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This is a shorter chapter than what I traditionally write, but there wasn't much story filler to deal with. It's all Vera. This is also your warning that there is violence involved.
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"What was that for?" whispered Anna as she came out of the trance that Mr. Bates' thorough kiss had induced. His kisses where like that, a mixture of passionate fire and comfortable warmth. She often found herself dazed, struggling to come back to earth.
He caressed her cheek as he spoke. "I am just so pleased to have you here with me." He reached forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."
He was perfect, and so loving. How could she be so lucky? "I love you too," she answered sweetly as she searched for his hands. "How about you take us away from here?" She found them and he accepted his fingers be laced with hers.
"Of course, let's do this." He separated their bodies, but, with her hand still clutched to his, he walked the few steps toward the passenger side of the aircraft. He still had to use the pulley to move the helicopter outside, but he would rather settle Anna first. A noise in the far side of the hanger caught their attention and they both turned before he had an opportunity to open the door for her.
"Dear Husband, how are you?" Vera's voice was loud and it echoed inside the hangar.
She was heard before she was seen and his body felt it too. Her voice produced a chill all over him. Her words were tinged with cynicism and hate. He felt Anna shudder behind him, clearly as surprised as he was that Vera should be there.
She was walking towards them, and was now standing in front of the helicopter, only a few meters away. She was holding a bag with her and her other hand was in her coat pocket.
At their failure to respond, Vera continued. "What? No warm words for your wife?"
"Why are you here Vera?" His tone was angry. Although Anna was visible to Vera, John subconsciously took a step to the side, purposefully covering most of her. He didn't know what Vera's motives were, but he did not want to see Anna become a part of whatever this was.
"I'm here, because you owe me and I need you to fly me to the Continent." Her head was held high and she had a determined stance.
John guffawed at her words. "Owe you? I've paid you back with all of my misery over the years, and … the little stunt that you pulled, landing me in jail?..… well, that covered any alleged remaining debt I might have had." He took a step forward, to assert his position. If she thought he would take her, and get himself in trouble with the law, she was crazy. "I'm not taking you anywhere."
"Yes, you owe me. Callum was the most important thing in my life, and you let him die. You placed him in that helicopter when you were drunk and you crashed it. You're the reason he's dead. And if that weren't evil enough, you made me marry you, to assuage your guilt. You ruined my life, and you will never stop owing me."
Her words infuriated him. It took him many years to process his friend's death, and while a part of him would always feel responsible, it was not his fault, and it was not how Vera envisioned it. He'd had enough of Vera and her comments.
Anna could hear him breathing hard. The tension in the room was palpable, and she moved not an inch. This was not her fight, and she didn't want to be brought to Vera's attention. She would say nothing. Anxiety was brewing at the pit of her stomach, though. Not less than five minutes ago, she and Mr. Bates were kissing. How likely was it that she had seen that? If she had, this could make this conversation more difficult. And what was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be with Sarah? The realization that they had been duped hit her. Vera had done it on purpose. Nobody knew she was here, and they were all expecting her at the York Minster. Her heart stopped in fear – especially because she had her hand in her pocket, and she knew that if her hands were not visible, there was an invisible threat. Was she hiding something?
"You know what Vera? you can go to bloody hell. You can blame me for Callum's death all you want. I'm not taking you anywhere, so, if you don't want to get caught by the police…" He pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket and waived it visibly in the air, insinuating the threat that he would call, "You'll go back to where you came from and find your own way off this Island."
Vera stepped forward with a lot of resolve. "Oh yes, you'll take me, if not, I will kill the woman you love." She finally pulled her arm from her pocket and revealed the gun she was hiding.
Both Anna and John gasped. John was taken aback when he saw the weapon. He hadn't expected that.
"If you'll not do it out of guilt for having murdered your friend, would you do it to save her?" She pointed the weapon at Anna.
"What are you doing with a gun, Vera?" John asked with no qualms or fear as he moved Anna behind him with one of his arms. His large frame easily covered her small one.
She ignored John's question. "Step to the side, Anna. We haven't greeted each other properly. I'm John Bates' wife, and to my amazement a few moments ago, I've discovered that you are his whore." She waved the gun in the direction she wanted Anna to move. "I must say Batesy…. I am amazed that such a limp dick as yourself could land such a young one."
"Don't move, Anna," he whispered so that only she could hear him. Addressing Vera, he stated, "She has nothing to do with this, Vera. Leave her alone."
Vera chuckled. "Of course she has everything to do with this. She's the perfect leverage." Vera took two steps forward, as John and Anna took two steps back. She raised the pistol and pulled back the trigger in a cold and calculated fashion. "Just out of curiosity, because I honestly don't care - did you start fucking her when you hired her, or was it because you were fucking her, that you hired her?"
John would never reveal anything about his relationship with Anna, lest it make Vera angrier. And he knew that she was saying it so that she could get a rise out of him. He would keep his cool and he would find a way to get them out of there alive.
When she received no response, Vera fired the gun at their feet. The bullet made the expected loud pop, hit the floor and ricocheted, piercing the metal of Maggie's closest landing skid.
"What the hell, Vera!" John yelled. The bullet had lodged within the helicopter, but it had not caused any structural damage.
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Phyllis heard a gun go off as she pulled into the parking lot. She held her hand to her chest with surprise. A Gun? Maybe she should leave this to the authorities. This was not the situation she was expecting. There was no need to look at her GPS signal any more. It had indicated that the tracked vehicle was parked a hundred feet away, probably at the empty warehouse a few lots down. That meant, for sure, that Vera was here. Anna's car was still in the lot too. She heard a gruff yell and assumed it was Mr. Bates. Something was going on. If she waited for the police to arrive, it would be too late. All she had with her was a low voltage taser and some pepper spray. It would have to do. She ran as fast as she could to the office.
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She laughed, maniacally, as if she were enjoying this, and then turned serious again. She pointed the gun in the direction she wanted the blonde to move. "I mean business…. Anna, step to the side."
Before John could stop her any further, Anna moved as requested. John's face fell. He knew he couldn't protect her if she was out in the open, but her not moving at Vera's request could anger the woman and Anna didn't want that. "I'm here, Vera," she answered in as resolute a voice as was possible.
Vera was pleased, and took advantage of the situation to look at her from top to bottom. "My, My - Anna Smith. I wondered how it was that you got to the top so quickly. It all makes sense to me, now. Sleeping with the boss? Not very inventive, but certainly a proven method for advancement."
Anna had nothing to say. While she did, technically, sleep with the boss, Vera's assumptions were all wrong. Was she jealous? Anna wondered, but only for a brief second. The fact that Vera was pointing a weapon at her was of more urgency.
"Vera, I will fly you anywhere you desire," added John loudly to deter attention away from the woman he loved. He realized quite quickly that their safety, or primarily Anna's, depended on his doing whatever Vera wanted. Vera's modus operandi of ruining everything he loved, meant that Anna was the one in danger, not him. He was smart enough to understand that Vera's motivation was his suffering. Hurting Anna would devastate him more, than being hurt himself and Anna had moved away from him, something he wished she hadn't done. Out of his reach, she was exposed.
His words apparently worked. Vera turned away from Anna and focused on him. "Good, that's much better. I won't have to hurt her."
He sighed with relief. Maybe he still had time to stop her. They still needed to roll the aircraft onto the tarmac. Maggie was already hoisted onto the pull cart that would drag her out. Perhaps when they were doing that, he could incapacitate her. The soldier in him was running through a million possibilities.
"Let me move Maggie into position."
Vera's experience with helicopters was enough that she knew that Maggie had to be rolled out of the hangar so that they could take off. She didn't want to wait that long. She looked across the tarmac and several other helicopters were sitting out there, ready to be flown.
"I don't think that is necessary. Look at Audrey or Ava, already out here ready to go." She motioned with her hand, pointing to the two helicopters.
"I'm not sure they are air worthy, Vera. I only know Maggie is fueled and available." John hoped his reasoning helped deter Vera from making them use an alternate aircraft.
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Phyllis had come through the office, without turning on any additional lights, and when she reached the offices at the furthest end, she had crawled along the floor to make sure she was not seen through the windows. From where she was, she could see what was going on, but couldn't hear what was being said. She was just too far. Vera was pointing her weapon at both John and Anna. What could she do, that wouldn't make it worse? She was unarmed. The golf cart was a few feet away from the door. It wasn't that large and maybe she could hide behind it. She breathed deeply. Stealth wasn't her forte. Computers were, but they couldn't help her now. If she went out there, and was caught, things could go quite bad for Anna and Mr. Bates. What to do?
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"Really, John? You expect me to believe that?" She looked towards the helicopters parked on the tarmac again. "I know something or two about these metal contraptions from my years here. Don't think I am stupid. We don't need a lot of fuel for where we are going, and once we get there, you can refuel. It'll just be us three; you won't be lugging any cargo. Half a tank ought to be enough."
John's sense of relief was short lived. Vera intended Anna to come along. He had to figure out a way to avoid that. Vera was vindictive enough and all sorts of mad scenarios populated his mind. He imagined Vera opening the door mid-flight and forcing Anna out. Or… shooting her and him whenever they reached the continent. No, Anna should not come along. If he was to die, he would die alone.
From the corner of her eye, Anna saw movement on the tarmac. Somebody was there, come to rescue them. Or so she hoped….. If Vera had a crony, they would have already made themselves known. Whoever it was, though, was too far, and coming all the way to the hangar posed a problem. Vera, with her back to the offices, had not seen this movement, and she doubted Mr. Bates had either. The key would be to move them closer to the person on the tarmac, so that action could be taken.
"Vera is right, Mr. Bates. We should look at the other helicopters to see if any of them is air worthy. It will take us longer to get Maggie out of the hangar."
John turned to Anna, with confusion and terror in his eyes. His unspoken question manifested itself between them. Why would she say that? She could read the anxiety perfectly. She tried to reassure him with a look of her own, but they were interrupted again by Vera.
"Ha!" she yelled with very obvious spite. "You are already whipped, John Bates. If I didn't hate her, I'd applaud her managing you over." Irritated at the delay, she waived the gun towards them. "Move, now. Let's go look at Audrey." They reluctantly walked under her guidance. "Don't you dare pull any tricks, either of you. As you've seen before, I won't hesitate to use my gun."
They walked a few steps to Brigitte. Vera clearly had no idea what names belonged to what helicopters. This was not Audrey. They were also still too far away from where Anna had seen movement. She needed them to get towards where Ava and Marilyn were parked, the two smallest Executive helicopters on the compound and they were closest to the entrance into the offices. "Isn't Brigitte too big?" asked Anna innocently.
"Yes, she is too large," answered Mr. Bates. "This helicopter requires two pilots. It can't be this one…..and, it cannot be Sophia, Grace or Audrey," he pointed towards the helicopters in question. "It will have to be one of those." He pointed to Marilyn and Ava, just what Anna wanted.
"Move, then," Vera yelled rudely. Anna and John walked in that direction, with Vera behind them still pointing her gun.
Anna searched all over for signs of somebody else, but she couldn't see anything. They were a few feet from the golf cart. Was it possible that it had been wishful thinking? That sense of security from a moment earlier faded. She looked over to where the vehicle sat and prayed silently that there was somebody crouched behind it. It might be their only hope.
John was also thinking about options. What if he surprised Vera all of a sudden, turning and kicking the gun out of her hand? He maneuvered his head back slightly to gauge the possibilities and realized that Vera was walking behind Anna and at a short distance. He couldn't risk it. If a knee jerk reaction from Vera generated another detonation, Anna would be hit in the back. When Anna was not so close, he might go for it.
They reached Marilyn first. Vera, calculating that John might try something, jerked Anna's arm backwards until there was virtually no space between her and her captive. Anna winced in pain. She could feel the hard metal against her back.
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Phyllis crouched behind the wheel, making herself as small as she could. Her knee scraped on the pavement as she attempted to hide. A dull pain ensued, but she ignored it. She trembled and she closed her eyes. You must be brave, she repeated to herself. They need you. She held the taser tightly clenched in her hand. The corners were causing red indentations in the palm of her hands, but with sweat from her nerves, she feared her weapon could fall out if it weren't firmly held.
She heard them just a few feet away. She would have to act soon if she were to avoid them flying off.
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"Go ahead, John. Check out this helicopter, but be forewarned, I have your princess here. I wouldn't try anything." Her eyes were beady, having been molded into a sinister look.
John was affronted by the violence. "There's no need to hurt her."
Vera pulled on Anna's arm harder, and jabbed her in the back. Anna winced again, although she had tried to be quiet. She didn't want John to worry, not if it meant he would confront Vera.
"I'll be the one who determines the need," she yelled back at him. "Get on with it."
John opened the door and stepped onto the landing skid for support. He hoisted himself onto the seat to be able to read the gauges. "This one has half a tank, approximately 35 gallons. The most we can fly is 2.5 hours, or 3, depending on the wind. I could make a better guess if you told me where we are going."
"I won't tell you until we are in the air," she muttered.
John flailed his arms slowly to make his point. "That's not the way it works, Vera. You need to tell me where we are going to make sure we have enough fuel."
"You'll make it work. Now, open the back so that your princess and I can board."
John was determined that Anna should not come. "If it is only you and I, Vera, the weight will be lighter and we can fly farther. Leave Anna here."
Anna gasped. He wanted to protect her, but she knew that John would not make it back alive if only the two went. Vera would kill him upon arrival, or worse, in a gallant gesture to rid the world of Vera's evil, he might even purposefully crash the helicopter into the English Channel, killing them both. The thought of losing him was more than she could bear and her lip wobbled under the immense feelings. She could only protect him if they were together, and if the worse should happen, and they died together, it would be better than living without him.
"Do you think I'm a bloody idiot?" Vera cackled loudly. "No sooner than we took off, she'd alert the authorities."
"You can tie her up, leave her in the hangar," John offered quickly. "I'd be the one to untie her when I came back. She wouldn't be able to call anybody." Reasoning with her was impossible, but he repeated again, "Vera, we need the extra fuel. Taking her is ludicrous." He took a step down from the seat to stand on the landing skid.
Anna wanted to yell that she wasn't afraid and that she would rather go with him, but the look in his eyes was one of panic. He was desperate to save her. She slowly shook her head, alerting him that she would rather be with him. She struggled to keep her tears inside her. If Vera perceived her emotional state, she would take it out on him.
Vera didn't see the movement in Anna's eyes and her anguish over their separation, but she saw John's. The rancor inside of her was fueled by the alarm in his eyes. His only concern was for Anna, and Vera built on that feeling to terrorize them further.
"Look at you. How pathetic. You think that I would let her walk free? That I would give you that happiness? Have you learned nothing about how much I hate you, John?"
To prove her point, Vera pulled on her prisoner's arm, twisting her around until she had access to Anna's beautiful face. With the gun, she hit her temple. The force of the blow threw her down, and she landed on the pavement, a few feet from her beloved. The trickle of blood from where the blow had split her skin was immediate, and it oozed down her face. John reached for her and as his hand touched her face, Vera's yell stopped him in his tracks. Vera had engaged the trigger on the gun again.
"Don't fucking move, John, or she's gone." She was aiming directly for Anna's head.
That's when it happened.
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"This is where her car is love," pointed Elsie as they drove up to the empty lot after surveying the GPS tracking screen held in her hands. "She must have hid it inside that building."
"Well, we're only a few feet from the Bates Airlift Compound. I bet it is safe to say that is where she was headed." Charles kept the car moving forward slowly. He could see the lights of the compound's parking lot.
"So, let's go there," Else demanded.
They came upon the parking lot and both gasped in unison.
"Anna's still here," Elsie added. "And somebody else too," as indicated by Phyllis' badly parked vehicle. It was taking up two slots.
They settled next to Phyllis' automobile and Elsie opened the car door without stepping out. "What do we do?" She turned back to look at Charles.
His eyes demonstrated the same concern Elsie had. "Should we poke around?" He shut the engine. "I wouldn't want to make it worse for Anna with our presence if nothing is going on, but something is not right, not when Vera's car is hidden away."
"You're right." Before he could say anything else, Elsie stepped out, and by chance, she touched the car next to her. "You know, this car is warm." Elsie's mind took on a curious stance. She added, "….and it is parked badly. Somebody must have just arrived."
By then, Charles had exited the car and closed the door. "Let's go peek through the window, or try the door. If we can't see any movement, I say we call Anna again."
Elsie nodded in agreement and they made their way up the parking lot. They pulled on the glass front door and it was closed, but they'd expected that. They could see no lights. Elsie took a few steps towards the right and reached a chain link fence. There was another entryway, but there was a padlock on it. Charles stood behind her. They could see the glow of the hangar lights in the distance. Suddenly, they heard a very loud pop, followed by a scream. It sounded like their Anna. It was far away, but it was distinct.
"That was a shot," exclaimed Charles loudly, panic written across his face. He stepped back to assess the height of the fence. It was tall and his feet too wide to fit into the metallic links. There was also a bit of barbed wire atop the rim. This was a job for somebody more petite in stature. Elsie may have been able to climb it, but he wouldn't even suggest it. Not when somebody might have a weapon on the other side.
"Anna," yelled Elsie loudly. It was futile. From this place, they wouldn't be heard. Their desperation kicked in.
They ran all the way back to the entrance and pulled on the door roughly, somehow expecting that they would obtain different results this time. It was solidly locked and not budging. The glass of the entryway shook as Charles inspected the locks to see if it was something he could pick through. They could hear more noise in the distance, somebody yelling. She couldn't tell if it was Anna.
Charles reached for a potted plant at the side of the door. His intention was clear. They looked at each other, in silent agreement. Elsie moved back and turned to protect herself from the imminent shower of glass. She pulled out her mobile. Always one step ahead in her thinking, she realized they should waste no time in calling the police.
The sound of glass shattering reverberated around her, but it could not mask the most abhorrent of sounds. Two shots were fired in almost rapid succession.
Without needing further encouragement, Charles raced through the door.
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A few minutes earlier
"Contrary to what you believe, John…. I don't need you or her. I can wait for another pilot tomorrow. That was my original plan." Her voice was getting more gruff and sinister. The frown lines in her forehead were marked and her jaw locked. She appeared more upset than he'd ever seen her. "I didn't expect to see you here. Finding the both of you, and understanding that you've been together was a fantastic plus to this story….but, you know….I don't think I can put up with your desperate attempts to save her. It makes me want to throw up." Vera sighed loudly, and then straightened up. "We'll just end it now."
Out of nowhere, and quite unexpectedly, a solid bulk hit Vera from the back. Phyllis discharged the taser with all of her might against Vera's back mid-section and it immediately released a jolt of electricity that wound through her target's body. As the impact propelled Vera forward, the weapon was discharged. Both Anna and Phyllis screamed and John lunged forward in an attempt to subdue her. Phyllis had provided the perfect distraction.
While Phyllis' surprise was perfect, the taser had not incapacitated Vera and she was still a threat. It had been too low a voltage, and Phyllis had owned the taser since her departure from Bryant Landing. As with any product, the efficiency waned over time.
John reached Vera and before she could discharge the weapon again, he latched on to her arm. The inertia of his lunge had made it impossible for either of them to keep their footing, and with a heavy thud, they fell to the ground.
Vera yelled, "Get off me you swine," as John grunted something unintelligible. He was attempting to get the weapon away from her, but it was held between them. They tussled.
Phyllis yelled, "Get her Mr. Bates", and she knew not where to stand or what else to do. She could not help him, but, she should help Anna up, who was still on the floor where Vera had left her after hitting her face. Phyllis reached over to give Anna a hand, when she noticed the pool of blood that was forming under Anna's left side. The young woman was holding on to her midsection with both hands, gasping. Her impeccable white shirt was now a crimson hue.
"Oh God, Anna….," she whispered as she flung herself down besides the afflicted young woman. She didn't yell now. If Mr. Bates saw the state Anna was in, he would never be able to subdue his wife and that would be the end for all of them. Vera needed to be stopped and he was the only one who could do it. "The bullet, it hit you." A fierce wave of guilt overcame her. Vera's weapon discharged after her botched subjugation attempt.
Anna nodded with obvious fear in her eyes. She didn't want to die, not like this, sprawled under a helicopter, a gaping wound at her side. She imagined it would happen in her old age, surrounded by the people she loved. This couldn't be it, especially not at Vera's hands. Mr. Bates would never forgive himself. The pain was intense, and she felt a tingling throughout her whole body. She craned her neck to see where Mr. Bates was, but she couldn't visualize him. Phyllis and Marilyn's landing skids were blocking her view.
Phyllis thought quickly and took off her shirt, staying in her bra and chemise. She couldn't think of anything else to use and she didn't care about propriety. She bunched up the cloth and put it directly on the wound, applying pressure with her hands. She'd taken first aid classes during her short lived tenure at MI6. Applying direct pressure to a wound would stem the flow of blood. This would buy them time.
She could hear Mr. and Mrs. Bates still fighting over the weapon. Phyllis could barely breathe, her anxiety an unavoidable companion at this moment. The realization that this was her fault was overwhelming. It swept over her and she took several short breaths to compose herself. She felt like running away, as her primal instinct, but Anna needed her. She needed to be brave, no matter what. No matter if Vera persevered. No matter if Mr. Bates hated her for her mistake. She had been brave when she ran from her imprisonment and she could do it again.
The fight for dominance over the weapon was taking more time than ought to be needed, Phyllis thought. From the corner of her eye, Vera saw Mr. Bates on top of her, then the reverse with Mrs. Bates on top of him. Mr. Bates was a strong man, but Vera's adrenaline had kicked in and she had the strength of several men. "Give me the weapon before you hurt someone", was what he yelled, and she answered "Never." It might have been seconds, at the most minutes, but with darling Anna sprawled in front of her, it felt eternal.
With one hand, Phyllis pulled out her mobile. An ambulance was needed, regardless of the outcome. Maybe, in a few minutes, somebody else would need it too, and if they were all hurt, maybe one of them had a chance of survival if the paramedics arrived.
"Phyllis," Anna whispered as 999 was dialed. She focused on Anna even while she held the phone with one hand.
"You're incongnitohelper, aren't you?" Anna's eyes implored her to tell the truth.
She was about to answer when emergency services answered. "I need an ambulance. A woman has been shot at the Bates Airlift compound at the York Regional Airport. Send police too. The shooter is still at the scene. She's bleeding badly, please hurry." She closed the connection, wanting to dedicate herself to Anna.
Anna's eyes were fluttering. She was struggling to stay awake. Her body was going numb. She'd probably lost a lot of blood already. As she waited for Phyllis to make her call, she noticed the writing underneath the helicopter. Marilyn. How lovely. Sprawled underneath and close to the belly, she remembered the last time she was in this position. Having just made love to Mr. Bates for the first time, they lay together on the grassy field, underneath the same bird, and he held her. That was a lovely memory and it filled her with peace. She felt no more fear.
Phyllis shook Anna gently to get her attention. "I am darling," she assented. "I'm sorry I didn't admit it sooner." At this point, staying incognito was of no importance. Anna deserved to know.
Anna's blood had soaked through the shirt and was now all over her hands. Phyllis still kept applying pressure, even if there was not much else she could do. Anna would not die here, not with her. For a moment she wondered if she should leave Anna to open the doors for the emergency services, but she couldn't tear herself away. She couldn't leave her alone.
Anna smiled in the midst of her misery. She had always known it was Phyllis. "I knew it," she whispered. She felt proud of herself and all the work she had done. In the end, she had figured it all out and was pleased to know that Phyllis was a good woman, so very loyal to Mr. Bates. "Thank you for being here." She had come to his rescue again. He couldn't be in better hands if she were gone. She closed her eyes, happy that he had angels surrounding him.
Phyllis realized that Anna needed warmth, and more support. With her free hand, she hoisted up the young woman's torso and she positioned herself to cradle her upper body. It didn't alter her ability to apply pressure, but she felt Anna better comforted in this position.
"Anna," Phyllis called when she realized her eyes had been closed. With her other hand, she patted Anna's cheeks firmly, attempting to startle her. "Stay with me. Help is on its way."
Anna did open her eyes and when she did, she looked at Phyllis with determination. "Tell him I love him, please." She gasped. Who better than her to deliver this missive? "Tell him, he made me very happy." She struggled through the words, but her eyes did not flinch. They were intense, pleading with her friend. He must know the difference he played in her life. They might have not known each other long, but she knew that she could have never loved another the way she loved him.
Phyllis struggled through the words herself. "You'll tell him yourself darling. Fight this. Hold on for him. He needs you now more than anything." Phyllis' eyes started to water. This couldn't be the end, and it was true. Mr. Bates needed Anna, she had finally seen that. She knew how much her employer adored the young lady, and he would never forgive himself if she died here on the pavement without him. He probably wasn't even aware of what was going on, as intent as he was in stopping the madwoman in their midst.
"….and my parents, I love them. They were the best."
And then the sound that Phyllis feared most was heard. A shot. She turned her head in slow motion, dreading to see the outcome, yet never letting go of Anna's wound. She couldn't really see, and then it happened again. A second shot.
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A/N: Don't hate me. I did agonize about writing this chapter almost from the very start of the story and the actual writing of just these last 5K words took me almost a month. It was that difficult to harm my Anna, but it was always part of the plan.
I'll post the next chapter in a week, as I don't want to keep you hanging.
Thank you for all your support and lovely reviews. You make my day every time I post a new chapter.