"What do we do now?" mumbled Carla into Michelle's shoulder as she rested there shaking.
"I don't know…I don't know" muttered Michelle as the reality of what she'd actually done started to sink in. She had just murdered Frank Foster. The man who raped her best friend and got away with it would not live to see another day and her malicious actions had all be in cold blood on the spur of the moment.
"We can't just leave him here" said Carla still frightened that at any minute they might get caught at the scene.
Michelle looked over to where Frank lay, holding Carla tightly and giving her a protective squeeze. Carla was right, of course they couldn't just leave him but what were they going to do with him. Michelle started wracking her brains for some sort of plan. A few things were obvious, they body had to disappear and this place needed all evidence of the crime removing but how without getting caught could she do this.
Taking a deep breath she started to think it through one step at a time. One thing was for sure she wouldn't be able to do it alone. She needed Carla's co-operation if they were going to achieve this and quickly. The outcome needed to be that not a shred of evidence could be traced back to them with the sudden disappearance of Frank. She peeled Carla from her and held her firmly at arms length. She was confident as she addressed her.
"Carla, I need you to help me…ok? We need to hide Frank's body…. away from here and get everything cleaned up. You can do it can't you?"
Carla nodded, not sure she was strong enough to become Michelle accomplice but knowing that she needed to try, after all Michelle had just saved her from him and stopped him attacking her again. She felt sick to her stomach though as she turned round to check out the state of what they had to clean up now.
Frank was lying, now in a pool of his own blood that still pulsated from his stab wound. His shirt had turned from white to deep crimson as blood soaked the material. It was quite horrific to look at and made Carla feel sick to her stomach. His eyes were glazed as he seemed to be staring at them and it sent shivers down her spine as she flew back round and threw herself into Michelle's chest. She was terrified not that she wanted to show it but she just couldn't help herself.
Michelle held her back at arms length and shook her in an attempt to stop her from turning hysteric and jeopardising everything. "Carla, you need to get a grip" she stated firmly. Unnervingly Michelle was managing to keep her cool all too well. Carla envied how detached from all this she seemed. "Come on" said Michelle holding her forcefully.
Carla had never seen this cold, calculated side of Michelle but she was glad she had nerves of steel because without her this would be an even bigger mess than it was now. Nodding again she looked Michelle in the eyes and tried to pull herself together. Taking deep breaths Michelle coached her until she felt she was calm enough to be able to help her and then she hurried round her over to Frank. Crouching down beside him she examined him closely. How were they going to move him without getting blood everywhere and leaving a trail? Michelle looked up to Carla and shrugged her shoulders.
"Any ideas then?" she asked.
"Any ideas for what?" rang out a familiar voice before Carla could even answer.
Michelle's head flew round in the direction from which the voice came and slowly Carla allowed herself to look as well. She knew that voice only too well; it was as evil and deceptive as that of her spawn. From the shadows Anne appeared. How long had she been in the factory, had she seen it all, had she heard her son's confession? Neither of them was sure but she was here now, in time to witness them with her son's blood on their hands. You could even say they had been caught red handed.
As Anne came closer she suddenly noticed her son lying beside Michelle, soaked in his own blood and she screamed. Hysterical at what she saw Anne ran to him and scooped her little boy up in her arms. She shook him calling his name in a desperate attempt to bring him back to life. Michelle slowly retreated back and stood up, her back pressed up against the outside wall of the office. Both of them watched from either side as Anne came to terms with the fact her son was dead; she rocked him gently as she cradled him best she could in her arms. Tears flowed from her eyes, crying heavily as she began to grieve.
"You did this" she suddenly yelled out and glared straight in Carla's direction. "You've murdered my son" she accused.
"No" blabbered Carla her own tears streaming now down her cheeks as she shook her head. "No…he threatened to do it again"
"Threatened to do what Carla, rape you? You've cried that before and no one believes you"
Carla fell silent Anne's harsh words were like being stabbed a million times over. She shook her head again as she tasted her salty tears on her lips. Michelle had to do something, why did everyone think it was ok to attack Carla after the ordeal she'd been through.
"He threatened to rape her again. I heard him and I heard him confess" Michelle admitted.
Anne instantly threw her attention in Michelle's direction. "It's all lies, how dare you accuse my son of such horrible things?" She was angry now, these two conspiring bitches had murdered her son in cold blood in a feeble attempt to stop him taking Carla's factory and they were not going to get away with it. They would pay for this.
"He did and he was going to do it again" protested Michelle.
Anne shook her head her son was nothing like that. "Stop it" shrieked Anne. "You two will pay for this, do you hear me, you will pay" screamed Anne as she placed her son back onto the cold factory floor to retrieve her phone to make that call to the police.
Michelle was on edge now and she dashed across the floor to Carla who now was an emotional wreck. They were panicked as they listened to Anne. There was no going back now, they couldn't undo what they had done and Michelle suddenly felt scared. How was she going to explain why she did it? Yes he'd been attacking Carla but why hadn't she called the police. They waited together, Michelle slipping Carla's hand into her own. She was sweating nervously now as she and Carla awaited their fate.
Soon the police were storming the place. They slapped Carla and Michelle in handcuffs before either of them had chance to protest and marched them out into the street causing a scene that caught the eye of many of the streets residents who were milling about that evening. It was highly embarrassing for them both as they were paraded to the police car and thrown in the back. The sirens went on seconds later and they sped away from the street. As the car turned the corner Carla caught sight of Peter watching, his eyes met her and he looked worried as he watched her disappear.
Seconds later he ran across the street and to the factory where all the palaver was taking place. Police cars were scattered in the street and into an ambulance a body was being loaded. There was no mistaking it for Frank's when an emotional Anne followed it loyally from the factory. Peter, anxious now to know why his girlfriend had been carted off in the back of a police car ran back to his own and hurried to get to the police station to find out what was going on.
As Michelle and Carla sat silently in the back of the car, Michelle turned to look at her hoping the officers in the front wouldn't notice. Don't say a thing she mouthed silently to Carla. She needed to do the talking after all it was her lack of self control and temper that had got them in this mess. If she could have reached for her hand to offer her support and comfort she would have but her restrains didn't allow. All she could do was offer a reassuring smile.