In the Shadows

Chapter 8

     Luke arrived home after working late. It was almost dark and he looked fearfully around as he quickly walked from his car to his front door. There was no one around except one of his neighbours who was checking his mailbox. He gave Luke a friendly wave as Luke quickly closed and bolted his door. His flat had become a prison for him every night. As he sat down and ate his dinner he decided he would step up his search for a rental. He had to move as soon as possible. He couldn't stay here any longer.

After dinner he sat on the couch watching television until he dozed off. A knock on the door jolted him awake. He turned on the outside light and looked though the peephole half expecting to see Summer standing there brandishing a knife. He was surprised to see it was Bethany. 

"Luke, please I need to talk to you," she called, "I've heard from Summer."

He opened the door and she stepped in. "Sit down," he said as he locked the door and turned off the television.

Bethany sat on the couch looking nervous. She was trembling.

"Please tell me, what did you hear from Summer," Luke asked desperately.

"She called me this afternoon. She said she wasn't giving up on you. She somehow knows the police aren't watching your flat anymore. She said she is coming for you tomorrow night to finish things once and for all, whatever that means."

"I'll tell you what it means," Luke sighed, "She's coming to kill me. Thank you, Bethany for telling me. At least I can have the police here tomorrow night and they can arrest her. You look really nervous. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, thank you. I was terrified she might have followed me here and tried to stop me from seeing you. She's unstable, Luke, capable of anything."

"You don't need to tell me that," Luke said as he went to the kitchen and turned on the jug.

"She'll never give up trying to get to you, Luke, never."

"I know, I know." Luke took two cups out of the cupboard and set them on the kitchen bench, then he opened another cupboard looking for the sugar.

"There's only one thing that will ever make her give up on you."

"Mmm, and what's that?"

"If you're already dead."

"Already dead? That's a bit extreme. By the way how did know where I live? I never told you."

Bethany's voice suddenly changed becoming firm and confident instead of shaky. "That's easy, Luke, because I've already been here many times."

"What do you mean?" Luke turned around just in time to see the large carving knife spearing at his chest. With a micro-second to spare he managed to twist his body out of the way of the deadly shaft of steel.  

Bethany, clutching the knife in both bands, almost lost her balance, but straightened up fast and stood about two metres away from an astonished Luke. "It wasn't Summer who's been watching you these last few weeks, it was me. I would have got you a couple of weeks ago. I bashed the cop in his car and then broke in through your back door. If you hadn't tried to shoot me with his gun you'd be dead by now." She stood with her feet slightly apart holding the knife in both hands pointing at Luke.

Luke backed up until he was against the kitchen bench. She had a demonic look on her face, a look of complete hatred.

"But why Bethany?" he asked, trying to stall for time. How could he protect himself if she came at him again with the knife? "Why do you want to kill me?"

"I already told you. She's obsessed with you. If you're dead then Summer will forget about you. She'll leave Sydney and make a new life herself. She isn't safe here. She texted me that some lawyer guy found out who she was and was blackmailing her for sex. I followed her to his house and took care of the guy after she left. He'll never bother her again." Then her voice softened and she sounded emotional. "It's you, Luke. You're the reason she was arrested and locked up in the first place, and if she comes after you again, which I know she will, she'll get locked up again, or the police will shoot her. She's a good person, Luke. You're the one who made her like this. You deserve to die." She lunged at Luke again with surprising speed.  

He tried to twist out of the way again, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The blade of the knife caught the sleeve of his shirt above his left elbow and he felt a sharp stab of pain. He almost fell over sideways against the bench as Bethany straightened up clutching the knife again, lifting it up ready to bring it down with savage speed into Luke's chest. Luke saw that he had only a second before the knife ended his life. To his right he saw the jug full of water on the bench still heating up. In a lightning move he snatched it up with his right hand, the cord came away, and he swung it with all his energy at Bethany just as the knife was descending on him. The jug struck the girl on the side of her head causing her aim to go off. The knife dropped from her hands as she staggered back clutching her head. Then she fell to the floor and lay still with the side of her face slowly turning red from blood oozing from the wound.

Luke stood staring at her for several seconds. Was she dead or just unconscious? She wasn't moving. He could feel blood trickling down his left arm from his own injury, but he didn't care. He had to call the police. He found his mobile phone on a table by the couch. He sank into the seat and punched in triple O.

"Triple O Emergency. Which service do you require?"

"Police."

"One moment."
After only about three seconds the police answered.

"My name is Luke Paterson. I've just been attacked in my flat. I live at...." Luke stopped suddenly as he caught sight of the reflection in his flat screen television of Bethany slowly rising from the floor behind him once again clutching the knife in her hand. He jumped up dropping the phone, and backed away from her as she slowly approached him with blood dripping down the side of her swollen face.

"Must kill you," she whispered, "Must kill you so Summer will be free."

Luke continued to back up until he was against the front door. He reached behind him fumbling with door handle while Bethany came closer. But then her eyes rolled back and she sank to the floor and rolled onto her side. This time Luke kicked the knife out of her reach and retrieved his phone. After giving the details to the police he sat back down on the lounge watching Bethany until the police and ambulance arrived five minutes later.