Chapter 36
Amara's POV
NEXT DAY
Tatum rapidly knocks on the hotel room door, I open it, and she almost knocks me over in a tight hug, "I'm so sorry about your dad,"
I give her a controlled smile telling her I'm fine. "I'm gonna find out who did this,"
Tatum shakes her head not liking the idea, "You should just leave the city," I look over at the sleeping twins before looking back at Tatum,
"I tried to leave, I did but something is holding me here," I tell her slowly trying to see if that made sense to her.
"I've been having visions of my aunt Maya and Maureen Prescott, at first I just thought they were visions but now I'm starting to think they're her memories."
"Why would you be seeing her memories?"
"I'm not sure," I answer just before my phone rings, I have an instinct to ignore it but I'm too invested in why the hell Gale Weather's would be calling me.
"What could you possibly want?!" I answer the phone in frustration.
"Jennifer and I just did some digging in the studio archives, your aunt and Maureen we're horror movie actresses for John Milton," she tells me ignoring my dislike for her.
"John Milton, knew my aunt?"
"Yes, Reyna Renolds and Ruby Rebel, it was their stage names,"
"Where are you right now?" I ask her, deciding I want to talk to John Milton myself, why wouldn't he tell the police that he knew Maureen or my aunt, that explains why he kept looking at me weirdly when we first met.
"The studio,"
"I'm on my way, do not talk to John without me," I tell her as I grab my jacket to put on, Tatum grabs my arm whispering, "Are you sure you wanna go? We should figure out what's happening to you first,"
"I'm fine, just watch the twins, I'll be back, "She looks like she wants to argue but accepts my decision.
When I arrive at the studio, Randy, Jennifer, Gale, and Dewey are waiting for me. Dewey and Randy pull me into a hug surprising me.
"I'm sorry about your dad," Randy says giving me a sympathetic look, I nod letting them lead me toward John Milton's office, we barge in as Milton's talking to Roman, who seems extremely frustrated about the movie being shut down.
"Rina Renolds, Ruby Rebel," Gale says, to Milton who hesitates looking at me and then back to her.
"Who's Rina Renolds and Ruby Rebel?" he asks confused, Milton pulls on his arm, "Why don't you head home and tell them not to cut the cake without me.
My eyes widen, "Fuck it is your birthday,"
"Oh god, Happy Birthday Roman," Jennifer says happily as Roman nods in appreciation, "Thanks, best birthday ever," he says sarcastically, he goes to leave but stops by my side, "You'll be there right?"
"Sure Roman, Happy Birthday," I tell him, he places a small gentle kiss on my cheek, before pushing a piece of my hair behind my ear, "Thanks, I'm sorry about your dad," I nod not saying anything as I watch him leave.
"I guess he was clear from questioning," Randy says annoyed, he still watches him leave suspicion in his eyes, it wasn't until he left that we all turned our attention back to Milton.
"So you knew Sydney's mom and Amara's aunt?" Dewey accuses.
"Who?" He plays dumb. "Hungreds, thousands of actresses have worked for me," he adds
"We never said she was an actress," Gale points out, Jennifer tells her good catch.
"What's your point?" he asks impatiently.
"Guess will just give Detective Kincaid a call," Dewey says already dialing.
"I remember them," he quickly says, eyeing the phone and me, "Yeah both of them, they were in little roles back then, they were nobodies, so what?"
"Oh come on, you have made millions off the story of her murder, you're obsessed with her and you're obsessed with her daughter!" she yells getting loud, Gale and I push her behind us, "Calm down,"
"Easy," Jennifer flips her hair while taking a breath.
"Look I make horror films, the studio came to me with Stabb, just check it out,"
"But you knew who they were,"
"Yes after the first Stabb, I realized that Maureen was Rina but I couldn't tell anyone, could you imagine the press, especially since Maya,her best friend was murdered years before that,"
"How'd you know about my aunt's murder?" I ask him, when his eyes find mine, a cold chill goes down my spine.
"Must've read it in the news," he shrugs.
"But murders are happening now and you still say nothing?!" Gale questions him following him as he takes a seat at his desk.
"Get real, that would make me a suspect,"
"Just because you knew her?" Gale says suspiciously looking at him, she thinks for a moment before shaking her head. "Just what happened to Maya and Maureen while they were here?"
His expression hardens as he pins his attention on Gale, "Look Lois Lane, let it go it's dead and buried,"
"How would you like to see it dug up on national TV? You need to tell us what happened to them right now," Gale demands, " I could see the terror in his eyes of being caught. I look down at my necklace confused, I grasp it through my fingers noticing it's starting to heat up.
It was the 70's everything was different, I was well known, for my parties and they knew what they were," his poisonous voice spills, Randy grabs my waist asking me if I'm fine.
Lies
"It was for girls like them to meet men, men who could get them parts if they made the right impression," Everyone looks at him in disgust.
"Nothing happened to them that they didn't invite in one way or another no matter what they said afterward," My fists clenched at his words.
"He's a fucking liar," the voice repeats angrier.
"You're saying they were,"
"I'm saying things got out of hand, maybe they did take advantage of them and the sad truth is this is not the city for innocence, no charges were brought and the bottom line is, ah"
I grab his head slamming it down onto the desk, he grunts trying to push me off but I slam his head down again. "You're a fucking liar,"
"Amara!" Dewey yells, surprised, grabbing me and pulling me off Milton, Milton staggers but stands grasping his bleeding head.
"You'll pay," he swears to me, blood dripping down his face.
"Will see,"
Randy leads us out of the officeholding my wrists together. "Wow they said you were crazy, but that was amazing," Jennifer says excitedly. I grip my head in pain suddenly seeing visions I don't want to see. I grip my head harder, rubbing my fingers roughly through my hair hoping to ease my pain but it doesn't.
"Are you okay?" Gale asks, gripping my shoulder.
I smack her hand away repulsed by her touch, I move past them running away from them, I know their not real but they feel real. I keep running until I end up in an alley, the visions finally stop but the pain remains clawing at me.
"Angel?"I turn to him surprised, he gives me a sad smile holding his arms out to me, I run into his arms letting out all the tears I'd been holding back all day. He wipes my tears away smiling down at me but when I try to step back from him he holds onto me, I push against his chest but he doesn't budge just holds me closer. "My Maya," he mumbles before inhaling my scent.
"No,"
"Shhhh, you're almost mine anyway, just sleep," he whispers in my ear. I have no control over my body as it follows his command easily, I could feel him pick me up in his arms, but I can't move. I've never felt so helpless in my life.
Meanwhile
Third POV
Billy and Stu head into the city in disguises, when Billy saw the necklace Amara had around her neck he knew something is wrong and that Danny is in town.
"Why couldn't we have stayed with Amara instead of coming here?" Stu whines again, after not seeing her for so long then finally having her in his arms he doesn't wanna be away from her. Billy ignores him like he's been doing ever since they spent the night with Amara.
"You're still not talking to me?" he groans trying to walk in his way but Billy curves him.
"You have two minions, I want her to give me kids too, it's only fair," he defends, Billy stops and slowly turns to Stu.
"You think that's why I'm mad?"
"Well since you said it like that, not anymore, what did I do?" Billy shushes him, dragging him into the dark store.
"Shut up, we're here,"
The place smelled heavily of incense and sage, they coughed a little as they looked around the place. "Don't come any closer," a beautiful woman with dark skin and colorful robes pointed at them.
"You both coughed, your auras and souls are tainted,"
"I need to talk to you, about your great, great, grandmother's book," Billy tells her as the woman's eyes go wide she shakes her head muttering confusing words.
"That book is the devil, and all copies should have been burned,"
"We'll the one I found when I was eight it belonged to my uncle who's a serial killer, his name is Daniel Espen but his real last name is Loomis,"
She hisses making Stu back up. "Loomis? So the curse lives on such a shame,"
"Curse?"
"Long ago, the curse started with a female of your bloodline, she was a servant of nature but immortality is against nature and she knew that the love of her life was killed, and died in her arms but using the book she brought him back but she knew the book would have a price, she just didn't know she'd pay it, a darkness spread through her like rapid fire, her love only lasted a few seconds before she killed him, ruthlessly.
"She killed a lot of people, and ended up burned to the stake as a witch, but she had a child before she was killed and that child grew with the curse running through its veins and when he took a life, he couldn't stop." Dammit, I'll have to keep my eye on Warren.
"The curse can be passed, but the Loomis are born with it which is why their eyes glow a red hue that's different from everyone else's," she explains.
"There's this amulet,"
"Do you have it?" she questions holding out her hand.
"No when I tried to take it off her it burned me,"
"Hmm that usually means a soul is tied to it, and not just any soul an angry soul, and if it's around someone's neck that soul will take over the body,"
"But Amara seemed like herself," Stu says, though something was a little off.
"Interesting, the soul must be getting an offering, if it died violently it'll need the blood of its killer and the blood of the one who ties them to what's left of their humanity,"
"Fuck,!" Billy's face twisted with rage. "He's trying to put Maya into Amara, that sick fuck, I knew he wanted her I'm gonna fucking kill him,"
"Except you can't do that, he's pretty powerful but if you were to let Maya weaken him, you could kill him and take his power for yourself, if you don't Maya will take his power and be stuck inside Amara's body forever, Maya has to give up the body willingly.
"What makes you think she will?" Stu asks, holding his head in frustration.
"Being stuck in an object so long with that much darkness has a way of twisting the soul, it taunts you, shows you your worst fears and taunts on repeat, and to have dealt with that so long, I'd want to end it," she shrugs.
"Now leave, your dark auras are stinking up my shop," she waves them off lighting another incense.
Billy's cell phone rings and he's surprised to see it's Tatum's number, but when he answers Sam and Warren speak loudly through the phone telling him they haven't seen their mom in an hour. "I'm gonna find her,"
"Actually I know where she is," a new voice pops up on the line that makes Billy want to scratch his eyes out.
"Listen up, Roman sent me an invite to his mansion, obviously the final scene at least that what's Randy said, anyways we need a plan to save my best friend so this is a Once only team up,"
"What did you have in mind?"
AMARA POV
When I open my eyes I'm in an old room, a familiar room, the room from my visions, the room they were trapped in, I try to run but quickly realize my hands are bound, I look down at myself to see someone changed my clothes, I'm wearing a white dress that looked pretty old.
"You look really pretty," a voice startles me, I see Roman taking off his Ghostface mask and staring at me, he slowly walks closer as I look at him in disgust.
"I hoped you'd never look at me that way," he says with disappointment. "Am I that different from Billy and Stu? What if we met first?"
"Get me out of here, before he comes back" I pleaded with him, he keeps calling me Maya and he's the reason I can't leave the city.
"No can do, he'll be pretty pissed if I let you go, "He walks over to the minifridge taking out a syringe of blood. I remembered then my mom said whoever attacked her took her blood, realization came over me like a wave of fire consuming me with rage. "You killed my dad, Roman backs away looking away from me. I scream at him, fighting my binds harder.
"I swear when I get out of here I'm gonna bash in your skull," I snarl at him pulling on my binds harder, they start to ache I knew they were gonna bruise.
"I really do love that fire, shame not to keep you like this," Danny says suddenly appearing, he approaches me with a box of heels, he unties my feet and I don't hesitate to try to kick him, he catches it sighing in disappointment.
"That's not very ladylike," he puts on the heel, squeezing my ankle every time I consider kicking him, he ties my feet back together before scanning me head to toe.
"I'm gonna stab you, in the neck, with these heels," she whispers, making him chuckle.
"I do love a good fight,"
"Roman, your guests are arriving, hurry up and kill whomever you choose but bring Milton back here," he commands him and like a dog he listens.
"For someone so big you're such a bitch," I tell Roman, he stops only for a moment before leaving out the door. Leaving me and the creepy older yet young-looking Loomis.
"I am not Maya," I tell him, he nods, smiling.
"Yes not yet, but once we have the blood of the three remaining rapists and the murderer, she'll finally come back to me," I shake my head in frustration.
"The first time I tried this, she wouldn't come out of the necklace, like my offering wasn't enough but with this, I can't be ignored.
"You can't do this,"
"Your mom was my first candidate but then I died and transferred my soul and quite frankly she's too old now, I mean she looks really good for her age but you're better," he ignores me running his finger over my neck.
"Your fierce,"
"Beautiful,"
"Strong and almost as crazy as me, I can see why you have so many men chasing you" I roll my eyes still yanking on the binds. His finger comes up to my chin,
"Now your gonna do something for me, If you don't I'll just have Roman kill Tatum and trust me he's dying to,"
"What?" Why is Tatum here? She was supposed to be with my mom and the Twins.
"Yeah that girl is persistent, you disappear for two hours and she won't stop calling so I had to lure her here, but don't worry as long as you do as I say, she'll be fine,"
A female's screams echo loudly in the distance. "Let the games begin,"