Author's Note: Surely you must know that when a horror story draws closer to the end, the death count increases…
Chapter 10
All voices hushed, all movements stopped. The only sound apart from that of the ringing phone came from Padmé's little pets and the moving cars from outside.
"Oh come on," Dormé said, moving from the window. Even she had been motionless. "I'll pick it up," she managed to sound careless even amidst her nervousness.
"Don't!" some girls begged, but Dormé picked up the phone.
She sighed as if annoyed. "It's from the police station," she informed the other girls, who breathed out in relief. "Yes, this is she," Dormé said, speaking calmly now. A most short-lived calmness.
"What is it?" Dormé heard next to her. "Oh." Everyone watched her. "Yes, thank you. Good night, Officer."
"Well, girl?'" she was asked.
Dormé cursed under her breath. "They—they thought I was you," she said, looking at Sabé, with whom she had never gotten along very well.
"Why would they think that?" Sabé, a beautiful girl that like many of her sorority sisters, had dark hair and eyes against California, sun-kissed skin, asked, anxiously.
"Because I told them," Dormé said simply, yet her voice was softer than ever before in her life. "Sabé…"
Padmé looked up from where she was on the floor, watching them closely; a knot forming on her throat as a gut-awful feeling attacked her.
"They… they're sending another car soon to get you," Dormé said, her face turning purple as she tried to hold back tears.
There was a sound of numerous gasps. "Why?" Sabé asked, completely sheepishly.
A sob escaped Dormé. "Shit, I can't tell you!" she cried in a strained, hoarse voice before running from the living room. People called her back but she ignored them and hid in her bedroom, hoping Padmé wouldn't follow.
She cried on her pillow till the sound of the phone made her jump from her spot, the sudden loud noise almost giving her a heart attack and making her curse more foully than in any other prior occasion.
This time, she didn't dare pick it up. But the endless sound was driving her to insanity, she yelled and cried and at last gave up. She walked more bravely than she felt, and answered the telephone. "What?" she exclaimed with all her anger.
This definitely wasn't the police calling.
Again, she heard Vader's unhuman respiration. That breathing sound that at that moment raised every hair on her body, making the telephone shake on her usually steady hands. "Stop calling," Dormé muttered as she hung up. It rang again. "Fuck!" she screamed shrilly. "Stop fucking calling!" she screamed at the telephone. "The police is here! You can't hurt us anymore, you goddamn—"
"I can see her," the caller said in a voice so deadly calm and dark Dormé froze as did every muscle in her. "She's dead. Dead. Dead."
A few seconds of nothing but breathing sounds. "She was little," he said, his voice breaking as if he were about to break down. "She's dead," he repeated. "And soon…" Dormé felt a pair of eyes on her. "You will all… be, too!"
He hung up.
There was an excessive round of suggestions as to what that phone call from the police station meant. The sorority sisters paced around the spacious living room, in a state of uneasiness and gloom.
"She was probably just messing with you," people told Sabé.
"Yeah, that sounds like Dormé. She's a real bitch—maybe that's her idea of a joke."
Padmé heard them, wishing to defend her roommate but remained silent.
"Now girls," Mrs. Luminara said as she pretended to clean around with a broom. "Don't be so nasty. You all seem to forget the purpose of being in a sorority house. You should all treat each other like sisters."
Padmé sank deeper into the floor, wishing it would swallow her, when—
"Help!" she heard the screaming coming from the stairs. "Girls! Girls!" It was Dormé.
They all ran to meet her.
They saw her as she collapsed into the floor, her breathing fast, her forehead covered in sweat, and her face pained.
"What is it?" Mrs. Luminara asked.
"Fuck my life," Dormé breathed, angrily. "He called! He called again!"
"Who?" everyone asked.
"Vader!" Dormé cried. "Oh he called to the phone in our room again!" she exclaimed, taking Padmé's cold hands.
"What'd he say?" Luminara asked.
"Wait," Dormé let go of Padmé. "I'm gonna call the officers that are outside. They have to know!"
Mostly everyone agreed.
"Sabé," Dormé said, "I told you to get your things."
Sabé shot a furious stare at her. "Leave me alone," she said. "You always exaggerate everything…"
"Sabé," Dormé spoke without her usual smile, without any hint of sarcasm or irony. She wasn't naturally sensitive, and she did her best when she said. "It's your little sister, honey," she paused. "Vader… the caller—attacked her."
There was a momentary moment of stupor, broken by the sound of angry female fury. Luminara and Padmé grabbed Sabé before she could do any real damage on Dormé, who didn't even try to dodge her attacks. "You bitch," Sabé screamed, her indignation barely allowing her to speak. "You always do things that are hurtful… and you enjoy it… But this is too much!"
"Sabé, it's true!" Dormé cried.
"Please," Padmé spoke for the first time that evening. "Stop it, Dormé. Just stop…"
"I am not lying!"
"Oh girls," Luminara sighed. "I do wish dear Mon was here… I can't handle you Wild Things!" And she stormed out to the kitchen. To get a bottle of wine, Padmé thought, almost amused.
"Call me what you want," Dormé said, her usual self back in place. "That car is coming. Your mother is in the police station and she's waiting for you."
"Fuck you!" Dormé heard from Sabé's lips as she exited the door to call the policemen.
The sorority sisters returned to the living room, in an even worse mood than they had earlier. Now there it only reigned silence, broken only by Dormé and the policemen.
"Good evening," Officer Piett greeted them while Ozzel only nodded in acknowledgement.
"Not so good, sir," Dormé snarled, acidly. She now had a cigarette in her hand, and she blew the smoke in Ozzel's stern face. The officer stepped back with a gest of displeasure at her insolence.
"Ladies," Ozzel said looking like he thought the word on those girls was amusing. "Your friend here told us of what happened, so I understand you're all a bit on edge."
The girls' wide eyes confirmed that statement.
"You have nothing to worry about," Piett said, trying to bring some sanity on that troubled house. "We'll be here all night so if anything weird happens again, you just call us, okay?"
"Sir," Padmé spoke slowly and meekly. "C-can I ask something?"
"Certainly," Piett coughed, awkwardly.
"Is it true that… that a young girl…"
"Yes," Dormé jumped and said. "Come on, confirm it! They don't believe me." She blew a great quantity of black smoke from her luscious red mouth.
Piett sighed. "There's another car coming to get…" he looked around. "Where is she?"
"Oh she's not speaking to us," Dormé said. "She got a little upset when I told her of what happened to her little sister."
Ozzel looked at Dormé with true hatred. She smirked and continued smoking.
"Girls, I advise you all to go to bed. Good night," Piett said tiredly.
The girls begin deserting the living room one by one. Padmé was the last one but when she reached the door, an arm grabbed her, preventing her. She jumped at the sudden touch.
"Forgive me, Miss Amidala," Officer Piett said. "We'd like to have a word with you."
She closed the door. "Why?" she asked, trembling. "I already told you all I knew…"
"Did you, now?" Officer Ozzel said, watching her closely.
"You have nothing to worry about," Piett said, smiling kindly.
Padmé motioned them to sit down.
On the backyard Luminara was doing all she could—to mediocre success—to cheer Sabé. The young girl sat with her face on her hands as the older woman stood behind her.
"Really, dear," Luminara said in a blurry voice that erased any comfort she might provide. The bottle of wine on her hand only annoyed Sabé even further. "You know how Dormé is. And she's been really depressed these last few days… what with her roommate going missing and all that…"
"Yes," Sabé said, not really paying attention to the big lady behind her.
"I mean, what would your sister be doing here, I wonder?" Luminara barked.
Sabé rolled her eyes, yet her pain returned. "My birthday is coming up and my mom was thinking of bringing her here to visit me…"
"But did she say she would?"
"Maybe she wanted to surprise me…"
"Oh forget it, dear! Don't listen to that mean girl. Between you and me—I never liked her."
"I hate her!" the young girl exclaimed. She really thought she hated Dormé before for being so mean and slutty… now she definitely couldn't stand to see her.
"Who could enjoy such a cruel joke?" Sabé muttered. "I can't believe Padmé likes her! Oh I wish it were Dormé who disappeared and not Cordé!" she cried, excitedly.
Luminara shuddered. "Now, child! Don't say such things… That'd be like me being happy that Old Mon isn't here… Which I am not," she said in an unconvincing voice.
Sabé looked up and smirked at Luminara's drunken state. If she wasn't so angry with Dormé, she might've laugh. Wine always affected that lady really quickly; that was usually one of the funniest things during Kappa Kappa Delta's parties…
Sabé sighed. It seemed like forever since they last had a party, even though they had one so little ago.
"We should have another party this Friday," Sabé said, taking the bottle from Luminara's hands and taking a sip.
Luminara shook her head. "Why, I don't think so," she got the hiccoughs. "What if someone else goes missing?"
Sabé at last smiled. "Hey, if we're lucky, it might be Dormé."
They both laughed and shared the bottle of wine.
"Or Padmé," Sabé then said.
Luminara gave her a reproving stare. "Oh Sabé, don't. I think the wine has gone to your head, child. What has dear Padmé ever done to you? Why, a sweeter girl there never lived!"
Sabé took another sip of wine. "Hey we're only joking… I just wouldn't mind if Anakin were to become single…" she laughed, quietly. "Did you hear they got engaged?" She suddenly sounded jealous.
"Yes. What gorgeous children they will have!"
"Hmm, I hope not," Sabé said, liqueur bringing out her hidden thoughts, resenting jealously of how Padmé Amidala always had to have the best of everything.
It's not that she disliked Padmé, she liked her a lot; she just couldn't help desiring some of the things Young Amidala had. And more than all the wealth and brains in the world… Anakin Skywalker.
She bit at her nails as she pictured him on top of her. It was an action most of the girls in the sorority house—apart from Cordé and Teckla—did. Lusting and fantasizing over Padmé's hot boyfriend.
She closed her eyes as her legs pressed together, imagining he was there touching her… she had often heard him and Padmé when they spent the night together, and it was actually kind of fun…
"I might hate Dormé but really wouldn't mind if really that freak attacks Padmé next…" Sabé muttered as she giggled. She turned to see what scold Luminara would give her for that, but in her inappropriate daydreaming, she didn't notice the cleaning lady was lying on the floor unconscious. She also didn't notice how she had been watched since she first sat down in the first place.
"Ma'am…" Sabé blurred out, softly kicking her, trying to get her to wake up. "Luminara, I am not carrying you to your room!" Sabé cried. She got on her knees to shake her, and the next time she got up, it wasn't her own action—something had grabbed her and rose her from ground.
Before she could scream for help, she felt and saw a pair of massive black hands on her mouth, pressing her so tightly all sounds were muffled. The gloved hands of the attacker that had grabbed her from behind then moved down to her neck, the pressure growing even tighter and more agonizing.
When all strength seemed to run out of her body he dropped her on the floor, and just then, positioned himself on top of her.
Sabé had heard the hooded monster that attacked Teckla and Padmé being described, but in that short moment she thought the descriptions were short to what he truly was.
His weight on her made her moan in pain and discomfort, when she felt him move on top of her it only got worse. She felt she was dead already. She was left frozen in pain and terror, and when she felt him move again she thought he was going to leave her… but he only got something from under his black garments. A knife. She screamed but no sound came from her aching throat, her neck already looked purple-bruised—it stopped looking human when the assailant passed his knife softly along the line of her throat, ensuring her silence forever.
The next thing he did was use his gloved hands to rip her blouse open, revealing her completely. He searched her chest as if it contained something he desired; when he found her thumping heart, he slashed the knife into it. Repeatedly. Even after it stopped beating.
He put the blood-stained knife under his black clothes, perfectly concealed and secured just as another police car arrived.