"You know, I thought you would've at least aged a tiny bit since the last time I saw you, but I guess not. I guess you're one of those women who ages well. You started out beautiful to begin with and just stayed that way. That's so great," He said with a chill in his voice.
The man from nearly 20 years before, the man who haunted her for so long, has finally reappeared in her life. Jude was living a nightmare she could never escape from, a nightmare that plagued her in her dreams for years and years.
"Well c'mon baby. Aren't you going to say 'Hi? How are you? I've missed you?'" He said this as if the two were old lovers "I guess not. Did that night after the concert not mean a damn thing to you?" He gripped her chin in his hand and said his last sentence through clenched teeth. His eyes staring straight into hers. He planted a rough kiss on her and then pulled away when he felt her teeth pinch his lips. "Bitch!" and he slapped her across the face.
Jude took this as her signal to run, but when she reached the door, she couldn't push it open. "What on-"
"Babe you should know how I work by now. I make sure that nothing will interrupt our precious time together," He pulled out one of the many knives from his big dark coat and let it rest in his hands for a bit. "You know, I saw your daughter yesterday. I must say, she is a beautiful girl, I'm really thanking God that she inherited your looks instead of his,"
"Why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to-"
"Deserve the gifts I've granted you? I've done nothing but love you ever since you're beautiful porcelain colored face graced my television screen. It was love at first sight. Some say I'm crazy and insane for thinking this, but that was only because I loved you, and you never got the chance to love me," his way of talking, the way he waved the knife around, Jude was frozen in place.
"You see, when I saw that you had gotten close to Mr. Wannabe Rockstar Quincy, my heart broke. I was crushed. I felt ashamed that you would fall for a guy like him. Why would you? He's the kind of man who's been with every type of girl with two legs and a pretty face and back. Why would you want to be with someone so dirty?" The more he rambled, the more terrified Jude became. "I asked myself this question over and over, and I came to the conclusion that it's because you were never dealt anyone better. I wasn't there, so of course you chose that scum over me,"
"He's not scum you bastard," Jude muttered.
"Ouch, thou words scorn thy fragile heart, babe. But don't worry about that, once I've taken care of business, all the damage you've done will be repayed," Jude backed away from the door and went back to the one place where she was initially trapped.
"Ah, that's a good girl now. Making yourself in clear view for the finale, heh heh, I surely want to get the perfect angle for when I see it. I'm not a fan of film, I prefer to see the real thing. So rest assured, this will forever be remembered," He walked over to Jude, his knife still in hand. "Don't worry, this is just a taste of what's to come," Jude saw the knife before her eyes and noticed it becoming closer and closer to her skin.
"No! Please!" Jude yelled running away from him.
There was only another two or three minutes until the movie was to start, and Tommy had realized Jude wasn't back yet. He looked to his right and saw Jess sitting beside him. Jess looked at her father, who merely shrugged at her and tapped on his watch.
"How long has she been in there?" Jess asked nodding towards the bathrooms.
"Since we got in here, wanna go check on her?" Tommy asked, Jess nodded and gave Tanner her purse and carefully walked down the corridor.
"Want me to tell them to give us another five or ten minutes?" Tanner asked Tommy, Tommy just nodded no.
"It's not like Jude to let everyone wait for her, we'll just see what happens when Jess comes back,"
Jess arrived in front of the bathroom door and heard some banging from the inside. Jess rapped the door with her fist, carefully knocking before entering.
"Mom is everything ok?" Jess said as she entered. At first she hadn't seen a thing, that was until she fully entered the bathroom and saw her mother being gagged with a knife against her throat, and a tall stranger behind her.
"Now, if it isn't the twin," he said, Jess took another step forward.
"Nuh uh uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Here's a good way to guess why, turn around," Jess slowly turned her head, and came face to face with the barrel of a gun, and Ethan standing at the other end of it.
"Ethan?" Jess's knees went weak from horror and sweat beads quickly began to form on her forehead.
"That's right love. I love the way you're reacting to my presence," Ethan quickly grabbed hold Jess and pulled her close to him "Hmmm, you smell just as sweet as that night we made love,"
Jess felt the tears sting her eyes at his description of her most dark night. Her shoulders shuddered and cowered at his touch. Her body started to shake uncontrollably in fear of the way his arm felt around her waist.
"Hey, don't worry, it won't hurt unless you fight me over it," Ethan said, the gun still against her head.
"Mmm, I'm usually a one man show when it comes to things like this, but I just thought, hell. If there's two of them, why not get a partner?"
"What?" Jess asked astonished.
"That's right, I've known this guy since I was 16 years old. What a coincidence, that's around the time we met, Jess." Ethan said with fake shock in his voice.
Jess stared at him in disbelief, everything they had was a lie, it turned into one the night he raped her, and now it just became even greater with this now brought to light.
"Don't look shocked babe, you should've known the night I raped you. Anyways, I met this guy one day while walking home from school. Yeah I know, never talk to strangers, but hell, he acted like a father to me. Not that mine had the time to for me, he was always too busy blaming me for my mother's death," Ethan said without any sort of regret in his voice. "Hell, it's not my fault my mother was some small framed broad who couldn't handle child birth,"
"You sick fuck," Jess said with clenched teeth.
"Whoa, that's a colorful choice of words. Be careful girl. You're the one on the receiving end of this gun," Ethan whispered the last sentence with a hint of soulessness.
"Now, why don't we really get this show started. Ethan, would you please bring out your other pal?" the mastermind asked, Ethan nodded gratefully and pulled out a second pistol and aimed it at Jude's head.
"It's just so my idol here can prepare everything without any distractions," Ethan said.
"Ethan, please, you don't know what you're doing," Ethan struck Jess in her stomach with the butt of his gun.
"Don't tell me what I do or don't know you dirty whore,"
Jude looked at Jess with shame, tear and sorrow filled eyes. Her blue gray eyes spoke volumes to Jess, who mirrored her mother's emotions.
"This won't hurt a bit my love," he said placing a needle into Jude's arm, causing her stand perfectly still.
"What did he just-"
"Shut up and you'll find out," Ethan barked at her. The criminal started to adjust Jude into a sitting position on the ground, her head staring straight at the other wall.
"You paralyzed her?"
"Sedatives are a wonderful drug. Perfect for what I want the second act to be," The criminal then kicked Jude with his combat boots right in her legs. Jude's body tumbled forward a bit, and her eyes closed for a split second, Jess saw her mother's strength and terror at once. She bit her lip, trying to keep from breaking loose of Ethan's grip. Jess would have broken loose, too, if only the gun wasn't aimed at her head and if she only had a chance to save her mother.
Tommy looked back at his watch once he noticed that the lights were starting to dim. He looked at Tanner wearily, and the two looked towards the bathrooms.
"Something's wrong," Tommy muttered and he and Tanner got up and walked as calmly as they could over towards the bathrooms.
"You think maybe something happened? Maybe Jude's nerves got to her or something?" Tanner asked as the two reached the door.
"I don't think so, Jess would've ran out here and told us," Tommy said. He knocked on the door, and heard nothing.
Tanner raised an eyebrow at Tommy. Both their gazes fierce, yet filled with worry, Tommy opened the door and saw nothing as well. Tommy and Tanner entered the bathroom quietly, Tanner holding the door open, once both fully inside, Tanner felt a sharp snapping pain in his arm and quickly let go of the door, causing it to close shut and lock the two inside.
"Fuck!" Tanner yelled and looked up to see a gun staring him right in the face.
"Not so loud bad boy, or else the last thing you'll taste is gun powder," Ethan said pointing one gun at Tanner and the other at Tommy.
"Where are they?" Tommy asked through clenched teeth.
"If you'll follow me, and just look around the corner-"
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO JUDE!" Tommy was about to run forward when he then noticed the criminal sitting right next to her, knife under her neck and a spare gun pointed to Jess's head.
"That's right pretty boy. You make another move, little Jessica here will be painting the walls with her brains and Jude will be minced meat,"
"What the hell do you want?" Tanner asked and then he heard another click from the door. "What was that?"
"The extra lock, now no one can enter or leave, all our guests have arrived," The criminal mentioned. Jude's head was lowered, her dress had a few drops of blood from her busted lip, but otherwise she was alive. Tommy noticed this and it took everything in his power to not break both of Ethan's arms and then re-enact a scene from The Godfather on the stranger.
The stranger gave his little speech as to why he was doing this to Jude, and anyone close to her, it had only made the fuse of Tommy's hatred for the man burn faster. Tanner clutched his arm, afraid of moving it anymore and causing it more damage. Tanner so badly wanted to uppercut Ethan and make him drop both pistols, but he knew that even one movement could cause Jess, Jude or Tommy's life.
"You need serious help," Tommy said in a low, raspy tone that barely anyone has ever heard.
"If only it were that simple Quincy. You see, it's now time for act three, where some real damage is going to happen," and with that, Ethan aimed the gun that was pointed at Tommy just to below his head, and pinned it there, allowing Tommy to feel the cool metal of the barrel.
"Just reminding you of what it will cost you if you make any movement towards Jude," Ethan said with a little excitement in his voice. Tommy then heard a click from the gun, reminding him that it was already cocked and loaded, the trigger was pulled halfway already, it took less than a full movement of his index finger to cause that gun to go off.
"And now, Jude, I want your 'precious' husband to see the pain in your eyes when I do this," he said adjusting Jude's head to face Tommy. "I want to see the so called 'love' in your eyes Tom, just to see if you truly do love her,"
And with a piercing glance from Tommy, a 'don't you dare-'
But before Tommy could even complete his thought, he saw the blade go straight through Jude's left shoulder. Tommy saw how wide her eyes got, the pain in her pupils, and then all the red blood starting to retreat from the newly opened wound.
"You son of a bitch!" Tommy yelled ducking from Ethan's gun and lunging for the criminal.
Ethan fired the gun but Tommy was already out of frame. He looked to Tanner, but was then distracted by a sharp pain in his stomach. Tanner managed to grab one gun and aimed it at Ethan, but Ethan was frozen on the floor.
All that blood...so much of it...so dark red...just seeping through her shoulder...
"The blood..." Ethan muttered. Before Tommy could land another punch on the criminal he heard Ethan's almost inaudible voice. "So much of it...Someone...just...make it go away..."
Ethan then stood up, as did Tommy and he got a better look at Ethan's presence. No longer was the sick and twisted man that was there moments before. Now was a shell of a coward, a most scared person without any sort of guts to do anything.
"What's wrong with him?" Tommy said to Tanner. Tanner just kept watching him, transfixed. Jess was in shock, the blood, everything, it was causing just too much for her.
((News Cameras))
"We're here live at El Capitan Theater where the premiere of the new movie 'Iris' is taking place. It was said by a witness that there had been at least one gun shot and that the entire Harrison-Quincy family along with Tanner Hudson were missing from the movie. The police have been notified to try and get the situation under control. There has been no evidence or word that anyone has been injured,"
((end of news cameras))
Loud banging could be heard outside the bathroom door, and all the criminal did was laugh. Tommy looked at him in disbelief, not sure whether to pummel him some more or to take pity on him. The man had two black eyes, a busted lip, and most likely a bruised rib.
"They won't be able to break down that door unless they had something to melt the metal away," he continued to laugh as he wiped his lip. "I've gotta say Quincy, you've got some good punches,"
She cared for me. She was like a mother to me. She taught me how to be a good guy, how to love Jess. And I betrayed her unknowingly. I only thought he was teaching me how to get closer to her...he was teaching me how to hurt her. Oh god the blood...there's so much, how come no one's cleaning it?
"You tricked me..." Ethan said randomly.
"What?" said the criminal.
"You brainwashed me. You made me believe I was going to be with her forever. You screwed up my life,"
"Yeah? And what do you think she has done to the both of us? She corrupted Jess's mind, making her believe you're horrible! You know you want to see her brains splattered across this room,"
"You don't know what I want..."
"Neither the hell do you! Just shoot the bitch already and all this will be over for both of us. It'd be killing two birds with one stone,"
"Ethan...put down the gun," Jess said finally speaking up.
Ethan looked at her and then looked back at the gun he had raised.
"This will only end, with one of them dead..." Ethan said pointing the gun from Jude to the criminal. "One of them will make the confusion end...one of them has to die,"
"Ethan, stop it. Nobody has to die, just put the gun down," Tommy said, Ethan wasn't listening. The gun still switched from Jude to the criminal.
"He's like a father to me, when mine wasn't there..."
"Ethan, stop, just let it go, drop the gun,"
"Shoot her, end her misery, let her blood run dry,"
"She was like the mother I never had when we were together, Jess..."
Tears started to spill from Ethan's eyes as the gun wavered between Jude and the criminal.
"Ethan, please, put the gun down," Jess pleaded, her tears running freely now.
Ethan looked Jude in the eyes, he saw her fear, he saw every emotion in her eyes.
"Like a mother..."
He looked to the man that treated him like a son. He taught him so much. But were they really lessons in being the man he wanted to be? Or were they ways to lead a guilt ridden life, plagued by the eyes of the ones he was asked to torture and kill?
"A father..."
"PUT THE GUN DOWN!" They all shouted.
"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
He decided.
The gun was shot, and blood splattered the walls.
