To my reviewers:
emptyvoices-I am sorry to be cruel. But I'm good at being mean, aren't I? I don't know if I'm using OFC as a center point...as I have no idea what it is. Haha.
BregoBeauty-Yes! It's Jackson! Lol
goldenpeaches-I like the non-Lisa too, but I might have it in her POV later on. As she deals with...well.
Royalty09-You'll see! It's different. Lol.
Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy and keep up with the charming reviews. They make me happy, and they inspire me to write. And when I write, that makes you happy...methinks.
Kat screeched and blindly stabbed with her pen. It was knocked from her hand by a knife blade as she was slammed against the wall. Fearful tears began coursing down her face as she continued to scream.
"Shut up," the man's voice was slightly hoarse. "Shut up, or you die. Understand?"
Kat drew in a sharp breath but nodded. "Who-who are you? Why are you here? Get out of my house!"
"First of all," his voice seemed slightly amused. "I'm Jackson Rippner. Perhaps you've heard of me. Your mother seems one to love propaganda. I'm here...what is it they say on all those horror films? Oh yeah. To 'get my revenge'. Your mother pissed me off several years ago and she's proven she doesn't care what happens to herself. Feel lucky that she isn't dead. Yet. And the answer to that last question is no, and as forewarning I should probably tell you that your mom paid the price for being too inquisitive."
Kat's heart thudded loudly. "Don't hurt her, please."She did know. She knew, from the moment he'd hit her who he was. Her mother's vivid descriptions of his eyes had been the first clue.
He grinned. "I knew you'd say that. So as a nice little consolation price you're coming with me."
"What do you want with me?" he detected the fear in her voice, and smirked.
"Basically..." he began. "Bait. Lisa cares more about you than herself."
"I don't get it," Kat begged. "Just let me go, don't hurt us..."
"No."
"Why?" she challenged. She wasn't sure why. For some reason a gut instinct made her want to piss this guy off, more than anything.
She was rewarded with a sharp backhand to the face. She gasped and tumbled to the floor.
"What the hell was that for?"
"Do you want them to be able to ransom you or do you want to be found in the pond?" he snarled. Kat just stared at him. This was...scary. And confusing.
"Come on."
Kat didn't move, didn't answer him. Instead she waited a moment, and edged over to the shoerack. She did the only thing she could think of, and chucked a Doc Marten at his head. He cursed as the heavy platform connected with his ear. She scrambled away, trying to go in the only direction possible, upstairs. As she began to ascend his hand wrapped around her ankle. The last thing she saw before everything went black was his head hitting hers sharply.
Lisa sighed and pocketed her keys as she began walking into the auditorium of Kat's school. She chose a seat near the back, feeling guilty about being a bit late. Luckily her band hadn't started yet, the jazz band was performing. She sank into a hard metal seat as the jazz band bowed.
Her eyes scanned the crowds of musicians for her daughter. She didn't see her, but...Kat was short. She probably was just hidden behind that tall tuba player.
Hm. Nope. Well, she'd be there.
As the band got to the part Lisa knew was Kat's solo section (she's sure as hell practiced it enough) she instead heard an ill-prepared flutist squeaking out the notes. Not Kat. Lisa's heart leapt nervously. Where was she?
As soon as they'd finished Lisa ran up to her friend Becky in the music room.
"Becky, where's Kat?" Lisa asked anxiously. Becky looked up from where she was pulling apart her trumpet. Becky shrugged.
"I don't know," she explained. "We went to pick her up and knocked for at least five minutes. She never came to the door, so we assumed you'd gotten off work early and came to pick her up."
"No, I didn't," Lisa was close to tears. She suddenly was struck with a horrifying idea. Kat had been upset last night. Surely she wouldn't...end...her own life, would she?
Lisa had to nearly yell at herself not to speed the entire way home. Kat wouldn't do something like that, she had a good head on her shoulders...
When she finally pulled up in front of the house she didn't even bother pulling the keys from the ignition. Hell, she hardly remembered to put it in park. Her hands trembled as she unlocked the door.
"Kat!" she cried as soon as she burst through. "Kat!"
No answer. Lisa began crying as she raced upstairs, her breath coming in frenzied gasps.
Her suspicion had been wrong. Kat didn't kill herself...but she was missing. Lisa ran back downstairs and suddenly noticed all the debris on the floor. Upon closer inspection she saw a Doc Marten, a pen, and...specks of blood? Her chest seized up as she began to dial 911.
The phone fell from Lisa's hands as she noticed the slip of paper tacked to her refrigerator. She ripped it off and began to read.
Lisa-
Long time no see, eh? Well, at least for you. I've been reacquainted with you for quite some time now.
You probably thought that I was dead. Or worse, that I had "changed." Like in those sappy love movies you like to watch, where the criminal goes to jail and comes out having found God and turns into a missionary or whatever the fuck they do.
Well guess what?
Tough luck.
I'm back, and I'm sure you know what I want. One guess-starts with an 'r'. At the moment, it comes in the form of your sweet beautiful little daughter Katie,
She takes after you, I must admit. Put up quite a fight, she did, even had the gut instinct to try and stab me with a pen. Sound familiar, Lisa?
Oh, yes. I'm going to have fun with this one.
And no, I don't care to go into specifics. But here's the deal-I have Kat and you have a choice. Either let her be tortured in many fascinating and delightful ways, eventually killed by yours truly, or hand yourself in for the treatment.
Your choice. Yours, not your bastard of a husband, not the cops.
NOT THE COPS.
So listen. You have a week to decide, in which I shall become well acquainted with your lovely girl. Don't worry, I won't kill her. If you inform anyone (yes, Leese. Even your husband) of what's going on, she dies. How does that sound?
I did say we'd talk again. And I never lie.
Yours with love, Jackson Rippner
"Oh my god," Lisa closed her eyes as the tears silently streamed. "God, help me."
Katie awoke several hours later with a searing headache. Her stomach lurched as she realized she was in a car. Her eyes flew open as Jackson flung something into her hands. She didn't glance twice at it before vomiting into it.
"Done?"
Kat shook her head and had another go. Jackson didn't revert his eyes from the steering wheel except to glance, once, amused, at her. Finally she shakily tied the top on the plastic bag and he took it from her hands, flinging it out the window. The thought of what some mere hiker would find set her stomach flipping again but she held it back this time.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to litter?" she grumbled, leaning back her head.
"No, actually," he tilted his head and flashed her a grin. She scowled. "What, upset stomach, toots?"
"It's called a migraine," she snapped. "They're often induced by stress or when someone gets fucking knocked out."
"Tsk, tsk," he raised his eyebrows. "Bambi has quite a strong mouth."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, Bambi seems like a suitable nickname for a young lass of your size..."
"I could kick your ass any day."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. It was easy enough for my mother," Kat smirked. "What, didn't she manage to stab you with a pen? Pretty shabby, Jack." She didn't know then that his shortened name should be avoided at all costs. But boy, did she find out. Jackson swerved to the side of the road and rewarded her with a punch in the face. Her nose made a cracking noise and she screamed as he pulled the tie from her hair and grabbed a fistful of her long dark hair.
"Do you want to be alive for your mother to find you?" he yelled. She cried out and he pulled harder on her scalp. "Do you?"
"No..." she moaned in pain. He released her with a jolt. The back of her neck connected with the window and she gritted her teeth.
"Then watch your mouth."
Katie glared at him, her anger bubbling in her chest, but she kept quiet. It was best not to anger the demon.
