Inventing Shadows

Chapter 50: The Crimson Kisser

August 8/ 2015 8:03am

"What do you think you're doing?" Ashlei looked up to the sound of the voice. Her green eyes widened and displayed disbelief as the figure on the roof glowered at her. Blake stepped away from the door and looked up as well. Ashlei's eyes didn't leave the person who had caused hell to numerous people even as she felt Blake study her, prepared to stop her if she did anything drastic, and she spoke the name lingering on her lips aloud,

"Matt." Blake scowled as she spoke the name, knowing that this was pretty boy Matt that Ashlei knew, and he let his hand linger at his holster. Ashlei felt tears sting her eyes. Tears of betrayal. She wasn't friends with Matt, but she had thought they had had a friendly kinship. Tears of anger. Matt had caused so much unnecessary pain that no reason could fathom. Tears of pain. Pain emotionally and physically had tormented her and those around and will continue to do so because of his actions. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in and let the tears fall. "Why?" The simple question came direct, yet quiet, but powerful in its own right.

"Because," he started as he stared down at the pair, "You need to feel pain like I do." Ashlei didn't dare blink and lose sight of him. It wasn't about her; she wasn't the you. It was everyone. "Because they need to learn." Ashlei's eyes narrowed in confusion and that angered Matt. "They need to learn their actions have consequences. That they hurt others!" The hand that had been hiding behind his back flung out as he waved them around frantically; the gun he had glared in the sunlight and caused Ashlei and Blake to tense up. "They should know better to walk around and expect every guy to be a good one. They should know better than to bat their eyelashes to get a free drink. They should know it hurts people." Ashlei could see the pain in his ice blue eyes; a pain he had managed to hide so well. She didn't know what had caused that pain to burrow itself and then manifest into something horrific, she could only imagine, but it didn't make anything right. Any empathy she held for the young man was overshadowed by a raging war of other emotions; hate, anger, despair, and all that in between. Somewhere a clock was ticking and their time was running out.

"I made it, Matt. I did your trials. Where's my sister?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this." Matt waved the gun in the air as he started pacing on the edge of the cabin's roof. "The father was supposed to come. The father was supposed to man up. That's how it was supposed to be." Ashlei grimaced at his words. Whatever troubled him to the core was unraveling, they could see it, and she was frightened for what could come next.

"Matt," she sighed, her tears had stopped flowing but her eyes were still watery, "I didn't do all that for nothing." Blake took a glance at her, she was holding her ground, and he was amazed and proud, but he knew this wouldn't end well. The Origami Killer case taught everyone that. Matt stopped pacing and looked down at the quizzically.

"You can't have her," he stated, "It can't be you." Contemplation crossed his face and he seemed almost remorseful as he aimed his gun down at the pair. "You can't leave." Ashlei stepped back with her mouth agape. Of course they couldn't leave, they had figured it out and they would tell, and Matt wouldn't give up until a father came, so a fight was inevitable. Matt smiled slightly, not his signature charismatic pearly white smile, but a somber smile that showed the broken young man inside. "I really don't want to have to do this to you, Ashlei. Not to you." Ashlei swallowed hard at his words. She stared up at him as silent tears began to fall; she didn't want to do this to him either, she didn't want to do this anybody, but they had to do what had to be done. She glanced at Blake through the corner of her eye and then back to Matt; it was coming. In a swift motions Blake aimed his own pistol up at the top of the cabin and both men reacted by pulling the trigger. The blasting sounds caused Ashlei to cover her ears and cringe. The next moment moved in slow motion; Matt's gun flew into the forest and he looked horrifyingly down at his bloody hand and he grasped it with his good hand and staggered across the cabin to the other side of it, but it was Blake's twisting of his torso that caught Ashlei's eye and he grasped onto his right shoulder. She blinked her emerald eyes and tears began to flow freely as she shrieked,

"Blake!" She rushed over to him and held onto his side.

"Fuck," he growled. Ashlei looked between Blake, the roof cabin, and the cabin door. She didn't know what to do. Blake tossed his good arm around her shoulders and put his body weight onto her and guided them closer to the door. Through clenched teeth he said, "Don't cry, Blondie. I've had worse." She nodded weakly, hating the feeling she had that she might lose two people today, but smiled to please him.

"I'm sure you have." He must have saw the hopelessness filling her teary eyes and with hissing breaths he told her he had a plan. He aimed his pistol at the doorknob and shot. The handle snapped and flew off and it glistened in the burning sun; Ashlei swore it was the most beautiful sight as she figured out what he was doing. He then placed the gun in her hands and looked into her eyes.

"Here." She knew he didn't really want her to have to kill Matt, for her own sake, but she knew how to use it if she had no other option. She held his gaze until it was too much and she had to hold onto him. She wrapped her arms around his torso, careful to not disturb the bullet wound that much, and just held onto him. He rested his chin on top of her head and she could feel his heartbeat was anything but steady; it was pounding like hers. She pulled away and looked at him with a heavy heart and told him,

"Save my sister." And then she ran off after Matt. The last thing Blake would do is deny that request.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxX-

"That was a gunshot!" Carl hollered as he ran toward to the cabin leaving Marcey to trail behind.

"Carl, think about this! We can't just run in!"

"This is where my daughter is being held!" He ignored her advice and kept pushing forward but found himself gasping for air about halfway to the cabin. He cursed himself for not riding his bike more often. Marcey caught up to him and inhaled deeply as well.

"I'm not telling you to stop, just to think about the best course of action." He eyed her for a moment before her own eyes betrayed her; a fear flickered in the brown spheres. Carl followed her gaze to the cabin and gaped at what he saw; a young man staggering on the roof. The man started to climb down a ladder and Carl glowered as he got a better look at the fellow.

"Matt," he growled. He was about to run again when Marcey grabbed his shoulder.

"What if he has the gun?" Matt had fallen off the ladder and Carl wanted to do nothing more than beat him while he was down. Carl contemplated for a moment before agreeing with her logic.

"Let's check around to the other side." Marcey nodded in agreement and the pair tried to stealthily make their way to the cabin. Carl took a peek at Matt's direction; the young man was running into the forest and it looked like he was hurt from the way he was running. "I should go after him," he whispered to Marcey as they pressed themselves against the wooden exterior of the cabin. He saw worry flash through her eyes, worry for him, but she consented.

"It may be the only chance." He heard the consternation in her voice and he fought an internal conflict at that moment.

"If he is the enemy we should at least see if anyone else is here that is on our side. If he did have the gun he was shooting at someone, right?"

"Right," Marcey agreed with an exhale of breath. Together they peered around the corner and saw no one so they made a run for the front of the cabin. Carl had made a mental note of where Matt was running so he could follow after. They saw a police car parked on the dirt road ahead. "Cops," Marcey stated. Carl wasn't so sure about the cops being there. If they were there would be more of them and at least one of them would be chasing Matt at this very moment. Marcey had made her way over to the entrance of the cabin and called to Carl, "It's open." The pair looked on the inside to see that the cabin was nearly destroyed; everything had been burnt down practically. The majority of the roof was gone and it allowed the sun to beam down into the area, but that wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the mirrors. Mirrors circled around a lone pole that stood in the middle of the room. The mirrors were angled perfectly so that the sun would hit them and reflect to the pole, but they were far enough away from the pole that it wouldn't set the pole on fire. The pole itself was what caught Carl's attention because hanging on the pole was Kaylee.

"Kaylee!" He exclaimed as he rushed in the building. Marcey followed suite and that was when they realized they weren't alone in there. A gruff looking man was behind the pole attempting to untie the many knots that held Kaylee into place. Carl recognized the man once he looked up at them. "You," Carl stepped forward, "You're the angry cop from the station." The man grimaced, not out of hatred but pain, when he replied,

"Carter Blake." He kept working on the knots. Marcey and Carl rushed over to help him, but Marcey stopped short when she noticed his shoulder.

"You're bleeding."

"Got shot."

"So the cops are here?"

"No."

"But Carl said you are a cop." Blake scowled at her and ignored her. He looked at Carl who was frantically trying to untie some knots but it appeared he had butter hands.

"I've got this," Blake hissed as he pushed Carl away, "go get Matt." Carl looked at Blake ajar and then at Marcey.

"Go," she urged, "We've got this." Blake noticed Carl's hesitation and growled at the slightly older man,

"Get fucking going." His hazel eyes pierced into Carl's blue ones and he knew his next words would get the man going. "Help your other daughter get the man who got this one." Carl's eyes widened as he gasped,

"Ashlei's here?!"

"Fuck," Blake grumbled.

"Carl!" Marcey yelled at him and Carl dashed out of the cabin.

xXxXxXxXxXxX-

Ashlei saw Matt rushing into the woods. He was nothing more than a staggering blur but she could still make him out in the distance. He turned leftward to go deeper into the trees and her green eyes lost his form. She knew which way to go though and she made haste around the cabin and once she hit the trees she started to sprint as fast as she could. Her mind was racing with a million of thoughts, but ultimately she kept coming back to the possibility of having to pull the trigger. The thought made her queasy. She was already so scared not only for herself but for Blake and Kaylee as well. She turned leftward in her pursuit and if she looked back she could not make out the cabin. She slowed her pace down to scan her area better; Matt could be roaming anywhere. She heard a groan coming from ahead of her and froze. Her blood started to boil and then freeze over. She didn't know how to feel at the moment. Her breathing slowed down and she could feel the gun rattling against the side of her leg because of her shaking hands. She swallowed deeply and then she crept forward and saw him sitting against a tree trunk holding his bloody hand. She took another tentative step forward and his icy blue eyes snapped up to stare at her; his gaze was piercing. His white tank was discolored pink and his jeans had blood smears as well. His hiking boots were the only thing that was not tainted with crimson remnants. Even his flawless skin had blood smeared on the cheeks. His cradled hand was almost not recognizable as a hand; there was bone dangling and skin hanging. Blake's bullet must have his the perfect spot the shatter it. Ashlei forced her own emerald eyes to look into his own and it caused Matt to smirk slightly. "I'm not afraid to die." His words were so simple, spoken so calmly.

"I'm so scared to," she replied honestly. Matt looked down at the ground and his smirk fell from his face momentarily before reappearing bigger than before.

"You should be," he looked back up at her, Ashlei felt his threat clear as day, "it means you have something worth living for." He pushed himself up with his good hand and leaned against the trees, "Or someone." He crept closer to her and Ashlei's skin crawled as he neared. She aimed the gun up at him and he laughed out loud, "Do it." That split second that she hesitated made him laugh even louder, "Even after all this you can't pull the trigger?" She stared him down, not allowing him the pleasure of seeing her weak, but he was right. She could not bring herself to pull the trigger, he was not worthy of taking whatever hopeful innocence she had left in this case, simply because he should die. He should die like all the other girls that he killed. However, he deserved worse than that. He deserved to be imprisoned for the rest of his life. He pressed himself closer to her and she found herself stuck between him and a tree. She saw a figure enter from the right and she quickly looked back at Matt's smirking face.

"You don't deserve my bullets." She threw the gun over his shoulder and the young man didn't even flinch, didn't even look back to see the gun fall, he simply put his good arm against the tree so Ashlei was enveloped into him.

"I don't want to kill you, Ashlei. Not you." He leaned in closer so that his lips brushed against her ear, "But I can do mostly anything else to you." She heard the crack before she caught him mid fall. He wasn't as heavy as she had imagined but her injured shoulder caused her to trouble as she gently dropped him on the ground.

"Ashlei," her father called gently as he dropped the gun; the handle had slight blood on it from the impact to Matt's head. Ashlei crouched by Matt's body but her eyes looked up at Carl,

"Dad." Carl could hear the tremble in her voice, the fear, the pain, the anger, and he felt the same way. He rushed over and embraced his youngest daughter.

xXxXxXxXxX-

Marcey fiddled with the knots but her eyes always glanced back over to Blake. He was slowing down and every once in a while she saw a grimace of pain wash over his face. "Too many fucking knots," he grumbled.

"I can finish this," she offered.

"No," he snapped.

"Your shoulder,"

"Is fine," he cut her off. She sighed as she got the one knot she was working with undone and quickly stood up to remove the one tied around Kaylee's neck. She looked back down at Blake who was finished the last one on her ankle.

"So," she started as she made work on the knot, "are you the guy Ashlei has been working with the whole time?" Blake chose to ignore her once again. "I expected someone different. I guess I was thinking it would be some young handsome man, you know, like it would be in the movies, and," She stopped herself from rambling and she had a feeling that Blake was not a man she would want to piss off. "Anyway, it is probably because I am a wedding coordinator and my life is full of cheesy romantic stuff and I've just come to expect...I'm sorry." Blake had finished his knot and had moved in front of Kaylee and he sighed.

"There's water in the car, get it." Marcey nodded and undid the final knot around the girl's neck and the poor girl fell forward. Marcey heard a grunt from Blake as he caught the girl, probably from the shoulder pain, but she had to admit it was admirable that his was risking his own pain to help the girl, for whatever reason it may be. She rushed out of the cabin to Blake's police car as Blake gently set the young girl on the ground. She grabbed the water and rushed back in to see Blake hovering over the girl. Marcey opened up the water bottle and gently lifted Kaylee's head up and brought it her lips,

"Kaylee," she called, "Kaylee my name is Marcey and this is Carter Blake we're here to help you. Your sister and father should be back shortly." She waited for a reply but got nothing. Blake growled beside her,

"She has a pulse, it's weak."

"You should sit still for awhile." Marcey looked him directly in the eye but the man shook his head and nodded his head to the back corner of the room. Marcey averted her gaze to the direction and saw another lady who had her hands and feet tied together along with tape over her mouth. "Another victim?"

"No," Blake growled, "Britney Sanders."

"The news reporter?" Marcey put Kaylee's head in her lap and began dabbing her fingers with water and then gently rubbing them over Kaylee's exposed skin; the skin that was incredibly burnt and flaky to the touch. The reflected sun on her skin really did damage, if they had been a day later she probably wouldn't have even had a pulse. Matt had attached an IV to her and the bag was on the ground, empty, meaning he had been purposely keeping her hydrated just enough in order to give whoever was doing the trials time to get there. Judging by Kaylee's condition the bag must have run out yesterday giving her only about another day left before she died of dehydration. Marcey cringed at the thought and continued to care for Kaylee.

"How'd ya get here?" Blake hissed at his not favorite reporter as he harshly ripped the tape off her mouth. Britney yelped at the gesture,

"Hey, easy now." Blake untied the ropes that binded her and she sighed, "I was so close that Matt had to take me out of the equation." Britney held a smug look on her face. Blake rolled his eyes at her and decided to make his way over back to Kaylee and Marcey. Only Britney would consider getting kidnaped by the man she was reporting as a success. He decided to sit and watch as Marcey tended to the girl.

"Carl," Marcey started, "told me that the girls looked alike. You wouldn't guess it by looking at the poor thing now." Sirens roared in the distance and Marcey perked up. "A bit late, aren't they?" Britney had made her way over to the trio and stared down at the girl.

"My god!" She exclaimed, "How awful...this will make a great story."

"Fuck off," Blake growled. Britney feigned hurt and sat down along with them.

"So we just wait, now?"

"She needs an ambulance," Marcey stated.

"So do I! Just look at my head!" Britney turned so Marcey could see the wound that Matt had left on her when he knocked her out.

"I'd say you're the lucky one in this situation," she snapped at the reporter as she urged Kaylee's mouth open to drink some more. Marcey glanced at Blake who had had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply, and she noticed how his arm was now stained red from the excessive bleeding. "You need an ambulance too."

"There's some cop cars and ambulances rushing down here," Carl's voice interrupted. The trio looked up at the door to see the Pellar's entering the cabin. Matt was slung over Carl's shoulder.

"Is he...?"

"No," he told Marcey, "He's alive." Carl dropped Matt on the ground and his eyes fell to his oldest daughter laying on Marcey's lap.

"Is she...?"

"No, she's alive. She needs medical assistance right away though." Marcey smiled slightly as she saw Carl's eyes lighten and water up. He grabbed Ashlei's hand, who had been quiet and sombre since they emerged, and pulled her close.

"Thank God!" He dragged his youngest daughter to his eldest. Carl placed a tentative kiss on Kaylee's forehead. Ashlei was shaking as she knelt down beside her sister and grabbed her hand. Marcey took a free hand and placed it on the young woman's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. Ashlei let the tears fall freely now; even though the journey wasn't over the main mission was. Kaylee was saved and even though it wasn't certain that she was going to live, Ashlei had a feeling that she would. Carl looked up at Marcey with appreciative blue eyes,

"Thank you." Marcey nodded knowing he meant it more than just in this moment, but that could wait for later. Ashlei brushed her sister's bangs out of her closed eyes as the sirens got louder and she could hear cars screeching to a stop. She looked over at the other occupants in the room; Blake and Britney Sanders. Ashlei's face morphed into confusion as she saw Britney rambling to herself about how she was going to publish a documentary about her own personal experiences with the Crimson Kisser, but it quickly changed into one of fear as she saw Blake's condition had deteriorated tremendously since she left after Matt.

"Blake?" She gently called. He opened his hazel eyes at her and she could see the pain he was feeling in them. She rushed over to him quickly, "Oh." She saw his now bloody arm and she didn't know what to do.

"Fine, Blondie," he grumbled quietly. Ashlei's heart felt heavy thinking that Blake might die from a bullet that would have been for her. She couldn't stop the tears free falling if she tried and she curled herself into his good side and bawled. Mustering up his energy Blake wrapped his good arm around her and held her close. Marcey glanced over at the pair but said nothing and she noticed that Carl had watched the scene as well. Ashlei looked over at her farther and he smiled at her,

"It will all be fine, Ash." Ashlei nodded but didn't move from Blake.

"Dad, Kaylee is going to be pissed when she wakes up and sees herself in the mirror."

"Well," he looked down at his eldest and that back up to his youngest, "we will have to remind her how beautiful and strong she is everyday then."

"Well," Sean's voice boomed as he and other officers, including Chace, entered the cabin, "Look what we have here." He kicked Matt. "The Crimson Kisser."

"Carl," Chace called over. Carl looked up at the young officer, "Let's get her into the ambulance." Paramedics rushed in to put Kaylee on a stretcher. Sean and another officer lifted Matt up off the ground,

"We'll be taking him." Sean's eyes fell onto Blake and he called behind him, "Ash," the officer didn't need any instructions as he made his way over to his partner and friend.

"Jesus, Blake," Ash gently moved Ashlei out of the way so he could help Blake up with his good arm, "I didn't think you really would be able to solve this thing."

"Fuck you." Ash laughed as he helped guide Blake out to an ambulance,

"I'm sure you will gloat all about it to me later, man." The officer glanced back to Ashlei who was now standing with her father talking to an officer but her eyes would glance back over at Blake and Ash. "And that pretty young blonde,"

"Don't," Blake hissed.

"Alright, later time then." The pair finally got out of the cabin into an ambulance. Ashlei and Carl rode with Kaylee in her ambulance while Marcey took his Durango back to the hotel to collect Carl's items and bring them to the hospital. Britney got a ride with another officer once her head wound was cleaned. It wasn't all over, but it was over.