Warning: Rated for language and violence.
The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.
O o O
Suzanne Hertz stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front door of the Hermitage. She dreaded every step, like a condemned man must as he walked to his execution.
Oh God, help me in my final hour, she silently prayed, let Emily be safe. Let this nightmare be over and done!
She walked up the steps and went inside.
O o O
After ending the call to Suzanne, Clark Hertz began his final preparations. He made Emily stand up, then slipped on a noose he had fashioned from the dangling end of the wire he had strung up. He tightened it around her neck, taking care that her hair wasn't blocking or hindering the wire's access to her skin. He then went to the other end of the wire and drew it taut.
The instant Emily felt the wire bite in and strangle, she lifted up on her toes. He didn't stop until she was supporting herself totally on the toes of her shoes. She sputtered and tried to cry, but the noose wouldn't allow a sound out. She stood there, on her tip toes, fighting to stay conscious, for if she passed out, she was dead.
Satisfied with his work, Clark went back over to the girl, picking up a box cutter as he did. He faced Emily, and looked at her like she was some kind of strange new creature. He then took the box cutter and cut into her shirt.
She tried to scream, but the noose prevented it. Clark kept cutting, starting at the top of her collar, cutting down until he reached the tail. He had to pull her shirt out of her pants in order to do what he did. Next, he did another cut, only of the shirt; careful not to slice into anything else. He did this repeatedly, cutting the front of her shirt to shreds, all the while looking like he was examining a frog he was dissecting.
When he finally rendered her shirt into tatters, he started on the camisole she was wearing under it. Once again, he cut from top to bottom, taking care not to touch the bare skin underneath. Soon, the camisole was history. Clark looked at the skin now exposed. Emily's eyes bugged out as she realized that he wasn't going to stop at just her clothes.
Clark Hertz poised the box cutter at Emily's collarbone. The girl struggled helplessly, tears freely flowing down her face, trying to squeak out some plea for mercy. Just as he was about to press the blade in, he heard a voice behind him.
"Clark, leave her alone. I'm here now, just as you asked. You don't have to do that, let her go."
Clark turned to see his ex-wife, Suzanne, standing in the doorway.
O o O
Ulrich and Odd made it to the Hermitage without being seen by anybody. They carefully circled around to the side where the family room was. Ulrich began to inch his way towards the window, Odd closely behind him. As he got closer, he saw a man inside, doing something to Emily. She was struggling against something, something Ulrich couldn't quite make out. He was just about to move up to the window and peer in, when something grabbed him from behind.
He struggled, trying every choke break he could think of, but to no avail. A hand had clamped onto his mouth, as an arm squeezed the arteries of his neck shut. The world went gray, and Ulrich passed out.
Minutes later, Ulrich woke up. He was laying in the woods behind some bushes. His hands were bound behind him, and someone had put tape over his mouth as a gag. He squirmed about, trying to get his bearings,when he saw Odd laying next to him, bound and gagged like he was. All Odd could do was shrug, silently apologizing for not warning his friend. Squirming around more, Ulrich saw a woman kneeling a few feet away. She was wearing workout shorts and a tee shirt, with a fanny pack and what looked like a shoulder holster around her shoulders. She glanced quickly at the boys, and Ulrich recognized her as Ann Grace, one of the Marines that had started working with Jeremie and Aelita.
"Sorry 'bout that," she quietly said to the boy, "but there's too much at stake for kids to be bumbling about. I know how you feel; I want to run in there, guns blazing, and save the day too. But it's the police's job, not yours. But I promise you this, if that asshole tries killing anyone in that house, I'll make him wish his father had never been born." She then turned her attention back to the Hermitage, raising a pair of binoculars to her eyes.
O o O
"Let her down, Clark," Suzanne sternly said, "it's me you want, not her. Let her go and I'll do whatever you want me to."
"You'll do that anyway, my love," Clark Hertz said.
"No, I won't," Suzanne said, "let Emily loose, now, and let her walk out of here, now, or I will leave. You will never get the revenge you feel you need, for the police know you're here, and they will surely kill you if she's harmed. Let her go and leave here, and you can have the revenge you truly desire."
He stared at her, thinking. As he thought, Suzanne looked at the man who had turned her life upside down. Clark Hertz wasn't a tall man, only an inch taller than Suzanne was. When she first met him, he had almost black hair. But now, most of if was gone, like he had kept it shaved close normally, but hadn't cut it in a while. There was an odd bald patch on the right side of his head, about half way back, and there looked to be a massive scar in the middle of it. There was also a huge scar just under his jaw on the left side. Suzanne thought he must have gotten those after she left him, for she had never seen them before. His body was thin and gaunt, like an over tightened bow, just about ready to snap.
"Alright, Suzanne, my love, my hate," Clark finally said, "I'll let this minnow go, for I now have my whale."
With that, Clark walked over to the wall where the wire was secured. He unwound it and the tension on the wire completely disappeared. Emily collapsed to the floor and started sobbing. Suzanne quickly knelt down and carefully remove the wire from around her neck, then undid the wire binding her wrists. Small amounts of blood were trickling from where the wire had bit into her neck and wrists. Now free if the noose, Emily started crying freely. Suzanne picked her up and looked straight at her.
"Emily, listen to me! I want you to get up and run! Get back to the school, there are people waiting for you. Now, run and don't look back!"
The science teacher helped the frightened girl up and almost shoved her out the doorway. Emily stumbled, then ran for it.
Suzanne turned back to Clark. "Thank you for that, Clark. I'm yours. Whatever you want to do, whatever you think you have to do to purge your demons, do it."
Clark Hertz smiled in triumph as he advanced on his last victim.
O o O
Jim silently closed the basement door after he entered. He quietly moved about, looking for the stairs. Finding them, he made his way up to the main level. As he started up, he saw Aelita Hopper at the top of the stairs, hunched down under the wall.
"Aelita, behind you," Jim whispered.
Startled, Aelita whipped around to find him, almost screaming in surprise. Jim quickly put a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet, then quickly joined her.
"Okay, now listen," he said to the girl, "I want you to go downstairs and out the basement door. There's an access point to the sewer system you can take and..."
He was cut off by the sound of running, then tripping. The pair cautiously looked around the corner to see Emily LeDuc sprawled out on the floor. They got up and quickly rushed over to her.
O o O
Emily ran like one pursued by the Devil himself. However she tripped and fell right at the stairway to the rest of the house. She screamed when she felt hands grip her, only to be silenced when she was turned over and she saw Jim Moralés and Aelita Hopper bending over her.
"Aelita, take Emily and get out of here!" Jim said, "the police should be here almost any instant, so you both will be safe. The pink haired girl nodded her head and helped Emily up. Jim got up and ran to the back of the house.
O o O
Taylor Thompson, Detective Michellete and the other police officers had just reached the edge of the woods across from the Hermitage when Taylor's cell phone rang.
"Thompson here," he answered.
"Grace here," was the reply.
"How sweet the sound. Sitrep."
"Well, for one thing, I've got two little lambs who wanted to be Rambo with me."
"Any problems?"
"No, they're all tied up at the moment. I think they're two of Jeremie's friends. You know, Taylor, I'm beginning to wonder just how much help that boy really needs."
Taylor chuckled. "Well, maybe it means he's starting to come around a bit..."
Ann interrupted him, "Wait, I've got movement from the target. Mrs. Hertz just entered the room... now the target is cutting the girl down... she's helping her... the girl just ran out of the room... Taylor, get the cops in here! The target is moving on Mrs. Hertz! Wait! We've got another player in motion! Shit, it's Moralés! Get the cops in there now!"
"Mitchellete, move in! It's going down!" Taylor shouted, surprise no longer needed.
The detective and his men sprinted across the street, to be greeted by two young girls running out of the house. Taylor stayed behind to assist the girls while the rest of the police ran inside.
On the other side of the house, Ann Grace saw what was unfolding. With a curse, she unholstered a handgun and sprinted to the building.
O o O
After making sure Emily was alright, Jim had Aelita get her clear of the area, then turned and ran back to where Emily had come from. He knew now that the only people back there was Suzanne and her ex-husband, so he didn't have to worry about a gang fight.
Anybody that's not Suzanne is the target, Jim intoned into himself, anybody that's not Suzanne is the target.
He reached the doorway to the family room and saw Suzanne standing there, waiting for the worst. across from her and advancing slowly was a gaunt man, her ex, he supposed. The man was holding a box cutter as he advanced.
Jim charged.
The man turned, startled, just as Jim slammed into him. He knocked the man away and managed to keep his own footing.
"That's right, you've got a man to worry about now, not some little girl or frightened woman!" he bellowed, "c'mon, let's see what you got!"
Clark jumped up, enraged now, and charged at Jim, rearing back the arm holding the box cutter to slash his opponent. He swung, clipping Jim just under his left eye, but missing otherwise. Jim countered with a massive blow to Clark's ribs, knocking his breath out and causing him to collapse.
Just as Jim was about to insure that his opponent wouldn't get up again, there was a shout of "Police! Don't Move!" and the room was filled with uniformed bodies. The police finally arrived.
Two officers immediately jumped on Clark, knocking the weapon out of his hands and cuffing him. Another officer approached Jim, telling him to back away and keep his hands in the open. Jim complied, and the officer took him and handcuffed him too.
Suzanne, in the meantime, was telling the other officers to leave Jim alone, that Clark was the one they wanted. Detective Michellete took the woman, telling her that they were restraining Jim for their protection, and everything would be okay in a moment. Once everyone was secure, the police escorted everyone out of the house.
Meanwhile, outside, Ann observed the whole scene from the window. She was prepared to kill Clark if he got any closer to Mrs. Hertz without anyone else coming in, and was relieved when she hadn't had to. She holstered her weapon and slipped back into the woods to where she had left the two boys.