Nightmare in Niceville

by Amberle Cianne

  “Where are you?” a deep, male voice called out in the quiet.

  His footsteps were steady.

  “I know you’re in here, Lily.”

  Lily? How did he know Lily? I thought to myself. A flashlight clicked on and scanned the room. I heard the footsteps getting closer. I squeezed my eyes shut and more tears fell. I was about to stand up when a light hit my face, blinding me. I closed my eyes and saw pale red.

  “Well, look what we have here. You look about Lily’s age. What’s your name?” he asked.

  I clenched my jaw and remained silent. I should have hid better! I should have crawled between the seats! I should have stood behind the door, then snuck out behind him! I should have…

  He smacked the side of my head. I gasped, outraged, and opened my eyes. His bright green eyes were the first thing I saw. I was mesmerized by their dark, emerald-green color, just like Lily’s. His short, dark-brown hair stuck out in all different directions. His face was sweaty and his clothes were drenched in dark liquids—sweat, blood, and probably other peoples’ tears. He had a longish face, like an oval. He was tall and lanky, but still had muscular arms. He had stubble on his dirty face, and his eyes were wild.

  And, he was holding a long knife, dripping with red. My breath stopped for a few seconds.

  “You’re name.” He didn’t say it like a question, but like an owner giving his misbehaving dog a command.

  “Sarah,” I mumbled and looked down. I mentally slapped myself. Why did I say my real name? I was so scared, I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t control my breathing any more. I might have started hyperventilating if I wasn’t focusing so much on trying to think through my clouded mind.

  “Well, Sarah, did you come here with anyone?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Who?”

  “Friends from school,” I muttered.

  He huffed out a breath. “What are their names!” He was having trouble controlling his anger.

  “Max, Luke, and Angela,” I answered quietly, afraid of getting smacked again.

  “Do you know my Lily? She has long, brown hair and green eyes.”

  “No,” I lied.

  “Have you seen a girl like that around here tonight?”

  “No,” I lied again. His Lily? What did he mean? I didn’t know what this man wanted with Lily. Was he an ex-boyfriend? No, he was too old, and Lily wouldn’t go for an older guy. Was he a relative?

  He stood up and yanked me up by my hair.

  “Ow!” I cried out. “Let me go!”

  He pulled me into the hall. “You kids must have known I was here since everyone is hiding. You are going to help me find all of them. Where do you want to look first?” he said still gripping my hair.

  “I won’t help you,” I spat. He slammed me up against the wall, and the air rushed out of my body. I coughed and felt the throbbing in my head.

  “You don’t have a choice!” he screamed. He stared at me with his devilish eyes. “You know, you’re kind of pretty,” he said, tilting his head slightly. I shifted uneasily. Out of nowhere, he pushed my face against the wall and kissed my neck.

  “Stop!” I yelled, struggling under his hold. He pulled away as I shoved his chest. He looked at me with lust in his eyes. Then he must have decided he couldn’t waste any more time.

  “I’ll pick first, then,” he said, yanking me by my hair again. We walked into the men’s bathroom, and he made me check to make sure it was empty. We then went into the women’s bathroom, and he shoved me to the floor.

  “Sarah.” The tone in his voice made it clear that I was to check this bathroom. I was already on the floor, so I looked under the stalls.

  “I don’t see anybody,” I said dryly.

  And then, a muffled noise from the end stall.

  I sucked in a breath and coughed a little, trying to make it seem like I had made the noise. Real tears fell down my face. I had been holding these back so the man wouldn’t see how scared I was, but I cried because I was scared, because my head ached, because I could die tonight and never my family again, because everything was falling apart around me. I cried to save whoever it was in that stall.

  He looked at me. “You might be crying, but I’m not stupid, Sarah,” he said.

  I cringed when he said my name, then sniffed and wiped my face.

  He pushed the bathroom stall doors open one by one, then stopped at the last stall. “There you are,” he said smiling.

  My heart stuttered. He had found Lily. No! I screamed in my head. Suddenly, he dragged a girl out from the stall. It was Emily. Now Emily was caught in his evil grasp with me.

  “Sarah?” Emily called, reaching her hand out a little.

  “You know her too?” the man asked, jerking his head toward Emily. My thoughts scrambled to think of anything but the truth.

  “She goes to my school, but I didn’t come here with her,” I lied. I stood slowly and grabbed her outstretched hand. It was the only comfort I could give.

  “Emily,” I whispered.

  “Emily,” the man repeated in a strange voice. “You look real good in that skirt.” She cringed from the sentence. He touched her face, and she jerked away, but she couldn’t get far. He was holding her arm tightly while his other hand dug into my bicep. It already felt like a bruise. He let go of me, giving me a Don’t even think about it look, then grabbed Emily’s face. Her watery eyes looked to the ground. His other hand moved down her neck to her shoulder, then her stomach. She let out a whimper, and her chest shook with silent sobs. He paused and touched the top of her skirt. He pulled one of the belt loops, crushing her against him. She tried to push away from him, never taking her eyes off the floor. He released her, then grabbed us both by the hair and pulled us to the back stall.

  “I’m going to spend some quality time with Emily, and you are going to sit still and keep quiet!” he screamed to me.

  “No! No! No! Please no!” Emily pleaded between sobs.

  He slammed me into the wall by the toilet and pushed me to the floor. Then he turned and locked the stall door. My head spun, and I thought I would throw up.

  He shoved Emily into the wall next to me and kissed her forcefully. She tried to fight him off, but he punched her in the ribs, and she let out a small wail. She was still crying hysterically. What could I do! I scrambled to think of something. I closed my eyes, but I could still hear the scuffling and Emily’s screams. There was a smacking sound, and her scream cut off with a cry of pain. He hit her again. She was begging for him to stop and for me to help. I was already crying, but when she yelled out my name, I sobbed. She screamed my name again and again.

  My eyes flashed open. With a scream that I couldn’t believe was mine, I pushed myself up and slammed into him so hard he flew into the wall. Emily shrunk to the floor and began to rock back and forth. I was in a state of mind where rational things made no sense and pure violence and rage were acceptable. I felt my expression turn wild as I closed the few feet between me and the bastard. He had half a second to realize what had happened before my hand came across his face. I clawed at him; the skin of his stubbly cheek scraped off and stuck under my nails. I clenched my fists and pounded his face. His cry of pain excited me. I slammed his jawbone once . . . twice . . . and once more.

  On my next swing, he caught my wrist in his strong hands. Blood trickled down his cheek and onto his neck. His eyes met mine, and the adrenaline-induced irrationality instantly vanished. As if in slow motion, I saw his fist swing around, and suddenly I was on the floor . . .

  10

  Luke

  Angela and I ran into Theater Two after hearing the frightening conversation between the man and the screaming woman. I took her to one of the aisles and crouched there in the dark. “Luke, I’m so scared,” Angela whispered, pressing into me.

  “Don’t worry, I’m here,” I whispered back. We sat on the floor between two aisles of seats.

  “Luke, what . . . what if we don’t make it?” she asked me quietly. />
  “I don’t know, babe. I know we will, though.” I leaned over and kissed her passionately. She tangled her gentle fingers in my hair. We kissed for a long time; it could have been hours. Our breathing was heavy. My skin tingled where she’d touched my face. I pulled away and looked into her hazel eyes, or what I could see of them in the dark. “We are going to make it through this. We will go away to college together, and get married, and have a baby boy, and we’re gonna grow old together. Remember you promised? We promised.”

  She nodded silently and tears dripped onto my fingers where I held her face.

  “I love you, Ang.”

  “I love you too, Luke.”

  We heard the door close, and a flashlight clicked on. My heart sped up, and I nudged Angela to be quiet. I started crawling under the seat, Angela following behind me. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was as if I knew things weren’t going to end well. I could have cried right then, but I stayed strong for Ang. We were at the end of the row when the light clicked off. We stopped crawling, and everything was silent.

  A light suddenly flashed in our faces, making us blind for a moment. I shoved myself off the floor, grabbing Angela’s waist, and pulled her up.

  “Run!” I yelled. I turned and zoomed down the aisle with Angela’s hand in mine. We were almost to the door when her hand yanked out of mine.

  “Keep going, Luke!” she shrieked. I slowed, but never stopped.

  “Angela!” I shouted, not accepting the fact that I could possibly never say her name again. She screamed, and there was nothing. I flew out the door, noticing Sarah and Emily curled up by the doorway. I screeched to a halt.

  “What are you doing!” I screamed at the top of my lungs with tears in my eyes. “Come on!”

  “Go Luke, just go! You don’t understand!” Sarah urged. I took one step back preparing to run again.

  “GO!”

  I ran to the next theater and pulled the door open. “If you’re in here, get out! He’s coming!” I yelled. I ran the other way to Theater Six—maybe he would go the other way.

  I flew to the back of the big room and sat on the floor. I sobbed quietly. Angela died and I got away. I would never see her again . . . my Ang, my Angel. I should have held her tighter! I should have put her in front of me.

  I should have done something.

  11

  Angela

  I couldn’t get off the floor. The man had stabbed me just below my ribs. It hurt like crap, but I knew I would live—I had to live. I tried to get up, but the pain was too much. It felt as if someone let a metal pole sit in a fire for a long time, then stuck it through me, burning my insides.

  My hand slipped out from under me, and I smacked my chin on the floor. I looked up, my eyes bleary with tears, and saw the fire alarm on the wall, just waiting to be pulled. I crawled, but it hurt too much. I just needed to rest for a minute. Luke’s voice punctured my thoughts, and my heart cracked a little. I shut my eyes, too weary to think, and hoped with all my heart that Luke would survive.

  My eyes shot open. No, I would not die.

  Slowly, with each passing breath, I crawled and crawled . . .

  12

  Luke

  I wiped tears from my eyes as I thought of Angela. My fingers felt numb from where she’d let go. Why did I keep running? Her beautiful face flashed before my eyes. Her infectious laugh played over and over in my mind. I loved her so much, and she got away. Was she dead? No, it couldn’t be. I just wanted to crawl under the seat and die so I could be with her again.

  The door opened, scattering my thoughts.

  I rounded the corner where the man stood. The light hit my face, and I blinked until my eyes focused. I stared at him, hating him. I needed to see her again. I couldn’t live without her. That son-of-a-bitch had taken her from me.

  “Just do it fast, I want to be with Angela,” I said in a blank voice. He didn’t move from where he stood.

  “Do it!” I yelled, my voice cracking. I fell to my knees. A sob found its way out from my lips. What would make him hesitate, my pain? It surprised me too. He slowly walked over, and I glared at him.

  “You asked for it. I’m running out of time anyway,” he said.

  Then something snapped inside me. I heard Angela’s voice in my head. Don’t give up, she said. As the man’s hand came down, I instinctively put my arm up and caught his wrist, the knife inches from my face. I rose up with a renewed strength. I could see the shock and a small amount of fear in his eyes.

  He reached over with his other hand to try and grab the knife, but I pulled his wrist and slugged him in the jaw. He had scratches on the other side of his face. I jabbed his arm downward toward his leg, piercing the knife into his leg. I’d hit my target, but I knew he wouldn’t stop. He collapsed to the floor, and I ran while I still could.

  As I headed back to Angela, the hallway suddenly blared a high-pitched ringing. Was that the fire alarm? I didn’t care. I needed to get back to Angela and see her sweet, beautiful face. I could still save her.

  I busted through the theater and fell to my knees beside her. Blood had pooled around her body. Her skin was pale, her lips white.

  “Ang? Ang, please! Wake up!” I shook her shoulders gently. She was still breathing. I looked for her wound to stop the bleeding. I felt the wetness on her ribs. Oh God, I hope it didn’t puncture her lungs. I tore off my Letterman’s jacket and put pressure on the wound. She would be okay; she had to be.

  After what seemed like years in that dark and cold theater, Angela stirred. I lifted her head up onto my leg.

  “Ang? Babe, are you okay? Wake up darling,” I cooed.

  “Luke?”

  “Oh, Ang!” I burst into tears. I was so happy she was alive.

  “Fire . . .”

  “What? No, there’s no fire darling.”

  She shook her head just barely. “Fire . . . alarm.”

  I looked up. Bloody handprints were smeared on the floor and up the wall to the fire alarm.

  “Oh my God, baby, you’re a genius. You’ve saved us all.”

  13

  Emily

  Out of the dark, the man emerged. “Which way did he go?” he asked, knowing he meant Luke. He gripped a bloody knife in his hand.

  Angela. He must have killed Angela. I gagged and looked away. Sarah and I stayed silent. He kicked Sarah’s side again, and she yelled, grabbing her side. I cursed him in my mind. Again and again I cursed him. He bent down and held the bloody weapon to my throat. I whimpered.

  “I said which way did he go?” He barely made it a question, pronouncing each word slowly.

  I closed my eyes and tears fell down my face. How I had any tears left, I did not know.

  Sarah spoke, “He went left, that’s all we could see. Now leave her alone,” she lied boldly.

  The man kicked her to the floor.

  “You girls just might live if you stay right here. If you run, I will find you and kill you just like your friend in there.” He pointed back into the theater, then turned and walked out into the hall.

  After the man’s footsteps faded, I collapsed onto Sarah’s lap and sobbed. She caressed my face and arms to try to comfort me.

  “It’s okay,” she said softly, a few tears of her own fell on my cheek, mixing with mine.

  And then, out of nowhere, we heard the fire alarm blaring.

  14

  Lily

  Rachel and I huddled behind the back row of seats. I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the wall. And then, out of nowhere, the fire alarm shattered the silence. A weight had been lifted. We were going to be saved. It was only a matter of time. I exhaled.

  “He’s coming!” a voice shouted.

  “I think that was Luke,” Rachel whispered.

  “What if it’s a trap?” Scott pointed out.

  “Let’s just wait by the other door so we can run if he comes,” I suggested. Theater Four had two doors, one on each side of the theater. We got lucky, I thought, or maybe Scot
t hid in here on purpose. He was smart.

  “Okay,” Rachel said.

  “Shhh.” Scott was already crawling. We crept quietly down the aisle and the stairs to the door. All of a sudden, Rachel screamed, her ear-piercing scream blending in with the ringing of the fire alarm. I nearly jumped out of my skin and turned to see a dark figure holding her. Something shiny glinted in the dark as it moved up toward her neck. Scott was pulling me through the door before I could see anything else. We ran and heard Rachel shriek once more.

  All was quiet except for our footsteps hitting the ground.

  15

  The Man

  “Lily, where are you?” I whispered as I headed down the hallway.

  Suddenly, the fire alarm went off. Rage coursed through my body. I punched the wall with my fist, leaving a bloody smudge.

  The ringing and ringing . . . I thought my ears would explode. It brought me back to prison, when the alarms would go off if there was a fight or if someone died.

  The alarms went off went my cellmate died . . . when I had killed him.

  We had been lounging on our cots. He was reading, and I was clenching my fists, just waiting for him to fall asleep. I got up and paced the tiny cell.

  “Do you ever miss Lily and Ashley?” I had asked.

  He looked up at me, a pensive look on his face. “I miss them more than you know. I’m a changed man. I’ve sobered up. I’ve confessed my sins,” he said, holding up the Bible in his hand. “And when I get out of here, I know they’ll take me back. I love them more than anything, my sweet angels.” He turned away, lost in thought.

  I thought I would lunge across the room and kill him right then and there. How dare he call them his angels. How dare he get the chance to be with his family again. My family was gone! All gone. There was no way that I was going to let him leave here alive.