired, yet she walked talked and acted just as she appeared, PERFECT. Darren stepped in at her side, "Phil! Jenna, come in, COME IN! It's freezing out there! Here, let me take your jacket. and any money in there." Darren winked to his big brother.
Phil laughed, "You already do that ENOUGH. Where can I set it down?" He gestured towards the hall closet. Venus took his jacket and extended her arm to Jenna, Jenna hissed at her, scratching her as she 'handed' her the jacket. Venus pulled back just as she dropped her coat, revealing her pinching, clawing hand. "JENNA! I told you not to start any trouble, apologize to your cousin!"
"But. I, but, BUT DADDY! She started it!"
Darren rolled his eyes to Phil and smiled, he kneeled down and lifted her jacket from the ground, "Jenna, I'll hang it up for you, is that alright?"
She nodded eagerly.
Only then did the strands of short blond hair come around her face. 'My hair. SHE stole my hair.' Venus thought to herself, she touched her own hair self-consciously. 'Why would she. do that?'
"Well, Jenna! You got a new haircut, you and Venus could almost be twins!" Darren commented.
Phil laughed, "Yeah, she actually took Venus's picture in and said to the lady 'THAT!' I guess what they say IS true, mocking is the best form of admiration."
Venus stepped back, 'and black. and blue? Since when does she wear that? What is she up to.' Venus looked at Darren nervously. "Well, I'm sure you're both VERY hungry, would you like to sit down and have some Hors d'oeuvres?"
"Why, that would be LOVELY." Phil gestured. Jenna smiled cynically.
"Sure. I'll sit next to Venus."
Venus gulped. 'She *is* planning something.'
Hours past as did dinner, as Venus and Jenna did not fight. Phil and Darren excused themselves to talk about some rash of cases and their involvement to the Agencies respectively.
Jenna tugged on Venus's sleeve. "I need to tell you something, come close, it's a secret." She began whispering, she leaned on the table still covered with dishes.
Venus leaned in towards her ear, "What is it Jenna?" She asked, curiously.
"You're trying to kill me, so I'm going to stop you." She said she plunged the steak knife from her plate into Venus's stomach 2 inches deep.
Venus screamed, a shocked, blood-wrenching scream.
Darren and Phil ran into the room, seeing neither of the girls ran towards the stairs.
Jenna sat under the table, smiling, holding one hand clamped over Venus's mouth and the other on the knife she pressed deeper into Venus's stomach, and then pulled it out, and slid it into her boot.
The blood started pouring onto the tiles from out from under the table.
"PHIL! Call an ambulance." Darren grabbed his gun, Jenna came out of the table as Venus passed out, she started screaming.
"It was an accident! She fell on the table!"
Darren saw the telltale blood drops on her hands and the bite marks but said nothing. "Phil, get her out of here."
"But Darren, she might know something."
"GET HER OUT OF HERE. I need to see if Venus is alright."
He pushed the table out of the way; then looked down at Venus. He checked her pulse.
Alex, Ian, Marissa, Lauri and De came to the door, unlocking it with the key. De entered with a bag of groceries, all completely unaware of the situation in the dining room.
Alex and Marissa started to move up the stairs towards their rooms, when they saw the figure sitting on Venus's bed. Marissa and Alex walked in. Marissa walked into the dark room, Alex flicking the switch as he entered.
She faced the walls, looking at all of Venus's tokens, 'One day, you'll all be mine, like you rightfully should be. She stole you all.'
"Oh, hey Venus. How'd dinner go?" Alex asked casually, Jenna smiled as she turned a twisted idea forming.
'If she's dead then I am her. and if I'm her, it's all mine.' She looked at Alex, the large smile still present.
"OH! Jenna, shit! I thought you were Venus, I'm sorry. Hey, what are you doing in her room?" Alex asked.
"ALEX! Watch the language," Marissa reminded him, "Hey, where IS Venus anyways?"
Jenna looked at them oddly. "I'm right here!" She said meanly.
"Yeah. we see that, but where's Venus." Alex retorted. "That's who *I* want to see." 'And put my arms around.' He added to himself.
"Oh. she's DOWNSTAIRS in the dining room." Jenna said, smiling darkly. Alex nodded.
"Cool, thanks."
"No problem." She added. Marissa looked at Jenna's leg, she had blood on her jeans.
'Granted. in our house, bloodstains aren't odd, but that's fresh. What have you been doing in the garden Jenna?'
Marissa walked past Jenna, "Hey Jenna, your shoe's untied." She said, in a joking fashion, hoping to make her pull to check.
She did. 'A knife.'
"NO THEY'RE NOT!"
"Ha-ha, made you look." Marissa said tonelessly. She walked out. Jenna quickly looked back down to her leg.
"The blood, OH NO SHE KNOWS!" She walked behind Marissa, stealthily, coming behind her she drew the knife; Marissa turned and kicked her square in the stomach.
"Alex, run!"
Jenna tackled them both, sending them hurtling down the stairs like dolls. She ran into the only locking room she could see, the linen closet.
Lauri smiled and turned around to face the new person, "You found me Auntie De! Hey, you're not De." Her eyes narrowed, "Are you cut? You're bleeding."
Something inside Jenna snapped, any realm of sanity, any potential of mercy went far. FAR away, she drew up her knife and began slicing down on the little girl, 29 strokes and sprays later; she left the closet, a completely new color from her normal self. She ran towards the dining room, to check, with conviction to see if Venus was dead yet.
Darren slid a towel under Venus's head. His gun firm in hand, "And she then ATTACKED you two, right? Phil, are you HEARING me? .She. she's snapped." His breathing frantic only from the knowledge that somewhere, in his house there is a psychotic girl, wielding a steak knife content on killing anyone who questions her mad mind. "Okay, Phil. round up Ian, De, Lauri. Alex, and Marissa, I'll take Venus and we'll lock ourselves in the gun room."
"Darren, she's my daughter. You can't just .kill her!"
"DAMN IT Phil, I'm not planning on it, but LOOK at what your daughter did and is TRYING to do. I have to protect them somehow! And that room is one of my safest."
A shrill scream followed by a more masculine scream came from the upstairs half of the house, by the linen closet.
"Oh no. De. Phil, STAY HERE. Marissa, Alex. would you have a problem shooting a kid who tried killing you?"
Marissa and Alex cocked their guns in unison. "Good, Alex, stay here, Marissa come with me for back up."
Darren ran up the stairs, only to see De cradling Lauri, her intestines lining the floor. He clamped his hand over his mouth, "MARISSA! Stay back."
Marissa looked at the scene then ran back down the stairs. "ALEX! She. SHE." She began crying, "VENUS WHAT IN THE HELL DID YOU DO!?" She kicked Venus in the shoulder then face before Phil could restrain her.
"MARISSA! Calm down, what's wrong?" Alex demanded, checking on Venus, a bruise slow to form on her cheek and her shoulder looking dislocated.
"Alex. LAURI'S DEAD!"
Alex's arms dropped, Venus included. She fell into his thigh limply, her eyes parted slightly. "What. no. you can't be serious." his lip trembled, "YOU'RE LYING YOU FUCKING BITCH YOU'RE LYING!"
Phil shook his head, putting his hands to his mouth, "This can't be happening. Marissa, it's not Venus's fault. she's been like this ever since you came home. It's Jenna. it has to be. but why. why would she?"
She stepped out of the shadows, Venus's eyes opened halfway, she could barely breathe.
"I knew you were alive. that's why everyone hated me. You make them hate me." Jenna swore at Venus.
Venus meekly grabbed Phil's lowered gun and swung it to right above her naval, her arm extended to full. She fired, three shots missing at each side.
Jenna dodged with a turn, facing the near-off bullets as they hit the wall and china. She stepped closer towards Venus, holding the knife upward ready to land a strike downward.
Darren fired a shot from the doorway, twelve paces away.
Venus fired upward.
Jenna's body flew upward, the knife hurtled into the ground in between strands of Venus's still perfect hair.
"Damn you, I'll come back and kill you. you keep trying to kill me. and if I want to have a life. I have to destroy you." Jenna whispered, thinking back to her picture of herself and Venus as she was loaded in a separate ambulance.
Venus collapsed into a comatose-like sleep as they loaded her into the ambulance, the drivers pumping her full of blood.
She looked back down at the pictures in the box. "God damn you." She threw the box back into the trunk, the order shuffled again. ".Damn you so much Jenna. For all else I could've forgiven. but Lauri."
She stood up and looked out of the balcony just in time to see Phil Corbin pull up with his daughter, Jenna standing at the Quest Compound entrance. Venus cocked two of her starlight series pistols, putting her .32 Caliber butterfly shooter in her sneaker, safety on, and her .45 Caliber Beretta in the back of her jeans, tucking her shirt over it.
The End. To Be Continued.
She threw her hair back into a ponytail that morning, and tossed on a gray t-shirt and black flare jeans. Her blond bangs fell into her eyes perfectly although not yet brushed.
Venus stood up, and walked towards her trunk, scrimmaging through it's contents she came to a silver compact with a butterfly engraved into it, still very reflective. She turned it over, feeling it's back. Several notches on the lid, "Veronica. Lauri. Jenna." She slid it back into the spot she had found it, then grabbed a pile of old photographs. 'Uncle Phil's coming by today.'
The first photo came up, Lauri on her shoulders, she 10, Lauri 7. Hot tears poured down her cheeks. She ran back to her compact, opening it, she saw the broken mirror.
The memory came quickly to her; she was laying in bed now. Her black turtleneck sweater laid beside her as she leaned back in just her bra and be blue jeans.
Jenna smiled. She took up the shirt, and slid it over her shortened blond hair. She fixed her bangs so they covered her forehead, looked into a picture of Venus as if to herself, "Just right!" She took up her bag and gray petticoat and left her home.
She was 12, 2 years older than Venus, and her cousin, through adoption, Phil Corbin's biological daughter, and Venus's arch nemesis at times as children.
Darren had called Phil over for dinner though, and of course he planned on bringing his daughter. Neither brother was married, Phil's fiancé lost to illness after giving birth a reason they both put off the marriage, and Darren's first an only real commitment having such a horrible end, he never knew if he could move on.
Regardless, the dinner was to be held, at 7 O'clock, and Jenna to be ready and polite to Venus, and she the reverse. It was the first time they had seen each other in months, they might have grown past that stage of dislike. and into a stage of dementia.
The door rang, that fateful night years ago, Venus answered it, her autumn dress on, shoes polished, hair in bow and lips pearly with lip-gloss. She looked perfect, like the model children that can only be photographed and admired, yet she walked talked and acted just as she appeared, PERFECT. Darren stepped in at her side, "Phil! Jenna, come in, COME IN! It's freezing out there! Here, let me take your jacket. and any money in there." Darren winked to his big brother.
Phil laughed, "You already do that ENOUGH. Where can I set it down?" He gestured towards the hall closet. Venus took his jacket and extended her arm to Jenna, Jenna hissed at her, scratching her as she 'handed' her the jacket. Venus pulled back just as she dropped her coat, revealing her pinching, clawing hand. "JENNA! I told you not to start any trouble, apologize to your cousin!"
"But. I, but, BUT DADDY! She started it!"
Darren rolled his eyes to Phil and smiled, he kneeled down and lifted her jacket from the ground, "Jenna, I'll hang it up for you, is that alright?"
She nodded eagerly.
Only then did the strands of short blond hair come around her face. 'My hair. SHE stole my hair.' Venus thought to herself, she touched her own hair self-consciously. 'Why would she. do that?'
"Well, Jenna! You got a new haircut, you and Venus could almost be twins!" Darren commented.
Phil laughed, "Yeah, she actually took Venus's picture in and said to the lady 'THAT!' I guess what they say IS true, mocking is the best form of admiration."
Venus stepped back, 'and black. and blue? Since when does she wear that? What is she up to.' Venus looked at Darren nervously. "Well, I'm sure you're both VERY hungry, would you like to sit down and have some Hors d'oeuvres?"
"Why, that would be LOVELY." Phil gestured. Jenna smiled cynically.
"Sure. I'll sit next to Venus."
Venus gulped. 'She *is* planning something.'
Hours past as did dinner, as Venus and Jenna did not fight. Phil and Darren excused themselves to talk about some rash of cases and their involvement to the Agencies respectively.
Jenna tugged on Venus's sleeve. "I need to tell you something, come close, it's a secret." She began whispering, she leaned on the table still covered with dishes.
Venus leaned in towards her ear, "What is it Jenna?" She asked, curiously.
"You're trying to kill me, so I'm going to stop you." She said she plunged the steak knife from her plate into Venus's stomach 2 inches deep.
Venus screamed, a shocked, blood-wrenching scream.
Darren and Phil ran into the room, seeing neither of the girls ran towards the stairs.
Jenna sat under the table, smiling, holding one hand clamped over Venus's mouth and the other on the knife she pressed deeper into Venus's stomach, and then pulled it out, and slid it into her boot.
The blood started pouring onto the tiles from out from under the table.
"PHIL! Call an ambulance." Darren grabbed his gun, Jenna came out of the table as Venus passed out, she started screaming.
"It was an accident! She fell on the table!"
Darren saw the telltale blood drops on her hands and the bite marks but said nothing. "Phil, get her out of here."
"But Darren, she might know something."
"GET HER OUT OF HERE. I need to see if Venus is alright."
He pushed the table out of the way; then looked down at Venus. He checked her pulse.
Alex, Ian, Marissa, Lauri and De came to the door, unlocking it with the key. De entered with a bag of groceries, all completely unaware of the situation in the dining room.
Alex and Marissa started to move up the stairs towards their rooms, when they saw the figure sitting on Venus's bed. Marissa and Alex walked in. Marissa walked into the dark room, Alex flicking the switch as he entered.
She faced the walls, looking at all of Venus's tokens, 'One day, you'll all be mine, like you rightfully should be. She stole you all.'
"Oh, hey Venus. How'd dinner go?" Alex asked casually, Jenna smiled as she turned a twisted idea forming.
'If she's dead then I am her. and if I'm her, it's all mine.' She looked at Alex, the large smile still present.
"OH! Jenna, shit! I thought you were Venus, I'm sorry. Hey, what are you doing in her room?" Alex asked.
"ALEX! Watch the language," Marissa reminded him, "Hey, where IS Venus anyways?"
Jenna looked at them oddly. "I'm right here!" She said meanly.
"Yeah. we see that, but where's Venus." Alex retorted. "That's who *I* want to see." 'And put my arms around.' He added to himself.
"Oh. she's DOWNSTAIRS in the dining room." Jenna said, smiling darkly. Alex nodded.
"Cool, thanks."
"No problem." She added. Marissa looked at Jenna's leg, she had blood on her jeans.
'Granted. in our house, bloodstains aren't odd, but that's fresh. What have you been doing in the garden Jenna?'
Marissa walked past Jenna, "Hey Jenna, your shoe's untied." She said, in a joking fashion, hoping to make her pull to check.
She did. 'A knife.'
"NO THEY'RE NOT!"
"Ha-ha, made you look." Marissa said tonelessly. She walked out. Jenna quickly looked back down to her leg.
"The blood, OH NO SHE KNOWS!" She walked behind Marissa, stealthily, coming behind her she drew the knife; Marissa turned and kicked her square in the stomach.
"Alex, run!"
Jenna tackled them both, sending them hurtling down the stairs like dolls. She ran into the only locking room she could see, the linen closet.
Lauri smiled and turned around to face the new person, "You found me Auntie De! Hey, you're not De." Her eyes narrowed, "Are you cut? You're bleeding."
Something inside Jenna snapped, any realm of sanity, any potential of mercy went far. FAR away, she drew up her knife and began slicing down on the little girl, 29 strokes and sprays later; she left the closet, a completely new color from her normal self. She ran towards the dining room, to check, with conviction to see if Venus was dead yet.
Darren slid a towel under Venus's head. His gun firm in hand, "And she then ATTACKED you two, right? Phil, are you HEARING me? .She. she's snapped." His breathing frantic only from the knowledge that somewhere, in his house there is a psychotic girl, wielding a steak knife content on killing anyone who questions her mad mind. "Okay, Phil. round up Ian, De, Lauri. Alex, and Marissa, I'll take Venus and we'll lock ourselves in the gun room."
"Darren, she's my daughter. You can't just .kill her!"
"DAMN IT Phil, I'm not planning on it, but LOOK at what your daughter did and is TRYING to do. I have to protect them somehow! And that room is one of my safest."
A shrill scream followed by a more masculine scream came from the upstairs half of the house, by the linen closet.
"Oh no. De. Phil, STAY HERE. Marissa, Alex. would you have a problem shooting a kid who tried killing you?"
Marissa and Alex cocked their guns in unison. "Good, Alex, stay here, Marissa come with me for back up."
Darren ran up the stairs, only to see De cradling Lauri, her intestines lining the floor. He clamped his hand over his mouth, "MARISSA! Stay back."
Marissa looked at the scene then ran back down the stairs. "ALEX! She. SHE." She began crying, "VENUS WHAT IN THE HELL DID YOU DO!?" She kicked Venus in the shoulder then face before Phil could restrain her.
"MARISSA! Calm down, what's wrong?" Alex demanded, checking on Venus, a bruise slow to form on her cheek and her shoulder looking dislocated.
"Alex. LAURI'S DEAD!"
Alex's arms dropped, Venus included. She fell into his thigh limply, her eyes parted slightly. "What. no. you can't be serious." his lip trembled, "YOU'RE LYING YOU FUCKING BITCH YOU'RE LYING!"
Phil shook his head, putting his hands to his mouth, "This can't be happening. Marissa, it's not Venus's fault. she's been like this ever since you came home. It's Jenna. it has to be. but why. why would she?"
She stepped out of the shadows, Venus's eyes opened halfway, she could barely breathe.
"I knew you were alive. that's why everyone hated me. You make them hate me." Jenna swore at Venus.
Venus meekly grabbed Phil's lowered gun and swung it to right above her naval, her arm extended to full. She fired, three shots missing at each side.
Jenna dodged with a turn, facing the near-off bullets as they hit the wall and china. She stepped closer towards Venus, holding the knife upward ready to land a strike downward.
Darren fired a shot from the doorway, twelve paces away.
Venus fired upward.
Jenna's body flew upward, the knife hurtled into the ground in between strands of Venus's still perfect hair.
"Damn you, I'll come back and kill you. you keep trying to kill me. and if I want to have a life. I have to destroy you." Jenna whispered, thinking back to her picture of herself and Venus as she was loaded in a separate ambulance.
Venus collapsed into a comatose-like sleep as they loaded her into the ambulance, the drivers pumping her full of blood.
She looked back down at the pictures in the box. "God damn you." She threw the box back into the trunk, the order shuffled again. ".Damn you so much Jenna. For all else I could've forgiven. but Lauri."
She stood up and looked out of the balcony just in time to see Phil Corbin pull up with his daughter, Jenna standing at the Quest Compound entrance. Venus cocked two of her starlight series pistols, putting her .32 Caliber butterfly shooter in her sneaker, safety on, and her .45 Caliber Beretta in the back of her jeans, tucking her shirt over it.
The End. To Be Continued.