Deep down, instinct was screaming for her to run...telling her that something was wrong. For all she knew it had been screaming at her this entire time, but it was only now that she was hearing it as a faint click, followed by a beam of light showed her that the man standing in the doorway was not Richard.
Frozen by fear, Tabitha just stared up at the young man. “Richard,” she whined before realizing that the man standing before her was the same young doctor who’d first treated her in the E.R. earlier that day.
He smiled, the shadows cast by the light under his chin, twisting the normally friendly expression into a thing of sheer terror.
Somehow realizing, that for whatever reason, her husband wasn’t able to help her, Tabitha broke free of her paralyzed state and bolted for the stairs. Though close, the front door wasn’t an option. By the time she reached the door, undid the deadbolt and lock on the handle, the stranger would have her.
Rounding the end of the railing, leaping up the stairs three at a time she didn’t bother to look back. It wasn’t going to do any good to see the intruder close on her heels. She only hoped that she could reach the bedroom and lock herself inside where she could call for help before the stranger got a chance to carry out whatever he had planned.
At the top of the stairs the open bedroom door came into view. Without hesitation she dashed down the carpeted hall, darted into the bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it and pressing her palms to the thin barrier, trying to catch her breath and calm her nerves.
“Hello, Mrs. Tillmore.”
Tabitha spun to see that the shadowy figure was already in the room with her.
Back pressed to the door, “I’m pregnant,” she whimpered.
Advancing toward her, the only response the man offered was, “I know.”
*****
“This is a nice house,” Sarah commented as she navigated the semicircular driveway, bringing the car to rest directly in front of the steps leading to the front porch.
“Very dark though,” Derek noted, glancing back at the unlit light posts at each end of the driveway as well as the dark windows and extinguished lights on the front porch.
“Maybe they don’t like to waste money,” Sarah knowingly offered up an unlikely explanation. “Besides, they’re probably in bed,” her voice broke as she continued the attempt at self comfort.
Sharing in her obvious concerns, Derek took a deep breath and reached for the door handle.
“Wait,” Sarah stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t have to do this.”
“You don’t have to do this...I do,” Derek smiled.
“Why?”
“Jason’s my friend. I’m partly responsible for this situation.”
“How? You didn’t make him kill that guy back at the liquor store. You didn’t tell him to go off the deep end and hunt this woman down. Let’s just leave. We can call the Tillmores from a pay phone and warn them about Jason. That’s all you need to do.”
Taking his hand off of the door handle, he placed it over hers. “Tabitha Tillmore isn’t the only one in danger. There were others, one in particular and if I don’t stop him now, Jason’s probably going to go after her next. I have to do this.”
Realizing that she wasn’t going to convince him otherwise, all she could do was stare into his eyes. They possessed a comforting quality that seemed out of place given the situation, but nonetheless, was appreciated as she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his.
Caught off guard, Derek closed his eyes as a tear and then another rolled down Sarah’s face, lending a salty quality to the sensual exchange. Countless kisses had been placed on his lips over the years, but none like hers. There was almost no movement, no sound, just the warm, moist touch of those velvety lips, lightly pressed against his. He’d been attracted to Sarah from that first meeting outside the restaurant and now it was clear that she’d felt the same.
Opening their eyes, they broke their embrace. He wanted to tell her to stay in the car and that everything would be alright, but he didn’t have to say anything. With a nod and a smile, she seemed to acknowledge the unspoken words of comfort as he broke eye contact and exited the vehicle.
The house was completely dark. Given its brand new appearance, he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the Tillmores hadn’t even moved in yet, but as he climbed the unexpectedly creaky front steps, he noticed the welcome mat in front of the door and a narrow placard hanging on the front door which read, Welcome Home.
Though apparently moved in, it was clear that they hadn’t yet addressed the window coverings as most of the windows along the porch remained completely open to the outside world, the faint glow of the waning moon offering what limited resources it had to illuminate the house’s interior. Pressing his face against the narrow window to the left of the door, he attempted to see inside but other than the faint, shadowy outline of a staircase, he couldn’t see anything.
“Maybe this will help.”
Startled, Derek turned to see Sarah behind him, holding her keys in the air. On the key ring, pinched between her fingers, was a tiny flashlight which she had turned on and was shining in his eyes.
“I thought I told you to stay in the car.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Well I thought it,” he added, taking the flashlight from her and shining it in the window.
The tiny light didn’t do much, other than to expose a toppled plant and a floor covered in shattered pottery and rocks.
Sarah pushed in to see what he was looking at. “We have to get in there,” she gasped.
Surprised by her willingness to go charging into a potentially dangerous situation, he took a step back and prepared to kick in the door, unsure if he’d even be able to without breaking his foot.
Anticipating his plan, Sarah reached for the handle and turning it, pushed the door open.
“It’s open,” she whispered.
“I see that.”
Nervously, he stepped inside with Sarah close behind. He didn’t want to just go charging up the stairs and into the master bedroom. There was still the chance that the power was just out and that the Tillmores had simply forgotten to lock the front door. The toppled plant and shattered vase could have been the result of no lights and a new environment. Maybe they’d bumped into the table, knocking the plant over and didn’t have any candles or a flashlight to aid them in cleaning it up, so they left it for morning.
Derek continued to run logical explanations through his head as he slowly entered the living room. Sensing Sarah’s growing fear through the tightening grasp of his arm, he paused in his advance. “Are you okay?”
Receiving a simple nod, he continued toward what appeared to be the kitchen. Shining the tiny light ahead of him, a bar height counter came into view, followed by a marble island covered in the debris of what appeared to be a fallen rack of pots and pans. Stopping at the bar, Derek shined the light around the room. Other than the mess on and around the island, everything seemed completely normal.
Sarah grasp tightened once again.
Looking over his shoulder to see what was wrong, he was met with a look of horror as she raised her index finger toward the island. At first he didn’t see what was so horrific, just some pots and pans; but, scanning lower with the flashlight, the source of her panic and the future bruise on his arm became clear as the soft beam of light fell upon the bloody head of who he could only assume was Mr. Tillmore. Most of his body was hidden behind the island with only his head from the mouth up exposed to view, however, given the pool of blood around his head and a missing eye, there was no mistaking the man’s condition.
Thump.
Startled by the sudden noise, Derek and Sarah both directed their gaze toward the ceiling, then toward each other.
“Upstairs,” he whispered, though immediately questioned why. She’d obviously heard it as well.
Sarah looked terrified.
“Go back to the car,” he instructed, turning back toward the livin
g room.
Nodding, Sarah again took hold of his arm as they made their way back toward the front door. With a better sense of the house’s layout and an eagerness to get outside, the brief journey back to the front door seemed much quicker than the initial trip in; however, upon reaching the foyer, they found that the door which they had left open behind them, was now shut. Pulling at the handle, it became evident that not only had someone closed the door behind them, but they had also locked the double keyed deadbolt, snapping the key off in the lock.
Spinning, Derek quickly scanned the foyer and surrounding doorways. All seemed quiet. “We’re going to have to find another way out,” he whispered, motioning back to the living room in hopes of finding a back door somewhere in the kitchen.
“Help me!” a muffled scream came from upstairs.
Stopping in the doorway to the living room, Derek turned to Sarah.
“Let’s just go,” she insisted. “We can call the police.”
“Go. Find the phone and call the police, then get out of the house,” he instructed.
“No, come on,” she begged, pulling him toward the living room.
Derek stood his ground.
“I have to go up there,” he insisted. “Go.”
Reluctantly, she did as instructed as he turned for the stairs.
Slowly making his way up the staircase, he noticed small red spots of blood every few steps as well as random pieces of what looked like tiny shards of ceramic from the broken flower pot. He didn’t know what he was walking into but, against all rational thought, he continued on, pausing at the top of the stairs to assess which door he might be looking for.
Based on the noise from the kitchen, he knew the room was toward the back of the house. At the far end of the hall stood a wide open door to what appeared to be an empty bathroom. Three doors lined the remainder of the hallway; two to the right and one on the left.
Cautiously, he proceeded forward, approaching the first open door on the right. Peeking around the doorframe he scanned what appeared to be an empty bedroom, filled with boxes and a disassembled bed. Continuing on, he came to a stop in front of the open bathroom door with a closed door to either side of him. Choosing to go left, he pressed himself against the wall just to the side of the door as he reached for the handle, slowly turning it and pushing the door inward.
“Help!” a suddenly excited female voice called out from within the room.
Peeking into the room, the terrified woman came into view. Mrs. Tillmore was standing in the center of what appeared to be the master bedroom. She was dressed in baggy pajama pants and a silky night top, a flow of steady tears adding to a growing, dark stain in the center of her chest. Behind her stood Jason, peering over her shoulder as he held a blood stained hunting knife to her throat.
Though only a day had passed, Jason’s appearance, much like his personality, was dramatically different. The glasses, that Derek had grown accustomed to seeing him in, were gone, likely replaced by contacts, and his usually neatly groomed hair had been buzzed, leaving only a dark shadow on top of his head.
“Please, don’t be shy,” Jason greeted his friend. “Come on in. Mrs. Tillmore’s been waiting for you,” he pulled the knife closer to her throat as she tensed with fear.
Cautiously, Derek stepped into the room, holding his hands out in front of him to let Jason know that he wasn’t armed.
“Why don’t you just go ahead and close that door behind you,” Jason nodded at the door.
As instructed, Derek turned and closed the door.
“Ah, don’t forget to lock it. We wouldn’t want your little girlfriend out there to interrupt our reunion now would we?”
Derek did as he was told. “Jason, put down the knife.”
“No hello for an old friend?” Jason seemed hurt by the lack of a greeting. “Two years go by and all I get is, ‘Jason, put down the knife’,” he mocked.
“Two years?”
“Oh, that’s right. What’s been two years for me has only been a day for you,” he chuckled. “This whole time travel thing is kooky isn’t it? Don’t move,” Jason pressed the knife tighter against the woman’s throat as Derek attempted to take a step toward them.
Derek remained motionless.
“Jason, what are you doing?”
“I’m taking control.”
“Control of what?”
“Life.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh don’t play naive with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You yourself said that I should lighten up and let loose a bit. Well, I’m here to tell you that I took your advice and, whoo! I’ve never been better.”
“Jason, I didn’t tell you to do this.”
“Maybe not this exactly, but I have to say, once I realized my full potential, I knew exactly what had to be done.”
“Full potential?”
“Oh, yeah. I guess I should explain how it is that I’m standing here right now. It took nearly two years for me to perfect it but...”
Suddenly Jason vanished.
More stunned than relieved by her assailant’s mysterious disappearance, Mrs. Tillmore remained ridged and motionless as Derek rushed to her side.
“Ah ah ah.”
Startled, Derek turned to see Jason standing in the very spot from which he’d just run. Beside him, her arm held firmly in his grasp, the hunting knife pressed against her side, was an equally stunned and frightened Sarah.
“What the—”
“—Neat trick, huh,” Jason grinned.
“It’s going to be alright,” Derek attempted to comfort Jason’s new captive.
“Is it Derek?,” Jason pressed the tip of the blade against Sarah’s side as she fought the urge to break down. “How do you expect her to believe anything you say when it’s clear by the confusion on your face that you have no idea what’s going to happen next?”
“How did you—?”
“—Jump? I know, it's not a very unique term but it really is the best way to put it.”
“Where’s the brie—”
“—The briefcase,” Jason interrupted again. “Oh...I don’t need that anymore.”
“But that’s impossible. The power source. You need a power source.”
“No, I never said I needed a power source. I simply needed a way to trick my body, or I should say my blood, into thinking my life was in danger. A high voltage shock seemed like the most efficient and controllable method at the time; at least when the blood was inside the machine that is. When it’s in me however...well...mind over matter my friend. Mind over matter.”
“But—”
“—Now don’t get me wrong it did take me quite some time and a bit of testing to finally figure that out,” Jason added, holding up his wrist to reveal a series of cuts. “The razor would never get quite deep enough to do any real damage before my body would take over and remove me from the situation. However, I found that such brutal and real threats made controlling the jump nearly impossible. Just like the time I tried to hang myself. I was gone even before the rope pulled tight. Eventually I realized that it wasn’t strictly the blood that was triggering the reaction. It was the adrenaline. Fear. My body’s natural fight or flight reaction could be used to initiate a jump and that’s when I learned how to control it. Once I managed to harness my fear, all that was left was fine tuning the control, so now...”
Again, Jason vanished but only momentarily as he almost instantly reappeared behind Mrs. Tillmore, the hunting knife once again across her throat.
Stumbling backward in disbelief, Derek stood beside Sarah.
“No neat little gadgets. No complicated programs. Just good old fashion brain power,” he pointed at his head.
“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing,” Derek defiantly refused to act impressed.
“Let’s face it Derek. I’ve spent my entire life being bullied by...well...just about everyone...including you.”
“I—”
“—You’re honestly going to tell me that you never thought yourself better than me. That we didn’t always do what Derek wanted to do. That the whole fucking world didn’t revolve around dear old Derek and his conquests.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Her,” Jason nodded in Sarah’s direction.
“Me?” Sarah asked shocked.
“Not just you. Every one of you.”
Sarah seemed confused.
Turning his attention back to Derek, “No matter the situation, you somehow always manage to come out on top. Everyone loves the outgoing and unpredictable Derek. No one ever wants the quiet and boring Jason. Well, all of that’s going to change, starting here, tonight.”
“Jason, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to right all of the wrongs, all of the things in my life, all of those people who made me the pathetic little twerp that I was. I’m going to eliminate them all.”
“But why now? Why here?” Motioning to the woman at the end of Jason’s knife, “She has nothing to do with this.”
“You said it yourself Derek. We’re friends. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on this monumental occasion. Besides, I want you to know what’s coming. Because, when I’m done here, I’m going to take care of your little girlfriend’s baby sister.”
“What?” Sarah snapped.
“What does this have to do with her sister?”
“You really should learn their last names Derek.”
Derek turned to Sarah with a look of confusion before turning back to Jason.
“Bishop,” Jason added.
“Bishop?” Derek repeated in shock as he turned back to Sarah. “Your last name is Bishop?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Is your sister’s name Katherine Bishop?”
“Katie, yeah why?”
“And she’s pregnant,” Jason added with a grin.
“How do you know that?” Sarah turned to Jason, more confused than ever.
“Your sister’s in danger,” Derek returned Sarah’s attention to him.
“Danger? Why? What does she have to do with any of this?”
“Not her,” Jason playfully interjected.
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