Message | --------------------------------------------------------------------- The scent of Chamomile filled the kitchen while nvrgnbk, the ever faithful butler, chopped onions and peppers with a chef’s knife on a wooden cutting board. Chop, chop, chop. The sound droned on hypnotically. Chop, chop, chop. The vegetables were sufficiently sliced but nvrgnbk continued his robot-like motions. Chop, chop, chop. He didn’t hear anyone enter the kitchen and he didn’t feel the small stiletto enter into his side. He did show an expression of recognition as his eyes locked with those of his attacker and he fell to the floor, lifeless.
Mr. Flipper, still overwrought from the death of his beloved, raised himself to his feet and stumbled to the budoir. The sight of Mrs. Flipper’s up-turned makeup case and floor strewn clothes knocked him out of his near-catatonic state and he felt the anger well up from within. Someone had gone through his dead wife’s belongings. And all of her panties were missing. Abandoned! It had to be that slow-thinking, gimp-legged freak. He glanced around the room, searching for something to use as a weapon, and settled on a solid brass candle holder. Candle holder firmly in hand, he moved to the bed, kissed his wife one last time on her forehead, and covered her with a pink, satin sheet. The anger, fear, and grief, however, monopolized his thinking and he failed to hear the distinct sound of footsteps as a masked figure glided into the room behind him. The blade was quick. Mr. Flipper made a gurgling sound and collapsed on top of his wife. Dead.
Dragging his gimp leg as fast as he could, Abandoned slithered along the hallway toward the kitchen. “I know it was you,” he called out in the darkness. “You don’t need to hide your vile activities any longer.” Looking behind nervously and trying to control his breathing, he continued up to the kitchen’s door. The stench of death slapped him across the face and he bent over to retch. “You won’t get away with this.” He felt dizzy and weak. “I’m not as helpless as I look,” he screamed. But the stench was too much. He whipped around to avoid it, but the dizziness overcame him and he fainted in front of the door.
“Abandoned,” Bumble Bee sung as she skipped down the hallway to the library. “Where are you? You can’t hide from me.” She knew he loved books. She knew he’d make his way to the library eventually. But what if he expected her to come here too? He didn’t seem very bright, but maybe that was just an act. Maybe he was the most devious of them all. She wasn’t willing to die to find out. Coming to a complete stop, she listened for any sound from any direction that might give any clue as to where he could be found. But nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary anyway. So that’s how it would be. A waiting game. Nothing more. She smirked and reached for the stiletto tucked into the waistband of her pants. Silently, she crept to a small stool just behind the open door and sat herself down. It was just a matter of time.
All of a sudden a deafening crash reverberated throughout the mansion. She grabbed the stiletto and jumped to her feet as a slight breeze began to enter the library. She sniffed. What was that? Chamomile? The scent of her favorite tea made her stomach growl and she realized she was starving. Slowly, cautiously, she made her way to the door and out into the hallway. Down the stairs. Around the corner. Up ahead, she spied the dining room. Keeping close to the wall, with the stiletto raised in front of her, she moved to the dining room door and passed through it. Just a few feet sat between her and the kitchen door and the chamomile tea beyond. She could afford herself a break. Right? Besides, she’d be much more alert with a cup of tea and a cookie or two in her stomach. On tip toes, she crossed the dining room floor and stopped in front of the thick, kitchen door. She glanced through the tiny window but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
Opening the door, however, nearly knocked her on her butt as the incredible, over-powering stink of death exploded from the kitchen and washed over her. Her appetite gone, she slammed the door and moved to the side. He must be close by. Somebody lie dead in the kitchen and this was the first time she’d been there all day.
The sound of a door crashing shut, yanked Abandoned back to consciousness. He sat up immediately. The door slam was close by. She must be just ahead. In the kitchen or in the dining room behind. He reached down to his boot to see if the stiletto was still there. It was. He removed it with his left hand and pushed himself up with his right. Almost to his feet, he lost his balance and fell hard on his bad leg. He hoped the sound of his crash didn’t carry far.
What was that? It sounded like someone bumping against the wall. Just on the other side of the kitchen door. He must still be there. Bumble Bee took a deep breath and held onto the stiletto with both hands. Feeling her heart beating hard in her chest, she slipped open the door and snuck into the kitchen. The stench remained, but she put it out of her mind and examined the room. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except. A shoe stuck out from the other side of the counter. She moved closer and almost gasped as she discovered nvrgnbk lying in a pool of his own blood. She wanted to puke but she stifled the desire and continued to inspect the room. There were only two doors and she had come through one. That meant that Abandoned must be beyond the other one. She took a another deep breath, hoping she was up to the challenge that stared her in the face.
Redoubling his efforts, Abandoned pushed himself to his feet and held onto the wall. Instinctively, he knew his final confrontation was at hand. Steadying his arms and legs, he moved to the kitchen door and listened. Nothing. He couldn’t hear a thing. Could his ears be trusted? Maybe they couldn’t. He knew he wasn’t at his best. He still felt nauseous from before and his hands were shaky. But, ready or not, he had to go on. He had to face the challenge that lay before him. Pushing all thoughts of negativity out of his mind, he gripped the stiletto and pushed open the kitchen door.
Bumble Bee saw Abandoned at the same time that he saw her. They both stopped, realizing that one of them was going to have to find an advantage over the other. Being in the doorway, Abandoned controlled the more defensible position, but Bumble Bee was in considerably better shape. Then, in a flash, Bumble Bee rushed forward and kicked the kitchen door. The sudden jolt knocked Abandoned to his feet. He writhed on the ground, trying to get his bearings, but Bumble Bee was too quick. The blade went in smooth. And Abandoned breathed his last. --------------------------------------------------------------------- |