Chapter Seven-Mary's Attack

It was a few days later and Mary, Terra, Beth, and Stacee were back at the apartment, hard at work. Since Stacee had moved in on such short notice, no provisions had been made for her arrival, so the ladies needed to rearrange some things to make more room for her. Their apartment had four bedrooms, and the fourth was made into a guest room, but the ladies wanted Stacee to have her own things so they were in the process of moving her items into the apartment and deciding what to do with what they had. They had quite a day ahead of them, so Terra, Beth, and Stacee were leaving their businesses in the hands of their employees so they could get everything done. Mary usually worked from home, so Stacee's move didn't have too much affect on her schedule.

The apartment was spacious with an open, flowing floor plan. The door opened into the foyer, which separated both sides of the apartment. One side of the apartment consisted of the living room, dining room, and kitchen and the other held the bedrooms. The study was in the middle and it was to the right of the entrace. The foyer was painted a peach/pink color and a chandelier hung from the white ceiling. The trim around the walls, doorways, and even the doors themselves were also painted white.

The ladies, primary Terra, decided not to have doors separating the foyer from the living room, so the only doors in the apartment led to the hallways closets, the study, and bedrooms. Artwork hung on the walls, as did two gold, electric candle light fixtures. Italian marble tile graced the floor, as did a rug with a pastel floral print. The furniture was Italian as well and consisted of a dark wood table bureau with armless chairs on either side, as well as two end tables. One end table was positioned between a closet and the study and held a marble statue and the other table was by the wall leading into the living room and that held a vase of fresh flowers.

The living room had light wood floors and several windows, including a balcony. There was a fireplace and the room was decorated in whites and creams, making the already spacious room seem even bigger. There was a cream and green rug between the fireplace and one of the two sofas, as well as over stuffed armchairs. The furniture was cream colored, as were most of the throw pillows, save for a few strategically placed for a pop of color.

There was a glass coffee table on the rug, on top of which were vanilla scented candles. Mary, Beth, and Terra each had a work station placed underneath a window, since being in focal point of the apartment and looking out of the window gave them inspiration. Mary had a wood desk by the corner window, since she preferred windows, and Beth had a desk in the opposite corner. Terra's work table was placed by the center window, since she liked being center of attention, and this position gave her more space to work on her jewelry. A flat screen was placed above a fireplace and there was a piano in the room as well, since all the girls knew how to play. Artwork was hung on each wall separating the windows from each other, finishing off the room and adding more touches of color.

The dining room flowed from the living room and truth be told, the ladies didn't use this room on a daily basis. They usually ate in the living room or kitchen, saving the dining room for holidays, special occassions, or even date nights. The wood floors in the dining room were of a darker finish than the one in the living room and the walls were painted french vanilla. There was a long glass table in the center of the room seating eight and a dark wood backless settee against the wall with a green cushion seat. There was a small matching end table in the corner with a lamp sitting on top. The lamp shade matched the settee's cushion and aso brought out the green in the multi colored curtains hanging from the window. There was a chandeliere hanging from the ceiling, a wooden china cabinet on the wall opposite the settee, and an armchair beside the china cabinet.

The kitchen also flowed from the living room and was the connecting space between the living room and dining room. The kitchen had all white walls, cabinets, and tile. There was a light fixture hanging from the ceiling and ample cabinet space. There was glass on the cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and marble countertops. There was a marble island in the center of the kitchen that also doubled as the ladies' primary dining quarters.

This room was a chef's paradise, so needless to say Beth spent a great deal of time in this room. Beth was also the driving force behind the design of this room, which was her main contribution to the creation of the apartment, besides her own bedroom of course. Terra did most of the work decorating the apartment, since she tackled the foyer, living room, and dining room. Mary had no flair for design, so she demurred to Terra's demands...er...desires.

The study was what the ladies called their "compromise room", since the three of them had had very different ideas as to what they wanted done to it. Terra wanted a cool, modern office with desks, computers, and lots of space for the three of them, but primarily her, to work and be inspired. Mary wanted the room transformed into a dark, warm, cozy library filled to the brim with books. Beth liked the idea of a game room, but didn't vocalize her desires as loudly as the other two. In the end, everyone ended up having something they wanted in the room.

There were bookshelves on each wall of the room and a desk in the corner with a desktop computer. There was also an entertainment center that included a Wii set and countless video games and cds. The ceiling was white and the floors a light wood with a pastel rug on the floor. There was also a couch, loveseat, and two armchairs in the room and in keeping with the theme of compromise, they were mix and match. Terra chose the couch, which was dark green with a dark grey, cranberry, and mahogany pattern, as well as the matching throw pillows.

Beth chose the french vanilla armchairs and sage throw pillow with red detail. Mary chose the loveseat which was a light caramel color, as well as the kelly green throw that was layed over the back. Terra chose the wall color, which was a forrest green that neither Mary or Beth really liked, but agreed to in order to make Terra happy. There was a fireplace, artwork, and cream and floral curtains hanging from the windows. There was also a dark wood coffee table in from of the fireplace with magazines carefully arranged on top. The ladies would also sit around this table and play cards, sitting either on the floor or using a pillow.

On the other side of the hall were the four bedrooms. Beth's room was the last door on the left, since it was directly across from the kitchen. She wanted to be as close to the kitchen as possible so she could test recipes and move freely from the kitchen to her room as needed. Terra's room was next, followed by Mary's. The guest room was in the corner and that was the room of interest for the four ladies in question. It was furnished simply with a standard bedroom set and the walls were painted the french vanilla color Terra loved so much.

The ladies wanted Stacee to feel at home, so they encouraged her to have the room painted and decorated to her liking. After some cajoling, Stacee finally decided on warm, red/cinnamon color for her walls, since she wanted her room to have a warm, romantic, sensual feeling. The foursome decided they wanted to do the work themselves, so they moved the furniture out of the room and started painting. Terra was easily the best painter in the group with her artistic background, so she was closely monitoring everyone's progress. Mary didn't mind doing the primer and painting the walls, but the trim was a bit of a nuisence.

She was a perfectionist, so she was continuously retouching her work and frustrating everyone with her pickiness. Terra decided she would be in charge of the trim, so Mary and the others could have peace of mind. The room looked a bit like a war zone with plastic covering the plush, oatmeal colored carpeting and drops of paints spilled on the covering. The carpet was still fairly new, so Stacee decided to keep it, stating it went well with the theme of her room.

Stacee's belongings were still in suitcases and moving boxes, since she had been far too busy to unpack. She had movers bring over her belongings during the weekend while she was on vacation, so she wouldn't have to deal with Mike and the drama he was sure to ensue. He had called extensively during her vacation, but she ignore his calls. She didn't want to cause more turmoil and she wanted her silence to confirm that their marriage was over once and for all. In fact, divorce papers had been served to Mike that Tuesday, so hopefully he would get the message and leave her alone.

Stacee had left her furniture behind, wanting nothing that reminded her of Mike to follow her into the apartment. The only items she brought were truly hers: clothing, jewelry, artwork, documents, knick knacks, etc. That week she and the girls had gone furniture shopping so she could select her new bedroom set. Her bedroom was the only room she needed to worry about, so the shopping trip was concluded fairly quickly. The store promised to deliver her new bedroom set by the end of the week. Until then she was sleeping on the couch, which she didn't mind too much.

"We have made so much progress. The room is coming together beautifully," Mary said, eyeing her handywork with appreciation.

"We're nowhere near finished yet, but yes, I do concede that we are making progress," Terra said. "I'm going to be so relieved when the primer is finally finished so we can start painting."

"We probably could have started painting sooner, but *someone* was being stubborn, controlling, and nit-picky," Mary said, giving Terra a pointed look.

"Well pardon me for wanting things done correctly," Terra said, giving her a look. "if you had it your way we would have just thrown the paint onto the wals directly from the cans. If you want something done right..."

"Do them your way," Beth answered. She was standing on a ladder in the center of the room, working on the ceiling.

"Do you *want* me to kick that ladder from under you?" Terra said, looking upward so she could glare at her other dear, sweet compadre.

"Ladies please, we are messy enough as it is with all this paint: let's not add blood splatter to the mix as well," Mary said.

"I appreciate everything you guys have done for me the past few days," Stacee replied, turning around so she could face everyone. She was working alone on a different wall, lost in her own thoughts, but wanting to rejoin the group.

"I know my moving in came a big surprise and must have unsettled your routine, so thank you," she concluded.

"You don't need to thank us, Stac, you're family and we love you," Beth said, looking down from the ladder.

"Absolutely, we are happy to have you here. This is the way it always should have been," Terra added.

"This is your home now, Stacee, and we want you to feel comfortable. You belong here as much as we do," Mary agreed.

Stacee's face turned bright red at the refrains of love and acceptance coming from her loved ones. After everything she had been through over the years it was wonderful to be among friends and family, laughing and enjoying herself. She hadn't felt this happy in a long, long time.

"I think we need a drink," Terra said, setting down her paint brush.

"I agree," Stacee said, wiping her eyes on the corner of her tank top.

"Yaay, alcohol!" Beth squeeled, jumping down from her ladder.

Everyone laughed and set down their brushes before walking into the kitchen. Painting was going well, but the prospect of sitting down and having a hard earned break sounded wonderful. Terra pulled a bottle of wine out of the wine holder, as well as four glasses. She looked over and raised an eyebrow as Mary pulled a can of Coke out of the refrigerator.

"I think I need to lay off the booze for a while," Mary said with a shrug. "pills and excessive amount of alcohol aren't usually a good combination." Mary took medication for a heart condition, seizures, and asthma, so she tried to keep a tigth reign on her drinking habits.

"Oh well, more for us," Terra said with a smile, pouring three glasses of wine and handing the other two to Stacee and Beth. The foursome stood around for a few minutes, savoring their drinks until Beth spoke up.

"Is anyone else hungry? We've been working ever since breakfast and I don't know about you, but I could use something to eat."

The other three ladies agreed food was in order and since no one felt like cooking, carry out seemed like an ideal solution. After a brief discussion, it was also decided that they would order from the coney restaurant down the street. Terra called and placed their order and since the restaurant was so close, the women decided one of them would go pick up the food. When it was time to pick up their lunch, Terra and Beth decided they would be the ones to pick it up. After washing the paint off their bodies and changing their clothes, they started to walk out of the apartment with Stacee close behind.

"I need some fresh air," she said and everyone understood what that meant. Stacee was a smoker, but knew Mary well enough to know she would throw a fit if she tried to light up in the apartment. Mary was incredibly anti smoking, in part for health reasons, but mainly because she found the habit dirty, disgusting, and quite frankly stupid. She didn't understand how someone could use a product with full knowledge that said product would kill them.

"I'm going to clean our brushes while you're gone," Mary said, trying her best not to show her irritation.

Terra, Stacee, and Beth exited the apartment, talking amongst themselves as they left. Since Stacee was only going to the roof top, she elected to remain in her grungy, paint covered tank top and shorts. As they left, Mary disappeared into the bedroom to collect the dirty paint brushes. She brought them into the kitchen and started rinsing them off, relishing in the glory of having the apartment to herself. She loved her friends dearly, but she was a solitary creature by habit so any alone time she could scrape together was a godsend. She stood at the sink, lost in her own thoughts when she heard the front door open.

"Hey, Stac, back already? Does this mean those cancer indusing death packs are losing their appeal?" she called out, placing the newly cleaned brushes on a kitchen towel.

"Not quite, but something, or rather, someone in this room has definately lost their appeal."

Mary's heart stopped and she dropped the rag she was using to clean out the sink. She hoped that her mind was playing tricks on her, but she knew that it wasn't. She slowly moved away from the sink and stepped out of the kitchen. The voice she heard belonged to non other than her cousin's estranged husband, Mike. Mary had to admit, at least inwardly, that his presence in her apartment left her more than a little unrattled, but she would never openly vocalize those fears.

For one thing there was no one to talk to and speaking to onself was always strange and secondly, Mary didn't like the fact that Mike ilicited those feelings in her at all. She had always regarded Mike as an inconseqential pissant, so the fact that he was making her feel so unsettled bothered her.

"Hello, Mary. Long time no see. How have you been?"

His words sounded normal enough, but the look in his dark eyes suggested he was thinking anything but socially acceptable things about her. The hate he felt for her palpable, as was the knowledge that they were all alone.

"What are you doing here, Mike? How did you get in? I never gave you a key to this apartment."

"Maybe not, but your precious cousin has one."

Mary looked uncharacteristically confused as Mike continued. "While you and the ladies were out on your rich bitch vacay, I brought a locksmith to the building and had him make an extra key. All I had to do was smile and nod at your arciec doorman and he let me in, no questions asked. I told the locksmith I locked myself out of my apartment and he got right to work, no questions asked. I guess it helps to use someone unlicensed-they are so much more desperate for work and don't too many questions."

"W...what are you going to do?" Mary asked, slowly moving backwards, towards the living room. Her plan was to cut through the living room and dining room and make her way back to her bedroom so she could lock herself inside. As she moved backwards, Mike moved towards her.

"What I should've done a long, long time ago. You ruined my marriage and you ruined my life. If you had just minded your own fucking business my wife wouldn't have left me."

"Mike, the only person to blame for the demise of your marriage is *you*. *You* are the one who cheated on your wife. *You* are the one who used and abused her and treated her like shit. Stacee is a queen who deserves better than some pissant like you."

"You're not going to be talking so smart when I'm done with you," Mike said.

Before Mary could respond, Mike lunged at her, and knocker her to the ground. Mary cried out, but Mike's hands were soon around her neck, making any further noise impossible. His body was raised above hers so slapping or scratching his face wasn't an option. Not one to give up, Mary quickly realized her next best option was to introduce her knee to his only source of manhood, which turned out to be the correct decision. When her knee made contact with his body, his grip around her neck loosened enough for her to make a breath, move her body upward and slam her palm under his chin as hard as she could muster.

He fell to the ground, screaming in agony, and Mary took off running. Her apartment door was now locked, so Mary immediately set to work trying to unlock her door, cursing under her breath as her shaky hands tried to work quickly. As soon as she unlocked the deadbolt, Mike was behind her, grabbing her ponytail in his hands as he dragged her towards the bedroom. She kicked her legs and thrashed her arms, trying to free herself, but Mike tightened his grip. He turned around and grabbed Mary by the arms, jerking them behind her body as hard as he could.

He moved backwards towards the bedrooms, bringing them both into Stacee's future bedroom since hers was the only one with a door open. He threw Mary into a wall, causing her head to hit the wall hard. She winced, but Mike wasn't done yet, because he grabbed her ponytail and slammed her face first into the glass window. Mary's eyes slammed shut just before she made contact with the glass. She knew her adrenalene must have been pumping because at that moment she didn't feel pain.

As Mike tugged her back inside and slammed her onto the ground, all she felt was blood oozing out of her face and her face. Her face slammed into the ground and Mike turned her around so she was on her back. He straddled her waist with one knee on each side of her body and gripping her neck with one of his large hands. Mary watched as he unbuckled his belt and brought it up to her neck, wrapping the leather around her fair, delicate skin. He looked at her and gave her a smile that sent shivers down her spine.

"You won't be the ice princess after I'm done with you," he murmured, lowerly his head so he could nip at her ear.

When Mary felt his tongue tracing the outside of her ear, she almost gagged. She wanted nothing more than to throw him head first out of her window, but she knew she only had one chance if she was going to get away from him. She knew in order to save herself, she had to not only take the appropriate actions, but also implement them at the correct time. She forced herself to remain still as Mike held onto the length of his belt, tightening it around her neck as he shoved down her shorts and panties. She hated having herself so exposed to this monster, but she knew if he thought he was winning he would let down his guard and she would have her opportunity to act.

He unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them, pulling them down until they were at his knees. This was the moment Mary had been waiting for and she sprung her plan into action, knowing she only had one opportunity to get it right. As Mike moved his pelvis forward to complete his horrific actions, Mary squeezed her legs shut and brought her knees up, slamming them into his exposed genitalia. Mike fell backwards, grabbing himself in agony, his pants and boxers bunched around his knees, tangling him in his own deceitful web. Mary pulled up her panties and shorts, reclaiming her dignity as well as the situation.

As Mike rose to his knees, she swung the belt towards him, the buckle making contact with his eye. He screamed, grabbing his face, but Mary continued, hitting him a few more times in the process. As she ran out out of the room, Mike forced himself to his feet, pulling up his pants as he stumbled after her. He was unsteady on his feet, so he accidentally knocked over a pan of primer, causing it to spill on the plastic floor covering. When he ran out of the room, his footprints tracked white primer out of the room and followed his path towards revenge.

As he ran through the living room, he knocked over a can of paint, causing the cinnamon colored concoction to spill onto the expensive rug. He decided to take the can with him, wanting to teach that red headed bitch a lesson. There was still some paint inside, so the can was heavy enough to where it could cause some damage. When he caught up to Mary, she had just made it into the hallway, but she was prepared. When she whirled around, she was holding a wine bottle in her hands and slammed it into his face with every ounce of strength into her body.

Mike stumbled backward, dropping the paint bucket onto the ground. When he stumbled forward, Mary lunged her arm forward, jabbing the broken, jagged end of the bottle into his face, stabbing and slashing him until the fell to the ground. Blood gushed from his face and his hands moved upward as he tried to stop the never ending stream over flowing from his face.

It was at that moment that Terra, Beth, and Stacey entered the building. The threesome was talking and laughing amongst themselves and carrying lunch bags in their hands when they happened upon the bloody scene before them. They dropped their package, their mouths gapping as they looked at Mike's bloody, disheleved form. Their focus moved from Mike to Mary and when they saw her, their hearts dropped. The sight of their bloodied, bruised, and clearly terrified friend shook them to their core and they raced towards her.

The women ran back into their apartment, with Mary pausing long enough to grab the key that had fallen out of Mike's pocket. They raced into Terra's bedroom and locked the door. As Stacee tended to Mary's wounds and tried to stop the bleeding, Terra retrieved her loaded handgun from her nightstand. Not only was Terra a collector of antique weapons, but she was also a supporter of twenty-first century weaponry as well. With Terra, Stacee, and Mary otherwise occupied, that left Beth to make the frantic call for help. As Beth relayed all necessary information to the dispatcher, all four women silently prayed the police would arrive in time.