He floored it out of Jersey. The old Chevy pick up couldn't carry him out of Jersey fast enough. He'd seen the beach, dumped another body in the Wildwood waves. Another Angel. Her name had been Destiny. Another chapter in his book, angel in name only. Each time he called her name he was reminded of his true destiny. He'd left her in Maverick. As each mile passed on the AC expressway, his need for angel Julia swelled in his gut. He swore if he had to spend one more minute in the state of New Jersey, he'd slice his wrists and dump his own body. Never again, he hummed, turning up the radio, hitting 70 toward Philadelphia. He'd be to Maverick by nightfall.
Aunt Sandy picked up the kids after work. Jay had a bag packed for each of them. He fastened Alex's booster seat in the car first, then the car seat for Tatia. He secured them in. Sandy gave him a hug, assured him they'd be fine.
"I know. I'll see you Sunday. Don't forget, no bottles."
"She only just turned one." Sandy said annoyed.
"It's Julia's thing. She's tired of washing them. But there is one in the bottom of the diaper bag. I still give her one if she wakes up in the middle of the night."
"It'll be our secret."
Sandy drove away and Jay went back inside the quiet house. He sat on his sofa. After 5 minutes he was bored and wondering what he was going to do. It was an uncomfortable feeling without them there. He laid back on the couch, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Julia shook him awake when she got to the house.
"Hey, Jay. Wake up."
She stood by the sofa in jeans and a GAP tee, her hair was done and she had applied light makeup. She wore jewelry, too.
"You look so pretty. Where we going?" He asked, rubbing sleepy eyes.
"I don't know, but let's go somewhere. The movies maybe? We could go to the Square and walk around? It's Friday night, they have something going on for sure."
"Ok, I'm up. Gimme a few minutes to get ready ok? I'm hungry. Maybe we'll grab some dinner at that new Mexican place?"
"Sounds good. I could go for some tacos."
They rode the bus into town. They stopped at the Mexican restaurant and had tacos and virgin sangria. They walked around the Square holding hands, At the end of the square in the field there was a bonfire, music from loud speakers. They hung around the huge fire, listening to music, even dancing some. Julia got a text from Hayley, but ignored it. This was her night with Jay and Jay alone. Until Jay got the same text and let them know where they were.
"Jayson Keller, this is our night out alone. You didn't just text her back."
"Well maybe you shouldn't be posting to face book until we get home. They already know we are here."
"They're our friends, why not right?" Julia shrugged.
"Jules, we can tell them we don't wanna hang out with them."
"I do, I'm just glad we got the time we got tonight." She said, hugging him tight. "I needed it. I love it."
God damn iPhones. He cursed, sitting in the front seat of the truck. He stopped at McDonald's for some food and found the iPhone sitting unattended on a table. The mother had left it there with the infant in the car seat while she filled up a couple sodas. He swiped it off the table as he passed and head out the door. Not very familiar with this form of technology, he managed after several attempts to open the mother's Facebook page and search for his angel. He entered her name and several Julia Fry's popped up. He chose the right one and scrolled through her page. Most recent post was from an hour ago, the bonfire in the Square.
Expensive piece of shit, he cursed again, tossing the cell out his truck window. He enjoyed his prepaid cell, nothing fancy. No bells and whistles, just phone calls. When it ran out, he bought another card and applied it. Simple as that.
He drove away from McDonald's and head back to Maverick. 5 minutes away. He'd return to Green Street, the house was sure to be the way he left it. From all appearances nothing changed on that block. Time stood still there.
"Are you guys coming back to my house? Or are you going home?" Julia asked as they head back to the bus stop.
"Uh, you had my mom pick up the kids. We're heading back with you." Chess said.
"If you guys don't mind. It's totally up to you." Hayley told them. "Do y'all have special plans or anything?"
They rode the bus back home just in time. Snow started falling as they got off on the stop near Mr G's shop. It started coming down heavy as the next couple hours passed. Julia stood in the window of her house watching as the white blanket grew deeper.
He parked on the street and made it inside the house just as it started to become dangerous to drive. Roads were getting slick out there. He set up his stuff in the master bedroom again, got the heater cranking for warmth. It was icy cold in the house. He filled the kerosene heater, set the left over kerosene in the can by the bedroom door. The old heater he'd rescued from a second hand shop was a life saver. He set up his table, his books, his trinket box. His bottle of jack sat on the right hand side with a shot glass beside it. He moved to the window, unstuffed the holes he'd made to see across the street to his angel's house. There she stood watching the snow collect on the ground. Tonight was the night and no one would stop him. He pulled out his gun cleaning kit, opening it on his table before him, he set the pistol on the table as well and went to work.
Jay and Chess put on their coats. "We'll be back in 15." Jay told the girls.
"Oh, can I go?" Hayley asked, pulling on her coat.
"Hayley, just stay here."
"Nope, I wanna see Esteban. Haven't seen that Rican in ages." She said firmly.
"OK, whatever. I'll just sit here watching it snow. It looks like it's letting up."
"That's why we need to go now. Don't wanna be walking in 2 feet of snow." Chess urged.
Jay stuck a kiss on Julia's cheek and the three of them left the house to get the weed.
Julia pulled on her coat, hat and gloves and went into her front yard. The snow had virtually stopped. Half a foot of white, fluffy snow was on the ground and Julia had loved the snow. 'Maybe we can smoke and have a snowball fight?' She thought, running her hands through the snow that had collected on the steps. She lay in the lawn and made a snow angel. Moved a few feet and made another. She stood, shook off the snow from her coat and person, giggling alone in her yard.
It was then that time stood still. A hand grasped her throat and one hand covered her mouth. She fought with everything she had inside her. She clawed at him through gloved hands. She bit his fingers, drawing blood till the hand pulled away and she screamed with every breath she had in her lungs. She kicked as he dragged her, then stopped. Julia chose to drag her feet on the ground as firmly on the ground as she could get her sneakers through the half foot of snow. The hand was back to smother her screaming. She wasn't dragged far. Through a yard, down the side of the house to a cellar way entrance. She knew exactly where she was. She had dragged her feet all the way, leaving a trail behind them. You couldn't drag a girl away against her will and then cover the snowy tracks behind you at the same time.
He snatched her by her hair in the dark basement, pulling her along with him, forcing her up two flights of stairs. Once in the bedroom, there was light. It was low lamp lighting, but it was lit. And warm. He shoved her inside, kicking the door shut behind him. She fell from the shove, landing face first on the old stale smelling carpet. She jumped to her feet, then faced her fear head on.
"I will fucking die fighting you, ass hole."
"My angel Julia. Please, don't fear me. I have waited this long to share this time and space with you."
"Fuck you. I don't want your time or your space." She swore, eyes searching her surroundings for a weapon of some sort. Something, anything to arm herself, give her a fighting chance. He was huge compared to her and she thought it wouldn't be easy to take him down. But she knew one thing, she wouldn't submit willingly.
He untucked the gun from his jeans, pulled it and aimed it at her head.
"Gonna kill angel Julia already?" She asked, trying to buy herself some time.
"I won't harm you. I love you."
"Well, put the gun down." She ordered, feeling cocky.
He lowered the gun to his side.
"You've been following me. You know very little about me, Caleb. Tell me why you love me. Why am I an angel?"
Jay heard the scream from 2 blocks away over Hayley and Chess gabbing away. He hushed them. It was quiet. Another scream a couple moments later. Jay took off running toward home. He pushed his way into the back porch, pulled the hunting knife from above his bed, then ran back to the street. He looked and saw no one. He went into Julia's house. She was gone. Back outside he stood in the yard, looking at snow angels. "Oh, my God." He thought. Panic flooded through him.
"I don't want to talk." He said to her. "I want to make love to you. Please, Angel Julia, undress and get on the bed." He stepped toward her, gun in hand.
"No, don't touch me." He set the gun on the table then picked her up and set her on the bed. She fought him like the others. He latched her down fully clothed. He duct taped her mouth to muffle her screams.
"No one can hear you." He pulled the knife from beneath her pillow and cut off her clothing. This one isn't crying, he noted. She lay naked in front of him on his bed. He pulled off his layers of clothing.
"I knew today was the day. I knew when I awoke this morning that I had to leave New Jersey and I had to come to you. "
He stood beside the bed. His fingers wound around her pink fleshy nipples. Her small breasts stood off her chest. Her flat stomach retracting as his fingers pressed against her belly. His fingers moved down, pulling at her red hair then slipping inside of her, playing with her clit and poking in and out of her. He withdrew his fingers, placing them in his mouth.
She was talking through her duct tape, not screaming, not objecting. He could hear her forming sentences, but couldn't make them out. Her eyes burned into his.
He pulled the duct tape aside.
"What are you saying, my angel?"
"Do you like the taste of Jay's cum, ass hole?" She growled, seething mad. "Cause I'm full of it."
She let out another scream before the duct tape went back over her mouth.
Jay stood with Hayley and Chess. As they had their phones out to call the police, a muffled scream was heard. Jay, Chess and Hayley followed it. As they looked down on the street drag marks could be seen. Boot prints in the snow and drag marks in two solid trails through half a foot of snow.
Jay's pace picked up, following the trail. The knife unsheathed in his hands. The trail and boot prints stopped at the cellar entrance to the boarded up house virtually across the street from Julia's house. The cellar door was locked from the inside. They skirted around the back of the house, the back door was locked. Jay busted out the window on the door frame and let them all inside.
Julia's stomach was turning. Nausea swept through her as this man stood above her, touching her in places she swore she wouldn't allow him to touch. This is it, she thought, forcing the idea through her head. He slapped her with the cum comment, called her a whore as she got out one last scream from the depths of her belly. She felt dirty with just his eyes on her flesh, his hands took it to a whole new level. He settled himself between her legs. His hand held her throat, squeezing tightly. His mouth met her breasts, sucking each nipple, biting her breasts, leaving teeth mark impressions on her skin. She pulled at the bindings on her wrists. His fingers probed inside her again. As he fingered her she fought the tingling sensation, she fought his touch with every fiber of her being. She could feel his manhood nudging at her crotch. Nudging, entering, hurting, pushing, violating. No, it's not happening. It's not. Julia forced the thought, the action out of her mind. That's all. Focus. As his mouth worked her nipples and the flesh around them, he cooed about such beautiful pink titties. Her wrists slid from the restraints. He didn't take into account how small her hands were. When he looked up into her eyes, she jammed her fingers into them as hard and as fast as she could till he let out a scream and jumped off the bed. He held his eyes, screaming.
Julia tore off the duct tape and screamed as loud as she could while tugging at the ankle bindings. When she got them undone she opened the bedroom door just as Jay pushed through. Chess followed by Hayley. Julia stood nude by the bedroom door, 'don't lose it, Julia' She told herself. Hayley stood in front of her.
"Chess, the gun." Julia cried, pointing at the table.
Jay tackled Caleb, managing to get him to the floor, get behind him and he cut his throat wide open with his knife.
Blood went everywhere. Blood had pumped all over Chess and Hayley and Julia. The spray of red liquid coated them. And when Caleb's body hit the floor, what was left pooled around his head and torso.
"Oh, fuck." Hayley gasped as the spray of blood hit her clothes.
"Don't look. Fuck, don't look." Chess rushed to them, pushing them out of the doorway. "Julia, where are your clothes?"
"He cut them off of me. They're everywhere."
"Julia, here, take my coat." Hayley said, covering her body with the warm jacket.
"He deserves what he got." Julia shouted through her tears. Julia pushed past Hayley and Chess. "I slid my hands through here." She said, holding up the restraint. I got him in the eyes. And when I got these undone..." She pointed to the ankle restraints. "I opened the door to run outta here."
Hayley followed her into the room, pulling her back, but Julia wriggled away.
"I got my wrists free..."She stood and went to the doorway. She picked up the can of kerosene and started dumping it all around the room, over the bed, over the table, over the clothes that were cut up in pieces Jay, Chess and Hayley moved toward the doorway. Julia picked up the stack of marble notebooks from his table, a black box with a handle. Next she picked up a lighter and the bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey with her left hand, grasping the bottle by its neck. Julia then flicked the lighter, staring at the flame. "Jules, what are you doing?" Jay yelled. But he was too late. She set the room on fire.
When they got outside, the snow was coming down hard again. At least an inch or two had covered the ground. Jay hoisted her into his arms and by the time they made it to Julia's back yard their tracks from across the street had been covered.
"You two. Strip. Out here. Go inside, get in the fucking shower and wash every drop of blood off you." Jay ordered.
Chess and Hayley started pulling off clothes as they were told.
"Where are you going?" Chess asked.
"Home. We'll be back." Jay said.
He sprinted with Julia in his arms across the back yards to his house. Jay stripped his clothes off on his porch, leaving the his clothing in a bloody pile. She dropped the marble notebooks and Caleb's belongings on Jay's bed and added Hayley's coat to the pile of bloody clothing. They hurried upstairs to the bathroom, started the shower. Julia got inside as soon as the water was turned on. She needed him off her. She didn't care if the water was hot or cold or made of glass shards, she needed it on her skin. Jay waited till the shower warmed. He watched her crying. Her tears hidden by the stream of the shower, but she wept and tried to keep quiet as she scrubbed herself till the water ran cold again. He waited till she was done rinsing finally. He turned the water off. "Get out. Now."
He wrapped her in a towel, led her downstairs and gave her a hoodie. She pulled it over her head. "Shoes." She asked, holding the notebooks to her chest.
"Shhh." He hushed her as he dressed. Jay gathered a change of clothes for Chess and stuffed them in a black trash bag. He turned the lights out after he dressed, threw her over his shoulder and carried her home.
Jay went back outside and with a pair of Cal's gloves on his hands, stuffed the bloody clothes, gun and knife in the bag. He threw it behind a bush in the back of the yard, but in the morning, first thing, he'd have to get rid of everything. Julia gave Chess the clothes Jay handed her. She changed into pajamas from his hoodie. He found them all in the livingroom by the window, looking down the street at the house that was fully engulfed in flames.
"Jesus Christ, didn't anyone call 911 yet?" Hayley cried, still in shock.
"He's inside. That's all that matters." Julia shrugged, her voice cold, still crying. "Let that shit burn to the ground."
Julia turned off the lights and the TV in the living room when she heard sirens. They sat around the coffee table on the floor , all quiet, passing Caleb Downing's bottle of Jack Daniels among them.
"Julia, say something."
She thought a moment. She took a swig from the bottle, replaced the lid, slid it across the table to Hayley." Thank you, for coming after me." She downed more alcohol. She stood up. The Jack Daniels taking an effect on her. "Are we all on the same page here?" Julia asked, trembling.
"Yeah." They all answered.
"I mean it. If we're not, if there's any doubt, speak it now. Cause I'll walk out there and I'll find the nearest cop or fireman and I'll confess to it all. I need to know."
"No, Julia." Jay answered.
"Not after what he did to you." Hayley agreed.
"Same." Chess said.
"Good." She said.
Julia led Jay to her room and closed the door. They got in bed, warming up beneath blankets.
She whispered. "I knew you'd find me. I wanted you to find me." She started crying, curling up at his side in a ball. Her tears came and he felt helpless as she wept, sometimes loudly and sometimes softly. He sat at the head of the bed, leaning against the wall, a hand on her back that she'd shaken off her. She didn't want to be touched.
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