Goldilocks Forever

Chapter 42

Santa Monica, California 

May 2006

"Fucking waste her!" Max yelled while Casey remained motionless, a frozen statue with the gun pointed at Anna's face.

Anna drove the sword deeper into Max. He gasped and leaned back against the couch, riding out the pain. Blood oozed from the wound and dripped down onto his striped swim shorts. It pooled in his navel and stuck to the hairs on his chest.

"Go ahead." Anna twisted the sword one quarter turn. "If I die, he dies. I'll push this sword all the way into him if it's the last thing I do."

"You don't want to kill him," Casey said without emotion.

"He's nothing to me. I only care about us."

"Kill her now." Max gritted through his pain, his words barely decipherable. His chest heaved as he labored to breathe.

"Tell me why. That's all I want. You can kill me after you tell me." Her desperation created a pleading tone.

Casey's hand on the gun trembled. Her green eyes met those of her twin. The two sisters stared at each other.

"Now, now, now!" Max screamed.

Casey cocked the gun. Anna pushed the sword into Max. It sank through muscle and met with tougher stuff, bone perhaps.

Max wailed in pain and frustration. "For fuck's sake!" He shifted his weight and swiped the sword out of his way when Anna tried to pin him down with it. The weapon slashed the inside of his arm. He stumbled to his feet and shoved his body into Anna's, knocking her to the ground. "Gimme the gun." He waved a hand at Casey so she could hand it to him.

Instead, Casey ran up the stairs, gun in hand. Max groaned and hobbled after her. Anna lay on the floor at Max's feet, the sword under her. Its cold metal and warm leather hilt pressed against her belly and chest. She slid her arm back and felt for it. Her fingers worked along the sharp edge, but she didn't register the pain of the cut. She focused on taking control of the weapon as Max abandoned her in pursuit of Casey and the gun.

Anna hobbled to a standing position and listened. The door slammed shut, and the lock clicked, capturing her in the room. She ran for the door anyway and twisted the knob in vain. Locked.

She tried to kick open the door, but fell back on the stairs, unable to get decent leverage. She steadied herself while Max screamed for Casey upstairs. She was getting away. Max might kill her, too. But Casey was important to him. She seemed somehow a part of his plan.

Anna surveyed the wall of weapons. One of them was a hatchet that looked like Leif Erickson was the last person to wield it. She pulled it from the wall and hacked at the door until she axed a hole big enough to stoop through. She collected the sword again and held it out in front of her as she ventured into the dark hallway.

The trail of blood showed her where Max had been and led to the patio doors and outside. The garage door opened. Max yelled for Casey to get out of the car. Car doors slammed and then the pair trudged into the house through the side door with the motion detecting light. Max dragged Casey by the arm into the living room.

"We'll discuss that later." He shoved her down onto the couch. "Where did you throw the gun?"

Casey didn't answer. She looked at Anna, her eyes like two orbs of sea glass. Max turned his head in Anna's direction. His eyes fell on the sword in her hands. She held it so that its tip rested on the carpet as she stood with one leg behind the other, ready to strike.

"For fuck's sake," Max groaned. "One thing at a time."

"Casey." Anna focused on her sister. "Tell me. That's all I want. Explain and I'll go away. Tell me what happened. What made you do all this? Is this really what you want? Are you happy with yourself? With your life?" She nearly screamed. "Tell me and I'll go! Just tell me!"