Episode 31

                JANET, TRACY, LAUREN

1 hour ago…    

Janet, with a smirk, stands over Lauren's bed.  Janet has not had any of her medications is feeling a little unusual.  Conflicting feelings swarm her head as she stares.  She can hear the television in the living room where Tracy is, the Steven King's It thriller is playing.  Janet heart is pulsating at a rapid pace.  'Should I or shouldn't I? Lauren, the bitch stole my job and is too close to my husband; she has the life that I'm suppose to have, not locked up with a bunch of certified loony's.  Revenge is a dish best served cold and this bitch deserves to HAVE HER FACE slashed.  What about my little baby boy and how will he grow up if I'm locked away.  Will Lauren take him too?'  These are just some of the thoughts playing in her head.

Lauren lays still and her eye's slowly open but not wide enough where Janet can see.  She don't want Janet to know that she sees her and afraid of what she would do if Janet does.  Lauren continues to act sleep, rolls over slowly, and maneuvers her hand under the pillow beside her.  Lauren swiftly grabs her 9mm Glock and sits up and points it at Janet, "don't try nothing stupid girl".  Janet stabs the bed with the scissors missing Lauren by an inch.  Lauren swings the pistol at Janet's head but misses.  Lauren is now out of the bed, "Bitch I took you in and you try this with me?!" Lauren shot the gun in the air (BOOM).  Tracy frightened by the noise, jumps up off the couch and run towards Lauren's room.  "Hey!" Tracy called out.

"Tracy! Call the police! Don't come in here!" Lauren yelled she didn't want Tracy accidentally taken a bullet that is meant for Janet.  The baby boy is crying at the top of his lunges and the house of full a chaos.  "God is cruel, sometimes he makes you live.  So I will do his honors," Janet said somberly.

"Put down the scissors girl or I will kill you.  Think about your baby," Lauren pleaded.

"Me? Oh you are priceless Brat! I am eternal, child.  I am the eater of worlds, and of children.  And you are next!" Janet said quoting the movie as it plays on the television.

"You are some kind of crazy," Lauren said and pulled the trigger aimed at Janet's shoulder. 

         Janet grabs her shoulder and tastes the blood; leaps over the bed and the scissors puncture Lauren in her abdomen.  Lauren hurls over grabbing her stomach and gets enough strength to fire another round at Janet as she is running out of the room with another bullet wound in her upper thigh.  Janet, even with blood pouring out of her leg, runs pass Tracy and out of the house.  Tracy runs in the room with Lauren.  "Oh my God!  Are you hurt badly?"

"Towel…towel…wet towel," Lauren said with pain in her voice.

Tracy calls the police while getting towels to help stop the blood from gushing out of Laurens' stomach.  The baby boy continues to pollute the house with crying.  "Hold that, Lauren.  I'm going to check on the baby."

"Okay…but I'm going to kill that bitch when I see her (couching)," Lauren said.

"Try not to speak…I'll be right back," Tracy said and went to grab the baby boy.

(Glass shatters in Lauren's room)

Tracy, with the baby in his arms, runs back into Laurens' room.  "What happen?"

"She just came to the window and threw a rock through it," Lauren said.

(Emergency sirens wake the neighborhood.)

"Here comes the police and ambulance.  Make sure you keep that towel on there," Tracy said and ran to answer the front door.

Inside of the house, you hear the baby boy crying.  Outside the home, you hear sirens and see flashes of emergency lights.  "Shhhh, shhhhh, quiet baby," Tracy said while rocking the baby and answering the door in a bloody robe.

"Sir is the baby harmed in any way," a police officer asked.

"No, no I don't think so.  Come in," Tracy said.

Two officers and four EMT workers enter Lauren's home.  "Where's the body?"

Tracy points in the direction of Lauren's room.  Tracy and the baby are now crying.  An EMT worker asked to hold the baby to be checked-out.  Tracy hands the baby boy to the EMT worker and goes to the kitchen to wash the blood off his hands.

"We need a statement.  Can you tell us what happened?" the detective asked.

"It was Janet, Janet Capt…"

_________________________________

                                   JON CAPT

It's 2 a.m., Jon and Hector walks inside of Jon's home.  Hector looks at the nice marbled entryway floor and notice that it is soiled with dried clumps of mud.  "You have animals?  A dog perhaps?" Hector asked.

"No, just me…why?" Jon answered.

Hector points to the soiled floor.  Jon looked at the mud and got an odd feeling.  Jon ran to his back door to make sure it was lock and pushed opened the doors to the rooms on the first floor making sure there was no sign of any burglars.  "Is everything okay!?" Hector asked looking around and now nervous himself.

"Umm…yeah…yeah…I think.  Just…have a seat and…"  Jon said before checking one more room in the house, the kitchen.

"Hi Jon," said the angelic voice.

"I thought that was you I saw.  How did you get in my house?  How did you get out of the hospital?" Jon asked not sure of what to think.

"Jon, I'm dead…I'm not really here.  I'm a figment of your imagination (Janet starts taking off her clothes).  Look at me; I still have some of the baby weight.  Isn't it sexy too you," Janet said and hopped up on the granite countertop exposing her vagina with blood smeared on the surface.

"What happened to your leg?  You're bleeding," Jon said nervously.

"Oh nothing, just a little bullet your bitch, Lauren, decided she got balls."

"Lauren? How…"

"Look Jon, it don't matter no more.  Tracy and Lauren is a couple.  When you called the other day, we were in a threesome.  You've taught Tracy some good tricks Jon.  Yes indeed. (She touches her vagina)  How come you never gave it to me like that?  Nevertheless, look at this Jon (points at vagina) I haven't had dick in a long time.  It would be tighter if it wasn't for that God awful brat," Janet says while holding a butcher knife in her hand and now the umbilical cord in the other.

"DID YOU HURT THEM?!" Jon yelled.

Hector walks near the kitchen where the two were.  "I called the police."

Janet jumps off the countertop and started to cut her hair with the butcher knife. "Oh yeah, Jon, I forgot you like boys.  Is my hair short enough?  I could use one of those strap on that Tracy used on me on you.  Is that how you two fucked?" Janet said as her cut hair cascaded to the floor.

(Sirens blare)

Janet runs toward Jon and Jon moves out her way afraid to be stabbed with the knife, so instead the Chef Mate butcher knife penetrated Hector in his heart.  Hector plummets to the floor.

"No! Janet!" Jon said running behind her as she approached the front door.  Police apprehended Janet as soon as she opened the front door.

"We need an ambulance.  There is a guy in the kitchen hurt," Jon said.

The police went to kitchen to check on Hector.  They came out of the kitchen, "Sir, I'm sorry…he's dead."

Jon grabs a phone to call Lauren.  "Hello, this is Jon.  Janet just killed a guy at my house, she said she was there.  I hope everything is all right.  Please call me back," Jon said to Lauren answering maching.

Janet fought and cussed as the police took her to jail.

__________________________________________

                          STACY, JACKIE

(BLACK OUT)

Tom and Stacy looks out the window at total darkness.  The noise is loud like crowds in an amusement park.  "I can't believe this, that truck just mowed them down," Tom said.

"What happened to the lights?" Jackie asked

"Daddy…daddy!" the kids cried.

"We just have a black out.  I'm sure the lights will be back on soon.  Just sit tight," Tom said.

"Tom, there is something you need to know," Stacy says.

"Well, what is it?" Tom said

"I think that Jackie is possessed," Stacy whispered.

"Tell me something I don't know.  What I want to know is…by who and why?"

"Charles Romaine."

"The Charles Romaine, your pimp?" Tom said with anger in his voice.

"He was not my pimp, he is Itt's father and the man responsible for making me addicted to drugs."

"So what you are telling me is that you brought this into my house?"

"No…I think he just want Itt back here to control him like he controlled me…he's dead and he's crazy.  This isn't something any of us asked for.  I'm so sorry." Stacy said.

"Itt is supposed to be here in two days.  What do you think is gonna happen then?  We can't have him get a hold of that boy," Tom said

"That's why calling the police isn't going to help.  We are going to have to call a medium or something, someone who can communicate with him… (Welcome brightness interrupts)Oh shit…the lights are back on," Stacy said.

The kids run and hug Tom on his legs, "daddy I was scared."

"There is nothing to be afraid of," Tom told the children looking down at them and then up at Stacy with anger in his eyes.

"I'll see what I can come up with," Stacy said and went to her bedroom.

"Tom!  The lights are back on.  Do you here all that commotion outside?" Jackie said walking out of the bedroom.  "What happened?  It is a mess around here."

"Honey, I will explain it to you later.  Everything is under control right now and that's all that matters," Tom said keeping his composure.

There is knocking on the front door.  Tom goes down stairs to answer hoping that it is not another neighbor.  He don't want to bring more attention to their home than it already is.  Tom opens the door and it is his parents.

"What are you doing out here this time of night?" Tom asked surprised.

"Tom we have been calling all night and we got worried so we dropped by.  Is everything okay?  It looks like some people are hurt in the street.  Did cha know'em?" Tom father asked.

"Yeah we did, it looks like it was a hit and run.  Hey come on in." Tom ushered his parents in as he gave them light kisses and hugs.

"Hey ma…"

"Granddad!  Grandma!" the kids yelled running down the stairs.

"Come give yo Nanna some suga!"

"Tom is that who I think it is?" Jackie asked as she came down the stairs.

"Hello dear, how are you?" Tom's mother asked Jackie.

"Tom, I found a Medium…oh I'm sorry," Stacy said not expecting the strange couple in the living room that is staring at her with the rest of the house.

"Medium?  Isn't that what that Dion Warrick lady is Tom?  What do you need with a Medium?" Tom mother asked judgmentally.

Tom looked at Stacy as if she told the biggest secret and was very upset about it.  "Mom, Dad, this is Stacy…Jackie's sister.  She has been staying with us for a little while.  I think she meant the TV show "Medium" right Stacy?" Tom said hoping that they would ask no further.

"Dear, it's nice to meet you…but why are you worrying about TV when something terrible has happened on your street?  We had to park a block away and walk, and you know my arthritis," Tom's mom said rubbing her leg.

"You guys should not have come out so late…"

"Tom we tried to call…" Tom's dad said.

"It's dangerous…it's not like how it used to be," Tom said with much concern.

"Hey man, if I feel like something may be wrong in my son's house I'm gonna see about it.  I don’t care what time it is and something is not right here.  I can feel it Tom…but we will get out of your hair and go back home, but call me first thing in the morning.  I get up early," Tom dad said while his eyes gazed around the house.

"Jackie has just not been feeling well so we will go to the doctor and see what's going on, but other than that everything is okay, the kids are okay," Tom assured his parents.

"Yeah I think I ate something," Jackie said rubbing her belly.

"Are you pregnant?" Tom's mother asked with a smile.

"Ok old folks…time for you to go.  I will walk you to your car," Tom said escorting his parents to the front door.

_____________________________________

                             FRANCESCA/ROBERT

"What the fuck?" Francesca said as she wakes up and starts to choke. "That was one fucked up dream."

Francesca calls her top security guard and asks him to check on Sharalonda.

"She's here, but she is sick as a dog," the guard says.

"Well get her some medicine," Francesca says and hangs the phone up.

Francesca does her morning ritual; showers, and calls in her wardrobe, and hair and make-up team.  She is relieved that she can proceed with her collection now that that terrible dream is over.

She leaves her house and gets in the limo.  "Take me to the hospital, I need to add to my collection," Francesca tells the driver.

___________________________________________________

"That is really messed up.  She seemed like a very trust worthy girl," Robert said.

"I know Robert and I'm sorry I allowed her in our business.  I actually was starting to feel something for her," Percy said.

"So you need to get back here to Minnesota, but somebody needs to run the store, and we have nobody.  We are just going to have to close up the store for a little while till we work things out," Robert said pacing the room.

Shy stands in the hall eavesdropping on his dad and Percy's conversation.  He walks inside his fathers' room and stands in the doorway.  "Dad?"

Rob places his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, "I'm on the phone, Shy."

"I know dad.  Dad I can run the store.  Let me go to New York.  Me and Itt can do it with his mom and…"

"Out of the question," Robert said.

"Robert, I can train them.  That's not a bad idea…and Jackie should be there.  Jackie is Itt's aunt you know…and she will keep them in line," Percy said.

"What is this…an Othella special?" Robert joked.

"What is he saying, dad?" Shy asked with a smile on his face.

"Pack your things, son."

Shy hollers out Itt's name, runs to his dad, and gives him a big, tight hug. 

"Percy, I'll call you back.  Let me tie up some loose ends and I have to go pick up Carla from the hospital," Robert said.

"Ok, talk to you later and tell Carla I said hi," Perce said before hanging up the phone.

"Thanks dad, I won’t let you down."

Itt runs to the room, "What's up?"

"We are going to be in New York together!" Shy said.

__________________________________________

The red limo pulls up at the entrance of the hospital followed by a black van.  "Boy's, she is in room 7112.  Be quick and don’t look stupid," Francesca told her workers via phone in the black van parked behind her. 

A blue Caravan pulls in front of the red limo parked at the entrance of the hospital.  "Brandy, I won't be long.  Aren't you excited about your mom coming home?" Robert asked his daughter.

"Yeah dad, I am," Brandy said.

Robert gets out of the Caravan and walks pass the red limo.  He can't see inside because of the dark tint.  However, Francesca sees Robert and her heart starts to race.  Francesca powers down her window, "Robert?"

Robert stands in front of the automatic doors, they open, and he looks back because of the familiarity of the voice he hears call his name.  'What is she doing here', Robert says under his breath.

"Francesca?"

"Can I have a word with you?  It will only take a minute."

Robert walks towards the red limo, the automatic doors close, he leans over to hear what she has to say, the automatic doors open and there sits Carla in a wheel chair, mouth taped…

TO BE CONTINUED….

Episode 30 on the 30th Devil's Night Special

                             JANET, LAUREN, TRACY

Day 3 - @Lauren's

It's the night before Halloween.  A wrap yourself up tight in a warm blanket night.  Stars light up the sky and the winds are cool and strong, normal for this time of the year.  The red digital numbers on the clock radio reads 11:39.  Forces of winds breaks the silence in the house and whatever the wind can carry beats up against the home, but not on purpose.  In some parts of the country, this is called Devil's Night.

Tracy, a light sleeper, sleeps but is often trying to find comfort on the couch that he choose to sleep on; wakes up and walks over to the window.  He hears the wind wrestling with debris and giving the house a whipping.  He knows he isn't gonna get much rest tonight so he decided to watch television.  He turns on the television and scans the programming channel.  "I don't wanna watch anything scary, I could tell you that", he says to himself.  Tracy goes into the kitchen, pours a glass of pomegranate juice, and goes back into the living room.  He sees the back of Janet's head.  He really don't want any company at this time.  He just wants to watch TV and fall asleep and let the TV watch him.  He takes a deep breath and walk to the front of the sofa and sits, "Hey couldn't sleep?"

"No, do you mind if I watch with you?" Janet asked.

"Umm, yeah I actually do.  No offense," Tracy said looking at Janet curious about her reaction.

"None taken, (baby cries in the distant) awe man.  The baby is crying," Janet said.

Tracy sits staring at the TV nonchalantly.  Janet goes to the noisy baby, picks him up, "you hungry huh?" she says as she rocks the baby in her arm walking into the kitchen.

"Tracy, can you help me out?  Can you heat up his bottle?" Janet asked.

"Janet. That is your responsibility.  Your baby…figure it out.  You are going to have to learn to do things by yourself.  We are doing enough by letting you stay here," Tracy said.

"Just this one time, please?" Janet begged.

Tracy took a deep breath and rose up off the couch.  By his body language, you can tell he was highly annoyed.  Tracy moves both sets of fingers to signal Janet to give him the baby boy while she heats his bottles.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Tracy said sarcastically.

Lauren walks into the bright kitchen sheltering her eyes from the shock of the light, "good morning, it don't seem like I slept at all."  Lauren plugs in the coffee maker and grabs her mug out the covert.

"Well that's because you just went to bed like an hour ago," Tracy said.

Lauren looks at the clock on the kitchen wall, "well that explains it.  What's going on then?"  Lauren looks at Tracy and Janet.

"Nothing.  Just up with the baby (sigh)," Tracy said.

"Well excuse me…I am going back to bed.  I have a long day tomorrow.  Jon and I will be in meetings all day and I need to be bright eyed and bushy tail, good night," Lauren said and went to bed.

Janet holds and feed her baby while Tracy tries to watch TV in peace. 

Janet walks over to the couch where Tracy sits and sits down, "you remember when we used to go out to lunch and had some of the best conversations and talked about our plans and dreams.  You are going to be a big shot lawyer and dedicate your life to help the LGBT community and I was going to climb up the corporate ladder.  I know I have put you through hell.  When I was in that hospital I thought about those times a lot.  I looked at myself and I didn't like what I saw.  Tracy you are, well, was my only friend.  You put up with stuff that no body else would and I thank you, and I'm sorry.  We had good times too, and we had bad ones, thanks to me.  I think he is sleep, well it was nice talking to you, Trace," Janet said getting up to put the baby back in his crib.

"Wait; come back when you put him in his crib."

Janet takes the baby boy to the bedroom and carefully places him in his crib, "slept tight little baby" she whispered.

Janet grabs a pair of scissors off the dresser and put them in her robe pocket.  She walks towards Lauren's room and peeks inside the dark room.  Lauren is sound asleep and the only like is from the red numbers on the clock radio.  Janet slowly puts one foot inside the room and the other followed.

(15 minutes later)

- the door bell rings -

Inside of the house, you hear the baby boy crying.  Outside the home, you hear sirens and see flashes of emergency lights.  "Shhhh, shhhhh, quiet baby," Tracy said while rocking the baby and answering the door in a bloody robe.

"Sir is the baby harmed in any way," a police officer asked.

"No, no I don't think so.  Come in," Tracy said.

Two officers and four EMT workers enter Lauren's home.  "Where's the body?"

Tracy points in the direction of Lauren's room.  Tracy and the baby are now crying.  An EMT worker asked to hold the baby to be checked-out.  Tracy hands the baby boy to the EMT worker and goes to the kitchen to wash the blood off his hands.

"We need a statement.  Can you tell us what happened?" the detective asked.

"It was Janet, Janet Capt…"

_________________________________________________

                        FRANCESCA

Francesca is in her security room looking at her first captured "part" on a security monitor.  She is eating her favorite meal, her guilty pleasure, Popeyes Chicken.  She rarely ate this meal because she is fixated on keeping her perfect figure and keeping her skin glowing like a bronzed beauty.  Francesca is not much of a meat eater except when she is stressed; she always is weakened by the smell of Popeyes Chicken.

Francesca knows that she locked the door behind her.  She would never let anyone witness her eating Popeyes Chicken.  She hears the lock rattling and she starts to get a bit nervous and wonders why her security team hasn't called her.  She tosses the food in the trash and calls out, "who's there!?"  She doesn't get a response.  She grabs her gun and points it in the direction of the door.  "Who ever is playing fucking games with me I got something for you.  So come on in my sweets.  Let me penetrate you with lead if you please!"  Francesca stands up against the wall not knowing what to expect.  The door burst opens and she lays her eyes on what she thought was burnt or buried, he smiles as if he is happy to see his best friend, Francesca on the other hand looks as if she sees a ghost.

"Hello there, old friend?  Wow, don't you look stunning?" he says grinning with rotten teeth.

"You bastard, you are supposed to be dead.  How did you get in here?" Francesca says digging deep to keep her cool.

He starts to walk closer to her.  Her backed is up against the wall.  She lift her arm fires her gun at the assailant.  The bullet hitting his shoulder does not faze him.  He runs and puts his swollen hands around her skinny neck and squeeze.  She grabs his wrists to pull his hands from around her but she doesn't equal or dominate his strength.  She gasps for air, coughing and feels weak.  He speaks with a deep old voice; "you are no match pretty lady" thick drops of saliva lands on her face and this totally disgust her.  Francesca lifts her right knee and hits him between his legs.  "Sorry bitch, but I didn't get that," he says as he tosses her around the small room.

"Aw, fuck.  This isn't a fair match.  This is no fun," he says and lets her go.

"You are a brave but (coughing) a stupid son of a bitch," Francesca says while grabbing her neck from relief.

"Aw, c'mon Fran, let's see what your daddy taught you."

Francesca breathing is heavy but she finds the will to get pass him and runs out the door.  While in motion, she kicks off her Louboutin heels.  Francesca passes the lab notices Sahralonda is not in the lab anymore and now no one is chasing her.  She slows down, "WHERE ARE YOU?  COME AND SHOW YOUR FACE.  COME OUT YOU LITTLE BITCHES.  YOU FUCKED WITH THE WRONG BITCH!"

She stands in the long hallway and the building is completely silent except for a few drops of water from leaking pipes.  She feels warm air on her neck and a chain gripped by small hands and wrapped tightly around her neck.  Francesca fights hard but not hard enough.  She falls lifelessly to the floor.

"Thanks Charles," Sahralonda says as she stands over Francesca.

"You welcome (echoed in the building)," Charles Romaine the Third responded.

                                  JON

Jon lays in his king sized bed; eyes wide open, listening to the wind gusting outside his window.  He reflects on his life over the last couple of years.  He remembers when he first got married to Janet and how happy he was to have someone in his life.  Jon never imagined that on October 30, 2012 he would be laying in his bed alone and not sharing stories with someone he love.  He thought about Tracy and the baby that he could have been raising and at that very moment, he could have been standing over him or her watching them sleep.  He thought about how he was fooled not to long ago by a woman who said she was pregnant by him and wasn't, she was just out to get money.  Jon also thought of how success has changed him.  He has good days and he has bad ones.  He thought about Lauren and his secret crush on her.  He thought to call her to see how she was doing but he knew it would be strange especially at 11:40 at night.

Jon decided to take a night stroll because it don't seem as if he would be getting any sleep tonight.  He dressed in layers because of the chill and wind but he knows the fresh air would do him some good. 

After getting dressed, he locked up his home, and he walked a couple blocks to a park.  It’s a beautiful park tastefully decorated for Halloween.  Jon find a bench to sit on and gaze at the sky until he was interrupted by a homeless man, "Hello sir, I don't mean any harm, but do you have any spare change so that it could help me get a meal?" the homeless man said shivering from the cold.

"How about we both get a warm meal?  There is a diner a block from here.  Do you have time?" Jon kindly said.

Jon didn't seem nervous about the homeless guy approaching him.  In fact, Jon seemed as if he really needed the company. 

Jon stood and extended his hand out, "I'm Jon, by the way."

Accepting Jon extended hand the homeless man seems reluctant.  He normally don't get this treatment from people, they normally just give him loose change and go about their business.  Jon was different so took a chance, what does he have to loose?  "I'm Hector," the homeless man introduced himself.

All you can hear is the buzzing noise that the light bulbs make when the energy surge through them.  Jon and Hector found a booth and sat.  Jon pierced into Hector's eyes while Hector look away.  Hector felt weird, this isn't something that he is used too.

The silence was interrupted by the 50 year old something waitress who probably work their since she had her first born in the 9th grade.  "What can I get you two?"  She looked at a decent dressed Jon and then her eyes turned to Hector, who of course fit the profile of a homeless man.  She looks back at Jon, "Sir, I'm sorry…is he bothering you?"

"No, he is my welcomed guess.  Two coffees (he looks at her name tag) Shirley," Jon told the waitress. 

"You do want coffee?" Jon asked Hector.

"Coffees find, thank you," Hector answered.

The two patrons exchanged small talk, Shirley stood at the counter looking at the two men wandering what they are doing with each other.

"Shirley, that coffee should be ready by now!  It's been a few minutes!" Jon yelled aggravated that she is being so rude.

Shirley jumped from the shock of Jon's tone and went behind the counter to grab the coffee pot.  She walks to the table and pours the coffee with a puzzled look on her face.

"What do you want to eat?" Jon asked Hector.

Hector told Shirley his meal choices and she leaves to fulfill her duties.

"So what happened?" Jon asked.

"Well I will make a long story short, Jon.  I was married for 14 years to the most beautiful woman you could lay eyes on.  She was so humble when we meet, but when I finished college, got my MBA, started to work in the corporate world and giving her the finer things in life, she changed.  She started with plastic surgery, that she didn't need, and her attitude was really repulsive.  Well she had it all planned out, she beat her self and made this whole story up about abuse.  I went to jail; she filed for divorce and got my stocks, and money.  HOWEVER, I know that God has a plan for me and I don't let it get me down.  I here people say 'get a job' or 'we all are struggling' but they don't know is that I have hired people like them.  I can't walk into an office building flashing my MBA with these clothes on.  They never see passed the criminal record, that is false, or the outer appearance.  They don't know my story.  It can happen to anyone.  So here I am, alone, no kids, waiting for a miracle," Hector told Jon.

Jon told him his story and the two really hit it off.  Jon offered Hector a position at Unigrow and Hector accepted and in the meantime, Hector will be living with Jon until he gets on his feet.

Jon sees an image in the diner window and it looks like Janet.  He jumps up and runs outside the diner.

"JANET?" Jon yelled.  The image has now disappeared in the distant.

Hector walks outside the diner, "did you know her?"

"I think that was my ex-wife I was just telling you about," Jon said a bit startled.

"That's was a bit creepy," Hector said.

"I knew y'alls was crooks!  Come back here or I'm gonna call the police!" Shirley demanded.

Hector and Jon looks at Shirley and shakes their head.  "We weren't leaving, we just thought we seen someone," Jon said.

"C'mon lets get out of here," Jon said and paid bill.

Episode29

                                      SHY

Inside of the modern, but comfortable office, you only hear tic-tock, tic-tock in-between silence.  Only 20 minutes left for this session and Shy feels that this might be his last since he hadn't cut himself in awhile.  

"So since you become more comfortable in your skin you don't feel you need to cut yourself to numbness, well that's great.  In addition, it's great that you have a good support system and those feelings that you felt about your family not accepting you isn't true.  Your family loves you and want the best for you.  Shy I want you to know that you will have people that is not comfortable and will try to make you feel bad about being you, so remember that you have to be strong and stay confident," the therapist, Dr. Emma said.

"Well I did what you told me and reached out.  I found a support group online and I have what they call a cutting buddy.  He is an older guy and he haven't cut himself for 12 years now.  My parent's don't know about him, but Itt and Percy Jr, saw him one day after I left his house.  I didn't want to tell them about him because they probably wouldn't understand.  But when I feel the "need" I can go by his house and we talk and I forget about cutting," Shy informed Dr. Emma.

"Why wouldn't you share with your family the extra support you are getting?" Dr. Emma said and bites on the arm of her eyeglasses.

"I told you about Itt, he is very jealous of any male that I talk too and the fact that the guy is older, I don't want to give my parents the wrong idea," Shy said relieved that he told her.

"I think you should explain to them what's going on.  You need to be more open to sharing with all of your supporters.  I think they would understand.  Now Itt, do you feel you have a healthy relationship with him?" Dr. Emma asked.

"No."

"Why."

"He has a lot of baggage and he pulls me into it which makes me call my cutting buddy often.  I like Itt, I like Itt a lot, but since my moms was in her coma it made me think more about my life and realize how short it is, I wanna be happy.  Itt doesn't make me happy all the time.  But I love him and I know he can change.  He will be going back to New York tomorrow to stay with his aunt."

"Will that allow him to be completely out of your life?  Is that something you want?" Dr. Emma asked.

"I don't want him out of my life…so I made these rumors up about girls in the neighborhood just to see if he would confess to cheating on me…" Shy looks up at the doctor ashamed.

"Wait (she puts one finger up), cheating on you?  You said you weren't in a committed relationship?" Dr. Emma said puzzled.

"It's not clear, but, I mean, I really don't know.  We had sex only once and he lived with us for the whole summer," Shy said.

"So you think because you had sex you are in a relationship?  But lets back up to the rumors…" Dr. Emma said while shifting in her chair.

"I wanted to see if he would confess to having feelings for someone else, especially girls, he like girls when he lived in New York.  He didn't really react when I made the comments."

"Because he knows there isn't any truth to them," Dr. Emma said and the 1-hour alarm rung and she glances at the clock.  

"I guess so.  Was that the alarm?" Shy said looking at the clock, and getting up out of his seat.

"Yes, that was the alarm.  Shy, have a seat (she points at the couch); I don't have another appointment until another hour.  This time will be on the house, that is if you aren't in a hurry," Dr. Emma said.

"Thank you. I know that I said this would be my last session, but I think I may need more time.  Not because of the cutting, so much, but because of Itt."

"Shy, in order for you to heal you have to get any toxics out of your body, out of your system.  You say that you don't feel Itt is healthy for you.  Why do you have the need to keep him in your life?"

"I love him, and I know he loves me.  He came here to protect me and know one has ever done anything that big for me.  I want to go to New York and be with him.  Maybe he needs to sit down to talk to someone.  He didn't have the best upbringing.  His mother was on drugs, his dad was some big time Mafia guy, so he has issues, but so do I."

"Well you said that he is in New York, do you plan to move there?"

"Jordan, my cutting buddy, is rich.  He owns his own software company and I told him I would like to help kids who have been through the same thing I have in school, the bullying and sexuality acceptance.  He said that he would help me.  I want to find some way to help those kids, they can have some place to go and learn to stand up for themselves and I want Itt in on it too.  I never told you this but Itt was a bully in his school and what turned him around is when he witnessed me being bullied.  That's why he came to Minnesota, well also to get away from his mom."

"That sounds like an excellent idea Shy, but if you bring Itt in on it you have to tell him about Jordan.  This Jordan, do you trust him?"

"Yes."

"Is he a gay man?"

"Yes he is, and he is a really good guy.  It not like that with him."

"Sometimes people want something in return when they help you and you have to be prepared to face that disappointment.  I'm not saying that your friend is one of these people.  Will it be okay if I spoke with him someday?" Dr. Emma asked.

"I'll ask him," Shy said and he started to stand and stretch.  "I have to go now, and thanks for the extra time."

"No problem…same time next week?" Dr. Emma asked standing and reaching out to shake Shy's hand.

"Yes," Shy said.

"Okay, well take care and call me if you need to," Dr. Emma said with a smile.

______________________________________

                            STACY, JACKIE

…Suddenly they all was startled at the loud banging at the door.  The phone continues to play the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, 'you can take a nothing day and certainly make it feel worthwhile…'

Tom tells Stacy to go to the kid's room to keep them calm.  "Honey, I'm gonna answer the door," Tom tells Jackie.

Tom walks down the stairs and he hears chattering on the other side of his front door.  He hears a rattling noise in the kitchen; he looks in the direction of the kitchen and sees a little boy.  The door bell rings and all the lights in the house comes on at the same time; Tom hears the microwave beeping, a blender blending, random electronics operating, and the unknown people at the front door chattering.  He looks in the kitchen and sees the little boy run and then vanished followed by hearing the basement door slamming.

"Hello! Is everything okay?" the concerned visitors asked through the door.

Tom opens the door and it's his neighbors, a couple from across the street dressed in their night clothes.  "Hi, yes everything is fine.  Thank you!" Tom yells over all the noise.

Tom didn't want to startled the neighbors with the darkness he feels that is going on inside his house.  He really wanted to close the door on their faces and get back to his wife and kids.

"TOM! Who's at the door?" Stacy yelled over other noise that is deafening in the house. "And what's all that noise?"

Tom smiles at the neighbors and notice an astonishing looks on their faces.  He turns around quickly and sees the little boy in the kitchen, looking about 7 years old, covered with red fluid.  He turns back to look at the neighbors and they ask again in a cool tone, "are you sure everything is okay?" Tom doesn't answer instead he runs towards the kitchen only to find things are normal.  The microwave stopped beeping; the blender was slowing down and then stopped, everything that was operating stopped. 

The neighbors walked into the house as Tom was checking the kitchen.  "Hi, Jackie! It's Rose and Peter from across the street.  We heard lots of noise, so we came to make sure everything was okay," Rose yelled.

Stacy was holding Jackie's mouth so that she wouldn't say anything, "everything is fine, thank you," Stacy answered.

"That wasn't Jackie," Rose whispered.

Tom came back in the living room, "didn't you see that little boy?"

"No, Tom," Rose said and grabbed Peters arm and pulled him out of the house, "well we have to go now, glad everything is okay."

Tom closed the door after Rose and Peter left and ran up the stairs to his kids and wife.  "Something is strange going on; I think we need to call a priest."

"Tom I thought you were an atheist?  You think there is paranormal activity in our house," Jackie asked.

Rose and Peter walked fast across the street led by Rose all the while looking back at Jackie and Tom's house.  "Peter, something is really dark in that house.  We should call the police," Rose said.

"You think so?" Peter asked and they both stopped.  (HORN BLOWS LOUDLY) "AGHHHHHHH!" Rose and Peter screamed as the tire squeals on the asphalt from a Ford Ram pick-up truck.  The couple lay crippled in the street with blood spilling out of their mouth; the Ford Ram pick-up stopped in the middle of the road.

Tom, Jackie, and Stacey hears the commotion and looks out the window and see their neighbors in house coats and night clothes coming to the rescue of their fellow neighbors laying in the street only to find death.

It has only been about 1 minute; one of the neighbors walks over to the truck to see if the driver needs help but no one was in the truck.  The truck had no key in the ignition and the neighbor, a big husky guy that looks as if he can pick up the truck, felt on the hood of the pick up and it was cold as if it has not been driven at all. 

Suddenly the neighbor hood suffers a blackout.

_________________________________________________

                               LAYLA

Layla sits in her small kitchen eating a TV dinner.  She looks at her watch and wonders what her next step will be.  When will she receive further instructions?  Her phone rings…

"Hello?"

"Hey Layla, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, just eating dinner.  How are you?"

"Just a little stressed but I will be alright.  I really enjoyed having dinner with you the other night.  I can't wait till we hang out again outside of the store, ya know?" Percy said.

Layla stands up, walks into her living room, and flops down on her couch.  "Yeah, I really enjoyed talking to you.  And it was good to catch up."

Layla's phone signaled a call waiting and she sees on the caller ID that it's the call she was waiting for.  "Hold on a sec…I have another call," Layla told Percy and pressed the 'flash' button.

" Ha, I got that sucker on the phone right now.  The plan has worked.  He so stupid; he is gonna be putty on my hand," Layla said.

"Layla?" a male voice spoke.

"Yes?" Layla said smiling and laughing.

"It's still me, Percy, you didn't click over." Percy hangs up the phone.

Layla stands up, looks at her phone, "Aw, shit!"  She clicks the 'flash' button.

"Hello?" Layla said extremely nervous.

"What took you so long to answer?" Francesca said.

Layla just held the phone searching for an answer.

"Never mind.  So you have the boy twisted around your finger huh?" Francesca said in her most seductive voice.

"Well we will see…" a now nervous Layla answered.

"What do you mean?  Why the sudden change in attitude?  Do you have him or not, girl?" Francesca said confused.

"I clicked over and I thought I was talking to you and…"

(THE PHONE GOES DEAD)

"Hello, hello, hello…" Layla said bursting in tears and rushing to lock her doors and window.  Layla is panicked with fear as she sits in a corner in her apartment.

TO BE CONTINUED…