CHAPTER 10 Month 3 Day 4, Back again
- Kelly, he shouted, answer the door.
She sighed and got up. The death of her father had been painful, not painful in the way it had been when J.C. had died, but in a totally different way, and now her uncle Eric lived with her.
Kelly opened the door and gasped in fear when she was pulled outside and pressed up against the wall.
- I should kill you for what you've done, he hissed.
- Joey, she stared at him, I thought you were dead...
- You wish, he looked her in the eyes, Where's J.C.? Did you kill him too?
- Let me down, Kelly cried and tried to get out of his grip, please Joey.
- Where's J.C.?
She felt how she started to tremble, all the memories came back. Kelly looked into Joey's cold eyes.
- Don't hurt me, she finally said.
- I'm going to kill you for murdering Lance, Justin and Chris like you did, and for trying to kill me, Joey hissed, A man died in that crash cause you mixed with the breaks, the past months have been a living hell for me...
- The mas who died was my father, she hissed, I didn't do anything, I tried to save you...
- BULLSHIT!
- Kelly?
Joey turned to the door and found a big, muscular man looking at him. He carefully let Kelly down and took a step back.
- And who's this? Your boyfriend?
- My uncle, Kelly said and leaned her back against the wall, Eric moved in when they'd identified my father...
- And you better leave Kelly alone, he hissed and took a step closer to Joey, she's gone through a hard time.
- Don't you think I have, he muttered and left.
CHAPTER 11 Month 3 Day 5, The secret is told
- Kelly, Joey said surprised, How did you know I was here?
- Eric owns the hotel, she sighed, He told me to stay away from you.
- And now you're here. Are you going to kill me in some brutal way too?
- I didn't kill them, I never killed anyone.
- Sure, he muttered, Do you know that during the past months I've been close to dying, eleven times.
- No, I didn't.
- You weren't possibly the one who hired that murderer? One of the guards got killed. To bad it wan't me, right?
- I know you think I killed them, she started, but I didn't, I loved J.C., I'm... I'm even...
- What? He hissed.
- I'm pregnant, with J.C.'s baby...
Joey stared at her. "She gotta be kidding..."
- He was scared and confused and I... I really didn't care if we did it or not.
- You're pregnant?
- Third month, she said and tried to hide how much it hurt her to remember J.C.
- Are you...
- I'm keeping it, she interrupted.
They looked at each other for a long while, without uttering a word.
She had to force herself not to run out of the room when he walked over to her. Joey slowly placed his hand under her sweater and on her stomach.
She couldn't deny that she was scared of him, and she couldn't fight the tears anymore.
- Hey, hey, Joey looked at her, don't cry.
- I... I just, Kelly tried to find something to lean on but was too far away from the wall, It's too much...
- Come here, Joey whispered and pulled her closer.
She slowly did as he told her. She didn't feel comfortable in his arms, it felt wrong and she missed J.C. It hadn't felt wrong when J.C. had held her in his arms, it had been so right.
Right out of the blue he started crying. He carefully let her go and sat down on the bed. When he covered his face with his hands she felt sorry for him. Sure he scared her, but he'd lost four of his best friends, and someone had apperantly tried to kill him after that too. Kelly carefully walked over and sat down beside him.
- Joey? She said carefully and tried to make him look at her, Are you okay?
- No, he sobbed, I'm not okay... I was in the same house as Justin when someone stabbed him to death, I was in the room next door when Chris got strangled, I was even laying right next to Lance when he got murdered... I left J.C. to die here...
- He could have left with you, she said softly, It was his choice to stay, not yours...
- He stayed for you.
- What? She said surprised.
- He loved you, he told us before Lance died, Joey looked at her, He didn't use you Kelly, he loved you...
- I loved him too, she practically whispered, It just wasn't meant to be.
- You're pregnant, he said and stroke her over the cheek, if it hadn't been meant to be that wouldn't have happened.
She shook her head and sighed.
- What?
- I have to learn not to grow attached to anyone.
- Why? He said surprised.
- Unless you're careful, you'll lose them, she looked him in the eyes, If I hadn't went to get the newspaper J.C. would have been alive today.
- It wasn't your fault.
Kelly sighed and leaned herself against Joey. She didn't trust him, his sudden explosions of anger scared her cause she didn't know how to handle them like she'd been able to handle J.C.'s moods, but right now she had no option.
- Who killed them? She mumbled.
- I thought it was you, he sighed, but now I'm not so sure about that anymore.
- For a while J.C. thought it was you...
- What? Joey stared at her.
- ... but then he said he knew you and that you wouldn't do anything like that. It can't be you though...
- I know it isn't me.
- People got killed before you so...
He nodded, he was aware of how little trust she had in him but he didn't know who else to turn to.
- I have to go, she sighed and got up, I have to go home again.
- Take care, he said and looked at her, about yourself and the baby.
She nodded and walked over to the door.
- Be careful.
- I will.
He watched her as she left. He was as good as dead. Whoever had decided to kill him didn't stop for anything. He knew he hadn't been meant to leave the town, and certainly not survive.
- Where have you been?
- I took a walk, she sighed.
- Did you mee thim?
- Joey? No, why?
Eric looked at her for a second but decided to drop it.
- Fresh air is good for you, he said instead, both for you and the baby.
She nodded quietly and walked up to her room.
"Please let Joey survive, please" she thought and sat down on the bed "He's innocent to all of this, don't let him die too..."
CHAPTER 12 Month 3 Night 5, Six
- What? He mumbled and slowly opened the door.
- I know how it is, Kelly said and grabbed Joey's arm.
- You do?
She nodded.
- Take your stuff and we'll leave.
- Who is it? He hurried over to his bags.
- It's Eric.
- Your cousin?
- Uncle.
He trew her his wallet.
- Hold that.
- Hurry up!
- I'm trying to get dressed here, he muttered, How did you find out?
- When I got home he said that fresh air would be good for the baby and me.
- So?
- I never told him about the pregnancy.
- So he's been listening?
- Yeah, she turned around and opened the door, Done yet?
- Soon, he muttered and tied his shoelaces, where is the other shoe?
- Just hurry up, she said and looked out in the hallway.
It was quiet for a couple of seconds, then a thump was heard.
- Joey? She turned around, JOEY!
- Run, he said and tried to get up on his feet agian.
- But, she stared at him as he started coughing blood.
- What will I do with you Kelly? You never do as I tell you to...
She quickly turned around and ran out of the room by the sound of her uncle's voice.
CHAPTER 13 Month 3 Day 6, Safe
She slowly walked along the road. She didn't know where she was, but more important, Eric didn't know where she was either.
- I can't believe I was so blind, she mumbled and stopped.
She felt how the sun slowly was rising and warming her back, slowly making the night's darkness go away.
- Hey there.
Kelly looked at the driver in the police car who's stopped next to her.
- Yeah?
- It's dangerous to walk around along the road, the woman smiled, Do you need a lift?
- Thanks, Kelly smiled and got into the car, but it's dangerous to hitchhike too.
- Maria, the woman smiled.
- Kelly, she answered and closed the door.
- Are you running away from something?
She nodded and looked at her, not really caring if this Maria cared at all.
- My uncle.
- Oh?
- He murdered a couple of people, she sighed and watched the tree pass by.
- What?
- I just realized it was he, then he killed a friend of mine right in front of me...
- But that's horrible!
Kelly nodded quietly.
- How old was she?
- She?
- Your friend.
- He was 24, she looked at the woman.
- You don't seem like someone who'd hang around that old guys.
- I normally don't... but he was okay, as well as the rest of them.
- Now I've lost you, she said.
- 'NSync, it was my uncle that killed them, Kelly sighed.
- My daughter loved them, Maria said and shook her head, that strange guy with the hair... is he dead too?
- Joey? Yeah, died yesterday...
- I'm sorry.
- So am I...
- You know the others?
- Yeah, they were my friends, except J.C., he was something more...
- And your uncle murdered him too?
- Yeah, which leaves me pregnant and alone in the world at the age of 16.
- But... how about your parents?
- Dead, my father died two months ago.
- Did your uncle...
- No, car accident.
Maria nodded.
- I'm sure you'll be alright, she said, I think you'll land on your feet.
Kelly nodded. "Maybe..." she thought and slowly placed her handson her stomach "I wish I could have saved them. Maybe I at least can save J.C.'s child... maybe..."