She hadn't thought when the line went dead. She ran on her instincts, which told her to get to Ric's place as fast as she could. She barely remembered to grab her purse as she burst out into the night. She slipped twice, running so fast that her heels nearly gave way beneath her as she zipped across the grass, then the oil slickened parking lot. Her hands shook so hard she dropped the keys three times before she got into the car and sat behind the wheel.
Once she was actually on the road, she tried to call her father's house. She waited, hoping that this was all some cruel prank that someone was playing on her. She wanted him to pick up and tell her that she was being paranoid, that he was almost asleep when the phone rang. But he never picked up, no matter how much she wanted to. Each time the ringing disintegrated into the answering machine message her stomach twisted in knots. He was supposed to have called her already.
He never called.
He didn't answer.
Stacy leaned on the horn and screamed. Her windows were up and the air was blasting. She knew the person in front of her couldn't hear, but she screamed anyway. "The light is green! Come on!" She leaned harder on the horn until the car drove off. She sped down the street, zipping around cars, manuevering through traffic. She didn't care how much over the speed limit she was going. She just had to get to her father's house.
A red light stopped her and she wondered if she could get away with running it. On the one hand, she was pretty sure that there were no police around, but on the other, she couldn't afford to be pulled over. She always did everything the right way, and though it would annoy her to stop when the lights started flashing, she knew she would.
She pushed forward the second the light changed and started shouting out numbers. When Ric had the hands-free voice activated phone installed in her car, she thought it was going overboard. She was supposed to have the best, but she didn't think it was necessary. Right then, though, she was glad it was there.
"Hunter!" Stacy screamed in the car, again weaving around cruisers going way too slow for her to be in such a rush. She waited and there was no answer. "Dammit!" She jerked the wheel to the right and moved in front of a lumbering bus. She hung the call up then said, "Dave!" Nothing again. "Randy!" Again, no answer. "Trish!" Nothing. "Chyna!"
She screamed in frustration and slammed her hands against the steering wheel. As a last ditch effort, she tried Ric's again. "Daddy!" She waited through the ringing, and no answer. The answering machine picked up and at the beep, she cried, "Dad! It's Stacy! Daddy, come on, if you're there, just pick up. I've tried your cell. I've tried everybody..." She paused for a second as she approached another red light.
This time, she didn't care. She actually hoped that there were police around to chase her. The drive out to Ric's house was over an hour, and nearly there, she had done it in half the time. "Daddy, please, answer the phone! You're scaring me! Please, I'm begging you to pick up the phone! I'm on my way, but I still want you to answer. PICK UP THE PHONE, DADDY, PLEASE!"
The message disconnected and she screamed. Tears poured freely out of her eyes, blinding her. She wiped her eyes enough to see, though the tears still streamed out. She swerved before hitting a group of people crossing the street. "Go to bed!" she yelled as she rushed past them, wondering what the hell people were doing out when there was obviously an emergency.
Stacy flew through three consecutive red lights before sirens sounded. Part of her wanted to pull over, but she knew they wouldn't shut up long enough for her to explain. She thought she should have called 911 anyway, but her mind wasn't focused on getting anyone else there. She was focused on getting herself there.
Her stomach lurched as more sirens sounded behind her. Good, she thought. Something told her that they would all be needed. She wanted the police there when she arrived because something wasn't right at all. Something terrible had happened and the police needed to deal with it.
She jerked the wheel hard and the Mercedes lifted slightly off the ground as she rounded the corner. Ric's house was in the middle of the street, but his land was so vast, he really couldn't call anyone on either side neighbors. Stacy wondered why she was just thinking of that. Was there a need for him to scream? Would someone have heard the mysterious caller going in or coming out of his house if he weren't so isolated? How did she even know he called from Ric's house? She didn't have an explanation, she just knew, sure as she knew that those police cars following her would be needed.
Stacy rolled the window down as she got closer to the drive and pulled the gate remote from the passenger side visor. It was another expensive device that Ric had installed and Stacy had thought to be useless. Again that night, she was glad that he wasted his money on so many gadgets.
By the time she actually reached the gates, they were open enough to zoom inside. She pressed hard on the gas and surged up over the small rising hill, then slid down the other side. The car stopped with a screech and she didn't even bother turning the car off. She kicked off her shoes and jumped out running, heading towards the front of the house.
Stacy banged on the door. "Daddy!" she screamed. "Daddy, it's Stacy! Open up!" She cupped her hands and peered inside. She could see a shadow, but nothing clear. She thought she saw Ric and started banging again. "Daddy! Open up!"
The police were pulling up behind her car and she turned back. Her eyes passed the Mercedes and she screamed, "Dammit!" She couldn't get inside. Her keys were still in the car, keeping the engine humming. She looked around, ignoring the yelling police. Ric never left a spar key so that was out. She tried to pick up a porcelein flower pot beside the door but couldn't lift it.
Screaming with frustration, she turned and ran to one of the police officers. He was screaming something to her, but she wasn't listening. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the door. "Break it open!"
He looked at her in confusion. "What?"
"Break it down! It's my father's house! I know... I know something's wrong and..." She screamed and reached down, grabbing at his gun. He tried to shove her back, but her grip was tight and she was filled with adrenaline. She jerked the gun out of the holster and pointed it at the window. It wouldn't fire. "Damn safety!" She turned to the cop and noticed the others had their guns out, pointing at her. "Shoot the glass! I have to get in!"
The officer shook his head and she jerked him closer. "Look!" She peered inside and she was sure of it. She saw Ric hanging. She saw him in the circle of light. She saw blood on him. "Shoot the fucking glass!" She didn't use much hard profanity, but the moment just called for it.
She thought the officer saw what she did because he stepped away from the glass. He called two larger officers over and they tried to break down the door. The thick maple only groaned beneath their weight. Stacy stood at the window, hitting it with her fists. Her tears poured out so fast that they dripped down to wet her silk blouse. "Shoot the glass!"
The officer she'd jerked looked at her in confusion, then shook his head. "Move back!" he screamed at her, then turned to the others. "Call back up," he said, then looked back at the glass. He fired six rounds, emptying his revolver. The groupings of bullets shattered the glass, but it didn't fall.
Stacy, full of fear and adrenaline, ran to the glass. She wasn't thinking that she'd get hurt. She wasn't thinking that she could fall or get cut or anything else. She ran as quickly as she could and jumped at the glass. It splintered where her shoulder hit it, and she jumped back. She moved back to the window and beat at it with her fists until her hands were bloody. But the glass fell enough for her to climb inside.
Her shirt was shredded as she climbed into the broken window. Glass bit into her skin and she felt blood start to flow down her arms and stick her blouse to her skin. She got inside and broken glass crunched and scraped the bottoms of her bare feet. It didn't stop her. She ran forward, praying that it wasn't as bad as it looked from the outside.
She came nearer to the circle of light and her eyes wouldn't focus. She caught flashes of red against pale skin, white hair, slack muscles. She tried to stop running, but her speed and the blood beneath her feet made her slide. She only stopped when she smacked hard against Ric's body.
Stacy fell backwards and still, she could barely focus. She stood up and stared at her hands. There was blood on them. She looked down to the floor to see more blood. Her face was sticky and she knew it was blood. Slowly, her vision cleared and shapes took form. She saw Ric Flair, eviscerated, covered in blood and thicker bodily fluids.
Stacy Keibler not only saw her father's dead body, but realized she had run smack into it. She dropped hard to her knees and screamed.
...go back