Chapter Twelve

There was light…but it fades away…pain…now it is gone…there is a red, velvet chair in sight…now it is all black…noise…as if knocking on wood…more pain…blinding light…black.

The knocking increased in size as Christian slowly woke up from the pain and drowsiness that he had been through. The light was blinding and the knocking became furious.

“Open this stupid door, Krobeth! I hate you and want to kill you!”

It was Mary. “You may be my father, but that doesn’t bother me anymore! You have sucked Christian into your throne of lies! You will kill everyone you see once you get going! I have to put an end to it.”

Christian moaned. The pain returned.

“Who is in there? Krobeth? Are you there?”

The door was pounded on and finally Mary got through. “Christian! Oh, Christian! What has he done to you? What is this? A needle? Who has done this to you, Chris? Was it Krobeth?”

Christian didn’t respond. He was asleep again. Mary slapped Christian’s cheeks and said, “Wake up you idiot boy!”

Christian’s eyes slowly raised. “Krobeth…stabbed…. me.”

“Oh Lord, please curse that man!” She looked up into the heavens and looked back down at Christian.

“Did he tell you where he went?”

“Kill.”

“OK, that is what I thought! I have to go and get the police!” She stood up and walked toward the door.

“Wait!” Christian called, weakly.

She looked back. “What? I have to go now! He has probably already killed everyone! There is nothing we can do but get the police!”

“Bring…me!”

She groaned and went over to Christian. She put her arms under his strong torso and lifted. “You’re too heavy! You have to stay here!”

“No! I…go!”

She moaned. “No! You have to stay here! You are still intoxicated!”

Christian shook his head and slowly, ever so slowly, lifted himself up onto the floor. “I…go…”

Mary sighed. “Fine, but I will go to the police station. You go to the Turner’s house. We will meet up!”

Christian nodded faintly. “I will try to get there…as fast…as I can.”

“Hurry! Go!”

Christian slowly took off, but gained speed after he left the house. His thoughts were only to lift his foot another step and to get to Christy-Ann. His love is what urged him to move on.

He would physically not been able to move for another hour, but miraculously, love pushed him onto the road.

The Turner’s mansion was only a few blocks away, but it seemed to take a lifetime just to get to the first half of a block. His eyes became dark and hazy, and he passed out, on the sidewalk.

No one helped the teenager get up, but he regained consciousness a few minuets later. His love was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. Love pushed him along. Love made him weep, made him jump for joy and made him live life the right way. He loved Christy-Ann more than his own life right then, just so he could save her.

He didn’t even think about the negative things that could occur. She could be dead.

He stopped and cried about that thought. No! I won’t let her die! She has to be alive!

He turned a corner and then stopped

He was there, at the Turner house.

Chapter Thirteen

Christian tried to climb up the many stairs, but couldn’t; he was far too weak. Please, God, help me make up these steps. He thought about Christy-Ann and put one foot above the other and it took twenty-four of that procedure to get to the top step.

He thanked the Lord and staggered over to the door. He caught his breath and held it, not knowing what could lie beyond that door.

He looked for Mary, but could see no sign of her, so he opened the large, wooden door.

Instantly, Christian’s legs gave way and he tumbled to the ground. He had only seen one portion of the horror of the room. He had seen a man, lying face down on the stairway, with blood dripping down the stairs.

He slowly rose back up with teary eyes and knew that the man on the stairs was George Turner, and he was dead.

But, the most horrific scene in the room was in the very center. Krobeth was standing behind the girl that Christian loved so very much, holding a knife to her throat.

Christian didn’t say anything for a while, but he was partly relieved that Christy-Ann wasn’t yet dead, but it was worse when he saw her face, covered with blood.

Christian looked around the room. There were bullet holes in the walls, and a long shiny sword; lying next to it was a chair, slashed and cut up.

Christian focused all of his remaining energy on Krobeth and Christy-Ann. “So…you finally did what had to be done.” Christian said, suddenly strong and manly.

Krobeth nodded, but was careful not to say anything. After a bit, he said, “Yes, you were too weak to kill a man; and in a while, your true love will join with the rest of the corps!”

Christian felt a dagger in his heart and shook his grief away. “You will not lay another finger on her! Let her go, and you can kill me!”

“Christian no!” Christian had thought that this cry had come from Christy-Ann, but no. Mary had just opened the door and entered the room.

“Mary, I ought to have you hung up and slaughtered after all you have done to ruin this night!” Krobeth yelled.

It was then that Christian suddenly remembered this house. It was the house of his dream where he had saw Christy-Ann die of sickness. He remembered the grand staircase and it split into two, one going right, the other going left. Yes, this was that place!

“So…Krobeth,” Christian said, suddenly, “Was this your original plan? Were you planning on killing George by yourself? Or did you really, honestly, hire me?”

“You fool! Do you really think that I would let you have half of the money you would be getting me? Oh yes, that is right. You would not be getting me a million dollars; I would take all of this dead man’s money! Including his daughter’s life!”

Christy-Ann screamed and bit Krobeth’s hand. The old man did not even flinch.

“And,” he continued, “I would probably end up killing you too, Christian. After all, you knew too much.”

Christian shook his head, thinking about what Krobeth could have done.

“So, why did you hire me?” Christian asked.

“I thought you could help me at the time. All the while when you were trying to get Christy-Ann here, I was already planning to kill you. And yes, I did see you under Mary’s bed. I am not stupid like you think I am. I have my ways. And of course, this old house would be the perfect place for both of these…idiot people to die. Well, now that you have come, I guess I will have to kill both of you as well!” Krobeth nodded towards Mary and Christian. “You see, this child standing next to you was the only surviving child of Susanna’s children. Mary, you were the only child that we had.”

“So,” Christian spat out, “you lied about the whole ‘I have a grudge on Turner because he stole my money and killed my family’?”

Krobeth evilly smiled.

“Krobeth! You have no reason, nor right to be here!” Mary yelled out.

“What is that suppose to mean?” Krobeth replied.

Mary looked down and spotted the sword, lying next to the cut up chair. “What have you done?”

Christy-Ann squirmed, trying to break loose. She failed and the knife was held closer.

Krobeth smiled and gratefully explained the battle, “You see, George and I were good pals back, well, back before I killed this here’s brother!”

Christy-Ann burst out crying. “Shut up you idiot girl, or I’ll slit your throat!”

Christy-Ann shut up immediately.

“Let’s just put this in words you will understand. I slaughtered him! Right in front of his own daughter! I love the sound of death!”

Christian was disgusted. How had I been a friend with this evil man? I hope he dies right now!

“He put up quite a fight, as you can see, with the sword that I wielded and the chair that I cut up for him.” Krobeth laughed.

“You are evil Krobeth.” Christian said.

“Do you really think that that sentence means anything to me? Just another bunch of mixed up words.”

“Mary,” Christian turned to Mary, “How do you know Krobeth?”

“It,” she said disgustedly, “is my father. He always threatened to kill me, as you saw that one time. He goes to get himself drunk, and then pays for his sins on me! I broke my neck one time, and it had to heal on it’s own!”

Krobeth made a sudden noise and Christy-Ann yelped. The knife was digging into her throat!

“Christy-Ann!” Mary and Christian both cried out.

“Save your useless pity! Your time is over!”

Suddenly, there were gunshots and Mary fell the ground. “Get down! Police are shooting!” She urged to Christian. He did so and saw Krobeth run up the grand staircase, making sure that he stepped on the dead George. Christy-Ann screamed for her life. “Help! Oh, please! Christian!”

Her cries pierced Christian’s heart. His love was going to die unless he did something, so he shot up and ran towards the staircase, ignoring Mary’s cries to return.

Krobeth had turned left on the staircase, leading to a different wing of the mansion. He heard Mary climbing the staircase and soon, she was right behind him.

“Where is he?”

Suddenly, he shot out with Christy-Ann still in his grasp.

“Die! All of you!”

It was then that Christy-Ann freed herself from Krobeth’s grasp and ran for her life.

Krobeth pulled out a gun and aimed it at her. Mary ran up to her father and kneed him in the groin.

He bent over and Mary shoved him to the ground.

All was looking hopeful until Mary was pulled back to her father and he grabbed the gun. He aimed it at Christian who was the only one still standing. Christy-Ann had run out of the house.

“Don’t! Father, kill me! I know you have wanted to for sixteen years, so do it! Let Christian go! He has done no harm to you!” Mary shouted, desperately.

“No! Mary!” Christian shouted.

Everything froze. Christian faced Krobeth and Mary, still on the ground, struggling to get up. It was then that Christian had realized that Mary had just given up her life to save him.

The feeling of overwhelming grief and pain and sorrow and guilt rushed upon him in a moment. All hope was gone.

With a pull of the trigger, Mary’s life was gone.

Christian turned around and ran back downstairs. It seemed as if everything were going in slow motion. His life had changed drastically and now he was left alone. Mary was gone. Lost. Dead.

There was only one other bullet shot that day, and that bullet ended the life of a man who had his dead daughter cradling in his arms. It was said that the police had found tears dripping out of the old man’s eyes. His sweet, innocent daughter and him were both gone. In a flash, the world was rid of two people. Forever.