Most everyone inside the lobby of the historic building turned community evacuation facility cleared the floor at the first sign of trouble. That had been when Sonny's two women had made eyes at each other from across the room and both refused to look away, deferring to one another. There could only be one queen bee in the hive and Sonny could have only one mafia moll at his side at a time.
Brenda and Carly had walked across the room from their respective corners and staked each other out, circling with their mascara coated eyes focused on the other. Darkness had fallen over the building after the last vestige of power went out but someone soon struck a match without blowing the building up to provide a soft halo of light. Soon more candles were lit including by other souls including Robin and Max who handed a spare off to Lulu. She tried to hand one off to a woman wearing a veil over her face standing a distance away but the other woman shook her head. Lulu narrowed her eyes thinking she looked familiar but…then decided it wasn't important.
She wished she had some idea where Johnny Wonderful had wandered off to this time when she hadn't been looking. Now that was important, so she decided to leave the latest members of Sonny's harem to their devices and go looking for him. But when the sounds of furniture being moved and crystal being shattered reached her, she wondered if the whole world had gone crazy when she hadn't been looking. Then she idly wondered if her father had anything to do with it.
"He's mine….," one of the women shrieked but Lulu couldn't be sure which one in the disarray.
"You bitch," came from the other side of the room.
Lulu just couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried what the appeal was about Sonny. He was a scrappy looking, hollow eyed mumbling guy who wore elevator shoes disguised as boots. Yet all these PC women had fallen onto the nearest furniture with him whenever he favored them with what was described as a smoldering look. His spell just didn't work on her and she didn't know why…not when there were men like Johnny Wonderful around anyway.
"You are dead to me," a woman who sounded like Carly said.
"Hey that's my line," Sonny mumbled softly from the sidelines waiting to see who'd win as he usually did whenever a chick fight broke out in his proximity.
"Trailer trash"
"Debutante slut…"
The endearments continued to be exchanged in the heat of battle between the two women each word slicing deeply into the opponent like a finely honed stiletto blade. But neither woman even considered surrender not even for a dubious prize like a washed up Mafia dude.
The crowd watching the two women go at it widened and Lulu knew the fur would start flying really fast so she decided to take her exit at that point. She looked into the darkness of the corridor and felt a trace of fear tickle the back of her neck. Shouldn't she at least find a flashlight, or lantern she asked herself…but regardless she had to go looking for him so she started walking towards the door leading to a hallway that appeared to be as good a place to start as anyone of the dozen that had just popped up to choose from.
"Lulu wait…"
Someone grabbed her arm and she turned to see that it was Sami. She turned around to face the older woman who couldn't keep her own pants hitched up.
"What's wrong Sami," she said, "You can't find Jason again?"
Sami just looked at her and shook her head.
"He's talking with some others to try to decide whether we need to send out a rescue signal…you know an SOS so people can find us."
Lulu didn't think that to be a wasted effort. After all, they couldn't stay confined in the Brownstone for very much longer, not if brawls were breaking out every few minutes and people were starting to disappear.
"So what do you want then?"
Sami just stuck another piece of gum in her mouth and started chewing it.
"I…I need to know if I can borrow some plastic."
Lulu's brows rose. What on earth was this clueless tramp thinking about when the whole city had been washed away by the flood? It's not like any of the high scale boutiques were standing let alone open for business and judging from the looks of Sami and her reputation around PC, she didn't frequent those venues anyway.
"Why on earth do you need to borrow a credit card?"
Sami's jaw worked and she fidgeted with her pants which started to sag again.
"I saw some stuff I want to buy on Ebay," she said, "My mom, you know Alexis, told me I need to get a job if I'm going to keep living with her and I need some threads to wear at the interview."
Lulu wasn't impressed by Sami's newly discovered work ethic. She knew that if Sami bought clothes, they'd be any low plunging, high hemmed getup out there to use to entice any male employers to hire her over the better qualified competition. She wasn't a huge fan of Alexis or Natasha as her dad called the neurotic lawyer but she wondered along with the rest of the town why Alexis didn't just do a DNA test to find out for sure whether or not Sami was really her daughter before allowing her to keep sponging off of her.
"Sami…don't be so selfish," she said, "People are dying, they're maimed and they're homeless…and all you can think about is shopping."
The other woman shrugged, unapologetic.
"Hey, got to look nice if I'm going to be a self-made woman."
Lulu just walked away from her totally finished at this point. After all, she had more important things to do. But as she glanced into the darkness of the hallways where any shard of light penetrating it quickly disappeared, she seemed less sure of herself than ever.
Alexis had watched as Sami had sidled up to Lulu and decided that if they all survived this latest disaster, she had to crack down on her oldest daughter. She realized that Sami had taken total advantage of her self-less expression of motherhood for too long, really she should have bought a clue when Sami had started chasing after her men beginning with Sonny. Jason might be a heartless thug but at least Alexis hadn't bedded him first though she had been tempted a time or two…but she just hadn't been as good at this whole cougar thing as Dianne.
Alexis' talent was for shacking up with bad boys, the latest example being the one she had just cavorted with not hours earlier and then after that, she had been exchanging meaningful looks with that Franco character. Maybe she did need therapy after all, if she called Gail right now …maybe she could squeeze some couch time in…oh wait a minute, a disaster had hit PC she remembered. And besides, she was booked for weeks with her murder trial.
"Hey good looking…"
Alexis turned her piercing eyes on the man with a mop who looked as if he were half her age. Not that she even remembered her age but he was a good looking boy with dark hair, a dimpled chin and a sinister look in his eyes. But what was that on his smock that the apron couldn't quite cover? Something crimson….was it?
"Hey you want to go somewhere quiet and talk?"
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Franco…is that your name?"
He nodded.
"It can be….I'm a Renaissance man…of many different arts and trades."
She nodded thoughtfully, the heart inside her chest beating slightly faster but she had to know something first.
"Did Dianne set you up with me?"
He looked puzzled for a moment and that just made him look more dangerous which meant sexier.
"Dianne…ah yes…mistress of the whip."
Alexis nodded.
"Yes..well she's constantly trying to set me up with younger men like I need help."
"Do you?"
His eyes penetrated into her soul just then and she felt her excitement build. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face and fluttered her eyelashes.
"I don't think so…now my eldest daughter on the other hand…she needs a boyfriend who would be a good influence on her…"
Franco's eyes blinked before he smiled again.
"You mean Sami is your daughter…you look too young to have a daughter that age."
Alexis sighed.
"Every woman does in PC," she said, "It's something in the water."
Franco nodded.
"She's a very pretty girl but not as much as her mother."
Alexis sputtered.
"Why…thank you…but you're probably too nice for a woman like me."
Franco's mouth widened further.
"Oh don't be too sure about that…come on I'll buy you a drink."
Johnny Wonderful gazed into the eyes of the blonde woman pinned beneath his body on the couch. Sweat glistened on their bodies as their breathing returned to normal after their coupling. Something about the threat of imminent death had just turned Johnny on so much that he couldn't stop himself from wanting the student nurse whose clothes sheathed her body in a way that enticed and flattered. He'd thought about Lulu and her sweetness a couple times but he…well…he needed this if tomorrow never came for any of them.
Sandra the nurse had been all too happy to go off alone with him into an empty office but now as their bodies remained intertwined, Johnny Wonderful felt some pangs of guilt.
Sandra pulled out a cigarette and lighter from somewhere and lit up.
"That was frigging awesome," she said, "You're everything I heard and more. Patrick thinks he's hot stuff but you were much better."
Johnny nodded his thanks.
"So could we like do this again?"
He just looked at her unable to answer her question.
"I mean you're just so hot and all."
Johnny swallowed noisily thinking he had to get dressed and get out of here before Lulu came looking for him.
"We'd better head back to rejoin the others."
He reached for his clothes and she took the hint and got dressed as well. Soon enough they were heading to the door where she stopped. He glanced at her.
"You staying here?"
She shrugged.
"I need to finish my cigarette," she said, "I don't want that Robin chick taking away my whole pack."
Johnny nodded and left her and Sandra remained humming to herself, her back to the door. She didn't hear it swing open with a gentle creak and then when she did and she turned around to look….it was already too late.
She screamed loudly but there was no one there to listen except the killer who stood over her prone body before reaching for the scissors.
Mac walked down the hallway a few minutes later and saw the little sweet girl heading towards him looking lost.
"Molly, what are you doing here by yourself?"
She wiped a tear from a rosy cheek.
"Mac…I don't know…where's my mommy?"
"She's back at the soup table," Mac said, "Here, we'll go back together so you won't have any reason to be afraid."
Looking at him mutely, Molly just nodded as they walked back to the others.
