July 18, 1987
The party was swirling around Patsy's thoughts as she watched from the corner of the room near the kitchen. In her hand was a wine glass filled with pink champagne and before her laid the classic scene of the calm before the storm. Men dressed up in black suits with white buttons up were whispering to the ladies in classic white or blue dresses. Most of the attendees were focusing on the feature film, something her friend Chloe Roberston, had whipped up weeks before the party. It was a distraction from the real drama that would be unfolding. In the kitchen, lay Benjamin Marcos's dead body stabbed three in the back and all the credits going to Patsy. After the deed was done, she had run out of the kitchen and into Fredrick's bathroom to wash her hands. The wave of realization that she just killed someone completely washed over. It took her an hour or so to collect herself and return to the party, where now she waits for someone to find the body.
The plan was concocted by Chloe. Patsy only hoped it would go as planned. Doubts swirled her mind like a fish stuck in a storm drain. It was a shaky idea that when someone found the body, Patsy and Chloe would leave the scene and drive back to the safe location. The doubt was the police would stop the two before they left and Patsy would be arrested then thrown into jail next to some madman serial killer with tattoos over his face. The thought caused Patsy to shiver as she downed the rest of her champagne.
When going for another glass, Patsy heard someone open the kitchen door. The entire party slowed down and came to a screeching halt. Patsy could hear her heart thundering against her chest. A scream grabbed the attention of several of the attendees, but many concluded that it was just the movie playing. Patsy quickly grabbed another wine glass and chugged the champagne. It sizzled down her throat and caused her brain is scattered for a moment. She quickly looked over at where Chloe was standing. The film was still playing while everyone else talked amongst themselves, but Chloe was no longer there.
Patsy's hands began to shake and the entire room started to curve under her feet. The noises became muffled against the blood pounding in her ears. The momentum caused Patsy to kick herself into gear. Chloe had obviously left because the plan wasn't going the way she wanted to. It was clear from the very beginning of how careless Chloe really was. She could've done it herself but Patsy got in the way. It's my fault, Patsy thought while biting the inside of her cheek. She bit too hard that blood flowed into her mouth.
The kitchen door opened again and this time, the maid ran out screaming. Patsy glanced up from her sullen state and saw the crowd depart into losing fractions. The maid went around shaking people, speaking too fast for Patsy to really grab on to what she was saying. Some of the men went into the kitchen, followed by some curious ladies. One of the ladies, who had a glass of wine in her hand, screamed and dropped the glass. Another lady dressed in a white dress fainted on site.
"Someone call 911!" One of the men yelled, closing the kitchen door. Patsy took this as her cue to leave. Men would take ladies back to the seats and try talking to them through their tears. As the crowd started jumbling together like startled cattle, Patsy squeezed past and headed towards the entrance. Her mind was racing. What am I going to do? Chloe clearly isn't here, she asked herself. Pushing open the double glass doors, she began to run down the entryway. Her entire body was buzzing with momentum.
Once outside, Patsy glanced around her surrounding. In the front lot, there were two white limos parked in front, a giant hedge was covered in yellow flowers, and the front road curved around the house, towards the back. The police would be here any minute, Patsy warned herself. On impulse, she ran around the house. The side of Fredrick's house was covered in Boston Ivy and the smell of smoke rushed into Patsy's nose. Her entire body was running on instinct alone and that couldn't possibly calm her down.
There was a green and brown hatchback that was parked at the back and a sparkling, blue pool that was calling Patsy's name. As she ran past the hatchback, the window rolled down and a brown haired girl popped out.
"Patsy! Over here!" Chloe whispered, waving her hand.
Patsy stopped dead in her tracks and turned out. Her entire body was vibrating and her lungs were burning. "What're you doing?" she snapped, anger rushing out like lava.
Chloe shrugged and smiled. "I was the lookout, obviously. Now, get in the car so we can leave."
Patsy was going to ask something else but decided against it. She then jogged over to the hatchback and slid into the passenger side. Chloe put the car into the drive before Patsy could even buckle up. Just as they were leaving, the cops showed up, pulling into the front driveway.
The hatchback muttered slowly down the road as the silence inside the car swelled between Patsy and Chloe. Patsy glanced outside, watching the different houses and bushes rush past. There was a gut feeling of guilt that traveled throughout her body, but she couldn't place a finger on why there was guilt.
"So, how did it go?" Chloe asked, breaking the silence. Her entire body was slack with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting against the window.
"How did what go?"
"You know, the murder."
Patsy blinked. Chloe was asking in such a domestic and calm manner, almost as if Patsy had just come out of the movies with some of her friends.
"What do you mean how did it go? I killed a man! You shouldn't expect me to be 'oh, it went well! His blood stained my hands and I used to paint a lovely message on the wall'," Patsy mimicked, moving her hands about. "I mean, the least you could've waited for me and we could've left earlier."
"That's fair," Chloe responded cooly.
"And not to mention, you left me to deal with wondering if I should put the body somewhere else or risk putting my fingerprints on a dead man, which I might add, I didn't."
"Good to hear."
"Then, I stood there waiting for some sort of sign from you or anyone to say 'hey, let's go!' But instead, I watched the kitchen door and when the maid screamed, I wasn't sure if should bolt or stay there." Patsy's anger was swirling like a lava lamp. She took a deep breath and calmly said, "you shouldn't have been lookout. No one even knew of our plan."
Chloe shrugged, now gripping the steering wheel with two hands. "I figured you would have it under control and have a little self-victory. If I knew you'd blow up like this, I would've stayed behind," she said. There was the silent "I'm sorry" that hung in the air but instead of accepting it, Patsy frowned and crossed her arms.
"Just take me home, Chloe," Patsy bitterly muttered.
The rest of the ride was in silence. Cars would past by and the muffled sound of someone's music playing on the radio made the silence more bearable. Patsy house was further up the highway and to the left, surrounded by trees and had a massive front yard. Chloe pulled the hatchback into Patsy's driveway and for a few moments, they sat there. A few beats and Patsy got out of the car without saying goodbye to Chloe. Snakes of regret crawled through her skin but she'd have to deal with that tomorrow morning.
---
Later that night, Chloe sat in her room, dialing numbers with a slight smile spread across her face. Once she settled on a number, she then placed the phone on the bed and held the receiver to her ear.
"Hello?" a male voice groggily asked over the phone.
"The deed is done. Tomorrow, she will be sworn into the club. The rest will fall into place later on."
The male voice yawned. "You could've waited to call before I head to bed."
Chloe rolled her eyes and got up from the bed, walking to a window that overlooked the small town of Shanesburg. "If I waited, you would become impatient and we both know you aren't kind when you're impatient."
"Fair point, I guess. What about-"
"He's gone. Probably will show up on your front steps a week following. Don't go too crazy with him, though."
The man laughs. "I won't. I have to go to bed now or else my wife will-"
Chloe sighs. "I know, I know. Good night."
"Good night."
The other end clicks leaving Chloe to a sound of the longed beep. She then placed the receiver back on the hook and threw the phone onto the bed. She watched Shanesburg slowly drift to darkness as the midnight hour approached the town like a panther. Tomorrow's another day, she told herself, adding a small smile to the sentiment before closing the curtains.
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