"Ouch! Damn it!" Lisa tripped over a stray basketball in the darkness as they entered the back of the school gym. The pervasive scent of salty sweat entered her nostrils and she waved a hand to rid herself of the stench.
"You okay?" Sookie felt her way in the dim light and bumped into Lisa's shoulder.
"I will be when my eyes adjust," Lisa murmured. "Where's the light switch?"
"The school's lights are all run by one breaker," Sookie sighed. "Which is activated by a key, which we don't have."
"That's so stupid," Lisa grouched. "Why don't they have individual switches?"
"Because it makes burglary more difficult. Plus, so rowdy kids can't mess around and annoy the teachers."
"They're worried about burglars, yet they have the back door unlocked," Lisa snorted. "Intelligent."
"Well, it is Stars Hollow we're talking about here. Come on. The phones are in the hall."
Sookie led her down through the grayish haze to a long line of payphones in the hall. She dialed the police in Hartford.
"Yes," she spoke quietly. "There are two men who are…stalking…my friends and I, we-" she paused, biting her lip. "Yes, I know for sure. Yes. Rory Gilmore and Lisa Reisert? Yes! But Lisa is temporarily not being held captive. Yes. She's with me. Good. But the men…they're here."
Lisa huddled at the phone next to her. Sookie's face fell. "What?"
"Two hours? We can't wait that long! No. No. Just hurry up!" she hung up and slammed the phone into the receiver. "FUCK!"
As she yelled it, they heard a loud bang as the door in the gym swung open. Lisa quickly clamped a hand over Sookie's mouth and dragged her backwards.
"Oh, God," she whispered, her pulse racing. He's here. He's here, he's here, oh God.
"Maybe it's the janitor," Sookie murmured.
"I don't think so…"
They trotted out of the hallway as quickly and quietly as possible.
"Upstairs!" Sookie muttered in Lisa's ear. "Come on!"
They took a tall, narrow staircase up as Lisa assumed the elevator wouldn't work if the lights didn't. Both pregnant women were panting as they reached the top and the only thing that pushed them forward was the heavy footsteps they heard beneath them. Lisa had panicky tears streaming down her face as she grabbed Sookie's hand and hurried her into a classroom.
"Here," Lisa gasped as they got in. "I want you to wait in here."
"No way," Sookie insisted. "I'm not leaving you."
"Sookie, please," Lisa begged. "I don't want you to get hurt!"
"Likewise," Sookie's eyes narrowed. "You'll have to sedate me, babe, because I'm not staying if you're not. We're in this together."
Her words touched Lisa but at the same time unnerved her. Sookie, don't make me do this. I can't let you get hurt like I have this town!
Lisa nodded briefly as they looked frantically for a hiding spot or exit from the school. It would only be a matter of time before Jackson found them, after all the school was only so big.
They ran down the hall to what Sookie said was the cafeteria. Lisa pulled open a large, empty metal closet used for storing pots and pans as Sookie climbed into a cupboard under the sinks.
Lisa felt a large frying pan behind her and it cut into her back, so she removed it and just held on to it as she shut the door. "Good luck," she whispered to Sookie, "And stay quiet!"
Sookie nodded as she shut herself in.
Lisa felt slightly claustrophobic as the blackness of the closet encased her. Luckily, two ventilation slits gave her a little light and, she hoped, a good private view in case Jackson tried to attack here.
They heard the resounding footsteps all the way up the stairs and down the hall, finally ending up in the kitchen. Don't move, Lisa, whatever you do, don't move.
His breathing was rasp-ridden and shallow as always and Lisa felt her stomach turn nervously. It was then that Lisa noticed it. Sookie's cupboard door was open a crack. Jackson eyed it and kicked it. When nothing happened, he kicked it again and stooped to open it.
NOT AGAIN! I'm never hiding AGAIN! Lisa threw open the door and slammed Jackson on the head with the pan. He yelled out and crumpled to the ground. Sookie crawled out from underneath, her face pouring sweat and the chase was on.
"Lisa, you shouldn't have done that!" Sookie gasped as they ran down the hallway.
"I wasn't going to let him hurt you!"
"Where next?"
"I don't know! Whatever looks good!"
"We have to get out of this school!"
They began thundering down the stairs again, anxious to be rid of the dark, musty hallways and get into sunlight and have a chance at salvation again.
Sookie didn't know about the back staircase, but they sure found out when Jackson beat them to the only exit in the gymnasium. He beamed at them, his eyes not reflecting the same joy as his spread arms did. A trickle of blood ran down his face but he seemed oblivious.
"We stalked Jess for sometime, Leese, didn't you think we'd case out his school as well?" Jackson panted. "Tsk, tsk, thought you were smarter."
Lisa stepped in front of Sookie. "Just leave this alone, Jackson. Leave US alone."
He withdrew a small revolver. "Not happening. We're ending this now."
"Going to shoot me, Jack?" Lisa hissed. "Gee, I'm surprised, thought you were above that. Don't want to use the brass knuckles instead?"
"Whoever said that the gun would bring about the end?" he stepped closer and Lisa gripped Sookie's hand tightly behind her. "There are so many ways to shoot someone without killing them. And then, you have Max Jr to consider."
Lisa narrowed her eyes and backed even further until she heard Sookie cry out as they hit the bleachers. "You wouldn't."
"You've pushed me too far, Leese, there's nothing I won't do."
As Lisa's heart began racing, she calmed herself with one memory, "There is one thing, Jackson. The one thing you're supposedly above."
He paused in thought and then shrugged. "I'm above it, but Jess isn't, no?"
"What does he mean?" Sookie hissed in Lisa's ear.
"I'm not surprised if they haven't already had a repeat performance back at the diner," Jackson growled. "Right in front of everybody. I gave the go-ahead, he can kill whomever he damn well pleases."
"If you lay a hand on any of them, Jackson, I swear to-"
"What are you going to do, Lisa? There's nothing you can do to me," he laughed. "Just give it up. If you come along right now, everything will just be swell. Nobody will get hurt. If you try to be the hero and escape again, well, I think I shouldn't be held responsible for whatever I might do."
"So you'll kill me if I'm not a good little puppy dog," Lisa snapped. "So you love me if I act the way you want."
"Basically…" he sighed and shrugged. "Yeah. I'm not going to lie to you there." Like you ever have.
"Jackson," Lisa whispered. "I will come with you, but…"
"But what?" She saw the look in his eyes. He thought he'd won.
"But please let Sookie walk. Right now."
Sookie looked frantically at Lisa and Lisa turned to her. Her eyes radiated a firm demand. "I'm not leaving here if you don't come!"
"Sookie, please," Lisa lied. "Do this for Lorelai. For me."
Jackson smugly tossed his gun from hand to hand. "Fine. Be my guest."
Sookie looked warily at the weapon in Jackson's hand before slowly side-stepping out the door. Then, it was just Lisa and Jackson locked in a stare-off. Jackson finally approached, brandishing something from his pocket.
"Forgive me, Leese, but at the moment, my trust for you is about the same level as the Americans to the Soviets during the Cold War, so I'm going to cuff you."
Her hands fell limp at her side and she cast her darkened eyes to the ground. "Fine."
Jackson approached and picked up her arm, snapping one end of the cuff over her wrist. "See, this doesn't have to be difficult. I wish you would just stop fighting this and get used-"
Lisa brought her knee up to Jackson's groin and as he doubled over in pain, she fled, the loose end of the cuff banging against her thigh.
He got back up and followed her to the weight room, revolver drawn again, and as she darted around corners bullets chased her. She screamed as they ricocheted off the metal equipment. Her eyes caught his as he angrily rounded a corner and she hollered, "Thought you were a lousy shot, Jack!"
He ignored her as she darted around machines. When they passed the barbells she tossed a ten-pound at him. It missed by inches. Shit! I need to get out of here!
Her thoughts preoccupied her as she ran past a simple leg press and she tripped and flew over the edge of it. With a yell she began picking herself back up as Jackson caught up to her and pinned her against the wall, gun pressed to her head.
"Give me one reason!" he hissed. "Give me one fucking reason not to blow your brains out right now."
"Because you love me," she taunted. He'll eat his words. "You love me, Jackson, isn't that right, you fucking phony!"
He pressed it harder and Lisa felt the indentation in her skin. "I could kill you now and not think twice."
"Then do it, Jack, get it over with! We're all sick of your empty threats, just leave this fucking town alone! End this thing, or I will!" He switched the gun's position to her stomach. My baby.
"You're not a fighter, Leese," he growled. "You got lucky that one time but now, without the help of your ditzy little redneck friends you can't do shit!"
"Who was helping me back at that house, hm?" she retorted. "My hockey stick, yeah, we go way back. Nobody. I had no help whatsoever but you still can't admit that I kicked your ass fair and square!"
"You can't beat me," he menaced. "You can't. You got lucky once, but Leese, this isn't over. Even if I kill you now I still have your whole fucking mess to clean up!"
"What mess is there, Jack? All of this, all of this problem has solely been caused by you. There's no one left to blame. I didn't do anything. Sookie didn't do anything, Lorelai didn't, Rory didn't. There's NOBODY LEFT. Who do you want to blame now, the pope? Was he the one who caused the cockiness that led to your defeat by a girl? Was it Benedict, Jackson? Poor Jackson…" Then everything stopped. Lisa felt a dizzying pain that rose from her leg up as she collapsed to the floor, her vision blurring.
She managed to hear the next shot and a familiar voice. "You said you were a lousy shot, Rippner, but even you should've been able to hit your target."
Lisa faded and wondered, briefly, what her baby would have looked like if her mother wasn't dying.