| Obsession - story |
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| Written by Fyria | |
| Monday, 28 January 2008 23:40 | |
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"Eins" "Hier kommt die Sonne" "Zwei" "Hier kommt die Sonne" "Drei" "Sie ist der hellste Stern von allen" "Vier" "Und wird nie von Himmel fallen" "Fuenf" "Hier kommt die Sonne" "Sechs" "Hier kommt die Sonne" "Sieben" "Sie ist der hellste Stern von allen" "Acht, Neun" "Hier kommt die Sonne" The noise was deafening. People talking, music blasting, glasses clicking. Till sat on the couch looking around the room and trying very hard to be interested in what a girl was talking about. He smiled and nodded now and then. He noticed his band members around the room. Paul was having a good old time; talking, drinking, and smoking. Richard was talking to Olli and playing pool. Christoph was dancing with a group of girls. Till smiled. He looked to Flake. Flake was nervous. He looked like he was sick. Till dissmissed himself from the girl and walked over toward Flake. "What's wrong?" he asked as he got to Flake's side. Flake looked at him nervously. "Nothing." He lit a cigeratte. "Bullshit." "There is nothing wrong." Till stared into Flake's face long, hard, and carefully. Flake looked away. He stared down at the ground and walked away. Till pressed his lips together. Flake only took 5 steps and then passed out. Lollo and Karen were riding ia a cab through downtown. "Where is you uncle's bar again?" Lollo asked. "There." Karen pointed to a large, decrepit looking building. The sign read "Black Haze". Karen paid the fare and Lollo and she entered the building. It was dimly looked and closed. A woman walked in front of the girls. She was tall and mean looking. She had blue eyes and stringy, blond hair. She was wearing all black; a low cut tank top, a very mini mini skirt, fishnet stockings, and spiked high heals. Her make-up wasn't all that great. Her eye shadow was on so thick, it looked like she had tow black eyes. Her red lipstick was somewhat smeared. She looked the girls up and down. "One, we're closed. Two, y'all a little too young to be in here." Karen just looked at her. "Who are you?" "Honey, I'm your worst nightmare. Now get out!" Karen laughed. She turned to Lollo and quickly right hooked the woman. "Honey, I'm your worst nightmare." Karen smiled and stepped over the woman. Lollo's mouth dropped. She now and then looked down at the woman as she followed Karen. Karen reached the bar and started beatting on the counter. "Hey, old man!" "Karin," Lollo began, "maybe we should come back later?" Karen didn't hear her. She continued banging on the counter. The woman slowly got up. She pulled a switchblade from the inside of her tank top. She filcked the blade out and smiled. She licked her bleeding lips and turned to face Karen. Karen and Lollo were unaware of what was happening. "Quiet out there!" a deep voice hollered from the back room. "I'm coming!" The door to the back room opened. A tall, big, muscular man stood in the doorway. He was of a light brown color and was very bald. His mustache was thick. Lights glared off his shades, which looked like the type of shades a cop would wear. He stood there, looking at the girls. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. Karen stopped banging on the counter and looked at the man. The woman lunged at Karen. Karen stepped to her right, grabbed the blade, and hit the woman with her own hand. The woman fell to the ground on her back. Karen flipped the switchblade up into the air and caught it by the blade. She threw it at the woman. It landed two centimeters from her head. "Karin!" Lollo screamed. "Let's go!" Lollo grabbed Karen's arm, but Karen shook her off. She turned back to the man. "So," Karen began, "who's the woman Uncle Jesse?" Jesse smiled and Karen leapt over the bar and gave him a big hug. Lollo's jaw dropped. "That's my little spitfire," Jesse bellowed. "Her name is Betty." "Maybe we should take her to the hospital," Lollo suggested. "Sorry about that," Karen said as everyone entered Black Haze. "No problem," Betty wheezed. "No broken bones or anything." There was a big bandage on her nose. "So, when are you open?" Lollo asked Jesse. "Tonight we're closed," Betty answered. "For personal reasons," Jesse added. Betty grabbed her stuff and left. Jesse took the girls to his place and left. "Your uncle's cool," Lollo complimented. "Thanks," Karen said quickly. She walked to one of the rooms. "I love this place." "This flat is big...and cool. I love the Asian theme." "Thanks. I decorated." "Cool." "The kitchen," Karen pointed straight ahead, "has sort of a French theme. Jesse's room has a West theme, you know the Old West, my room has a Medieval Goth theme, and the guest room, your room, has a Native American theme." Karen looked into her room. "Our bags are here. Wait. Those are your bags. Mine must be in your room." She switched the bags. "Are you hungry?" Lollo nodded. "Let's see what I can wipe up." Jesse sat at a table, waiting for someone. A tall man walked up to him and sat down. He gave Jesse a large envelope. Jesse looked through it. "How is he holding up?" The man shook his head. "Whoever this is is a very sick person." The man looked straight ahead. His blue eyes were glazed. {mospagebreak} "So what did you uncle do when he was younger?" Lollo questioned as she licked her lips. "Jesse?" Karen replied. Lollo nodded. "When he was younger, about 20, he went the army. Two years later, he was in the elite force. He was so good that they placed him in a secret force. They trained him to be the best. He was the best." "Best what?" "He was a sniper, the best. When he was 27, he joined the police force. When he was 32, the FBI and the CIA wanted him. When he was 34, he got me." "So, what did he choose?" "Neither." "What?" "There was a group in Japan that wanted him. They were called Unit Force. He become a Special Agent, one of the best. Special Agents were the judge, jury, and executioner like the movie 'Judge Dredd'." "What!?" "Yup! when he was 48, he retired and became a bartender. He still has connections in the army, the police force, and the Unit Force, will not really." Lollo looked at Karen. "Every on and then, her would help people with their problems." Lollo just looked at Karen. "Want some more chicken?" "I'll help," Jesee stated grimly. "I thought I was retired, but I'll help. Y'all are my friends." The man drank some wine. "But I might need some help." The man shrugged. "How long has this been going on?" The man shook his head. "I don't know. He won't tell me." "So, how have you been,...Till?" "It's 11 o'clock. What time will your uncle be home?" Lollo asked. Karen shrugged. The clock struck midnight. Jesse entered his home sluggishly. It was dark and appeared deserted. He closed the door and locked it. He slowly made his way to the lamp and flipped it now. "So, what case are you working on now?" Karen quietly asked. "I thought you were asleep," he quietly said. "You know I never sleep when there is a case." Jesse chuckled. "Shhhh." "Your friend's asleep?" "She fell asleep 30 minutes ago." "That's good." "Was ist der Kasten?" "Nothing special, really." "Was?" "Stalking." "Wirklich?" "Ja." There was a brief silence. "I need to put up a sign to say I'm going to be closed tomorrow," Jesse said, "and call Betty up to tell her we're closed." "Done," Karen replied. "I'm one step ahead of you." Jesse smiled. Karen looked at Lollo's door. "She's up." Jesse nodded. "Your senses are better than mine." Karen got up from the couch. Jesse handed her the envelope and kissed her goodnight. Sausages were sizzling in the pan as were the bacon strips. The muffins were baking in the oven. The grits were boiling. The eggs were cooking and the Flap Jacks were flapping. Karen stood over the oven, cooking away while reading some of the papers that were in the envelope. She laid out the table and started the coffee. Jesse and Lollo entered the kitchen. Both looked hungry. Karen smiled. Wax slowly dripped off the burning candles. A woman was humming. Candles covered a small atler. She threw rose petals about her small candle-lit room. "You will soon be mine, my dear," she sang. "You are my love. You are my soul. You are my life. You are my god." She started humming again. "So, who is this guy?" Karen asked, drinking her coffee. Jesse and Lollo were cleaning the dishes. "Just a friend," Jesse answered. "Have I ever met your friend?" she inquired. "Nope." Karen nodded. "Is your work really hard?" Lollo questioned. "Not really," he replied, drying the dishes. "Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's hard," Karen answered while reading the rest of the papers. "Is it dangerous?" Lollo asked, drying her hands off. "Half the time," Karen replied. "You help, too, Karin?" "Yup." Karen got up and went into the livingroom. Lollo followed. Karen spread out all the papers out on the table. She sat on the floor looking at each paper. Lollo sat on the couch and looked over Karen's shoulders. "These letters are weird and...sick." "Yup," Jesse agreed. He sat down on the couch, drinking his coffee. "I think this person is a sick psycho and needs help badly," Lollo stated. "Why?" Karen asked. "I agree with her," Jesse said. "But why?" Karen asked again. "Well," Lollo began. She sat there looking at each letter. "Looking at the contents of the letters, the misspelling of some words, and the handwriting suggests that there is something wrong with this person." "She's right," Jesse said. "I agree with her." "She's right," Jesse said. "I agree with her." Lollo smiled. "Uncle Jesse," Karen began. She leaned back and turned to him. "You've been in this business longer than I have. Way longer." "And?" he asked. "I rely on you to analyze these things for me. I'm not good at these things." Karen yawned. She looked down at her hands and looked at Lollo. Lollo shrugged her shoulders. Karen turned back to the letters. Till looked out of the car window. He looked grim and sad. "So, who is this guy?" Karen asked. "He is a friend," Jesse answered. "Why won't you tell me?" "You'll find out later." "I don't want to argue with you. So, tell me." Till drove slowly. He looked around. Flake was asleep in the back seat. "Tell me," Karen begged. "He is just a friend," Jesse answered. "Tell her!" Lollo commanded. "If you don't tell me, I won't be able to do my evalutation!" Karen loadly moaned. The woman still chanted and threw flowers around the room. She started to dance. "You will be mine, you will be mine, you will be mine," she sang. She threw rose petals at the picture on the alter. "You will be mine, Flake." {mospagebreak} {mospagebreak} "Flake!?!" Lollo laughed. "Who would have thought." "Hmmmm.." was all Karen said. "What?" Jesse asked. "How many letters were there?" she questioned. "Just these 8 you see here." "No." "No?" "The first 2 are missing." "What?" Lollo breathed. "How many are there supposed to be?" Jesse inquired. He leaned closer. Karen looked at the clock on the wall. 12:30. "About 3 or 4 are missing from the middle and the last letter that was sent is not here." "How many?" "About 11 or 12. Hell, it could be 15." "How can you tell that some of the letters are missing?" Lollo asked. Karen looked at her. "Well, I can usually tell who the person really is by reading the first 2 letters." "What if that is the second letter," Lollo pointed to the letter at the top left, "and all you need is the first letter?" "That could be true." Karen yawned. "There are a couple missing from the middle because it skips. The last letter is not here." "What if he didn't get it or what if that is the last letter?" "Again, another good question or questions." "He got it," Jesse replied, taking the last sip of his coffee. "The way Till has been describing what happened to him at the last concert suggests that he did get the last letter." Lollo looked at Jesse. "Do you know all the members of Rammstein?" Jesse smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I didn't know that," Karen muttered. "I have to have a personal life, Karen," Jesse said. Lollo laughed and rolled off the couch. Till parked the car. He turned to Flake and gently shook him up. "Wir sind hier," he whispered. Flake nodded slowly. "I wish I had the first letter," Karen whined. "Poor Karen," Lollo soothed. Karen gave her an evil look. "Karin. Poor Karin." Karen smiled. She took off her glasses and wiped them clean with her shirt. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! "Who dat?" Karen asked. "I'll get it," Jesse said. He got up from his seat and stretched. "I'm coming!" Karen and Lollo sat there, talking with each other. "Hello...Oh, hi!" Jesse greeted and hugged his guests. "Come in, come in! I want you to meet my little ..." "Hey!" Karen shouted. "...niece and her friend." Lollo and Karen were still talking. "Guys meet my friends," Jesse said. "We are not guys," Karen stated. Lollo and Karen turned their attentions to Jesse's friends. "Oh, man," Karen said and turned back to the letters. Lollo giggled. "Hallo, Karen," Till greeted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Karen waved her right hand at him. "It's Karin." Jesse turned to Till. "Karen," he whispered. Till smiled. Karen looked at her wrist-watch. 1 o'clock. "Hey, Jesse, you have anything to eat?" Till asked, rubbing hs stomach. "I'm hungry." "Really?" Lollo asked. "Karin is a great cook." "Oh, great!" Karen whispered. "He's hungry. He looks like he hasn't missed a couple of meals." "Karin!" Lollo exclaimed. She laughed. "That was mean." "What was mean?" Till asked, looking at the girls. "Nothing," Karen answered, getting up. She leaned toward Lollo. "I'm going to go cook something." She started for the kitchen. Lollo got up and followed her. "I can't believe you said that. Looks like it might be true." "Hey, look who's being mean." "Who's being mean?" Till asked. "My yeast infection!" Karen exclaimed. "Stay out of our conversation. We're not in yours." Till held up his hands in defense and smiled. Karen went into the kitchen. Lollo followed. Karen whispered. "Flake looks like he missed a couple of meals. Maybe Till and Richard should let Flake eat more." Lollo laughed. "What's so funny?" Jesse shouted from the other room. Karen shouted back, "Your big, black, salty balls!" "That was good," Till said happily, rubbing his stomach. Karen smiled. "Lollo helped." {mospagebreak} Till smiled at Lollo. Flake and Jesse were washing the dishes and Till cleared the table. Lollo and Karen went back into the livingroom and went back to their seats. Till followed. Till sat in an armchair and lit a cigarette. Soon, Jesse and Flake emerged from the kitchen. Jesse went back to his seat. Flake sat in the other armchair, oppose Till's. Karen smiled broadly at Flake. Flake smiled back and looked away. "So, where are the rest of the letters?" Flake snapped his head back to Karen. "Y-you know some of the letters are missing?" "Ja." Flake pressed his lips together. He reached in his jacket and pulled out some more letters. "This is the first one." He gave it to her. "These belong in the middle. And these is the last one." "Why did you keep some of the letters?" Jesse asked. Flake looked at Jesse. "They were too disturbing. I wanted to throw them away..." "I caught him trying to," Till replied, taking a puff of his cigarette. "I knew you might need them." Karen read all the letters while the men were talking. She read and reread them over and over. Finally, she placed them in order. "Wow!" Flake breathed. "You have them all in order." Karen smiled. "Good news, the writer is a woman." "Thank God!" Till muttered. He shook his head and smiled. "It could be a man," Lollo pointed out. Till gave Lollo a weird look. Karen laughed at Till. "It's a woman. I can tell by the shape of the b's and d's. Most girls have bubbly handwriting like in the first letter. Girls and women usually have neat handwriting. Usually. I don't have a neat handwriting." "Yes, you do," Jesse replied. Karen clicked her tongue. "She is between 16 - 25. She is very smart, very smart. She is neat and methodisch." Jesse looked at Karen. "What? Methodical?" Karen nodded. "How can you say she is neat?" Lollo questioned. "Look at her handwriting. She's neat," Karen replied. "Believe me. It's her rage. She wants Flake bad, real bad." Karen thought a moment. "She is looking for a father figure and someone she can control." Till looked at Karen. He leaned closer. "His size and age." "Exactly." "This is a big girl?" Jesse asked. "I didn't say that!" Karen protested. "This girl could be small and petite," Lollo replied. "And quiet," Karen added. She looked at Flake. "This girl is dangerous." "How dangerous?" Flake inquired. Karen looked at him long and hard. "Dangerous enough to kill someone. "Danke, Karen," Flake said. "Thank you? For what?" Karen asked. "Thank you for letting me have your room tonight." Karen looked and him. "No problem." Lollo entered the flat with 2 bags. "The blue one's mine," Flake stated. Lollo threw it to Karen. She caught it with one hand and gave it to Flake. Lollo then turned to Till and threw the other bag to him. He held out his hands. The bag landed about 2 ft. in front of him. He looked down at the bag and walked away. Lollo laughed. "Trying to be cool", Karen thought. "Who the hell are you trying to impress?" Jesse finished pulling the bed out of the couch. Till began helping him fix the bed. Lollo and Karen went to go dress for bed. Lollo finished before Karen. She was wearing a T-shirt and her boyfriend's boxers. Karen came out of Lollo's room and stood by her side. She had on a long, black, silk nightgown. Till looked up at her. Flake came out of Karen's room. Lollo and Karen turned their attentions to him. He was wearing nothing but his boxers. Karen tried hard not to giggle. Lollo nudged her. Till and Jesse finished fixing the bed. Till went to change and Jesse went to his room. He turned and looked at Karen. He leaned on his doorpane. Till came out of Karen's room. He was wearing a wife-beater shirt and green plaid boxers. He stood by Flake's side. "I'm sleeping out here," Karen stated. "I'M sleeping out here," Till corrected. "Karen, you can sleep in my room, with me," Lollo offered. "Just like a slumber party?" Karen asked. Lollo nodded. "I can't. I need to be out here." "She's right," Jesse said. "Karen can take care of who ever comes through that door or the windows." "And if Till gets in the way, too bad," Karen replied, looking at Till. "That's his big booty." "Karin!" Lollo exclaimed. "Leave her alone," Jesse said. "I'm surprised she held out this long." Lollo, Till, and Flake looked at him with questions in their eyes. Jesse smiled. "If Karen doesn't get enough sleep, she becomes defensive and she acts bitchier than usual." "Well..." Lollo began, "no wonder." Jesse looked at Karen. Karen ran to him and gave him a hug. "Night, y'all." "Night," Till said. Flake nodded his head. Lollo gave Jesse a hug. "Night." Jesse went into his room and closed the door. "Night," Lollo said. "Night," Karen replied cheerfully. Flake and Till nodded. Lollo entered her room and closed the door. "I better go to sleep," Flake stated. "Night." Karen gave him a hug. Till also gave him a hug. "Don't worry." Flake closed his door. Karen and Till stood there. "Night," Karen said and headed toward the bed. Till looked at her. "I don't get a hug." Karen rooled her eyes. Jerk, she thought. "I can't believe it's only 10 o'clock," Karin said as she climbed in bed. "Why are we going to be again?" Till asked as he got in too. "I really don't know. Jesse's still awake. He's worried. Lollo's on the computer. Flake is still awake. He's worried also." "I'm worried too." "Don't be. Me and Jesse will handle it." "I know. Jesse is good at what his does." "I'll say. I know." Karen looked up at the ceiling. "I know all too well." Till shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going to look in on Flake." Till nodded. Karen got out of bed and walked to her room. TAP, TAP, TAP. "Come in," Flake wearily said. Karen entered. "Are you all right?" Flake just shrugged. Karen sat down at the edge of the bed. Flake was propped up by some pillows. He looked tired. He seemed to look like a little boy. "Don't worry." "I'm trying not to." "I know." Karen patted his knee. Flake stared off into space. "I'm afraid." "I know. I see it in your eyes." "What if...what if she - ? "kills someone?" "Ja." "She won't. If she tries, I'll strike first." "I don't want her to get hurt or anything." "Ich weiss, ich weiss. But, if push comes to shove.." Flake looked down at his hands. "Feel so weak." The door creaked. Till stood in the doorway. "Are you two going to talk all night?" Flake looked at his friend. "Getting lonely?" Till chuckled. "No, not really." Karen got up. "Goodnight." She kissed Flake on the forehead and went back to bed. Till smiled at Flake. "And you said you're weren't going to get laid. Gute Nacht." "Nacht." Till closed the door and went back to bed. He slowly climbed in and settled down beside Karen. Karen laid there, looking at the ceiling. "Lollo went to bed." "Huh? How do you know?" "I heard her climb into bed. She's not asleep. Jesse is still awake too. He's laying there, breathing." Till rolled over on his elbow and stared down at Karen. She looked up at him. She smiled. "Tell me about yourself." "What's to tell?" My life is straightforward." She started to turn away. Till gently placed his hand under Karen's chin. He turned her face toward him. Karen didn't resist. "Tell me." "You know, I still have you jacket." "And? Don't try and change the subject." "There's nothing to tell." "I believe there is." "I'll tell my story...in due time." "All right." "My story's long and we don't have all night." "Maybe, maybe not." "If I tell you my story, you have to tell me yours." Till looked at her. He closed his eyes tightly. Karen gently stroked his left cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Good night, Herr Lindemann." Karen turned away from him. Till just looked at her. He genlty pulled the covers up around her. He laid back down. "Night." {mospagebreak} Light slowly crept into the livingroom. Till woke. He laid there, staring up at the ceiling. He turned to Karen. She wasn't there. He rubbed his face. He sat up and looked around the room. He smelled coffee brewing. He slowly climbed out of bed and scratched his ass. He yawned and stretched and slowly made his way to the kitchen. Karen wasn't there. Till shrugged his shoulders. He got a mug out from one of the cabinets and poured himself a cup. He leaned against the kitchen counter and slowly sipped his hot coffee. He tilted his head a bit. He heard some one singing. He stood still. Finally, he decided to follow the singing. "One thing I'm sure of, whether it's wrong or it's right, I only wanna be with you tonight. And if you want me to, baby, then ask me to stay. Heaven's just a whisper away,"* Karen sang. Till clapped. Karen quickly turned and aimed a gun right at him. Till held up his hands. Karen lowered her gun. "Don't ever do that again." "I'm sorry. You have a great voice." "Thank you." Till looked her up and down. Karen was already dressed. She was wearing a black tanktop, black jeans, and black, studded boots. "You look...nice." "Thank you." Karen looked away. "I got to cook breakfast." She quickly walked past him. Till seemed hurt. "That was good," Jesse drawled. "I'm soooo full," Flake happily said. He sat there and looked at Karen. "Marry me." Karen giggled. Till finished clearing the table and began to wash the dishes. Flake's jaw dropped. He looked to Jesse. Jesse shrugged his shoulders. Lollo and Flake went to get dressed. Karen finished putting the bed back into the couch. She sat down, waiting for everybody. Jesse sat by her side. He was already dressed. He was wearing a black shirt, black vinyl pants, and boots. Lollo and Flake came out of the rooms and sat down. Till finished washing the dishes and went and got dressed. He came out and sat down. "Here's the plan," Jesse began. "Rammstein will be playing tonight as surprise guests." "Those who get in, get in," Karen stated. "The place holds 500 to 800 people. Max: 1000. So, there is little danger. There are metal detectors at the front entrance and the back entrance. There will be guards posted at both entrances, the side exits and the back exits, in front of the stage, and backstage." "Y'all don't go on until 10 o'clock." "You can't do the pyro." "I don't want my place to burn down." "We won't," Till reassured. "We played there before. Remember?" Jesse thought a moment. "Oh, yeah. How could I have forgotten?" Karen looked at Jesse. "Where the hell was I?" Jesse looked at Karen. "You were at 'the school'." "Oh, yeah. I haven't forgiven you yet." "What?" Lollo asked. "Long story," Karen muttered. "I really want to forget it." "I do too," Jesse replied. "You weren't there. You don't know the pain and suffering I went through." "I know, I know. It must have been hard?" "Yes, it was." Karen crossed her legs. "Anyways, back to the matter at hand. Hopefully, she'll be there. If she is, she'll make her move. Don't worry, Flake, I'll be on your ass." The air was filled with excitement. The crowd was energetic. Karen and Betty were working the bar. Lollo was impressed with Karen's style. "Hey, Karin!" Betty shouted over the noise of the crowd. "I want you to meet my sister." Karen turned her attentions to a heavy-set woman. She appeared to be 20. She had short hair, cherry blonde. She seemed out of place amongst the crowd. "Her name's Sara Anne. She's a big Flake fan." Karen nodded. "What's up?" Sara Anne smiled at Karen and looked down at the ground. Karen smiled back. The room grew dim. Music slowly began. "HEY! That sounds like Rammstein." "Yeah, it does!" "Oh, my God!" "Is it really Rammstein?" The crowd began to crowd the stage. The crowd grew excited. Rammstein was among the crowd, signing autographs. Karen was cool, calm, and collected. Jesse stood guard around Flake. Lollo seemed to be enjoying everything. Till slowly made his way to the bar. Karen poured him a drink. Till smiled at her. Karen smiled back. Lollo went to talk to Flake. They both walked around the room. Finally, they wandered to the backstage. The crowd finally left around 2 am. Karen was tired but she didn't show it. She was wiping down the bar. Jesse and Till were sitting at the bar, talking. The rest of the men of Rammstein were drinking and talking. Karen looked at Jesse. "Where's Betty?" Jesse gulped down his drink. "She went home early." Karen poured him another shot. She noticed a piece a paper by her right foot. She looked down at it and picked it up. She looked at it. "Hey, Jesse? Uncle Jesse?" "Hmmmmmm?" "Is this Betty's handwriting?" Jesse took the paper from her. "Yeah. Why?" "I was just wondering." She took the paper and placed it in her pocket. "Where's Lollo?" "With Flake." "But, where's Flake?" Till asked worryingly. "Last time I saw them, they went backstage," Karen answered, looking to the backstage. "But that was 3 hours ago." Jesse's eyes widened a bit. Karen looked at him. "How many people did we have tonight?" Jesse thought a moment. "About 5...600, give or take." "That's a good size." "Yup." "We had 2 guards at the front and back entrances, 15 around the stage, 2 at both side exits, and 2 at both side exits backstage." "And?" Till asked. "That makes 27," Jesse answered. "And?" Till asked again. Karen looked at him. "I counted the guards as they checked with you. I counted the guards again when they left, after you paid them." Till and Jesse looked at each other. "AND?" "27 came in, 26 left." Till grabbed Jesse's arm. "WO IST FLAKE?" "Has anyone checked upstairs?" Karen inquired, shrugging her shoulders. {mospagebreak} Lollo came to. She couldn't see anything. She was blinfolded and didn't know why. She felt light-headed and dizzy. She was hanging from the ceiling, dangling 6 ft above an old, large bathtub. She sniffed the air. Smelled like acid. Flake was tied to a chair. He was gagged and watched helplessly as Lollo was dangling. A man walked up to Flake's side. "Do you like it? I had that tub reinforced...to protect it. It's filled with acid. You know, Jesse should have gotten rid of that tub." Someone was in the shadows, watching. The door was kicked opened. It hit the wall with a bang. Jesse entered the room with his gun drawn and aimed. Karen followed. She walked to his left a bit and crouched down. She let her right knee touch the ground. She concentrated all of her attentions on Lollo. Till also followed. He had his back to the door. The rest of Rammstein stayed outside. "I thought you said the stalker was a girl," Till said, breathing hard. "It's a girl," Karen replied. "She has help." "Let them go, Jack," Jesse commanded firmly. "Seems to me you're not inclined to tell me to do a damn thing," Jack laughed. Karen looked to the shadows. Then, turned back to Lollo. "Why don't you come out Betty? Or should I say Angel?" Betty came out. She had a frown on her face. "How do you know my real name?" "I done some research and I talked to your sister-" Karen chuckled, "your cousin. She told me the truth." "Fat bitch could never keep her mouth shut." "Your twin sister, Betty, died by her own hands. You took her identity so she can live on." Betty smiled. She went and hugged Jack from behind. She laid her head on his back. "You know, boy, she's just using you." Jack smiled. "You don't know nothing girl." Betty kissed his back. "You know...she's right." Jack stood still. He gasped. He looked at Jesse with pleading eyes and fell to the floor. Betty stood above him, smiling. She held the bloodied knife tightly and walked to the rope which Lollo was attached to. "Well, what should I do?" "Let her go," Jesse said coldly though his teeth. "You shut up, you bastard!" Rage filled her eyes. "You're not my father!" "You're right," Karen said. Sweat rolled down her face. She pushed her glasses back on with her right index finger. "He's not your father. You killed your father, didn't you? You made it look like an accident or a suicide. But knowing you family's religious background and your anger toward him, you made it look like a suicide. If it was a suicide, he could never be buried on holy ground." Angel gripped the rope and held it tightly. She smiled at Karen. Tears rolled down her face. "He raped us! He deserved what he got. My sister killed herself because she couldn't live with herself. She wasn't buried on our church ground. He deserved it." "And what about Flake? Let me guess. He looks like your father and you're going to torture him?" "No! I love him and I'm going to save him." "What?" Angel looked calmly at Karen. She untied the rope and smiled. Lollo screamed. Flake turned away, tears rolled down his face. Till turned and gripped the door. He pressed his head onto it and closed his eyes. The rest of Rammstein stood there in shock. Lollo stopped screaming. Till slowly looked to Lollo as did Flake, tears in his eyes. Angel also looked to Lollo. The smile on her face slowly faded. Lollo was dangling about 3 ft. above the acid filled tub. "What the fuck?" Angel breathed. Till looked to Karen. Karen was concentrating. She motioned for someone or something to come toward her. Till looked to Lollo. She floated forward and landed 2 ft. in front of the tub. Karen stood up. She breathed a little easier. She looked at Till. He looked at her. Something passed between them. "It's over," Karen said. "Are you all right?" Karen asked Lollo as they exited Black Haze. Lollo rubbed her head. "Ja." "That's good to hear." Lights were flashing. The paramedics moved Jack into the ambulance. He was being patched up. A police officer placed Angel into the back of the car. Karen leaned on the opened door and looked in on her. "I was trying to save him," Angel cried. "Ya gotta believe me. I would never hurt him." "Excuse me, Miss," an officer said. "We gotta go." Karen stepped away from the car. The officer closed the door and got in. His partner started the car. Angel looked at Karen with pleading eyes. The car drove away. Karen frowned. One of the paramedics finished attending to Lollo. Karen looked at her. "Let's go." Lollo and Karen started walking away. "Why are we leaving? You don't like reporters, do you Karen?" "The reporters aren't coming. Uncle Jesse took care of that." "I bet he did." "Something's not right." "What?" "Nothing...I'm hungry. How 'bout you?" "Karen! How can you think about food? I was almost killed." "I want a big, thick, juicy steak." "I can't believe you." "With mashed potatoes drenched in gravy. And buttered green beans. And nice fluffy rolls with butter." "My God." "And for dessert, cheesecake." Lollo looked at Karen. "Wh-what type of cheescake?" "Chocolate swirl." "Okay, I'm hungry." Karen looked at Lollo and Lollo looked at her. They both laughed. The End |
