By popular request… Here is the conclusion to the Anna Arch...

Chapter 33: Evil's Revelation

Mary was trying desperately to stand up, at best managing to stumble along, trying to not be dragged through dirt behind Anna. Mary cried out back behind her, "Jack help!"

That snapped Jack out of his misery. Quick as lightning, he looked up, assessed the situation, and lunged forth from his crouching position, drawing his scythe midleap. Anna had hardly taken five steps before she stopped, feeling the cold blade upon her neck. With calm authority, Jack gave her a sharp warning, "Let her go now."

"You wouldn't dare kill me. I know you won't. You are just a pathetic weakling caught up in over his head..." Anna paused for a moment. She had said that before. She looked across the blade, down the handle, over at Jack. The scythe, it's the same scythe. She stared deep into Jack's eyes. Those were the same eyes that she stared into last night. In an instant Anna knew. She couldn't believe that she had actually thought that Zack was the murderer. Why hadn't she seen it before?

"Until Mayor Thomas appoints somebody else, I am the law in this town. Now you will let go of Mary."

Anna knew Jack wouldn't spill her blood over Mary. He was too much in love with her, "Why don't you make me? She's my daughter, I'll do what I want with her. Come on. Kill me while I stand over my daughter."

Jack slowly brought the blade away from Anna's neck, "You're right. I won't kill you." He clenched his fist hard around the handle and grunted as he spun it around as hard as he could, bringing the heel end of it slamming into the side of Anna's head.

Anna yelped in surprise as she found herself now on the ground, "How dare you? I think you broke my jawbone you bastard."

"You are still talking, aren't you?" Jack extended a hand to help Mary off of the ground. "It's all okay now Mary. Everything will be alright."

Mary took Jack's hand and stood up, only to immediately fall into Jack's chest crying, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of it. I was so scared."

Jack patted her on the back, then lifted her up straight and gasped, "Oh my, that's a nasty cut on your cheek right there. We'll have to get Elli to help clean that up."

"Thank you Jack..."

Anna growled as she stood back up, "You think it's over? Just like that?"

Jack bent down and picked back up the blue feather that Mary had lost during the struggle, "I do believe you have lost. You don't have control over either of us anymore." He brushed the dust back off of the feather and tucked it back in Mary's hair.

Anna smiled slyly. How wrong he was, she had yet to finish spiting them. "You are sorely mistaken. Do you know why? Because I still hold my trump card. I own Mary's library. It's part of my property. I own the building and the land it's on. And you know what I think? I think I'm never going to let Mary enter into the library again!" She laughed at them, at her victory.

"Man, that laugh is really getting on my nerves."

Mary, extremely distressed by this new problem, exclaimed "Is it true Jack? Does she get my library?"

Jack grinned mysteriously, "Well, she may very well be correct about the library."

Anna squealed gleefully, "I knew it!"

"No..." Mary cried out.

"But I'm pretty darn sure that the books inside do belong to you and I can order to have them confiscated from the library and returned to you if Anna tries to stop you from taking them." From the look on Anna's face, he knew he had struck the correct chord.

Mary lept into Jack's arms and kissed him, "Thank you, my love, I knew you'd come through for me."

"So you see Anna? You may very well be almost correct. But I say let the world hate us. As long as we love each other, we are stronger than you. Now go on, crawl back under the rock you came out from under. As soon as we get this cut looked at," Jack tenderly touched Mary's cheek, which was bleeding quite profusely, "we will be back to get Mary's books. And take heed of this stern warning, there had better not be a single book missing or damaged."

Anna stormed off angrily. So be it. Let the little wench marry that bastard. She didn't care. A thought occured to her, Jack was the murderer after all. A faint smile crossed her face as Anna returned home. They may have beaten her this round, but at least Mary would get what she deserved when Jack killed her.