John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 132 - Showdowns

Marlena felt oddly breathless as she saw Kristen wave the blood-encrusted knife in front of her, and for a moment she thought she was going to faint.

"Well, I expected more of a reaction than that," Kristen narrowed her eyes resentfully. "And here I went to *so* much trouble to visit."

Marlena still said nothing, but her eyes were wide with unspoken terror as she tried to get her breathing under control. If only for the sake of the unborn child nestled within her, she had to stay calm and rational.

Yet that was easier said than done. Unless she could get out of the penthouse, she was completely helpless and at Kristen's mercy unless someone came. Right now though, Kristen was between her and the door and the staircase. Marlena faltered, the merits of making a quick dash past Kristen flashing through her mind. However, the sight of the dully-flashing blade in Kristen's hand gave her pause enough to quickly discard the idea. It wasn't so much that she cared about getting hurt herself, but the risk to her baby was just too high.

If only she could get to the phone, but Kristen was closer to it than she was, and moving in that direction would bring her too close to that deadly-looking knife. Kristen was hardly going to allow her to make a phone call anyway. It would be suicidal to even try.

Keep it together Marlena; don't let her see your fear.

Her heart pounded mercilessly against her ribs as she tried to forge a facade of indifference. The situation was somewhat akin to being faced with a feral dog; fear would only serve as encouragement. It was becoming harder to maintain though. As she backed further away, an odd buzz began to sound in her ears, a harbinger of emotional collapse and desperation.

Misjudging the distance behind her, Marlena suddenly felt her legs coming into contact with the solid bulk of the sofa behind her, and overbalancing, she fell heavily onto the cushions.

"Now *that's* more like it!" Kristen's teeth gleamed wickedly. "You see, I have plans for you, Marlena. Do you think that I would have gone to all this trouble otherwise?"

"Trouble?" Marlena's voice was strained as she watched Kristen unbelt her coat and drop it on the floor. Her immediate urge was to scream as she saw the blood that drenched the front of Kristen's dress. And she felt bile rising in her throat, accompanied by a bubbling panic.

"To get you here. On your own." Kristen inspected the knife carefully, but Marlena was aware she never let her gaze wander from what she was doing on the sofa. "Being that John was watching me like a hawk. And I had my Nazi *jailer* to contend with...."

Marlena felt sick as she realized who Kristen was talking about. "You see, I had to find some way of getting out of the loft. Remembering John's informant, Vonnie, was quite a stroke of luck."

"The tip-off? That was you?" Every muscle was tense as she directed the question hoarsely at Kristen.

"Quite a brainstorm, don't you think, Doc?" Kristen chuckled. "Two birds with one stone and all that. Well," she sighed dramatically, "it wasn't *quite* foolproof." She picked at her fingernails and Marlena realized with another rush of horror, that it was dried blood that she was cleaning from the tips of her fingers.

She tried to stifle the sob of fear that escaped her throat as she edged to the back of the sofa, but Kristen didn't seem to notice anything much. She seemed too intent on recounting her diabolical plan. "Too bad the nurse had to get in the way. Made things a bit messy. But, looking on the bright side," she grinned madly, "you know what they say about practice making perfect."

******

"What do you mean a set-up?" Abe demanded as John stared at Q, his whole being suddenly suffused with fear.