Hillary_Flesh and Blood

by Angel Gelique

  Hillary slept soundly, dreaming about the woods. Shortly after midnight, she awoke to the sound of distant sirens piercing the silence. At first she grew nervous thinking that the cops were coming to get her. She nearly jumped out of bed to start running. Yet, the sirens were distant, not growing louder and closer. She knew exactly what the sirens were and where they were headed.

  Hillary thought about the fire in Jax’s room and wondered how far it had spread before Jax’s father returned home to discover it. She only wished that she could have been there to see his stupid-looking face twist in agony. At least she’d be seeing more suffering soon. She smiled as she dozed off with thoughts of Laura...Laura in the woods.

  While Hillary slept snug in her warm bed, Kathy grew hot and feverish, alternating between unconsciousness and delirium. Her irritated face and scalp burned and itched. At one point she scratched at her left cheek so fiercely that it bled. Earlier she had been relieved to finally empty her bladder; now the acidic moisture and dampness against her crotch and posterior end was causing a painful, burning rash on her skin. It felt as if she had one form of ache and pain or another from her head to her feet.

  Yet the physical pain waned in comparison to her mental anguish. She could not suppress the hideous images of her butchered children, especially the horrid sight of her little boy’s decapitated, cooked head. She heard him crying out to her, calling her, tormenting her guilt-ridden soul.

  Mooommm-meeeeee...mooommm-meeeeee.... It was the longest night of her life. It was the first of many long, restless nights.

  Hillary awoke refreshed and excited. She hummed happily as she quickly dressed and grabbed the brown bottle and knapsack from her dresser. She placed her cell phone, along with Jax’s, in the bag. She stopped at the linen closet to grab a couple of washcloths before sprinting down the stairs. As she passed her mother’s traumatized body, she heard her mother mumbling incoherently. Her eyes were open but transfixed on the ceiling. She didn’t seem to notice Hillary, who leaned down to get a good look at her mother’s reddened, inflamed face. Hillary smiled at her handiwork before continuing on to the kitchen.

  It was almost seven-thirty. It would take Hillary about a half an hour to walk to the old picnic table on the east end trail. She had enough time for a quick breakfast. She toasted a bagel, spread some cream cheese on it, poured the remaining apple juice from the container into a glass and carried her meal into the living room. She placed her food and juice on the coffee table and settled down upon the couch.

  Hillary took a big bite out of her bagel before turning on the television. Normally she had no interest in local news but today was different. She was curious as to whether there was any footage about the fire at Jax’s house. She changed the station to channel 17, the local news, weather and traffic channel. As she ate her bagel, she listened indifferently to the slim brunette warning of a possible chance of rain late in the evening. Minutes later, a handsome but aging man with dark blonde hair yapped about the current traffic patterns on the “major” local highways. There was an accident being cleared off the Turner Road exit of Route 5.

  Blah, blah, blah, Hillary thought, chomping down on her cinnamon raisin bagel.

  Fifteen minutes later, after Hillary had finished her bagel and was just about to shut the television off, a “breaking news” alert came on. An older female newscaster, who looked like she could be the weathergirl’s mother, began talking about a tragic fire that took the lives of three children last night at a house on Fair Meadow Road.

  “The charred bodies of fourteen-year-old Jacqueline Montgomery and her twin infant sisters, Chelsea and Chyna, were found in the home after their father, Robert Montgomery, returned home from work around midnight,” the reporter stated solemnly. “He is being held for questioning after investigators entered the home and found a large amount of blood on the floor.”

  The scene shifted to a uniformed man in front of the Montgomery home. The words on the screen identified him as Police Chief Edward Carragher. He was a stocky, middle-aged man with a full head of sandy brown hair and a neat mustache.

  “At this point we are gathering information and it remains unclear whether Mr. Montgomery was involved in the deaths of his daughters. We do know that all three children were killed prior to the fire and that the fire was intentionally set....”

  “Ha!” Hillary squealed in delight thinking that Jax’s dad would go to jail for her crimes.

  The scene switched back to the newscaster who shook her head morosely and expressed her heartfelt condolences to the victims’ family. She assured her viewers that she would keep them apprised of all of the latest developments, then a commercial for a local supermarket aired.

  Hillary turned the television off with a huge smile plastered on her face. It would be another great and exciting day for her. It was just after eight now, the perfect time to start her adventure. She left her dish full of crumbs along with the empty glass on the coffee table as she grabbed her supplies and left her home.

  It was another cool morning but Hillary knew that the brisk walk would warm her up. As she neared the woods, she could smell the rotting remains of her father that she had carelessly discarded. As she passed the clearing, a flock of scavenging birds squawked and flapped their wings, readying for flight as she continued down the path, leaving them to feast upon the human carrion.

  Hillary was right. She was nearly sweating by the time she reached the splintered old picnic bench. She set her knapsack down on its faded red top and pulled out the bottle of chloroform, her cell phone and one of the washcloths. She fastened it closed then walked away with the bottle and washcloth, leaving the knapsack in clear view on the table.

  Hillary walked ten feet away and concealed herself within the dense growth of trees and thicket. She checked the time on her cell phone. It was fifteen minutes before nine. She knew that Laura would drive her shiny new car there. She would park in the small lot where the entrance to the trails was. It would be a fifteen to twenty minute walk to get to the picnic table from there. If she was running on time, she would be walking now, getting closer.

  An unpleasant thought crossed Hillary’s mind. What if Laura saw the news broadcast and knew that Jax was dead? Then she wouldn’t be coming at all. Hillary began to grow anxious. She hated when she couldn’t control every detail of her plans. There were always too many unpredictable variables. All she could do was hope for the best...the best for her, not Laura.

  Impatiently, Hillary checked her cell phone for the time every two to three minutes. Five minutes after nine, Hillary thought she heard the sound of leaves rustling and twigs snapping. Someone was coming. She held her breath as she waited to see Laura appear.

  “Jax?” Laura called out as she stepped from the path into Hillary’s view.

  Laura looked annoyed that Jax wasn’t there. She swatted at a fly or mosquito. Hillary quietly uncapped the chloroform and placed the washcloth over the top. She tilted the bottle and thoroughly doused the washcloth, careful not to breathe in the fumes. She held the damp cloth within her left hand as she twisted the cap back on the bottle.

  “Where are you Jax?” Laura called out loudly, “these mosquitoes are eating me alive.”

  Hillary could see that Laura had spotted the knapsack. She walked up to it and reached out for it. It was now or never. She rushed toward Laura as quickly and quietly as she could. Hearing her advancing fast, Laura turned to face who she thought was Jax. She looked mortified to find that it wasn’t her friend Jax, but rather crazy Hillary the Freak.

  “What—”

  Hillary pounced on her, placing the chloroform-drenched washcloth over Laura’s nose and mouth. They both dropped to the ground.

  “It worked!” Hillary said to herself excitedly.

  She had been worried that her chloroform creation might not be effective. While she had been waiting for Laura to arrive, she chided herself for not testing it out on her mother first. She didn’t even have a knife with her or a back-up plan in case
her concoction failed. Now her worries were behind her. It worked perfectly and Laura was out for the count. But for how long?

  Fearing that Laura would regain consciousness, Hillary ran to her knapsack and began pulling out the things she had packed. Unbeknownst to her, Laura was sitting up, watching her curiously. Laura had smelled the sweet, somewhat acrid scent from the washcloth as Hillary brought it toward her face. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew it couldn’t be good. She held her breath as Hillary rammed into her, shoving the wet cloth over her nose. When they were on the ground, she closed her eyes and pretended to be knocked out.

  She had heard stories about Hillary. She had supposedly snapped and gone crazy. Some rumors claimed that she tried to commit suicide. Others alleged that she had been confined to a mental institution. However the details varied, the bottom-line fact remained the same: Hillary was insane. When she returned to school, everyone could see the drastic change in her.

  Laura didn’t know why, but she was afraid of Hillary, afraid of what the crazy girl would do to her. She had gone to the trouble of having Jax arrange for her to be there and then she ambushed her, placing some odd-smelling chemical over her nose. She was clearly up to no good. After Laura saw the first knife come out of the knapsack, her suspicions were confirmed. Hillary was going to try to kill her. But she wasn’t going to succeed.

  As quiet as a mouse, Laura stood up and darted back the way she had come, grateful that Hillary was so engrossed in emptying out her bag. She could hear the clanging of sharp knives from yards away as she ran. She was too afraid to look back.

  Hillary, finally deciding on the large carving knife, clutched it tightly in her hand as she turned to face Laura. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she discovered that Laura was gone. Carefully holding the knife away from her, Hillary ran as fast as she could toward the small parking lot.

  “Laura!” she screamed ferociously, “come back, I have something for you.”

  Laura was about a quarter of a mile away from the lot when she heard Hillary shouting after her. Her heart racing, she propelled forward. She didn’t dare look back. She knew that Hillary was fast. She knew that Hillary could outrun her and would catch up in no time at all. She was so close to the lot now, so close to her car....

  “Laura!” Hillary’s sharp, angry voice reverberated through the treetops.

  Oh, God, Laura thought frantically, she’s gaining on me...she’s going to stab me!

  Laura was thankful that she, too, was a good, strong runner. Yet the air seemed thick and heavy. It was difficult to breathe. Her chest grew tight. She was panicking too much. Would she have an asthma attack? She hadn’t had one in years, not since she was twelve.

  Hillary’s long legs launched her forward at a rapid speed. Each long stride got her closer to Laura. She could hear her footsteps, her panting.

  Likewise, Laura could hear Hillary’s footsteps growing louder and closer. Tears that escaped her eyes defied gravity and were pushed back to her ears because of her force and acceleration. She could see the lot now. It was just up ahead. She could see her car....

  Hillary could see Laura. She was about four yards ahead of her. She could get her. She could catch her.

  Laura could hear Hillary behind her. She sounded so close. She expected Hillary to pounce on her at any second. She would stick that big knife right into her back and that would be the end of her.

  Laura was right. As she stepped onto the pavement of the lot, Hillary was just a couple yards away and advancing fast. She held the long carving knife out, just waiting for the chance to plunge it deep into Laura’s flesh.

  Laura was on the verge of hyperventilating from the fear. She could see her car, her pretty little red Mazda. It never looked so inviting. She was glad that she always left it unlocked. She would jump in it then lock the doors and fish for her keys once she was safely inside.

  There was just a few yards left and she would be—

  “Aaaaaaaaahhhh!” Laura screamed as Hillary swiped at her with the knife. She was less than a yard behind her.

  She’s gonna get me, Laura panicked, she’s gonna kill me....

  Laura was in front of her car—the only vehicle in the lot. She just had to make it around to the door and let herself in. As her foot hit the pavement going forward, her head was pulled back as Hillary grabbed on to her ponytail and yanked it fiercely. Laura stumbled back, trying desperately to break free from Hillary’s grasp. She quickly maintained her balance and jerked her head back as Hillary swung the knife at her and missed. The rubber band from her hair fell to the floor as clumps of her hair ripped painfully from the roots and remained within Hillary’s closed fist. As Hillary shook the hair from her hand, Laura kicked her violently in the stomach, sending her falling to the ground and nearly stabbing herself with the knife.

  Hillary cursed out loud as she abruptly stood up started to run toward Laura, only to fall to the pavement beside the car. She heard Laura’s car start as a fierce cramp assaulted her abdomen. She didn’t know whether it was from the miscarriage, all of the running she had done, or Laura’s powerful kick, but it didn’t much matter. The end result remained the same. Laura had gotten away.

  ~18~

  Laura sped straight to the police department. She was still trembling hard and barely able to talk when she burst into the station. Officer Adam Mack stood and quickly strode over to meet her. The dispatcher at the window, Bethany Daniels, pushed her paperwork aside and followed Adam to Laura. She knew the girl. She used to babysit her.

  “What’s the matt—”

  Laura collapsed into Adam’s arms and sobbed heavily. Despite his urging, she couldn’t speak. She was too upset. She was still terrified. She was shaking like a leaf.

  “Give her a minute,” Bethany said softly as she stroked Laura’s sweaty, disheveled hair.

  Bethany walked over to the nearby water cooler and filled a small paper cup full of water. From what Bethany could tell Laura looked like she had been running. She was still panting heavily. She brought the cup to Laura and handed it to her. Laura’s teary eyes thanked her as she quickly drank the water. The empty cup remained in her trembling hand as she tried to gather her thoughts.

  Adam looked at Bethany with admiration and affection. How did she always know the best thing to do? For months he had been trying to work up the nerves to ask her out.

  “Hillary,” Laura blurted out, breaking Adam’s train of thought. She broke down and started sobbing again.

  “It’s okay, honey,” Bethany comforted her, “take your time…you’re okay, you’re safe now.”

  A moment later, Laura sighed heavily and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “Hillary Greyson,” she said, regaining her composure, “she tried to kill me in the woods.”

  Adam and Bethany exchanged glances. They both knew that their colleague, Officer Thomas Cafaro, who was working on the Montgomery investigation, had found smaller shoe imprints in blood. The distraught Robert Montgomery was still being held in custody pending DNA results from blood found on the shed door. Chief Carragher was certain that Mr. Montgomery was the perpetrator. Thomas didn’t agree. It was apparent that he didn’t leave those imprints behind. Thomas suspected that a teen-aged boy was involved, possibly Jacqueline’s boyfriend. He was currently in the process of accessing her cell phone records since her cell phone could not be located.

  “Tell us from the beginning,” Bethany said, “what happened?”

  “My friend Jax called me last night and—”

  “Jax? Is her name Jacqueline?” Adam interrupted.

  Laura nodded.

  “Jacqueline Montgomery?” Bethany clarified.

  Laura nodded again. Adam and Bethany shared another glance as if telepathically communicating with one another.

  “Go on,” Adam prodded softly.

  “Jax...Jacqueline...she asked me to meet her in the woods today. She said that she found a lot of money that she wanted to share with me. We were going
to go shopping, you know, hit the mall.”

  “So what happened?” Bethany asked. She already knew that Jacqueline didn’t show up...she was in the morgue.

  “When I got there, Jax wasn’t around. But there was a backpack on the picnic table. I reached for it and the next thing I know, I hear someone running toward me. I thought it was Jax being stupid, playing around. But...but....”

  “Keep going, you’re doing fine,” Bethany said, taking Laura’s trembling hand in hers.

  Laura was breathing heavily. Adam and Bethany could see that she was reliving her nightmare again.

  “It was Hillary,” she panted, tears rolling down her cheeks. “She jumped on me and put this wet cloth on my face. I got a whiff of some chemical smell and held my breath. We fell to the ground together and I pretended to pass out. I saw Hillary pulling knives from her backpack. I knew she was going to kill me. We, we never got along. I ran...I just ran as fast as I could. But...”

  Laura paused and sniffled. Adam got up to get her a tissue and returned with the box. She pulled one out and blew her nose loudly. Without further prompting, she continued.

  “She caught up to me,” she said nervously, “she tried to stab me with this huge knife. She almost got me. She pulled my hair out. She almost killed me....”

  Laura’s voice cracked at the end as she thought about how close she had come to dying.

  “How’d you get away?” Bethany asked.

  “I kicked her in the stomach as hard as I could. I was just so scared. She fell and I ran to my car. I drove out of there as fast as I could and came straight here.”

  “That was very brave of you,” Adam said, “You did the right thing.”

  “Laura,” Bethany said, “This girl, Hillary, does she go to your school?”

  Laura nodded.

  “She’s crazy, Beth, really crazy.”

  “Do you know where she lives?” Adam asked.

  Laura shook her head. She wasn’t sure where Hillary lived. She was older than Hillary and never paid much attention to her. She had only recently learned about her mental breakdown from Maddie, then Jax.