Devil's Advocate

The warm breeze was little comfort as it gently blew Angelique’s hair out of her eyes. Her breath was coming in quiet, short bursts. She swallowed past the dryness in her throat, approaching the farmhouse slowly. The leaves crunched loudly under her feet, and her nerves created a screaming white noise in her ears. She had to trust Kenneth. This was his plan. This would work. She pulled out a plastic card, a dead gift card obtained from a gas station. She crept closer, the loud noise almost deafening now. Her fingers trembled, a chill on her bones despite the warmth on the wind. She had reached the edge of the house, by the side door as was discussed. She heard a knock, and she put her hand on the doorknob, waiting patiently until she heard the sound of a door opening before she slid the card in the door.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she heard Scott’s voice, the sound foreign to her ears. It was so strange to her, breaking in to kill a man that she didn’t know the sound of his voice that well. She heard a soft click, and she slipped quietly in the door, dropping the card behind her.

“I had the file.” She heard Kenneth answer. She froze, peeking around the corner. There was a kitchen she was looking through, and straight through the kitchen she could see the front door. She looked the other way. A hall way was directly before her, and to the other side was what appeared to be an office. She crept past the kitchen silently, moving down the hallway. She kept her ears open to the conversation unveiling by the front door.

“I can’t believe that. Where’s the girl?”

“What girl?” Kenneth asked. She could practically hear the ire rolling off of Scott in waves.

“Don’t lie to me!” Angelique jumped when Scott raised his voice. She knew Kenneth could only stall him for so long. She turned back, determined to just take a shot at him when a sound caught her ears. It was a scream. A very muted scream but a scream none the less. Angelique followed the sound down the hall, hiding in the first room she found as the front door closed.

“I’m not lying. Are you talking about the one that attacked you in the park?” Kenneth was asking Scott. Angelique listened carefully.

“You knew her.” Scott accused him, but his voice seemed calmer.

“No, not at all.” Kenneth was insisting. Angelique moved back down the hall once she was certain it was safe. She lost track of the conversation between the brothers and followed the sound, down to what appeared to be a bedroom. She threw her hand over her mouth to keep from throwing up.

There was a body on the bed, a female in nothing but her bra and underwear. Angelique only knew that the body was alive because the muffled screaming was coming from the body. There was blood all over the sheets, from various cuts all over her arms and legs and face. Angelique walked closer. Her eyes were wide, and they were darting all around the room. Some of the wounds were older, but there was fresh blood pooling on her stomach. Angelique wasn’t a doctor by any means, but she didn’t think the wound was deep enough that she needed to worry about the girl losing her guts when she got her free.

The girl finally noticed that Angelique was in the room, and she began struggling immediately. Angelique put her finger across her lips, moving even closer to the bed. The girl was tied down with ropes, wrapped thickly around her wrists and ankles. Duct tape was pressed firmly to the girls lips. Angelique caught the glint of a knife cast casually off to the side on the nightstand. Angelique picked it up, moving towards the girls wrists.

“Katherine?” she whispered. The girl nodded, watching the knife in Angelique’s hand with wide eyes. Angelique began sawing through the rope, continuing to whisper.

“I’m going to get you out of here. Can you walk?” The girl-Katherine-nodded again. Angelique got her wrist free, and moved quickly down to work on the ropes around her ankles. Katherine helped, using her free hand to claw her other hand loose. Angelique finished getting her feet free, and Katherine rolled to her feet, whimpering very softly as she did. She was slow moving, and tears streamed from her wide eyes, but Angelique gave her credit. She was at least moving.

Angelique snuck back to the door, peeking out and down the hall. No sign of life. She took a step out and listened carefully.

“---idea how she did that?” There. That was Scott’s voice. And it sounded like it was coming from the living room.

“I couldn’t figure it out myself.” Kenneth’s voice. They were both so quiet, Angelique was sure they were not fighting or arguing. Scott was at ease. It was a good opportunity to kill him. But she knew she had to get Katherine out first. She pointed down the hall, towards the side door, and put her finger back over her mouth. Katherine nodded, leaving the tape on her mouth. Angelique was not sure why she kept it there, but she wasn’t going to question her at all. There was no time.

There was silence coming from the living room, and after straining her ears she could hear the two men talking in hushed tones. The window was closing. She needed to move now. Angelique took Katherine’s hand, leading her down the hall. She was pleased that despite obviously being in pain, the girl moved like her life depended on it. It did, Angelique supposed, but still. You always saw people in horror movies that were in her position and they all but crawled away towards freedom. Katherine was moving better than that.

She stopped and peeked into the kitchen, but didn’t see anyone. She didn’t even see the two men that were supposed to be in the living room. Angelique pulled her past the door way, opening the door and all but shoving her outside.

“Run!” She whispered, her tone desperate and urgent. Katherine didn’t look back; she ran. She watched her stumble only once, but she recovered quickly and took off again, tearing the tape off her mouth as she ran. Angelique said a silent prayer, which felt a little off as well since she was getting ready to do the devil’s work. But she prayed anyway. Prayed that Katherine made it to safety. That she made it to someone who would help her. That she was fast enough to outrun the horrors in the farmhouse. She stood by and watched for a few moments, possibly a few moments too long. But Angelique felt confident as she closed the door that Katherine had made it.

Angelique slipped back inside, shutting the door almost silently. She pulled her gun out of her jacket pocket, and after making sure the safety was off on the thing, prowled around to the kitchen. She took a deep breath, intending on holding Scott up like a bad bank robber, and execute him while Kenneth slipped out. He didn’t want to actually witness her kill him, and to be fair to him she didn’t want him to have to.

She rounded the corner into the living room and aimed the gun. But was surprised to not see Kenneth or Scott anywhere. Warning bells were going off in her head, but she tried to stamp back down her panic. Where the hell were they? She turned around and moved as quietly as she could, peeking into the office she had passed before. Nope, not there. Slowly, she went back to the bedroom and checked in there. Still nothing. What the hell?

Now the panic was creeping up higher. The hair on the back of her neck was raised, and she was sure she was going to break her lip she was biting it so hard. That white noise had picked back up, and was all but roaring in her ears. She was chilled, and her breath was shaky. Turning, Angelique realized there was one room she had left to check. The dining room.

She cut back down the hall, peeking in the open bathroom as she did. Nothing there. Angelique didn’t think there would be, but she wanted to cover all her bases. Back down the hall, gun out, she moved as quickly and as quietly as she could. Angelique swallowed thickly as she still didn’t see anyone. She moved through the kitchen, through the still empty living room, and hid by the only other door. The door that after peeking in all the windows, she knew led to the dining room. Taking a deep, steading breath, she turned the corner.

There was a man sitting at the table, his back to her. Angelique stepped closer. That looked like Kenneth. She steadied her gun in front of her, moving towards him slowly. She swallowed again, her hair still standing straight up on the back of her neck.

“Kenneth?” she whispered. No response. Angelique scooted closer, cocking the gun.

“Kenneth?” she asked again, louder. Still no response, but his body slumped forward. Now Angelique moved quickly forward, reaching out quickly and feeling for a pulse point on his neck. His pulse was there, and after she looked closer she could see his breath was shallow. He was alive. But where…

Angelique felt fire erupt in her head as a loud shattering sound was heard. Scott. He had found her. She dropped to the floor, her vision going white, and then black. Despite desperately trying to hold onto consciousness, Angelique felt herself go under.