Riser (Teen Horror/Science Fiction) (Book #1 in The Riser Saga) ((Volume 1)) (31 page)

“Five days,” Bill said as if he had counted the minutes.

Whoa. Five days? It felt like two, maybe three, that was almost a whole week! I suddenly felt woozy. I stumbled slightly and Ryan caught me. No wonder I was so weak! “He had me on an I.V. for a while, but I’m feeling pretty tired.”

“We’ll get you to a hospital as soon as we’re done here. Let’s do this quick.” Jason took me away from Ryan and ushered me to the front door and the awaiting press. “Doris, you too,” he called over his shoulder.

Doris stood up from the couch like she had been poked by a cattle prod. “Coming.”

Nancy, Bill and Ryan positioned themselves behind us like bodyguards.

The press corps was about ten times the size of the corps that covered the
tornado
at the trailer park. It was like standing in front of an ocean of flashing holo-cams and screaming reporters, there was no end to them, just miles and miles of people and hover-cars.

Jason placed his hands up to quiet the crowd. It was instantly silent. “Chelsan has been through a lot these last five days so we’re going to keep it brief people. She needs medical attention so most of your questions will have to be answered after her release from the hospital. That being said, Chelsan will give her statement. Chelsan.”

I swallowed hard and fought off the feeling of fainting. “I was kidnapped from my best friend Nancy’s house five days ago and taken to that house down there.” I pointed to Brady’s house, which I now noticed was swarming with police-hovers and officers. “He kept me locked in his basement and drugged so I didn’t know how long I had been there…” I was having trouble talking. I felt detached from my own voice, as if someone else was doing the speaking. I knew I couldn’t tell them about how I used my powers on the roaches and the bodies, so I had to skip over that part. “I managed to break free and we fought. There were bodies everywhere. I hit him with a chair and tied him up and then I ran. I ran until I decided to get help and knocked on Doris’s door. She helped me call my friends and they called the police. Then he broke into her house and Doris knocked him out with a golf club. That’s it. That’s all I can remember.” It sounded so mundane and boring when I said it out loud, nowhere near how horrific it actually was to live it. The press seemed to eat it up though. Especially when the police started taking out the pieces of body left from the girls.

Jason stepped in and steered Doris to the forefront. “Here’s our hero of the day folks. Doris Hornbacher! Without her courageous whack of her five-iron, Chelsan would just be another victim in Brady Johnson’s collection. Let’s all give a round of applause to Doris!”

The roar of the crowd greeted Doris as she stood red-faced in front of the press. “Well… I…” She adjusted her hair and sweat suit to look more presentable. “It was nothing really. I did what I could for the poor girl.” Doris visibly started to relax as she continued. I think she was really starting to dig the attention. “When I saw that man strangling Chelsan I grabbed my golf club and hit him as hard as I could! I barely use my clubs anymore, it’s so expensive to play, but this young man,” she pulled Bill up next to her, “he offered me a free membership to the LA Golf Club! Sweet young thing.” She turned her attention back to the press. “I have been calling the police non-stop for over three years now about Brady, but they did nothing! Nothing! We all knew it! I saw him digging, but they did nothing! Unfathomable! If Chelsan hadn’t escaped, he’d still be on the loose killing young girls and no one would be the wiser! And if you think for one instant that there aren’t others like him out there, then you are all delusional! Mark my words, I will find these killers!” She looked directly into the holo-cams for emphasis. “Your days are numbered.” Doris said it with such conviction and intensity it actually gave me goose bumps.

Jason was extremely impressed. I could tell by his lopsided smile. He turned to the press. “We’re taking these girls to the hospital. The police will be making a statement at Brady Johnson’s house in three minutes.”

The mass of reporters moved like a swarm of bees toward Brady’s house.

Doris leaned down to my ear. “That’s her. That’s Franny Lerner. The robot.”

I looked over to the woman Doris was pointing to, and sure enough she wasn’t a robot. She was dead. Another one of Grandpa’s spies. Watching us carefully from afar.

I took my last vestiges of strength, covered in puke and blood and stinking to high mountains and walked over to Franny. She just stood there, black hole swirling, staring at me with hatred.

“Turner, if you’re listening, you’re going to have to do better than that if you want me dead. You lose. Again.” I would have kicked the girl except I knew she wouldn’t feel anything and neither would he. I just wanted him to think he hadn’t broken me down, even though I wasn’t sure if that was true.

“We’ll see,” was all Franny said and then she collapsed in front of me. She began to rot instantaneously as Turner released her body from his power. I knew if I didn’t scream people would suspect me of either being crazy or somehow responsible. So I did. I screamed loud enough that half the press came running from Brady’s house to my side. Once they saw the rotted mess that was Franny, all holo-cams captured the grotesque scene.

Ryan and the others hurried to my side. I turned to Ryan as he embraced me and whispered in his ear. “Get me out of here.”

As soon as we stepped inside the holo-ambulance I lay down on the bed. My head hit the pillow and all the sounds and chaos disappeared as I passed out cold.

Pitch blackness. It was everywhere. So dark it felt like black fog. Where was I? I was somehow aware that I was dreaming, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t make myself wake-up. I was stuck in this utter darkness.

“You can’t hide from me forever, you know.”

I heard a voice from the blackness. It was my grandpa. His voice a nightmare come to life.

“You’re just a dream,” I said, though I didn’t know why. If it really was a dream why was I telling a figment of my imagination that? Something made me unsure of myself. Something in the tone of his voice.

He stepped forward and revealed himself. There was a faint reddish glow around him, emanating power. As if he were trying to intimidate me. “Really? Are you sure?” he said as if reading my thoughts.

I wasn’t.

I didn’t want to say anything.

“I have a friend with me. Would you like to see him?” Turner smiled at me as if anticipating my answer.

“Not really,” I said.

“Oh, but he wants to see you. He insisted on it.” Turner gestured to his left and Brady appeared next to him.

Dream or not, the memories were too fresh, I jumped back in spite of myself.

Brady didn’t move, didn’t talk, just stood there.

“Notice anything special about our friend?” Turner looked at me with a penetrating gaze.

I forced myself to glance at Brady a second time. That’s when I noticed his black hole. He was dead. Which meant Turner killed him.

Dream. Dream. Dream. I reminded myself, but it was becoming clear to me that this was something else entirely.

“It will be the trial of the century by the time I’m done with it. Serial killers in this day and age? I was shocked to find out that Brady tapped Ms. Hornbacher’s phone so that when she called the police it went directly to his home phone. No wonder LA’s finest couldn’t catch this monster. The scandal!” Turner snickered with delight. “Isn’t that right, Brady?”

Brady’s eyes came alive and he laughed evilly. “I killed them all! I just wish that last little morsel hadn’t got away.” Then his eyes went dead again.

“He’ll say whatever I want him to say.” Turner’s gaze turned hard.

“And then I’ll make him say whatever
I
want him to say.” I crossed my arms protectively.

“We’ll see.” Turner repeated Franny’s words. He looked neither miffed nor happy at the prospect, just contemplative. “Time to wake up now.”

I awoke with a start. I was in a hospital bed with an I.V. plugged in my arm. I almost yanked it out on instinct, but I knew I was just reacting to my dream. It felt like more. I didn’t even know if that was possible. But then again I didn’t know half of what Geoffrey Turner did was possible. He was like a giant steel safe with no combination, and it was starting to bug me.

“Oh good, you’re up,” came Jason’s voice from the seat next to me. “Don’t worry, your friends are outside. I needed a moment alone with you.”

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Tangle city. I’d deal with that later. At least I was in a hospital gown and bathed. Small favors. “I should tell everyone what happened all at once.” I really didn’t want to repeat everything twice.

“That’s fine. I want this to be between you and me.” Jason was very serious.

“Okay. Weird. What is it?” He was kind of freaking me out.

“I don’t know if I can protect you. I’m doing the best I can, but Turner seems way more determined to kill you than I originally thought. I mean he had a
serial killer
kidnap you! And you’re his granddaughter. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around that.”

“You and me both.”

Although I was feeling about a bagillion percent better, Brady lurked in the shadows of my brain like a deadly stalker. And I realized that Jason was blaming himself. For everything. “You know, Jason, none of this is your fault.”

“Yes, it is. It’s
all
my fault. If I wasn’t so damned arrogant giving you my contact info at the tornado site you never would have called me and you never would have been at the Virtual Bar and you never would have…”

“Jason.” I interrupted his guilt-ridden rampage. “Once he saw me on holo my fate was sealed. He’s not stopping until I’m dead, everyone else that’s with me is just in the way in his eyes. Listen, I don’t blame you for anything, in fact, I thank you for helping me, anyone else would have ran by now and I really appreciate you sticking around and helping me see this through, okay?” I meant it. Without Jason I would have really been screwed. Then I thought about it a moment and a sudden flash of insight came to me in a rush. This wasn’t about me. He just wanted to make sure he knew how I felt about him. “What is this really about anyway?”

Jason’s eyes widened as if he weren’t expecting me to call him out on his crap. “What do you mean? I…” He placed his hand over his face in exasperation. “Who am I kidding? Nancy hates me and I don’t know what to do about it.”

I knew something was up with them! “Trust me, she doesn’t hate you.”

“A lot has happened since you were taken. I think Nancy is with Bill now,” he said miserably.

I wanted to roll my eyes and slap him silly. “Bill? Really? You’re a hundred years old and you still can’t tell when a girl is trying to make you jealous, moron!”

“You think? Because if that’s the case, it completely worked. I can’t see straight I’m so crazy.” Jason was as gloomy as I’d ever seen him.

In his moment of vulnerability I remembered why I had a crush on him. He really was cute in a dismal puppy dog kind of way. “Listen, Jason, just tell her exactly what you told me, that you’re miserable without her and she’ll be yours in a heartbeat.”

Jason straightened up in his seat, apalled. “I can’t do that. If she knew how I felt she wouldn’t be attracted to me anymore. She’d think I was a pathetic loser. Trust me, after a hundred years, this is a universal truth I
know
about women.”

“Uuuggghhh! You’re such an idiot.” I really did roll my eyes then. “Fine. She does hate you, and her and Bill make a great couple, so yaaaay!”

His face fell again in anguish.

Jason was exasperating, and if he didn’t have the balls to tell Nancy he liked her, he didn’t deserve her.

There was a knock at the door.

“Wait, don’t call them in. I need more advice,” Jason started.

“COME IN!” I yelled across the room.

Let Jason deal with his issues with Nancy head on. I knew he just wanted me to tell Nancy he liked her anyway. That was the real purpose of our conversation. Jason sure hadn’t developed past the grade school level of relationships yet in life.

Nancy, Bill and Ryan came into the room with concerned smiles on their faces. I wanted to jump out of my bed and give them a group hug, but I was still feeling exhausted from my experience with Brady. And the dream made me not want to go back to sleep again, so I was stuck being tired and wanting to stay awake all at the same time.