Chapter 88
The Main Street of the Peach Creek business district was quite abuzz with vehicles, as it was every Christmas Eve. Hundreds of families flocked to the roads, on their way to visit relatives for a holiday brunch. Unfortunately, this large influx of people caused traffic to move quite slow on the main thouroughfair, as well as the surrounding streets.
Within the wall of automobiles, a shiny purple scooter, piloted by Lee with Lindsay taking a back seat, bobbed and weaved around the slow moving vehicles. While Lee was used to taking risks on the road, having quite a bit of experience driving a car, Lindsay seemed rather nervous.
As Lindsay clutched Lee's abdomen with all of her might, the cars in front of the scooter began to come to a halt; this was due to the traffic light at the upcoming intersection transitioning to its amber signal. To Lindsay's dismay, after a quick check of her left mirror, Lee weaved around the stopping vehicle and blipped the throttle, powering through the light a few seconds after it activated its red signal.
"LeeLee, are you sure this is safe?" asked Lindsay, "I mean, we just ran a red light!"
"Don't worry about it, I'm in control," said Lee in a calm yet determined manner, "Besides, our little friend appears to have caught up to us, and doesn't seem to mind violating the traffic laws if it means attempting to kill us."
Lee lifted her left hand into the air for a brief instant, performing a hitchhikers thumb as if to signal Lindsay to look behind. As the blonde diva turned, her eyes assumed a rather alarmed expression. Edyta had commandeered her vehicle, and had managed to catch up to the girls. She was currently around two blocks behind the scooter, driving with absolutely no regard to any of her surroundings. In lieu of waiting in the slow moving traffic, the mad woman had jumped her wheels onto the sidewalk, speeding down the concrete path while ignoring all traffic signals and safety laws, in an effort to catch up to Lee and Lindsay.
At that point, Lee activated her right turn signal, and suddenly angled the handle bars in that direction. Lindsay was quite taken aback by Lee's sudden change of course, promptly turning around to demand an explanation.
"Annalee, what are you doing!" yelled Lindsay, "This isn't the way to the parking lot!"
"I'm cutting through the side streets," said Lee, "There's too many innocent people out in the business district, and I don't want them getting hurt while we're trying to take care of Little Miss Sunshine. I put my signal on so she knew to follow us."
Lindsay remained silent, merely nodding her head while allowing Lee to proceed with her course of action.
"Hang on Liz," said Lee, "We're almost there, it will all be over soon!"
There was a period of silence as Lee made a few more last minute turns, avoiding busy streets while simultaneously causing Edyta to have to slow down; the compact car could not make the same quick and narrow turns as Lindsay's scooter, providing the girls with a major advantage.
Eventually, the girls came upon their destination; a small secluded empty parking lot, located behind a major warehouse in the outskirts of the business district. The lot was surrounded by a chain link fence, it's sole entrance barely large enough for a car to fit.
Lee jumped the curb and proceeded to drive the scooter into the center of the parking lot. After applying the brakes to bring the vehicle to a halt, Lee placed the kick stand in the down position and cut the ignition.
Both girls stepped off of the scooter; Lindsay appeared rather nervous, cautiously observing her surroundings as Lee removed her cell phone from her pocket.
"11:55," said Lee, "We just have to stall her for five minutes."
"Yeah," said Lindsay, "I hope they got the message...or we're as...g..good as dead."
"Calm down Liz," said Lee as she placed her hands on her shoulder, "Channel your inner Tiffany and be brave...now is the time!"
Lindsay swallowed heavily as she nodded in agreement. At that moment, the sound of a car engine approaching grew in intensity; within seconds, Edyta had arrived. The seemingly insane woman jumped the curb with her BMW, crashing through a portion of the chain link fence as the car approached the girls position, screeching to a halt around fifteen feet away from them.
The girls watched as the driver's side door slowly opened, allowing Edyta to place her black boots on the gravely asphalt. The petite woman proceeded to stand up, and (after making no attempt to close the car door) began walking toward the girls position while maintaining an evil glare. In lieu of her typical arrogant walk, the mad woman hobbled as if she were walking with a peg leg, due to still being dazed from Lee's attack. She had retrieved the knife from the floor, and was currently carrying the large blade in her uninjured hand. Despite having a broken wrist and bleeding head, the woman seemed to be surpassing all sources of pain, her insanity serving as a natural painkiller.
"Well, well," said Edyta, "You girls are stupider than I realized. You tried to escape me, but instead you come to the middle of nowhere. A place where no one can hear you scream."
"Trust me," said Lee as she discretely rechecked her phone, "I think you'll soon realize that you are the stupid one!"
"Oh really, now...", said Edyta as she came within ten feet of the girls, "I think the fact that you provoked the lady with the weapon is testament to your foolishness."
"It didn't work before, and it ain't gonna work on me now," said Lee, "Alright Edyta, I get it...you are a power hungry, egotistical maniac. But before you attempt and fail at killing us, would you mind telling us what your fucking problem is with me and the Statorowski's? I mean, if you were in our situation, wouldn't you, at the very least, like to know why you're being killed?"
At that point, Lindsay shot a fearful glare toward her friend. The tall diva was in complete disbelief that Lee could maintain complete control in front of such a hostile threat, especially someone brandishing a weapon. Nevertheless, she turned back toward Edyta awaiting a response.
Edyta proceeded to grin, all the while giggling sarcastically.
"My my, look at this," said Edyta, "Such big talk coming from such young girl. You are such a smart ass, just like the mother."
"My mother?" asked Lee.
"Oh yes," said Edyta, "You are the daughter of Tabitha Kanker, no?"
Lee remained silent, surprised to hear her mother's name come from Edyta's mouth. Playing into her surprise, Edyta continued speaking.
"The resemblance is, how do you say?...Uncanny," said Edyta, "Long shoulder length red curls, freckles on the face, and high cheek bones. Only difference is you do not seem to be over fed, unlike that fat pig you call mother."
Lee remained silent; while quite angry regarding the insult of her mother, she was quite confused as to how Edyta knew Tabby in the first place.
"Yes Tabby Kanker was lesser half of duo," said Edyta, "She always remained one step behind Tiffany O'Leary, in looks and in talent."
At the sound of Tiffany's name, Lee and Lindsay turned toward each other, sharing a confused stare at the sound of Edyta's words.
"My oh my, you two don't know," said Edyta, her voice gradually transforming from smooth, sultry and sultry to dark and malicious; her thick accent seeming to wane, "Your mothers were the best of friends, always out hanging together, making plans, having fun."
Lee and Lindsay remained silent staring in Edyta's direction.
"I always had trouble making friends," said Edyta, "Until I met Tiffany O'Leary. Tiffany welcomed me into group her of friends. We all get along so well, but Tiffany, the only person who ever made me feel special, will not consider me best friend...she always called Tabby...your mother...her best friend. I wanted her to be my family...just like Tabby had become...hers..."
The two girls remained silent, paralyzed with shock upon hearing Edyta's story. The petite woman took a moment to catch her breath, at which point she decided to continue.
"It's all your mothers fault," said Edyta, "Her and that nerdy midget...they kept her away from me, and stopped her from accepting her position of popularity in high school. In class, Tiffany always choose Tabby to work on project, and study with her in library, leaving me to work by myself."
"Are you serious?" asked Lee, "All of this over a stupid high school grudge? You're gonna take a twenty year old issue out on an innocent fourteen-year-old by burning her. Geez, you've got more issues than I thought!"
"DON'T LECTURE ME ON ISSUES YOU LITTLE SHIT!" yelled Edyta, in a volume that seemed comparable to that of a freight train. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOUR MOTHER HAS FUCKED ME THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. SHE RUIN EVERYTHING BY STEALING THE CLOSEST THING TO HAVE TO FAMILY...HER DESTINY WAS TO DIE."
Edyta calmed down ever so slightly after her sudden outburst, slowly turning towards Lindsay.
"That little bitch standing there is the most guilty of them all, and if you ask me she deserved every damn minute of the burning she got!"
The girls listened in silence as Edyta continued her rant; her demeanor returning to that of a calm yet malicious nature.
"I loved Tiffany as more than friend," said Edyta, "She was best thing that ever happened to me; so pretty, so nice, so tall...but she would never be mine...not as long as Tabitha Kanker and Chuck Statorowski were in the picture. So I made up mind, they hurt me by keeping Tiffany away, so I hurt them ten times over."
"I'll be damned," said Lee in a soft tone, "All of those stories my mom told about being bullied...her hair being cut off, having rocks thrown at her, being called ugly on a daily basis...it was you..."
"Oh yes, my dear little friend," said Edyta is a sadistic manner, "I take pride in my work, and do whatever I can to make sure justice is served to those who wrong me. And lo and behold, I punish the three worst offenders. First I make Tabitha's life miserable for keeping Tiffany from joining me and embracing her popularity, all while destroying her sisters lives. Then, years later I play into Chuck's depression, and manipulate my way into his life. I use his money to fund my business while driving him even further down, convincing him his little sweet angel is slicing wrists...how fitting for the man who stole my pride and joy away from me."
Edyta laughed maniacally as both Lee and Lindsay stood in disbelief.
"And lastly, I saved the best punishment for the worst offender of them all," said Edyta as she pointed the blade of her knife in the direction of Lindsay, "The one who took her away from this world...the one who killed her."
Edyta's eyes suddenly flared, as her voice continued to escalate as she continued on her tirade.
"Tiffany died before I have chance to be with her," said Edyta, "I hate her for that, and now she must suffer in the afterlife by watching her little clone suffer at the hands of me...and who is causing me to do it? YOU! YOU WALK AROUND THIS WORLD WITH COAT! WITH PRETTY BLONDE HAIR, WITH SIX FOOT TALL HEIGHT! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HOLD THOSE TRAITS...YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!"
Edyta paused, glancing toward Lee as she completed her insane tirade, tears beginning to stream from her eyes.
"SHE HAS FORCED ME TO HURT AND HATE THE ONE I LOVE," said Edyta, "SHE STOLE THE LITTLE BIT OF ANYTHING I HAD IN LIFE. I HAVE NOTHING NOW, AND IT'S ALL HER FAULT...AND HER...DEBT...MUST...BE...PAID!"
Lee glanced toward Lindsay as Edyta completed her statement; the blonde girl maintained a neutral expression, staring into Edyta's eyes with what seemed like determination. After a few moments, Lee turned back towards Edyta.
"You are sick with insanity," said Lee in a calm quiet voice, "You are more disgusting than I realized, putting those kind of thoughts into an innocent girls head."
"Oh Hun," said Edyta, "You have no idea what is meant by sick. I know all about you, you call me insane, but I was never placed in camp and forced to take pills to combat illness."
Lee's face dropped to a nervous expression as Edyta giggled.
"Let me tell fun story about you," said Edyta, "After your mother made it her mission to ruin my FUCKING LIFE, I decided to make hers most miserable. Oh yes, I cover all bases. Tabby Kanker herself was too easy to harm, weak, and easily overpowered by me and girls from cheer squad. However, I quickly bored of that, physical harm too easy. Time for psychological play."
Lee continued to stare in Edyta's direction, her face growing increasing angry as she did so.
"Manipulation to make her miserable worked," said Edyta, "She got so messed up that she start fucking everything that walk, like the whore she was. What a pity that it result it in you being created. As a plus, that little annoying twit that you'd call Aunt...yes Katie Kanker, well let's just say she was even easier to change. A few small bits of drug, and she fall to addiction, then become my slave. I use her for prostitution, make money, all while watching her sister suffer emotionally as I do. Then when I get tired of her, she was left to die in the drug house."
"You son of a bitch..." said Lee in a soft manner as she clenched her fists.
Edyta laughed maniacally as she walked slowly toward Lee, stopping a few feet in front of her. As she stared up into the red heads angry, yet distraught eyes, she decided to continue her gruesome story.
"But that pales in comparison for the ultimate hurt," said Edyta, "You have no idea what people do for drug, or when desperate for money. One phone call to a man...named Dennis Laverty, get him hooked, get him desperate..."
Lee's eyes suddenly widened at the sound of a name she never thought she'd here again. At that point, the red heads resolve seemed to begin to crack. Her eyes began to glaze over, as the malevolent voices she rarely heard began to reanimate inside her head.
"Leave her alone!" yelled Lindsay in angry tone as she slowly moved towards their position.
"You be quiet," yelled Edyta as she whipped around, slapping Lindsay across the face as she did so. The force of the slap knocking the lanky girl onto the ground, "You still haven't yet learned your place, I deal with you once I'm done with your friend."
As Lindsay recovered from the unexpected slap, remaining on her knees with her hands placed flat on the ground, Edyta turned back towards Lee.
"He had one task," said Edyta, "To fuck your life up beyond belief, and by proxy to fuck Tabitha Kankers life...what better way to screw with the one you hate, to hurt the one things they love the most."
Lee reached both of her hands upward, placing them over her ears; covering them in a feeble attempt to stop the voices.
"It appears I succeeded," said Edyta, "I was the one who ruined your mothers life, I was the one who ended Kate's life, I was the one who fucked your life, and most of all, I was the one who ruined Tiffany's legacy for not giving me the time of day. Now that you understand, there is nothing left for me to do but put you out of miserable existence. I have broken you, that karate nonsense will do no good now."
Edyta leaned into Lee's face.
"Understand this," said Edyta, "I control all, I own you, I own the Kankers, and I own the Statorowskis...and there is nothing neither of you will ever be able to do about it."
Edyta proceeded to laugh maniacally, in a manner similar to the female ghost in room 237 of the shining hotel. As she did so, Lee lowered her hands to her sides, clenching her fists as she did so. The tall red head slowly adopted an infuriated facial expression, as Edyta continued laughing; her emotions eventually got the best of her, at which point she decided to react.
At that moment, Lee suddenly lifted her fist, and proceeded to make an attempt to deliver a right hook to the side of Edyta's face; however, much to her surprise, her punch was stopped before she was able to make contact.
"ENOUGH!" yelled the voice of Lindsay, at which point she proceeded to shove Edyta with both of her hands. The two handed shove took Edyta off guard, knocking the woman down onto the ground, while causing the knife she was holding to bounce away, eventually disappearing down into a sewer grate.
A few seconds passed, at which point she slowly rose back to her feet, staring at Lindsay with an evil glare
"You seem to not listen," said Edyta, "I said I deal with you after I deal wit..."
"No," said Lindsay, staring into her tormentors eyes with determination, "You deal with me now."
At that moment, Lindsay reached both of her hands upward and proceeded to use them to remove the large silver hoop earring from her right ear; once finished, she removed the left in a similar fashion. She then reached into the rear console of her scooter, and removed a pair of pink sneakers.
Lee watched with nervousness as the tall girl sat down on her scooter, and removed her brown leather high heeled boots, placing them inside the scooter along with her earrings for safe keeping. After placing the pink sneakers on her feet, she proceeded to stand up, remove her hair band, and tie her blonde waves into a tight ponytail using a blue tie.
Lastly, she slowly unzipped her mother's lavender fur coat, and separated the halves ever so gingerly. The blonde girl briefly hesitated prior to removing her arms; she had never taken the coat off when outside the confines of her room. Recognizing that it was more than necessary at this time, she slid her arms out of it's sleeves, and proceeded to place it over her left forearm.
"LeeLee," said Lindsay, "Please hold my mothers coat while I take care of this situation."
Lee nodded nervously, still quite shaken up by Edyta's rant.
"Liz...wh...what are you doing?" asked Lee.
"I'm done being a quiet little mouse." said Lindsay, "I'm done watching my family suffer. I'm done being a slave to that disgusting demon standing over there. She will pay for hurting my family, for hurting my friends, and for disgracing my mothers honor."
At that point Lindsay stepped away from Lee, into the center of the parking lot. She turned towards Edyta, staring the woman down with angry eyes as she clenched her fists by her sides. The lanky girl appeared much taller and skinnier without her signature fur coat; she was wearing only a lavender spaghetti strap top, bearing her midriff to the point of her somewhat visible ribs. Her heavily injured arms were completely exposed, her skin stinging due to the bone chilling winter air.
Edyta laughed as she stared in Lindsay's direction.
"Are you serious?," asked Edyta, "You actually want to fight me? How stupid you possibly be, I am a much more dangerous lady than you could imagine,"
Lindsay remained silent, simply staring in the direction of Edyta with an angry glare.
"So be it," said Edyta as she slowly walked towards Lindsay's position.
