PART TWO
Alva wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep. He remembered that he had made sure Magdalene had been calm, soundly resting before he had walked back into the living room and picked up a file that was on the coffee table. He must have fallen asleep eventually as he finally woke slightly confused at his surroundings. The sheet he had hastily thrown over his body, lay in a tangled mass at this feet. Looking around, he searched for any sign of the nightmare he had just escaped and forgotten. Finally, pushing a strand of sweat-drenched hair off his forehead, Alva stood on watery legs and softly walked to the bedroom door, peering in to see if he had disturbed Magdalene.
To his amazement, she lay on her side, deep in slumber. She was so still that he had to watch her carefully to see the even rise and fall of her breasts to be sure she was breathing. His feet slowly and silently began moving toward the bed despite his unwillingness to be near Magdalene so soon after the nightmare. Sensing she was no longer alone, Magdalene opened her eyes suddenly and looked up, terrified at first, but recognizing Alva, smiled softly and sat up, pulling the sheets around her body.
"Is it morning all ready?" she asked, sleep still heavy in her voice as she patted the mattress for Alva to sit next to her.
"No." He resisted the urge to be near her and continued to stand at the edge of the bed nervously. "I just woke up and wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Just fine. In fact, I slept sounder and more peacefully than I have in a long time. I don't even think I had any nightmares of him." Her eyes darkened for a moment then sparkled as she looked into his eyes. "Please sit with me for just a few minutes." Finally Alva did, making sure there was ample room between them. "Alva, why did you do this?"
"Do what?" Alva wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her face, where a dark bruise remained, but kept his hands clasped together tightly.
"Why didn't you call the police? Your friend, Evelyn thought it was the best thing to do. Why didn't you?" She drew her knees up and hugged them with frail looking marred arms. "Why did you bring me here? You don't know anything about me. Why did you help me?"
"I brought you here because I couldn't think of a safer place for you to be." He fought the need to reach out and stroke her hair as he spoke. "You asked for help." He shrugged, indicating that it was the only answer he would give.
"Thank you." Her words were soft as she reached out and touched him with feather light fingertips. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found me." Magdalena lowered her head and looked away.
"Well, whatever has happened is over. You are safe here with me." As he spoke he watched her shoulders begin to heave as she started to cry. "Magdalene, what is wrong?" He found himself inching closer to embrace her rocking body in his arms. "You're safe now. Nothing can harm you here." He shushed her as he held her tightly, feeling her tears against his chest. "I won't let anything hurt you ever again."
"You don't understand Alva." She pulled away from him angrily, wiping her face with her hands. "He will find me. It doesn't matter where I am or who I am with, he will find me and take me back. Even if he has to kill someone to do it."
"Who will find you Magdalene?" Alva stared into her terrified eyes. "I can't help you if I don't know who is after you." She only shook her head harder as she began to once again cry. "Please tell me who I am keeping you safe from."
"I can't." She sounded sad and resigned. "I just can't!"
"Shhh." He grabbed her again, holding her as tightly as he felt he could as she wept, feeling completely helpless at not being able to comfort her. "Don't cry anymore Magdalene." He finally pulled her away and stroked her hair softly. "We will find a way to get through this. Just lie back down and try to sleep now. We'll talk about it in the morning." He guided her pack to the pillow and started to stand and leave.
"Don't." Her whisper was full of anguish as she grabbed his hand and pulled him back, causing him to lie near her. "Don't leave me alone. Please."
Despite his reluctance, Alva found himself lying next to Magdalene, watching her body slowly relax as she once more began to fall into a deep slumber. Making sure he was firmly on top of the sheets, he closed his eyes as the exhaustion of the day and evening began to overtake him. As he threw a forearm over his eyes, he felt sleep slowly overtake him.
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"Alva!" The voice was soft but full of pain. "Help me, please!" Suddenly he was sitting upright in the bed, looking to his side for Magdalene. The area where she had been laying was empty. He looked around sleepily as the voice screamed again. "Don't!"
"Magdalene?" He jumped from the bed and headed toward the living room where the voice came from. As his feet hit the floor, his legs became entangled in the bed sheets, sending him falling face first to the floor. "Magdalene, I'm coming!" Angrily he fought to remove the sheets and again jumped to his feet. As he reached the door, he found that it was securely locked.
"ALVA!" The scream was hideous and full of pain. "PLEASE!" Then the crashes began. He could hear glass shattering and what sounded like furniture being thrown across the room. "STOP IT!"
"Magdalene!" Finally Alva was able to jerk the door open. As he did he stopped, unable to believe what he was seeing. Holding Magdalene by the hair with one hand and a ornate sword in the other was Evelyn. "Evie? What in the name of God are you doing? Let her go!"
"Stay out of this Keel." The voice coming from Evelyn Santos was not female. It was deep and guttural. "She must be punished." Evelyn, looking through eyes that were completely black, turned back to the cowering woman and lifted the sharp blade dangerously. "You shouldn't have come here."
"Evelyn, don't!" Alva rushed forward grabbing for the woman's arm. "Leave her alone!"
"NO!" The voice bellowed as Alva suddenly felt his body being lifted and thrown across the room, hitting the wall hard. "It is not your time yet Keel."
"Alva?" Magdalene squealed softly as she watched Alva's limp form slide to the floor, a stream of blood flowing down the side of his face. "Don't let her..."
"EVIE! NO!" Alva watch in horror as the blade came down, severing Magdalene's head from her body. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the grotesqueness of the woman he had worked with for years, obscenely holding up the dead woman's head like a trophy. "No...no...no...no..."
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Alva felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him as he suddenly sat up, still whispering no. He looked around the room as though it were alien at first, then finally realizing where he was; he ran shaky fingers through his sweat-drenched hair. He looked at the woman lying next to him, still on her side, sleeping soundly.
"What in hell's name?" he whispered as the last of the nightmare began to play over in his mind. Shaking his head, he slowly and carefully got up and left the bedroom, heading for the bathroom. He never looked back to see Magdalene lying on her side, her eyes wide open, smiling seductively.
Evelyn had tossed in her bed for what seemed like an eternity once she got back home. Her mind kept racing, trying to figure out why she felt so uncomfortable in Magdalene's presence. She remembered the marks on the woman's body and wondered again, what had happened.
As Evelyn's eyes became too heavy to keep open she chided herself for her suspicions. Tomorrow she would talk to both Alva and Magdalene; she would try to convince them both to contact the proper authorities. Pulling the bed sheet under he chin, she allowed sleep to finally take over.
"Mommy!" Mattie's voice slowly began to work into her tired brain. "Mommy, I need you."
"I'm coming honey." Evelyn fought to sit up in the bed as she grabbed a robe. "Just a minute baby, Mommy's coming."
"Mommy, I'm scared." Mattie's voice was filled with fear as Evelyn neared his room. "NO! I don't want to go with you!"
"Mattie?" Terror began to creep down Evelyn's spine as she reached to open the door. "What's happening?"
"Mommy!" The scream was all Evelyn needed to fling the door open loudly. "Mommy, make them go away!"
Evelyn stopped, her eyes wide and her mouth open in surprise. There, next to Mattie's bed was Magdalene with the child held tightly in her arms. Standing near the woman was Alva, the man Evelyn had worked with for the last few years.
"What's going on here? Alva? What..."
"Evelyn, go back to bed." Keel's voice was soft but full of warning. "Everything is just fine."
"Mommy, I don't want to go with them." Mattie cried and reached out for his mother. "Make them go away. They said I had to go with them."
"Mattie, they're not going to take you anywhere." Evelyn tried to keep the fear from her voice as she spoke. "Put him down. I don't know what's going on here, but I want both of you out of my house right now."
"We will not be long Evie." The smile on Alva's face was totally alien to the man, full of mischief and harm. "Just go back to bed and we will be gone before you know it."
"I said put him down." Evelyn started to walk toward the two but stopped as Magdalene glared at here. "What do you want?" Neither intruder said anything. Evelyn could hear Mattie's hitched cries as he buried his head in the woman's chest. "Please, don't hurt my baby."
"Mind your own business Evelyn Santos and nothing will happen to your child." Magdalene's voice was full of menace as she held the boy tighter. "You're too suspicious for your own good; I can't have that."
"What are you talking about?" Evelyn wanted to reach out and snatch Mattie out of the woman's grip.
"I know you're thoughts Evelyn." Magdalene's eyes became cold. "Before you do anything stupid, know that I could snap this boy's neck before you could get halfway across the room. Do you understand me?" Evelyn fought from screaming as Alva slowly and softly reached out to stroke Mattie's head. "Do you understand?"
"Yes." Evelyn whispered, never looking away from her son. "What do you want?"
"I want you to just back off." Magdalene growled. "Just keep your nose out of my business. I won't be long."
"But what...I don't understand..."
"Just back off! Do you understand what I am telling you? Stay away from me and don't try to..."
"I understand." Evelyn quickly interrupted as Mattie stirred again. "Now just give me my baby." When Magdalene didn't move, Evelyn felt her own eyes fill with tears. "Please, just give me Mattie."
"She won't give us any problems." Alva continued to caress Mattie's head. "We can give her the child back."
"I'm not so sure about that." Magdalene cocked her head softly to one side as she continued to glare at Evelyn. "She is curious by nature Alva. How can we be sure she will leave us alone?"
"Because she loves her son. That is enough." Alva shrugged as his fingers stroked the boy's forehead. "She won't do anything if it will hurt Mattie."
"No, I won't. Just give me my baby back." As she watched the gentleness in Alva's touch, Evelyn couldn't help but allow tears to flow down her cheeks. "I promise. Just don't hurt him."
"I think she needs to know just how serious we are Alva." Magdalene handed the boy to Alva. "Open his shirt."
"What?" Alva looked confused as Magdalene continued to glare at Evelyn.
"I said open his shirt." She turned to Alva with a seductive smile. "Unless you want me to leave you." Magdalene laid her palm against Alva's cheek. "Do as I say or I will leave you right now Alva. Is that what you want?"
"No. Don't leave." Alva sounded afraid. "I just don't want to hurt Ma..."
"We won't hurt him." Magdalene turned back to Evelyn as Alva slowly unbuttoned Mattie's pajama top. "I just want Evelyn here to understand how easy it would be for me to come back if she doesn't do as I say." As the woman began to drag one long nailed finger over the boy's torso, Mattie started to cry again. Evelyn began to scream and bolt across the room, tripping over one of Mattie's toys. "Stay away from me Evelyn or I'll come back."
"No! Don't hurt him!" Evelyn felt something strike her head as she hit the floor, and Mattie's pitiful cries filled her ears.
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"No!" Evelyn cried and sat up suddenly. She looked around fully expecting to see the two intruders standing next to her bed. Instead she found Mattie standing quietly with wide eyes. "Mattie, are you all right?" At first the child only stared at his mother, then quietly he began to cry and reach for her. "Mattie, it's okay."
"Mommy, it hurts." Mattie tugged at the bloodstained material that covered his small body. "Why did he let her hurt me Mommy?"
"My God Mattie! What happened to you?" Evelyn scooped the child into her arms and raced to her bathroom where she sat him on the edge of the tub and began to carefully unbutton his pajama top. There across his small chest were scratches, bleeding.
"Why did he let the bad lady hurt me Mommy?" Mattie cried as visions of Alva holding the struggling boy filled Evelyn's mind. "I thought he was my friend."
"This can't be happening." Evelyn mumbled to herself as she grabbed a cloth and began to wipe the blood off her child's skin carefully. "It was only a dream, how could this be happening?" As the blood was removed she could see that the wounds were not random. They seemed to create a design on the boys smooth skin, a design that caused panic to begin filling Evelyn. "I'm so sorry Mattie."
"But why did he let her hurt me?" Mattie had stopped crying and just stared at his mother with confusion. "You said he wasn't a bad man."
"I know baby." Evelyn searched for answers to give the boy. "Mommy doesn't know why..." She began crying all over again.
"It's okay Mommy." Small arms reached out and wrapped themselves around her neck. "It's not his fault. It's the bad lady. She made him do it." Evelyn couldn't do anything but hold him tightly and cry.
Alva wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep. He remembered that he had made sure Magdalene had been calm, soundly resting before he had walked back into the living room and picked up a file that was on the coffee table. He must have fallen asleep eventually as he finally woke slightly confused at his surroundings. The sheet he had hastily thrown over his body, lay in a tangled mass at this feet. Looking around, he searched for any sign of the nightmare he had just escaped and forgotten. Finally, pushing a strand of sweat-drenched hair off his forehead, Alva stood on watery legs and softly walked to the bedroom door, peering in to see if he had disturbed Magdalene.
To his amazement, she lay on her side, deep in slumber. She was so still that he had to watch her carefully to see the even rise and fall of her breasts to be sure she was breathing. His feet slowly and silently began moving toward the bed despite his unwillingness to be near Magdalene so soon after the nightmare. Sensing she was no longer alone, Magdalene opened her eyes suddenly and looked up, terrified at first, but recognizing Alva, smiled softly and sat up, pulling the sheets around her body.
"Is it morning all ready?" she asked, sleep still heavy in her voice as she patted the mattress for Alva to sit next to her.
"No." He resisted the urge to be near her and continued to stand at the edge of the bed nervously. "I just woke up and wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Just fine. In fact, I slept sounder and more peacefully than I have in a long time. I don't even think I had any nightmares of him." Her eyes darkened for a moment then sparkled as she looked into his eyes. "Please sit with me for just a few minutes." Finally Alva did, making sure there was ample room between them. "Alva, why did you do this?"
"Do what?" Alva wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her face, where a dark bruise remained, but kept his hands clasped together tightly.
"Why didn't you call the police? Your friend, Evelyn thought it was the best thing to do. Why didn't you?" She drew her knees up and hugged them with frail looking marred arms. "Why did you bring me here? You don't know anything about me. Why did you help me?"
"I brought you here because I couldn't think of a safer place for you to be." He fought the need to reach out and stroke her hair as he spoke. "You asked for help." He shrugged, indicating that it was the only answer he would give.
"Thank you." Her words were soft as she reached out and touched him with feather light fingertips. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found me." Magdalena lowered her head and looked away.
"Well, whatever has happened is over. You are safe here with me." As he spoke he watched her shoulders begin to heave as she started to cry. "Magdalene, what is wrong?" He found himself inching closer to embrace her rocking body in his arms. "You're safe now. Nothing can harm you here." He shushed her as he held her tightly, feeling her tears against his chest. "I won't let anything hurt you ever again."
"You don't understand Alva." She pulled away from him angrily, wiping her face with her hands. "He will find me. It doesn't matter where I am or who I am with, he will find me and take me back. Even if he has to kill someone to do it."
"Who will find you Magdalene?" Alva stared into her terrified eyes. "I can't help you if I don't know who is after you." She only shook her head harder as she began to once again cry. "Please tell me who I am keeping you safe from."
"I can't." She sounded sad and resigned. "I just can't!"
"Shhh." He grabbed her again, holding her as tightly as he felt he could as she wept, feeling completely helpless at not being able to comfort her. "Don't cry anymore Magdalene." He finally pulled her away and stroked her hair softly. "We will find a way to get through this. Just lie back down and try to sleep now. We'll talk about it in the morning." He guided her pack to the pillow and started to stand and leave.
"Don't." Her whisper was full of anguish as she grabbed his hand and pulled him back, causing him to lie near her. "Don't leave me alone. Please."
Despite his reluctance, Alva found himself lying next to Magdalene, watching her body slowly relax as she once more began to fall into a deep slumber. Making sure he was firmly on top of the sheets, he closed his eyes as the exhaustion of the day and evening began to overtake him. As he threw a forearm over his eyes, he felt sleep slowly overtake him.
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"Alva!" The voice was soft but full of pain. "Help me, please!" Suddenly he was sitting upright in the bed, looking to his side for Magdalene. The area where she had been laying was empty. He looked around sleepily as the voice screamed again. "Don't!"
"Magdalene?" He jumped from the bed and headed toward the living room where the voice came from. As his feet hit the floor, his legs became entangled in the bed sheets, sending him falling face first to the floor. "Magdalene, I'm coming!" Angrily he fought to remove the sheets and again jumped to his feet. As he reached the door, he found that it was securely locked.
"ALVA!" The scream was hideous and full of pain. "PLEASE!" Then the crashes began. He could hear glass shattering and what sounded like furniture being thrown across the room. "STOP IT!"
"Magdalene!" Finally Alva was able to jerk the door open. As he did he stopped, unable to believe what he was seeing. Holding Magdalene by the hair with one hand and a ornate sword in the other was Evelyn. "Evie? What in the name of God are you doing? Let her go!"
"Stay out of this Keel." The voice coming from Evelyn Santos was not female. It was deep and guttural. "She must be punished." Evelyn, looking through eyes that were completely black, turned back to the cowering woman and lifted the sharp blade dangerously. "You shouldn't have come here."
"Evelyn, don't!" Alva rushed forward grabbing for the woman's arm. "Leave her alone!"
"NO!" The voice bellowed as Alva suddenly felt his body being lifted and thrown across the room, hitting the wall hard. "It is not your time yet Keel."
"Alva?" Magdalene squealed softly as she watched Alva's limp form slide to the floor, a stream of blood flowing down the side of his face. "Don't let her..."
"EVIE! NO!" Alva watch in horror as the blade came down, severing Magdalene's head from her body. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the grotesqueness of the woman he had worked with for years, obscenely holding up the dead woman's head like a trophy. "No...no...no...no..."
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Alva felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him as he suddenly sat up, still whispering no. He looked around the room as though it were alien at first, then finally realizing where he was; he ran shaky fingers through his sweat-drenched hair. He looked at the woman lying next to him, still on her side, sleeping soundly.
"What in hell's name?" he whispered as the last of the nightmare began to play over in his mind. Shaking his head, he slowly and carefully got up and left the bedroom, heading for the bathroom. He never looked back to see Magdalene lying on her side, her eyes wide open, smiling seductively.
Evelyn had tossed in her bed for what seemed like an eternity once she got back home. Her mind kept racing, trying to figure out why she felt so uncomfortable in Magdalene's presence. She remembered the marks on the woman's body and wondered again, what had happened.
As Evelyn's eyes became too heavy to keep open she chided herself for her suspicions. Tomorrow she would talk to both Alva and Magdalene; she would try to convince them both to contact the proper authorities. Pulling the bed sheet under he chin, she allowed sleep to finally take over.
"Mommy!" Mattie's voice slowly began to work into her tired brain. "Mommy, I need you."
"I'm coming honey." Evelyn fought to sit up in the bed as she grabbed a robe. "Just a minute baby, Mommy's coming."
"Mommy, I'm scared." Mattie's voice was filled with fear as Evelyn neared his room. "NO! I don't want to go with you!"
"Mattie?" Terror began to creep down Evelyn's spine as she reached to open the door. "What's happening?"
"Mommy!" The scream was all Evelyn needed to fling the door open loudly. "Mommy, make them go away!"
Evelyn stopped, her eyes wide and her mouth open in surprise. There, next to Mattie's bed was Magdalene with the child held tightly in her arms. Standing near the woman was Alva, the man Evelyn had worked with for the last few years.
"What's going on here? Alva? What..."
"Evelyn, go back to bed." Keel's voice was soft but full of warning. "Everything is just fine."
"Mommy, I don't want to go with them." Mattie cried and reached out for his mother. "Make them go away. They said I had to go with them."
"Mattie, they're not going to take you anywhere." Evelyn tried to keep the fear from her voice as she spoke. "Put him down. I don't know what's going on here, but I want both of you out of my house right now."
"We will not be long Evie." The smile on Alva's face was totally alien to the man, full of mischief and harm. "Just go back to bed and we will be gone before you know it."
"I said put him down." Evelyn started to walk toward the two but stopped as Magdalene glared at here. "What do you want?" Neither intruder said anything. Evelyn could hear Mattie's hitched cries as he buried his head in the woman's chest. "Please, don't hurt my baby."
"Mind your own business Evelyn Santos and nothing will happen to your child." Magdalene's voice was full of menace as she held the boy tighter. "You're too suspicious for your own good; I can't have that."
"What are you talking about?" Evelyn wanted to reach out and snatch Mattie out of the woman's grip.
"I know you're thoughts Evelyn." Magdalene's eyes became cold. "Before you do anything stupid, know that I could snap this boy's neck before you could get halfway across the room. Do you understand me?" Evelyn fought from screaming as Alva slowly and softly reached out to stroke Mattie's head. "Do you understand?"
"Yes." Evelyn whispered, never looking away from her son. "What do you want?"
"I want you to just back off." Magdalene growled. "Just keep your nose out of my business. I won't be long."
"But what...I don't understand..."
"Just back off! Do you understand what I am telling you? Stay away from me and don't try to..."
"I understand." Evelyn quickly interrupted as Mattie stirred again. "Now just give me my baby." When Magdalene didn't move, Evelyn felt her own eyes fill with tears. "Please, just give me Mattie."
"She won't give us any problems." Alva continued to caress Mattie's head. "We can give her the child back."
"I'm not so sure about that." Magdalene cocked her head softly to one side as she continued to glare at Evelyn. "She is curious by nature Alva. How can we be sure she will leave us alone?"
"Because she loves her son. That is enough." Alva shrugged as his fingers stroked the boy's forehead. "She won't do anything if it will hurt Mattie."
"No, I won't. Just give me my baby back." As she watched the gentleness in Alva's touch, Evelyn couldn't help but allow tears to flow down her cheeks. "I promise. Just don't hurt him."
"I think she needs to know just how serious we are Alva." Magdalene handed the boy to Alva. "Open his shirt."
"What?" Alva looked confused as Magdalene continued to glare at Evelyn.
"I said open his shirt." She turned to Alva with a seductive smile. "Unless you want me to leave you." Magdalene laid her palm against Alva's cheek. "Do as I say or I will leave you right now Alva. Is that what you want?"
"No. Don't leave." Alva sounded afraid. "I just don't want to hurt Ma..."
"We won't hurt him." Magdalene turned back to Evelyn as Alva slowly unbuttoned Mattie's pajama top. "I just want Evelyn here to understand how easy it would be for me to come back if she doesn't do as I say." As the woman began to drag one long nailed finger over the boy's torso, Mattie started to cry again. Evelyn began to scream and bolt across the room, tripping over one of Mattie's toys. "Stay away from me Evelyn or I'll come back."
"No! Don't hurt him!" Evelyn felt something strike her head as she hit the floor, and Mattie's pitiful cries filled her ears.
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"No!" Evelyn cried and sat up suddenly. She looked around fully expecting to see the two intruders standing next to her bed. Instead she found Mattie standing quietly with wide eyes. "Mattie, are you all right?" At first the child only stared at his mother, then quietly he began to cry and reach for her. "Mattie, it's okay."
"Mommy, it hurts." Mattie tugged at the bloodstained material that covered his small body. "Why did he let her hurt me Mommy?"
"My God Mattie! What happened to you?" Evelyn scooped the child into her arms and raced to her bathroom where she sat him on the edge of the tub and began to carefully unbutton his pajama top. There across his small chest were scratches, bleeding.
"Why did he let the bad lady hurt me Mommy?" Mattie cried as visions of Alva holding the struggling boy filled Evelyn's mind. "I thought he was my friend."
"This can't be happening." Evelyn mumbled to herself as she grabbed a cloth and began to wipe the blood off her child's skin carefully. "It was only a dream, how could this be happening?" As the blood was removed she could see that the wounds were not random. They seemed to create a design on the boys smooth skin, a design that caused panic to begin filling Evelyn. "I'm so sorry Mattie."
"But why did he let her hurt me?" Mattie had stopped crying and just stared at his mother with confusion. "You said he wasn't a bad man."
"I know baby." Evelyn searched for answers to give the boy. "Mommy doesn't know why..." She began crying all over again.
"It's okay Mommy." Small arms reached out and wrapped themselves around her neck. "It's not his fault. It's the bad lady. She made him do it." Evelyn couldn't do anything but hold him tightly and cry.