Chapter 24
By the time Addison pulled up to the cabin, her hands were trembling. Even though she was wearing a wire and the police were close by and set to move in a moment's notice, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. She shut off the lights and got out of the car, keeping her eyes on the front door of the cabin. It was deadly quiet but she could see a shadow moving towards the door. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "Jessica, it's me Addison. I'm here and I'm alone just like you wanted." The door to the cabin opened but Jessica did not appear.
"Come in Addison. I'm not standing in the door so those bastards can shoot me. Put your hands up where I can see them and walk slowly into the cabin."
Addison put her hands up and slowly made her way through the door of the cabin. Jessica was standing behind the door, a gun in her hand. She slammed the door with her foot as Addison stood in front of her.
"Are you sure the cops aren't here Addie?" Addison looked at her. Her hair was knotted and looked like chunks of it were missing. Her face was scratched up and bleeding. Her eyes were swollen and red. Even though her appearance was deranged, she still looked like a wolf ready to attack its prey. She was talking in an eerie sing song voice that sent a chill down Addison's spine.
Addison shook her head, "They're not here Jessica." Her eyes wandered around the room. "Where's Amber?"
"If I were you I'd be more worried about my own life." The loathing and hate in her eyes made her appear even more dangerous. She motioned to the chair in the corner. "Sit."
Addison stepped back towards the chair, not taking her eyes off the gun. "Jessica, why are you doing this? I came because I want to help…"
"SHUT UP! YOU DO NOT WANT TO HELP ME. YOU CAME BECAUSE OF AMBER. YOU THOUGHT THAT MAYBE YOU WOULD SAVE HER LIFE AND BE THE HERO RIGHT? WELL IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. HE LOVED ME UNTIL YOU CAME AROUND!" Addison watched Jessica tighten the grip on the gun in an effort to control her shaking.
Addison glanced around the room. She couldn't hear the baby. Oh God, where was she? "Jessica, all I care about is that Amber is okay. You can hurt me but please don't hurt her. None of this is her fault."
Jessica shut her eyes. "Please stop talking to me. I don't want to hear it." She looked around for the voices floating in her head, "Yes this is all her fault. Yes she ruined my life. She's going to pay. Pete will have no more Addie and Jessica will take care of him. Jessica will make him all better." She giggled and pointed the gun at Addison. "Poor Addie, she looks so scared. Are you scared Addie? I can make your fear go away Addie. I can make you scared no more." She was talking in a child's voice, her eyes looking past Addison to a world that wasn't there. She stepped closer, Addison closed her eyes. She didn't want to die this way, at the hands of a madwoman. There had to be something she could do…. She started to cry, a deep mournful cry that seemed to surprise Jessica. Part of it was because she truly was scared but the other part of it was because she had only one option left. Sympathy.
"He told me he was leaving me. I should have known he loved you more. He was just using me to make you jealous." Addison looked at her, tears streaming down her face. She tried her best to sound devastated. She was running out of time….
Jessica gasped, "You're lying. You're just saying that so I don't kill you. You're just trying to trick Jessica."
Addison could see the wheels had started to turn in Jessica's mind. Had she not truly believed her, she would have shot her by now. Jessica stepped back, "Did he really say that? Did he really say he loved me more than you?" She loosened her grip on the gun.
Addison relaxed a bit. If she could just keep this going until help arrived…. "Yes, he told me this morning. He said he was going back to you and that you were going to get married this weekend, just like you had originally planned." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a movement. Through the window, she could barely make out Pete's shadow creeping slowly towards the front door. She started to panic, "So he was going to leave me anyway. Don't you see? We can forget this ever happened." She started to raise her voice, hoping Jessica wouldn't notice the door opening behind her. "We can say that this was all a misunderstanding and that you were never going to harm us." She tried her best to not look behind Jessica, afraid of what she might do.
"YOU ARE LYING! STOP LYING TO ME!" She raised the gun and squeezed the trigger just as Pete reached around from behind and pulled her arms up. The bullet pierced the ceiling, causing dusty debris to cloud the room. Addison watched in horror as Jessica and Pete struggled for control of the gun. Just as Pete was about to grab it, Jessica kneed him and slid out from under his grasp. She pulled herself up and grasped the gun with her free hand. Dust covered her from head to toe and blood seeped from her nose. She was shaking her head and breathing heavy. Addison stood there, frozen. She knew time had run out. Just as Jessica raised the gun and pointed it her way, Pete threw his body in front of her; shielding her from harm. Addison screamed, "Noooooo!!" The gun went off just as the door flew open and Jessica was tackled from behind.
