~*~Chapter Seven~*~
Charlotte ran back upstairs into her bedroom and locked the door behind her. Being smart, she proceeded to make sure the window was locked, and she checked around the room to see if anyone was hiding there.
When she thought the room was safe she picked up the phone and dialed 911. "Hello? Police? Yes, I have an emergency. Someone's been threatening me, and I think they're in my house."
"Calm down, miss, we'll be right over."
"Thank you very much." Charlotte hung up the phone and sat on her bed. There was a sudden banging on her door, making her scream.
"Charlotte? It's me - Brian," she was relieved to hear his voice. Slowly standing, she walked over to the door and unlocked it.
"Thank god, Brian. We have to get out of here, I think someone's in my house."
"What're you talking about?" Brian tried to calm her down, "There was no one here when I came in."
"No one?" she said in disbelief. "Wait, how'd you get in? The door was locked!"
"Charlotte, calm down. I have a key, remember? You neglected to take it back when you broke up with me."
"Oh, right," Charlotte's face fell when she remembered that. "Brian, I'm sorry. It's just, there was this -" she suddenly froze in fear.
"Charlotte, what's wrong?" Brian spun around just in time to see a baseball bat colide with his head, then he blacked out.
--
Krysti, who was waiting in Brian's Jeep for him to return, heard a scream come from inside. She jumped out of the car and ran strait into Marianne.
"Krysti!" Marianne shrieked, "What're you doing here?"
"Huh? What do you mean what am I doing here? What are you doing here?"
"Well, I, umm... following you," she said quietly.
"You were following me?"
"Well, actually, I was following Brian, who happened to be with you... so, yeah, I guess."
Krysti rolled her eyes, she didn't have time for another crazy poprazi. She remembered the last one that had been following Brian around... what was her name again? Noreen? What had happened to her anyway... she seemed to have just disapeared right when Charlotte and Brian began dating. Weird.
"Look, someone inside screamed, and I wanna know who it was, so are you coming or not?" Marianne asked.
"I'm going, you're not. Brian doesn't need some poprazi snapping pictures at a time like this - his fiance just told him there was no wedding, remember?"
Marianne looked hurt and Krysti regretted being so cold. "Is that all you think I'm about?" Marianne asked heatedly, "I care about Brian! I'm trying to help here, and you think I'm just some crazy poprazi trying to get pictures!?!"
"You are a poprazi, aren't you?" Krysti asked.
"Well, yeah, but that's not the point... the point is that Brian's girlfriend - err, fiance, is in trouble, and I wanna help her. If anything happens to her Brian will be devestaded, and I won't ever be able to forgive myself."
Krysti sighed heavily, "Fine, let's go find out what's wrong."
They opened the door, but when they reached the top of the stairs all they saw was a trail of blood leading towards an open window.
~*~Chapter Eight~*~
Brian opened his eyes and squinted at the bright light. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud.
"Oh, good. You're awake. Feeling ok?" the voice was unfamiliar.
"Yes, fine... why?"
"Well, I was afraid I might've hurt you when I hit you over the head." Brian then remembered what had happened and swallowed hard.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The girl came into site, "My name's Noreen. It's nice to finally meet you one on one, Brian."
Noreen. That named sound familiar. "Noreen..." he couldn't place the name, "Have we met before?"
Her laughter sounded like music, dancing across the cold air, "Yes, we have. I'm flattered you remembered."
"What are you doing? Are you going to kill me?" the thought had crossed his mind, and though it sounded like a cheap horror movie line, he couldn't help but ask it.
"Heaven no!" her eyes suddenly turned cold, "I'm going to kill your girlfriend."
"Charlotte - you can't kill her!" he became angry. "Where is she?!"
"The bitch ran away, but don't worry," she assured herself more than him, "She'll show up."
--
"Charlotte?!" Krysti called down the hall. She headed upstairs, but then heard a soft moan from in the closet.
Opening it up she discovered Charlotte huddled in a corned with blood oozing out of her arm. "Good lord Charlotte, what happened?!" Krysti asked, wide eyed and worried.
"I... Brian's gone... he's..." she looked down, "She took him, Krysti. I couldn't stop her and... I ran away."
"You ran away?" Marianne asked, "How could -" 'Ok, get control of yourself,' she thought. "I mean, I'm sure that's what any sane person would've done."
"I'm scared," Charlotte cried, "What if something happens to him?"
Krysti shook her head, "Nothings going to happen to him. You can stay at my house for now, until we find Brian."
Krysti dropped Charlotte off at her house with what she assured her was the only house key (forgetting about the one she gave Brian) then she met up with Marianne at the police station.
--
Charlotte sat silently in the dark. She flipped on the TV, but decided there was nothing good to watch. The doorbell rang and she got up to answer it. Outside she saw the pizza man.
'Funny,' she thought. She didn't remember Kristi saying anything about buying pizza. "I didn't order a pizza," she told him.
"No, but someone else did." He handed her the box and left, but when she opened it there was no pizza, just a note:
"If you ever want to see your boyfriend alive again come to the pier. Alone. Don't call the cops."
She dropped the box, then grabbed her car keys and walked out the door. This time she wasn't going to run away.
~*~Chapter Nine~*~
Charlotte drove down the road nervously. She hoped Brian wasn't hurt. If he was she'd never forgive herself... if she lived to forgive herself.
She shook her head. She had to keep her cool if she wanted Brian to live.
--
While at the police station Marianne saw an oddly familiar car drive by... hadn't Brian bought Charlotte a car just like that for her birthday?
"Hey, I've gotta go..." Marianne tried to think of an excuse, "I just remembered something."
Before the Luetennate or Krysti could protest Marianne was gone. Krysti rolled her eyes and the Luetennate asked who she was. "Just some poprazi set on following Brian around. Speaking of which, that's why I'm here. Brian's been kidnapped."
--
Marianne quickly pulled out her keys, but then saw the car pull over at the pier and decided it might be easier and less obvious to walk.
As she came closer she saw that is was indeed Charlotte's car as Charlotte climbed out.
Charlotte walked towards the edge of the pier, pacing back and forth, waiting... for something or someone.
Marianne realized what was going on as she saw a tall slender red head climb out of another vehicle, with a gun. Out of the same vehicle climbed Brian.
--
Noreen pointed the gun at Brian's head. "Now pay attention and you won't get hurt."
"But what about Charlotte?" Brian asked, holding back tears.
"I already told you... she's going to die."
Noreen pointed the gun at Charlotte's head, who still had her back to them.
"No!" Marianne screamed as she dashed infront of Charlotte, pushing her out of the way, but getting shot herself.
Noreen gasped, "I told you to stay out of my way, bitch!"
Marianne doubled over as an emense pain shot through her body. Brian tried to run over to where Charlotte had landed in the water, but he was stopped midstride. "Don't move or I'll kill her," Noreen threatened.
Brian looked from the gun, back to Marianne. She lay helpless on the ground. He hardly knew her, but he knew he couldn't let her get killed, she had saved Charlotte's life.
He slowly backed away and raised his hands in the air. Noreen laughed, then pointed the gun at Charlotte, "Say good-bye."
--
A man ran into the police station, "Hurry! I just heard a gun shot down at the pier!"
The Luetennate ran outside, Krysti on his heals. "This is not your place," he told her.
"Not my place?! Marianne went that way, which probably means Brian's that way."
"Which also probably means your kidnapper is the one with the gun. If she's as crazy as you say she it, this is too dangerous for you," he held her back and refused to let her go.
Krysti was getting annoyed. This cop looked like he had spent his whole life at a desk and wouldn't be much help. And she just knew that Brian needed her... now.
After a brief hesitation Krysti punched the cop. It hurt her hand terribly, but was effective enough to send him to the ground. "Shit, what the hell am I doing," she muttered to herself as she raced down the street towards the pier.
~*~Chapter Ten~*~
Charlotte inhaled deeply, then pulled herself down underneath the pier right before Noreen fired her gun.
"Damnit!" Noreen screamed, "Why won't you just die!"
Her eyes flashed and she saw the cops aproaching. She was running out of time, "If I can't have you, no one will."
She pointed the gun at Brian's head and pulled the trigger.