Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Suspense/Mystery

"So...L, what are you going to do now?" William asked him.
"I don't know. Now that John is dead, she'll either come after me or April. She plans on keeping Audrey as another one of her little experiments. I just want them both to be safe."
"April should be okay. I have my people watching her 24/7."
"Judy is smart. She'll find a way past them, but April is clever too, but, I think it would be better if you be with her and Audrey." William stared at him for a while before chuckling.
"It's amazing how we came to be friends. I remember the first time I saw you."
"You were drunk and kept yelling at me: It's not Halloween."
"Yep. I'm surprised you were kind enough to take me home."
"More like drag you home....and I can be nice if I want to!"
"Pfft. More like annoying."
"I prefer annoyingly brilliant." They shared a laugh.
"L, I promise you, I will do everything I can to help." Lucifer looked up at him.
"Thank you."
                      ......................
"Hi grandma." April said to her grandmother as Audrey ran past them and into the garden.
"Hello dear. What brings you all the way out here? Shouldn't Audrey be in school?"
"It's been cancled. There's another killer roaming around."
"Is everyone alright." April stared at her, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her grandma noticed and engulfed her in a hug.
"Tell me what's wrong."
"He.....he's dead grandma." She said, crying into her shoulder. "John is dead. It's all my fault. If I would have been here I could have saved him."
"I-It's okay. It's going to be alright." Grandma said, but even April could sense the oncoming tears in her voice.
"Did he....tell you?"
"No. My real dad told me, but I forgived him. He...it wasn't his fault." And they stayed like that for a long time.
                        ...................
"Audrey! It's time to go!" April yelled from the porch. There was a storm coming and April wanted to head back into town before the roads got bad.
"But...I wanted to pick some flowers for L." She said, pouting as she walked up to her.
"How about we get him some tomorrow? When it's going to be all nice and sunny?" She pondered this for a moment befors smiling and saying:
"Okay!" She jumped into the car and April bid one last farewell to her grandmother before following her in.
Thunder had begun to echo across the sky as they drove home, but something was wrong. The police officers from before were gone and the door stood slightly ajar. April told Audrey to stay in the car, and she exited, slowly walking to the door.
She creaked it open and yelled, diving in. On the floor was William, face down and bleeding from the back of his head.
"Williiam! Will! Please wake up!" She yelled, shaking him. She looked closer and saw that he had been knocked out from behind. 
Before she could turn back to the car to get help, she heard a creak on the floorboards and her sight was blurred into a world of darkness.
                       .....................
April woke up to the sound of muffled screaming. She blinked and shook her head, dizzy from before. Blood dripped down her face as she lifted her head, studying her surroundings.
They were still in her house, but seemed to be in the basement. April was tied tightly to a chair with William the same opposite of her, still passed out. She turned her head and her eyes widened.
Audrey's hands and feet were tied up as well, a cloth tied over her mouth muffling any sound that came out. Tears were streaming down her face when she looked at April.
"It's okay Audrey." April said, unsure of why her mouth wasn't tied up. William's wasn't either. He was close enough for her to kick him, and she did, startling him as he woke up.
"W-what happened? Where are we?" He asked groggily, staring around in bewilderment.
"In my basement. I found you unconscious when I came home with Audrey, then I was knocked out." He turned to look at Audrey and he started struggling.
"Don't worry Audrey. Me and April will get you out." He said, trying to untie the ropes. April did the same and they struggled for a few minutes. 
"It's no use." April said as the ropes grip on her wrist didn't loosen.
"You're right. There's no way to get out now." Someone said. All three of them turned to the door as Judy Jenson stepped into the room, a wicked smile on her face.
"Oh my dear, you're prettier than I remember." She said to April, stepping toward her to touch her hair. She jerked back and tried to kick her, but she simply stepped to the side.
"What do you want with us?" William yelled, averting her attention from April to him.
"Isn't it obvious? I want you two dead and Audrey all to myself."
"Well, you're not gonna get her."
"Oh?" She said, crouching down in front of him. "And who's gonna stop me?" William grew silent and looked away. She smiled at him and suddenly kicked his side, sending him crashing down onto the floor. He yelped out in pain as she kicked his side again.
"William has nothing to do with this! He doesn't deserve to die!" April yelled at her. She turned around.
"Really? He's one if the people who changed my son. You, your family, and him changed my beautiful son into the...the thing he is today!"
"You don't deserve to call him your son." Her eyes darkened in anger. She grabbed a fistful of April's hair and threw her to the floor, causing Audrey to scream which was muffled by the cloth.
"I gave him love and affection! I took care of him when no one else wanted too. He's lucky I didn't kill him the moment I gave birth to him."
Suddenly, she lurched forward as she was hit from behind. She fell to the ground as behind her stood an angry and violent Lucifer. He dropped the crowbar in his hand and dropped down beside April.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I had to knock out a couple of guards." He said, untying her wrists and feet.
"It's okay. I'm glad you got here." She smiled at him.
"L, behind you!" William yelled. April looked over his shoulder to see his mother swinging a bat in her hands. She must have gotten it from one of the boxes in the basement.
Lucifer rolled to the side as April desperately tried to untie her feet to help. Soon, they heard the sickening crunch of Lucifer's arm as his mother whacked the bat hard. His left arm fell to his side, useless, as he dodged her again and started to run for the stairs.
His mother followed him, leaving a histerical April, a half beaten up William, and a crying Audrey. April finished untying herself, then moved on to William and Audrey.
"William, take Audrey and get out of here." She said, pushing Audrey toward him.
"Where are you going?"
"To help Lucifer!"
"Not without me! I can help you!"
"Please William. She wants Audrey, and even if I die I want to make sure she neved gets her. Take my car and drive to the town I went to. There, you'll find a bartender named Marge, she'll help." She said, dragging them through the door.
"April!" Audrey yelled before she could leave the house. She turned to her daughter, who was crying from before. She leaned down and enveloped her in a hug.
"I love you." April said to her. Audrey sniffled and said:
"I love you too mommy. L told me everything." April smiled at her before charging out the door. She had never been called mom before, and she hoped she would be able to hear it again
                       .....................
She ran out, a small drizzle from the sky beginning to fall. In the corner of her eye she could see Judy run around the corner, and she chased after her. 
Right before she could reach them, the sickening sound of a gun rang through the air and she ran even faster. She chased her through the town and into the forest. When she entered a clearing she felt a flash of pain go through her leg and she stumbled.
Above her, Judy was holding a gun in one hand, and a bat in another. She had shot April in the leg.
"Now look what you've done!" She yelled at her. Her head was bleeding as well as her arm. "You've turned my son against me, you made me kill him." She said, pointing to Lucifer's body, just a few feet away from her.
"You're the one who tricked him, who made him fall in love with you. This is all on you." And April lowered her head, staring at the ground as tears began to form in her eyes.
"Now, I'm going to kill you." April felt something against her head, and she closed her eyes, prepared. 
The gun went off, but April quickly looked up. Judy's gun wasn't the one to go off. It was hers.
Judy fell to the ground beside her, dead, and behind her stood Lucifer, his arm still hanging lifelessly on his side with her gun in his hand. He gave her a weak thumbs up before stumbling to the ground.
"Lucifer!" She yelled, diving toward him. She caught him. He was bleeding heavily but still managed to smile under the mask.
"She's dead...right?" He asked her weakly. April turned toward Judy.
"Yes." She choked out, holding back a sob.
"Hey, don't cry. It's gonna be alright."
"But...but you're, you got shot...and you're bleeding."
"Yeah, but it's not that bad." He smiled up at her and pulled something out of his pocket, handing it to her. She took it and studied it closely. It was a white carnation.
"The first thing you said to me was that white carnations were your favorite flower, remember?" April nodded her head, tucking the flower behind her ear, but refused to say anything.
"Do you remember the first date we went on?" He asked, his voice growing quiet. She let out a sob and said:
"Of course. You pushed me into the creek."
"It was your fault, you looked so bored." She let out a laugh, tears streaming down her face. He reached up with his right hand, stroking her face gently.
"You want to know a secret?" He said. She leaned down and he whispered:
"I love you." She rested her head on his chest, sobbing, before she said:
"I love you too." His hand fell to his side.
"That's a good last thing to hear." He said. April cried and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. 
She held onto him, her cries echoing across the clearing, and she couldn't stop.
              25 Days Will Continue