by Saless
Chapter 64
When Erica woke up she insisted on going to see Sarah when she got off of work. Mike and Jill agreed, so Mike drove them all there. They waited by the door where Sarah usually came out. They were just about ready to go in and find out what was keeping her when Jill suddenly held her head in her hands and moaned in pain.
"Jill, what happened?" Mike asked worriedly.
"Vash!" Jill gasped out. "Something's happened to Vash. I got a glimpse of John, pain, and then nothing. We've got to find him!"
"Erica, are you armed?" Mike asked, a frightening intensity in his voice. Erica nodded weakly. "Okay, I want you to stay with Jill and protect her. I'll go see what's happened." he said, and ran off. Once he was around the corner and out of sight of everyone he shifted to wolf form. He checked each door at the back of the building and picked up Sarah and Vash's scent. Following the scent he soon came upon Vash, who was lying unconscious on the asphalt. There was some blood matter in his fur, but Mike could see that he was still breathing. He felt Jill following along in his mind and made sure she'd seen him, and then continued to follow Sarah's trail.
Her trail was soon joined by another, whom he assumed to be John. He followed their trail into the bushes at the back of the lot and stopped in surprise. Sarah was lying on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Her clothes were torn, but she looked unhurt otherwise. John was lying on top of her, his pants around his ankles, his shirt sticking to his back and soaked with blood. Sarah was trying to push him off of her, and Mike grabbed his ankle in his jaws and pulled him away. He shifted back to human form and threw his jacket over Sarah after retrieving his cell phone from its pocket. The 911 operator picked up just as Jill and Erica came into sight.
Jill was carrying Vash in her arms and was moving slowly like she was hurt. Erica took one look at Sarah and ran screaming to her side, tears pouring down her face. "Sarah, are you alright?!" she gasped out between sobs as she knelt at her side.
"What happened?" Jill asked when she finally caught up with them.
Mike shook his head in confusion, "I don't know! I found Vash unconscious, and then found John lying on top of Sarah. There's blood on his back, I don't even know if he's alive or not. Sarah doesn't seem to be hurt, but she's too upset to talk yet. Why are you moving like that?"
Jill shrugged, "I feel like I got beat to a pulp, even though I haven't. I guess it's Vash's injuries I'm feeling."
"Any idea who did that to him?" Mike asked.
"My guess would be John, but I don't know. Who did that to John, anyway?" Jill asked, looking at the blood soaking his and Sarah's clothes. He hadn't moved from where Mike moved him and she couldn't feel anything from his mind. Not that she wanted to.
"I have no idea. There wasn't anybody else here, and Sarah couldn't have done it. Whoever did it must have ran away right afterwards, I guess." Mike replied. "I've called the police, so I think you'd better take Vash home. I doubt he's going to be in any shape to go invisible any time soon. I'm sure he would appreciate some of that healing water."
Jill nodded and made her way back to the car. Mike knew better than to try and get Erica to leave, she was glued to Sarah's side for the duration. So he sat down on the curb and waited for the police. He didn't have to wait long, and an ambulance arrived soon after. Mike told the police everything he knew (leaving out Jill and Vash and his own transformation), and watched as they checked John. To Mike's surprise he was still alive, barely. The ambulance took him away and another soon arrived for Sarah. Erica went with Sarah and Mike told her he'd drive Sarah's car home and then bring Jill with him to the hospital.
Jill was in a lot better shape when he was finally able to return home with Sarah's car. She'd poured healing water over Vash's wounds and no longer felt any pain from him, though he was still unconscious. They couldn't bring him along to the hospital, so they left him on his favorite spot on the couch. A short while later they were at the hospital asking after Sarah.
A doctor told them she'd been sedated, but other than some scratches and bruises she was unhurt. They found her sleeping with an IV in her arm and Erica was sitting in a chair next to the bed with her head on her arms on the bed, also asleep. "Those two are doing entirely too much sleeping lately." Mike said, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Jill chuckled weakly, "Yeah. I hope this hasn't set Sarah back too far, though. At least John is out of the picture now."
"I certainly hope so! Sarah doesn't need a stalker to deal with, on top of everything else." Mike said.
Jill and Mike shared the only other chair in the room and waited for Sarah or Erica to wake. Unsurprisingly, it was Erica who woke first. "Mike, Jill? Is Vash okay?" she asked when she saw them sitting there.
Jill nodded, "Yeah, he's fine. He's sleeping now. What about Sarah?" she asked worriedly.
Erica shook her head sadly, "She's not good. She never stopped crying, and at one point she said something like, 'she said he'd do this'. I don't know what that means." Erica's face was stained with tears and her eyes were red, so they knew she wasn't feeling much better herself.
"I don't understand that either." Jill said.
"Me neither." Mike agreed. "When can she go home?"
"They want to keep her overnight, but she can probably go home in the morning." Erica replied.
"Well she's been sedated, so maybe you'd better come home with us." Jill suggested.
"You might as well, there's nothing any of us can do here right now." Mike said.
Erica nodded wearily and allowed them to guide her back to Mike's car. She insisted on sleeping in Sarah's bed, so they walked her there. She went straight to bed, so Mike and Jill left, making sure the door was locked on their way out. Neither felt much like eating, and just snacked on some chips in front of the TV. They sat in silence until the first commercial break. "Mike, he was going to rape her, wasn't he?" Jill finally said in a small voice.
Mike sighed, "Yeah, I think he was." He glanced at Jill and saw she was crying. He gathered her up in his arms and rocked her side to side. "It's okay; he was stopped before he could do anything. She'll be alright." he whispered soothingly to her. I hope.
I heard that. Jill thought to him.
Mike shrugged, "Sorry. We'll just have to make sure she is, I guess."
Jill snuggled closer into his arms and relaxed. "Yeah, I guess we will. I wonder who stopped John, though. Whoever it was, I'd love to thank them for it. Even if he does survive."
"I would, too. It's weird to think someone just came along, stabbed him, and then left again." Mike said.
"Maybe it was someone who John had hurt in the past. I'm sure he must have done something to someone else before this." Jill said.
Mike nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, that would make sense. If that's the case, it was probably either someone who works at the store, or someone was stalking John just like he was stalking Sarah."
"I think it was someone who works there. Even if they weren't hurt by John before, they might have done it to protect Sarah. She gets along with her coworkers a lot better than she used to." Jill said.
"Probably. Whoever it was, I hope they get away with it." Mike said.
"So do I. I never thought I'd say something like that, but I do hope so." Jill said guiltily.
"Don't feel bad about it. John got away with a lot of abuse before this, and was trying to do something much worse. And he'll probably survive, anyway." Mike said.
They sat in silence for a while after that, and then went to bed. Neither slept well, worrying as they were about their friends. Vash joined them in the middle of the night and helped them to sleep better.
To Be Continued…
Comments
I wonder who?
I wonder who would stab John in the back? My only surprise is that Tiffany left him alive. I also wondered about her not helping Sarah, but the gang did respond pretty darn fast. I'm guessing the only reason John is alive is because she didn't have time to finish job and faded away as they charged in. Wonderful story Saless!
hugs!
Grover
Thanks Grover!
Thanks Grover! :)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Me thinks
Tiffany has struck. Hard thing for her to do, but it is good to know she can and will act in Sarah's defense. I'm thinking, if Tiffany were to reveal herself now, she certainly has a credit balance in the other three's eyes. She has certainly saved Sarah from severe injury, and very likely death. I doubt John was intending to leave a witness behind once he got his revenge
KJT
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
School Dayz
Cavrider----Just another " Grunt."
Did not John and Sean attend school together ? I would not be surprised to learn that John has had a crush on Sean for years . He probably has tried this
at least once in the past . Might be only one of Sarahs' repressed memories . Thankyou Saless , againe .
Cavrider----Just another " Grunt."
Not That I Know Of...
John behaves the way Sean's tormentors in high school did, but we've been given no reason, as far as I know, to think he was one. Here's how we were introduced to John in Chapter 6:
John Green was the worst of the lot. He was a big, strong ex-jock who felt that Sean wasn't a real man. He was always calling Sean 'girly boy', 'fag', and other less kind things. Sean ignored him as best he could and continued with his work.
Eric
Thanks
Thanks Cavrider!
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Right..
And yet another twist in an ever lasting and culminating enigma. Building up tension one way, hinting at resolving, then sidestepping and running in another tangent, without sufficient clarification. It's getting tiresome.
You must be having fun, and I have to concur, it's been a nice ride thus far. But I sure hope there will be some answers next, or I'll just write this one off for the time being as a prolonged tease only to be picked up again after there is at least some solid evolvement. Judging by your writing that could take some time. I like a nice, slow, prolonged uhmm..., but too much of a good thing is not my cup of tea.
Thank for writing this far,
Jo-Anne
This makes me think of some
This makes me think of some of the TV series, like Fugitive and lots of others. They start out with a premise that, once resolved, would end the story unless they came up with something completely new to give a reason to continue the series. So of course you know that the situation won't be resolved, at least not until the end of the series. I tend to lose interest in those pretty fast, because you know nothing of real significance is going to happen (at least pertaining to the main problem the characters are facing).
While resolution takes time in this story, it won't be like that. All of the current issues will be resolved well before the end of the story. New issues will crop up, too, of course. Some will be resolved right away, others will linger. I hope you'll stick around, or at least come back later like you said. Either way, thanks!
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
If John Has A Crush On Sean-Sarah, Then
He is either gay, or bi. AND a bully. But if Tifany did not attack him, who did? And why didn't she 'GIRL' John into Joan?
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Here is
Cavrider----Just another " Grunt."
my guess . John is in the closet and deeply in love with Sean . Because he can not deal with being Gay , he attacks the object of hie affection . As to why john is not a girl ? He may be like Erica , a magical null .
Cavrider----Just another " Grunt."
I doubt it.
Obviously, Sarah's words refer to her mother. And the implication is that mother said something like 'if you're a freak, you'll be raped'. However, I somehow doubt she had John in mind in particular, rather a more generic bully figure, which John fits very well. Mike could say more, he was with Sean at school, and he would have known the notorious ones there.
Perhaps... Sean's mother put her husband as the rapist. What a wonderful father figure, indeed. *dripping with sarcasm* BTW, there is a story here that was not finished, about a child from an abusive family, who was beaten so much she reversed to toddler mind. Hope it will not happen to Sarah.
Faraway
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
I find it strange
That no one has asked HOW Vash was injured. It's not like he didn't know who was around him...I don't think John could take Vash by surprise, so I wonder if Sarah lashed out and hurt him somehow.
Unfortunately, the only ones
Unfortunately, the only ones who might know are either unconscious or hysterical. We'll find out soon, though! ;)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
So John is
not dead yet!!!If he recovers then Sarah had better watch out, Something tells me he might want a little!!! revenge. Unless that is of course one of the others does not decide on a little summary justice first
Kirri
Nightmare Fuel for fun and profit.
Due to stalking Sarah John gets superpowers.
Faraway
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Oh, but no, that is too terrrible to contimplate ...I LOVE it!
What if in her panic, though Sarah could not consciously turn her would be rapist John -- Hey why is the bad guy named John ?! -- into a woman or blast him with her various fireballs maybe subconsciously she did zapp him a little with the Ka-ching you're a girl power and John will find he's slowly becoming a little girl while he's in the hospital under arrest. And I do mean little, IE John will end up Jane, a cute four year-old. I know she doesn't have an age altering power so far but Vash all but said outright Sarah's eventual powers are not yet known. If Sarah was near catatonic and thus reverting to a childlike state perhaps she could alter someone's age as well in defense, IE render her attacker as helpless as she felt.
Remember Vash said she might be a new god, IE an equal to a Loki or Venus ... Hum as an equal would Venus now be more civil to the newly minted goddess and her magical friends than she was to the portal making mortal he was? And did John hurt Vash or Sarah or a third person? Vash though smart about magics is still a babe in the woods as to the real world and perhaps vulnerable to physical attack.
Two biggie plot complications need resolving beyond getting Sean back.
Tiffany, our shadowkind, needs to reveal herself. Hum, was the throwing knife magically enhanced? Will that have an effect on John?
And once Sarah can confront her past its time to pay a visit to her parents and get justice.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. And what about Susan?
John in Wauwatosa
Wow
What a response to this one Saless! I have some thoughts. Sarah is really a mess right now. OLD Baggage and hurts are forcing their way into her consciousness. Things that was so painful she pushed them as far away as she could.
One of them has to do with her mother choking her and the word 'freak'. I'm going to hazard a guess and say this isn't the first time our Sarah has changed genders. I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that someone, be it her father or another family member abused her mom. Maybe, they had powers too, I don't know. I do know mom lost it and went psycho on Sarah. Abused children will often also pass on that abuse to their own children in a vicious cycle.
As for Sarah not girlifying, John, remember she was already in pieces. I don't think she could have defended herself at all particularly against that kind of threat. It's part of that nightmare of hers. Be a girl and get raped.
Now the question of Vash is a good one. How did the little critter get hurt? How did John get close enough? Was it Sarah lashing out? I don't think so. She would have used one of her spells, like the fireball or magic missile. Neither one draws blood.
Oh that Saless, she so likes to task us! :)
Hugs!
Grover
A very good point!
Just having the power to blast/girlify someone doesn't mean you'll do it, especially when you're going through a major emotional crisis.
As for your last comment there; yeah, I do! ;)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Ooh!
You just gave me a great idea on how to introduce The Watcher! Thanks John! ^_^
Saless
P.S. I get why you keep calling Sarah Susan, that's her other personality that will take over now that Sarah is incapacitated from all the trauma she's been going through! ;) (jk)
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
That's just evil Faraway!
That's just evil Faraway! Shame on you! ;)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Shame on... me?
Little ole me?
No, Saless, shame on you if you did not even consider it! ~_^
Faraway
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
John
I don't expect John to see the outside of the jail for a very long time.
Who did it?
Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that it was Tiffany?
Doesn't look like it!
Doesn't look like it! ;)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Documentation Problems
With the police involved and Sarah now at the hospital, Sarah's documentation problems will come to a head. The doctor's are not going to buy the "starting a real life test" story after having done a rape exam. And as for the police, they will be wanting to know who all of the players are and exactly who this "Sarah" person really is.
Michelle B