A/N: I apologize greatly for the long wait on this chapter. I just fixed my computer, so this should work. =) School starts soon, so the updating might slow down to a minimum folks.
Disclaimer: Stephen King owns Mort Rainey [sobs]
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- "Hello, missus," Shooter drawled in her ear. "It's a mite late to be sittin' around in nuttin' but a bathrobe, ain't it?"
Maria's stomach made an indefinite sound before she decided to answer. "Oh it's never to late for that, Mr. Shooter."
"Well, I do think it is too late to explain to you, again, about how I dun like sharin' women."
Maria heard the cloth rip on the back of the old sofa, and turned around so quickly that she fell off and landed on the wooden floor. Mort's face looked down on her, his hand closed over what looked like a letter opener, and a maniacal grin was plastered to his face. Maria choked on her words, and backed away on all fours.
"Now, I'm sorry missus but I don't like explainin' things twice."
Maria's eyes widened when her hand enclosed on half of a brick that held one end of the demented coffee table. Staring at a coffee table always had it's advantages, like if you were being chased by a murderer, for instance. It's good to know the table's qualities in case you need it for self defense.
"Well, Mr. Shooter, I don't either. So listen, I don't respond very lightly to being threatened." Maria snatched the small heavy brick, and ignored the table's broken leg that hit the floor with a loud thug and sent the contents on top to spill to the ground, and heaved the cold, red item at Shooter's lower abdomen.
At least it slowed him down.
Maria ran upstairs and into the bedroom expecting… what? For Mort to be there and wake him up and tell him that his evil twin tried to kill her with a letter opener? Maria locked the door and stood back. If any work went into the cabin at all, it was into the doors. They were thick and heavy, and this one had a lock.
There was silence at first, compared to the first thundering footsteps that trailed behind Maria when she ran. She whipped around and looked at the small and only window in the small room. No human body could fit through it. That sent some strike of relief.
"Maria? He's agone now, you can open the door now, its me, Mort."
Maria stared at the door in silent horror. The accent of the voice was forced and slow, if that was Mort, he had developed a serious speech imperilment over the last few hours.
"FUCK OFF, YOU SCREWED UP HICK!" Maria screamed, and was received with more silence. She figured Shooter finally gave up, but to make sure she walked slowly to the door and pressed her ear against it.
The letter opened was thin enough to fit through the crack where the door met the doorframe, and sliced Maria's cheekbone, causing her to bleed and scream again.
Shooter instantly started pounding the door, and not knocking either. But the door held. Maria grabbed the end of the bed in the corner and kicked the mattress off with all its dressings and shoved it against the door, and placed the mattress back on it along with her body. The pounding was extremely loud, and Maria tried hard not to cry.
"Stop fussin' missus, it'll hurt less if you do!" Shooter cried on the other side of the door. Maria clutched a pillow in her arms, her only use of self defense besides a belt. She was shaking rather badly, the continuous pounding giving her a headache.
In the dim moonlight, Maria spotted the ominous black hat sitting where the bed had been. Out of anger, Maria picked up her pants and searched frantically for her lighter. She picked up the hat and rotated it around the flame until it caught. It grew quickly, and Maria struggled to open the window and threw it out. After closing the window, the pounding immediately stopped, and was greeted by more silence.
Maria swiped the hair out her face and tried to calm her loud gasps for air. In her walk back to the small bed, a loud thump was heard from outside. Maria froze and waited for anything else. Nothing.
Sitting back on the bed, the springs whining in protest, Maria clutched the pillow and buried her face in it. It smelled like whatever shampoo Mort used. The silence was scary in its own way, but sleep found Maria soon enough.
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Maria woke up to the soft sound of voices. The sun was already high in the sky, signaling that she had slept in, indicating that she had slept at all. She got up and tightened the string around the robe and walked to the window and looked down, and almost screamed when she saw an elderly policeman talking to Mort.
"I thought we were in the middle of fucking nowhere." She whispered to the glass pane. Maria watched as the policeman crossed his arms over his chest. Maria figured that if they weren't in the middle of nowhere, she COULD find the keys to Mort's car and drive until she found it. How long would it take Mort to get into a vehicle and come find her?
The policeman began to leave, still in one piece. Shooter wasn't present, or the policeman would have been food for the fishes in that little pond.
Mort stared out into the woods, and Maria clumsily put her clothes back on and crept down the stairs and took one more peak at Mort, who was smoking a cigarette, still staring fixedly into the distance.
Maria had found the keys lying lazily under Mort's shirt, and allowed her access to Mort's car. Pushing open the door as softly as she could, Maria walked outside into the humidity of April. The ground crunched beneath her feet as it steadily began to rain. Maria walked a little faster, the rain would invite Mort to come back into the cabin.
Maria yanked the driver's door open and climbed inside and looked at the keys blindly. She closed and locked the doors, not even noticing that the window was open.
"Okay, okay." Maria tried two keys that wouldn't go into the ignition. She tried to calm her self.
"What the hell are you doing?" Maria dropped the keys and jumped back when Mort's face and dampening hair greeted the side of the dark green car. Maria only stared at him.
"Oh, you know. Enjoying the view."
"From inside my car?"
"Well, it is raining outside."
"That never seemed to bother you before." Mort grinned as he acknowledged their first meeting when Maria refused to enter his house. She bent down to pick up his keys when Mort looked up at the sky, and silently tried more keys, not taking her eyes off of Mort. One slid in the ignition.
Maria started conversation to distract him. "You said we were stranded, what was a policeman doing here?"
Mort raised his eyebrows. "I never said that. And he said that there was a thief loose, and he was wondering if anything was stolen recently." Maria laughed nervously. i There's more than just a thief loose./i
"I saw your nice piece of artwork on the ground this morning." Maria raised a questioning eyebrow, still searching for the courage to turn the key and drive. "You killed Shooter's hat."
Maria smiled. "He paid a visit last night," Her heart throbbed when Mort eyed her hand that was on the other side of the wheel holding on to the key for dear life.
"Yeah, I figured that when I woke up outside my bedroom on the floor." iI was supposed to wake up next to you, is what he means to say./i
"Mmm," Maria looked down at her lap, and then back at Mort. "You know you're getting soaked?"
"You haven't invited me in yet," Mort grinned seductively. i NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, DUMBASS!/i
Maria turned the key so fast it scared her. Mort was knocked off his feet as mud spewed out from under the tires, the car was still in park and refused to move anywhere. Maria punched the gear, her hand flying to the key in the ignition and bending the metal so that it was almost a 90 degree angle in the ignition. The side of the key lodged into the interior above the ignition, the car turned off. Maria tried turning the key but it wouldn't move.
"Shit. iShit!/i." Maria screamed when Mort's hand grabbed the wheel. Mud covered his shirt.
"You can't leave." iDamn right, I can't. I just fucking broke the key./i He reached in and unlocked the door and opened it. Maria held back a whimper. "Maria, I… You can't leave, alright?"
ibHe's adorable when he stammers, you know that?/b/i
Maria sighed. Mort was now soaked and partially covered in thick brown mud. Maria stepped out of the car and joined Mort in the rain. Shooter's hat was destroyed, and it stopped him, didn't it?
What a revelation.
Shooter had to be gone. The hat was gone and buried in its own ashes. Maria wanted to pat herself on the back, but was pulled into a savory kiss.
"No more Shooter," Maria whispered to Mort's shoulder.
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A/N: Yay, another chapter done. Well, you know what to do =)
Disclaimer: Stephen King owns Mort Rainey [sobs]
hr
- "Hello, missus," Shooter drawled in her ear. "It's a mite late to be sittin' around in nuttin' but a bathrobe, ain't it?"
Maria's stomach made an indefinite sound before she decided to answer. "Oh it's never to late for that, Mr. Shooter."
"Well, I do think it is too late to explain to you, again, about how I dun like sharin' women."
Maria heard the cloth rip on the back of the old sofa, and turned around so quickly that she fell off and landed on the wooden floor. Mort's face looked down on her, his hand closed over what looked like a letter opener, and a maniacal grin was plastered to his face. Maria choked on her words, and backed away on all fours.
"Now, I'm sorry missus but I don't like explainin' things twice."
Maria's eyes widened when her hand enclosed on half of a brick that held one end of the demented coffee table. Staring at a coffee table always had it's advantages, like if you were being chased by a murderer, for instance. It's good to know the table's qualities in case you need it for self defense.
"Well, Mr. Shooter, I don't either. So listen, I don't respond very lightly to being threatened." Maria snatched the small heavy brick, and ignored the table's broken leg that hit the floor with a loud thug and sent the contents on top to spill to the ground, and heaved the cold, red item at Shooter's lower abdomen.
At least it slowed him down.
Maria ran upstairs and into the bedroom expecting… what? For Mort to be there and wake him up and tell him that his evil twin tried to kill her with a letter opener? Maria locked the door and stood back. If any work went into the cabin at all, it was into the doors. They were thick and heavy, and this one had a lock.
There was silence at first, compared to the first thundering footsteps that trailed behind Maria when she ran. She whipped around and looked at the small and only window in the small room. No human body could fit through it. That sent some strike of relief.
"Maria? He's agone now, you can open the door now, its me, Mort."
Maria stared at the door in silent horror. The accent of the voice was forced and slow, if that was Mort, he had developed a serious speech imperilment over the last few hours.
"FUCK OFF, YOU SCREWED UP HICK!" Maria screamed, and was received with more silence. She figured Shooter finally gave up, but to make sure she walked slowly to the door and pressed her ear against it.
The letter opened was thin enough to fit through the crack where the door met the doorframe, and sliced Maria's cheekbone, causing her to bleed and scream again.
Shooter instantly started pounding the door, and not knocking either. But the door held. Maria grabbed the end of the bed in the corner and kicked the mattress off with all its dressings and shoved it against the door, and placed the mattress back on it along with her body. The pounding was extremely loud, and Maria tried hard not to cry.
"Stop fussin' missus, it'll hurt less if you do!" Shooter cried on the other side of the door. Maria clutched a pillow in her arms, her only use of self defense besides a belt. She was shaking rather badly, the continuous pounding giving her a headache.
In the dim moonlight, Maria spotted the ominous black hat sitting where the bed had been. Out of anger, Maria picked up her pants and searched frantically for her lighter. She picked up the hat and rotated it around the flame until it caught. It grew quickly, and Maria struggled to open the window and threw it out. After closing the window, the pounding immediately stopped, and was greeted by more silence.
Maria swiped the hair out her face and tried to calm her loud gasps for air. In her walk back to the small bed, a loud thump was heard from outside. Maria froze and waited for anything else. Nothing.
Sitting back on the bed, the springs whining in protest, Maria clutched the pillow and buried her face in it. It smelled like whatever shampoo Mort used. The silence was scary in its own way, but sleep found Maria soon enough.
hr
Maria woke up to the soft sound of voices. The sun was already high in the sky, signaling that she had slept in, indicating that she had slept at all. She got up and tightened the string around the robe and walked to the window and looked down, and almost screamed when she saw an elderly policeman talking to Mort.
"I thought we were in the middle of fucking nowhere." She whispered to the glass pane. Maria watched as the policeman crossed his arms over his chest. Maria figured that if they weren't in the middle of nowhere, she COULD find the keys to Mort's car and drive until she found it. How long would it take Mort to get into a vehicle and come find her?
The policeman began to leave, still in one piece. Shooter wasn't present, or the policeman would have been food for the fishes in that little pond.
Mort stared out into the woods, and Maria clumsily put her clothes back on and crept down the stairs and took one more peak at Mort, who was smoking a cigarette, still staring fixedly into the distance.
Maria had found the keys lying lazily under Mort's shirt, and allowed her access to Mort's car. Pushing open the door as softly as she could, Maria walked outside into the humidity of April. The ground crunched beneath her feet as it steadily began to rain. Maria walked a little faster, the rain would invite Mort to come back into the cabin.
Maria yanked the driver's door open and climbed inside and looked at the keys blindly. She closed and locked the doors, not even noticing that the window was open.
"Okay, okay." Maria tried two keys that wouldn't go into the ignition. She tried to calm her self.
"What the hell are you doing?" Maria dropped the keys and jumped back when Mort's face and dampening hair greeted the side of the dark green car. Maria only stared at him.
"Oh, you know. Enjoying the view."
"From inside my car?"
"Well, it is raining outside."
"That never seemed to bother you before." Mort grinned as he acknowledged their first meeting when Maria refused to enter his house. She bent down to pick up his keys when Mort looked up at the sky, and silently tried more keys, not taking her eyes off of Mort. One slid in the ignition.
Maria started conversation to distract him. "You said we were stranded, what was a policeman doing here?"
Mort raised his eyebrows. "I never said that. And he said that there was a thief loose, and he was wondering if anything was stolen recently." Maria laughed nervously. i There's more than just a thief loose./i
"I saw your nice piece of artwork on the ground this morning." Maria raised a questioning eyebrow, still searching for the courage to turn the key and drive. "You killed Shooter's hat."
Maria smiled. "He paid a visit last night," Her heart throbbed when Mort eyed her hand that was on the other side of the wheel holding on to the key for dear life.
"Yeah, I figured that when I woke up outside my bedroom on the floor." iI was supposed to wake up next to you, is what he means to say./i
"Mmm," Maria looked down at her lap, and then back at Mort. "You know you're getting soaked?"
"You haven't invited me in yet," Mort grinned seductively. i NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, DUMBASS!/i
Maria turned the key so fast it scared her. Mort was knocked off his feet as mud spewed out from under the tires, the car was still in park and refused to move anywhere. Maria punched the gear, her hand flying to the key in the ignition and bending the metal so that it was almost a 90 degree angle in the ignition. The side of the key lodged into the interior above the ignition, the car turned off. Maria tried turning the key but it wouldn't move.
"Shit. iShit!/i." Maria screamed when Mort's hand grabbed the wheel. Mud covered his shirt.
"You can't leave." iDamn right, I can't. I just fucking broke the key./i He reached in and unlocked the door and opened it. Maria held back a whimper. "Maria, I… You can't leave, alright?"
ibHe's adorable when he stammers, you know that?/b/i
Maria sighed. Mort was now soaked and partially covered in thick brown mud. Maria stepped out of the car and joined Mort in the rain. Shooter's hat was destroyed, and it stopped him, didn't it?
What a revelation.
Shooter had to be gone. The hat was gone and buried in its own ashes. Maria wanted to pat herself on the back, but was pulled into a savory kiss.
"No more Shooter," Maria whispered to Mort's shoulder.
hr
A/N: Yay, another chapter done. Well, you know what to do =)