The Following: Peace, Love, and Happiness
Episode 5
Drastic Measures
Carrie wanted the night to be perfect. This time Ryan was coming to her place, instead of her always coming to his. This was the first time that he was staying by her place, so it made sense that she was feeling extremely anxious. From the moment they had made the plan of him coming to her place for the night, she was counting the hours with childlike anticipation.
It seemed that they were both ready to take their relationship to the next level. Being in a committed relationship. When she first met him back in the bar, she only wanted one thing. His story. She slept with him to get that information. The second time she slept with him, was because she felt bad for using him. Then it became a regular thing and she began to really like him.
Ryan was one of the most awkward people she had ever met. He was funny, kind, caring, quirky, and extremely loyal. He was an extreme nerd, as being a major Star Trek fan. She only found this out, because she saw his DVD collection that he kept hidden in his closet. He had the entire box set of every series, as well as movies. He would sometimes quote the most random lines from any movie either trying to lighten up the situation or making it much worse. Yet with all these characteristics, then came his dark side. One name. Joe Carroll.
The whole Joel and Ryan story from the outside seemed to be an awful slash story written by some half-witted want to be novelist using someone else' characters as opposed to making his own. Such as, Joe, a brilliant professor with a dark stigma, his wife, an over oblivious woman, and a son as innocent can be. So Joe, becomes one of the most perilous and ruthless killers in the country, yet with his hardened heart, he has a soft spot for his wife, son, and Ryan Hardy. Why is that so? Why is Ryan part of everything that Joe did? What is the connection, outside of the love affair between Ryan and Clair? Could that be it?
Those were questions that she had every day. The reporter part of her wanted to squeeze out every letter of information from Ryan just to appease her curiosity. Yet, the part of her that cared for Ryan, wanted to just the opposite and the more time she spent with him, the less she really found it important. She wanted to keep him happy and his mind in peace. Using him for information, would be just the opposite.
Carrie sighed and then opened the over door. Using a hand towel, she pulled out the lasagna and then tore off the foil covering. She grabbed some cheddar and mozzarella cheese from the fridge and then sprinkled it on top of the lasagna. She then replaced the lasagna back in the oven. Ryan would be by her place very soon and she wanted everything to be done cooking when he came.
She began to prepare a toss salad while her thoughts drifted to her latest novel. From as early as she could remember, she wanted to be a reporter. She also loved English and was working on two novels. Her first one, was about a soldier in Iraq and battling his personal demons there, he left behind his wife and two kids.
Her next novel was far different. This was about a vampire hunter during the middle ages. She was in the early stages of writing the book, but was liking how it was forming out. With all her books, she would come up with the characters and their descriptions, next she would make an outline. After that, came the actual writing.
A knock on the door brought her back to reality. She smiled and wiped her hands on a towel. She opened the door, expecting to find Ryan, but was disappointed to find a UPS man there instead. "Yes," She asked looking at him confused. She wasn't expecting anything.
"Miss Carrie Cook?" He asked glancing at her and then his note pad.
"Yes, that is me," She answered. She gave him an uncertain look. :hat can I do for you?"
"Here this is for you," He said handing her a small package.
Carrie took it and then watched him walk away abruptly after that. There was no signing of any sort. She shut the door, locked it, and then opened up the small box with an anxious pit in her stomach. The box was strangely cold to the touch. When she saw what was inside, she dropped the box on the floor with a gasp, spilling out the package and the Styrofoam pieces inside.
There was another knock on the door, but she ignored it, staring at the box' contents wide eyed in fear. She could feel and hear her pounding heart in her head. The room seemed to be spinning and growing dark.
"Carrie," Ryan said after another knock. "Are you there?"
Carrie blinked coming back to her senses. She slowly turned away from the gruesome box and with a shaky hand opened the door. When Ryan saw her pale and fearful look, he grew instantly concerned. She tried to explain it to him, but found a lump in her throat instead. All she could muster was to point at it.
Ryan turned and saw an overturned box. He cursed as he inspected its contents. Inside, was a tightly sealed human brain and a note that said a few simple words.
"He is mine you bitch! Use your brain!
Molly."
Giles was in more pain then he had ever been in his life. His face still felt as if it were on fire, his skin as dry as sandpaper, and stretched like rubber. His face itched like crazy but since he was still bound to the bed, he couldn't scratch at it. All he could do is lay there in the darkness grimacing hoping that the itch would go away. But as he counted the minutes with extreme anticipation, it never did. It only grew worse.
In order to pass the time and to try to ignore the burning itch, he thought of his wife and kids. His wife, obviously worried sick, was most likely staying at her mother's house with the kids. He hoped she was safe there. If Amable could get to him, what were the chances that he would go after them? He hoped that ever since he gave the information that he wanted, he would leave him and his family alone.
He knew that he would never be able to see again, but even blind, he didn't want to leave his family behind. They were everything to him. All the perilous work he did, was for them. Now all he wanted was to be with them again.
He met his wife, Ashley, when he was in his mid-twenties. His younger sister thought that Ashley would be a good match, but he disagreed. He wasn't attracted to her and found her voice to be a little too high pitched. But, his sister kept pressuring her until he gave in and asked her out. It took two dates to realize that he liked her and within a few weeks of dating, he fell for her charm.
They married a year later in Hawaii and lived there for a year, before they moved to New York since he got transferred. She was a middle school drama teacher and easily got a job. Giles' daughter was born a year later and then their son was born five years later. They added a dog to the family a bit later.
Giles heard the door unlock and then swing open. He heard soft footsteps and gentle breathing. The door then closed and locked seconds later. "Who's there?" He asked holding his breath. He listened carefully for anything, but there was only silence. "Amable?" He swallowed nervously.
"Shhhh," A female voice shushed him. "The name is Annabelle."
Annabelle pulled out her switch blade and then began to cut him from his wrist up to his elbow. She ignored his screams as smile grew on her face while he bled on the table and floor. He thrashed around on the table again. She took a step backward and then inspected the bloody knife with sick enjoyment. There was a dangerous spark in her eyes as his cries died down.
"Please," He begged. "Let me go." He tried to ignore the pain in his arm. It was now worse than the burns. But with his sudden movement, he popped the blisters. Puss and blood leaked out of them.
"This looks like it hurt," She said looking at his burns. "You are one tough SOB."
"What is this?" Giles asked weakly. "Where is Amable?"
"He is busy at the moment," Annabelle said with a small shrug. She wiped the blood off the knife on his dirty shirt. "But I am here to help you."
"Some help," Giles said sarcastically.
Annabelle slowly walked around Giles and then leaned close toward his good ear. "What do you hold most dear to you in life?" She whispered in his ear.
Giles' heart dropped. He knew that he was not going to come out of this one alive. Annabelle seemed to be just as crazy as Amable. Amable probably sent her to come and continue to torture him for information. But he would give nothing else.
"This is stupid," Giles boldly said, "What kind of game are you playing at here?"
"Answer my question," Annabelle coldly said. She placed the knife against his throat. "What do you value most in your life?"
"My family," He responded in shaky voice.
"Me too," She said removing the knife. "My family is everything to me." She paused and slowly traced circles on his good arm with her finger in almost a sensual way. "I would do anything for them."
"Even kill the innocent?" Giles asked.
Annabelle stopped tracing circles. She looked at him and nodded her head. "Innocence is in the eyes of the beholder," She said thoughtfully. "From my view, hiding the guilty is a just cause for killing."
"And who do you see as guilty?" Giles asked not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"Claire Mathews of course," Annabelle said strongly. "I know that you know where she is hiding and I just hope that the next Agent we get will be a little more cooperative with less of a mess."
"Why is she considered guilty?" Giles asked. "She is far from being guilty."
Annabelle chuckled softly. She leaned close to him and then whispered in his ear. "Don't worry your family won't be harmed." She ignored his questions as she slit his throat in a single fluidic motion.
Annabelle wiped the blood on his shirt as she heard him choking on his own blood. She walked away from him as she replaced her knife. She left the room to find Amable standing in the hall waiting for her. When he saw her, he smiled.
"You are nothing less than Annabelle," He said as she approached. "I am so glad that annoying agent is dead."
"He talked way too much," She said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They walked away from the room.
"Next time I will remove the tongue," Amable frowned.
"So what is the next step?" She asked looking at him eager for more work. "Do we get the other agent he mentioned?"
"In due time," Amable said looking at her. "Right now, let's have some cake,"
"Cake?" She looked at him confused. He seemed unusually happy today.
"Yes cake," He said proudly. He hugged her with one arm. "I made chocolate cake in honor of Mark, because that is his favorite kind and I can't wait to have a piece."
With that Amable let go of her and then walked to the kitchen with the jump a kid eagerly running to the toy store. She chuckled and then followed her dad, hungry for some cake as well.
Mike wiped the steam off of the mirror and then glanced at his reflection. He knew that the gunshot wound on his throat would scar. The stitches would get removed in a few days, but that seemed too long. That entire area itched like crazy and he couldn't scratch at it. Not without ripping the stitching and causing his wound to bleed again.
There were bags under his eyes, from his stay at the hospital. The bed wasn't comfortable in the least, the blanket was thin and scratchy, and the pillow was too hard and smelled like mold. The food was horrible and gave him a constant stomach ache. But now that he was home, he was glad to be able to get a good meal and a good night's rest.
He replayed the scene back in Minnesota again for the hundredth time. One second he was standing beside Max and Ryan in the warehouse. He was listening to Ryan opening up about how wrong he was about the situation with Joe.
Mike wanted to tell him about his relationship with Max. He hoped that he would be okay with it. It was doubtful that Ryan would not like the idea of him dating his niece. He did tell him that he was practically family and if his relationship with Max actually went that far, then he would really be family.
He also wanted to apologize to Ryan again about the Claire situation. Even though it was so long ago, he still felt horrible about it. Ryan loved her and it broke him when he thought she had died. Then when his wounds began to heal, at least enough that he convinced those around him that he was okay, she came back. He was back to square one.
After Claire returned, Mike thought that they would get back together. He thought that she and Joey would move into Ryan's house and try to live a normal life. But after Joe's arrest, Ryan went and asked her just that and she turned him down. It hurt him like hell and both Mike and Max could see that clearly. All they could do was be there for him, if he wanted the help. He wasn't one to ask for much help.
Then there was Carrie Cook. He wasn't sure what her interest in Ryan was. Part of him, wanted to see the good in her and see that she wanted to be with Ryan, because she really wanted to be with him. Yet there was another part of him that told him that she was bad news. She may be the lovable girlfriend now, but the question was, when she would turn away from him. Which sick cult did she follow? Joe? Lily? Molly?
Max stepped up to Mike and hugged him from behind. She kissed his shoulder and then rested her head on him. He squeezed her hand affectionately and smiled at her through the mirrors reflection. "I know I have said this many times," She said gently dragging her nails along his forearms. "But you scared the hell out of me back there. I thought you were going to die."
Mike turned around and grabbed bother of her wrists gently. "Stop thinking like that okay." He softly scolded her. "I am alive and well." He paused and leaned close to her. "I am a superhero you know."
"I know," Max seriously said. She looked at him worried. "I can't help it you know."
Mike hugged her tightly. "I know exactly how you feel," He said kissing her on the top of the head. "But worrying and thinking about what did not happen will just make you sick." He let go and looked into her pretty eyes. He wiped away a tear. "You are a tough and strong girl and I know that you can do it."
"You have so much faith in me," She said chuckling.
"Of course I do," Mike said with a playful wink. "You are my girlfriend."
Max smiled and leaned close kissing him deeply. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as she deepened her kiss. She felt one of his hands on her back and the other playing with her hair. She loved when he did that. He had such a gentle touch, it almost seemed weird that they were the same hands that put people behind bars.
They broke apart moments later. "So the question now is," Mike said smiling at her, "Since I am on a temporary leave of absence, what do we do for the day?"
"How about going back to bed?" Max asked with a sensual tint in her eyes.
"Tempting," He said his smile widening, "But I just showered."
Max kissed him briefly. "So how about we shower then," She said in between kisses. She had already began unbuttoning her shirt. "I see some dirt that needs to get cleaned off."
"Now that I like," He said removing the towel.
Joe couldn't sleep anymore. It wasn't that he wasn't unable to. He was exhausted, but every time he slept, he had a different nightmare about either his group of followers or someone that he cared about killing him. Ryan was always there, smirk on his face, and telling the person he loved to kill him. Ryan, for some odd reason, never killed him.
When Ryan had the gun pointed at him right before he was arrested, he for a split second thought that he would actually shoot him. But Ryan lowered the gun and he knew that all the talk about killing him, was just that, all talk. If he had killed him, would it be over? Would Ryan feel peace at last? No in the least.
Murdering someone never justifies peace. Not in any rule book. The word murder just seemed so distasteful and messy. When he killed someone, it was more than just killing. He was ending a pointless existence and replacing it with something that actually had some importance. Plus, a piece of that person became a part of him. With every death he took part of, he felt a little more alive.
No one understood him. Not one person really did. People said they did. Like Emma. She loved Joe. Truly love him. She said she understand him and was totally devoted to him. For what reason other than that he saved her from the pits, he didn't know. She was so grateful that she became devoted to him right away. At first it made him feel uncomfortable. He wasn't used to it. But over time, he saw passed it and cared about her. He didn't love her the way she loved him. The only woman he ever truly loved was Claire and always would be.
Joe heard someone giggle like a school girl. He groaned and rubbed his temples. "Go to sleep Frank," He said loudly.
"I can't sleep now," Frank said clearly excited. "I am reading."
"What are you reading?" Joe asked not in the mood for the conversation.
"Your book," Frank simply said.
Joe sat up with another groan. He approached the prison gate and peered into Frank's dimly lit cell. "My book?" He asked now curious.
"Yes your book Joe," Frank said smiling. He licked his finger and then changed the page. "The Gothic Sea."
Joe was surprised. "They allow you to have that here?" He asked feeling a little proud that someone else was reading it.
"Of course," Frank said shifting in his spot. "In this hell hole, most items aren't allowed. Books however, that they allow here." He looked up from his book at Joe. "How much damage can a single book do?" He laughed at Joe.
Joe wanted to strange this guy. He was annoying all the time. Even when he slept. His snoring sounded like a jet flying overhead. It prevented him from getting any sleep at all. He could deal with the thin and dirty mattress, the almost nonexistent blanket, and the smelly pillow. But Frank's snoring was the tip of the iceberg.
"How are you enjoying the book?" Joe asked after a moment pause. He was using every ounce of his strength now to shout at this man and to control his nerves.
Frank cleared his throat loudly. "Good and bad no longer existed. It was all degrees of evil now. Gwendolyn held his dying body as the storm raged on. Death had finally arrived, and it was glorious to the touch," He stopped and looked at Joe again. "I would rather have a porno."
Joe made a fist and closed his eyes. He swallowed his emotions. When he reopened his eyes moments later, he felt a bit better. "I could understand how you would rather see the nakedness of a beautiful, yet fake women," He said slyly, "Then read the truthful and realistic words from a very famous and well written book."
"Do you have any magazines by you?" Frank asked closing the book. He squinted at Joe.
"Do you think I would stoop that low?" He asked surprised at the question. "Would I degrade myself in that kind of way?"
"Calm down Joe," Frank said raising his hand halting him. "I am just playing around." He reopened the book. "I actually am enjoying it." He cleared his throat loudly again. "I really relate to it."
"You do?" Joe asked not buying his sudden change of attitude. "How so?" Frank didn't seem to be intelligent enough to understand the messages of his book.
"I didn't grow up like normal kids," Frank said in a sad tone. "My mom died while giving birth to me. My dad, already a major drug addict, couldn't take it and broke. He committed suicide a week after I was born. I was adopted by my mom's sister, but she couldn't take me living there. I reminded her of her sister. So she gave me away and I lived from foster home to foster him until I was six."
"I am sorry," Joe said with little care. He had heard these pity stories before. Sadly there were many of them.
"Thanks," Frank said with a nod. "Anyways the family I was adopted by was okay. They treated me well, but I never felt part of their family. I was bullied in school for being an adopted boy. I dealt with that crap for years, until I met a certain boy whose older brother took pity on me. He invited me to come to his house and soon became part of his family."
"Well that is good," Joe said with a thin smile.
"Yeah," Frank agreed. "So I read your book, because I relate to it. I relate to Gwendolyn who swims out to the horizon almost as if searching for answers." He shrugged his shoulders. "I am also searching for answers."
"Aren't we all?" Joe agreed with him.
Carrie stared into her coffee with a faraway look. She continued to see the human brain and the handwritten note on the floor in her apartment. She didn't even realize that Ryan had called her name. "I'm sorry," She said looking up at him with a blush. "My mind is elsewhere."
"Yeah I can see that," He said, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I thought that with Joe's arrest and Lily's death that it would all be over," Carrie emotionally said, "I thought that you and I would soon move out of New York and possibly move to the countryside."
"You know that would never happen," Ryan said. "I would never wear overalls and hold a pitchfork."
Carrie laughed loudly. "Amidst all this crap," She said taking his hand. She looked him in the eyes. "You know how to make a girl laugh."
"I try my best," Ryan said with a smile.
"So why do you think Molly resurfaced after all these years?" Carrie asked letting go of his hand. She took a sip of her coffee.
"I don't know," Ryan shrugged. "Joe's arrest caused a ripple of craziness though everyone that was involved in his cult. Molly got sick of hiding and decided that she would finish what he started."
"That makes sense," Carrie said.
"Also she remains one of Joe's most important and first members," Ran continued, "It makes sense that she would take his arrest so personally."
"Damn," Carrie shook her head, "I was thinking the same thing." She ran her hand through her hair. "But why do you think she sent me the brain and the adolescent note? Did she just want to rile me up?"
"That is exactly what she wanted to do," Ryan told her. He sipped his coffee. "She wants to be the one to kill me and Claire. That is her strongest desire. Whatever she does until she gets it, is just stepping stones."
Carrie bit her lower lip in fear. "What a dangerous world we live in," She quoted the famous line.
"Indeed," Ryan said with a small shrug, "But don't worry, she will resurface soon and we will get her and whatever sick group she is part of."
"I hope you are right," Carrie said looking at him worried. He didn't say anything, but she knew just by seeing his reaction, that he was thinking the same thing that she was.
Hope you enjoyed! Now that school is over I will update faster! Next chapter is gonna be one of action!
shaw18