Kelsey’s eyes fluttered open. She let them fall on the barrel of the gun. “Nothing’s at stake, Kelsey. C’mon. No more pain...” she heard the voice tell her. “No more pain...” it echoed inside her mind, the words numbing her feelings.
Her fingers ran swiftly over the curves of the gun. Numbly, she picked it up; six bullets. “It only takes one,” the voice told her. Kelsey sat, her eyes glazed over. It was as though she were once again a small child, trusting everything she heard. And at that moment, the only thing she heard was the voice.
The voice kept urging her, “No more confusion about Taylor. No more beatings from Jyson. Jennifer won’t have to worry anymore, Kelsey. It’ll all be so much easier...for everyone. Especially you.” Kelsey’s eyes blinked, then narrowed. ‘It’s for the best,’ she thought, her entire body belonging to a person she didn’t know. She couldn’t feel anymore. She couldn’t love, couldn’t hate, couldn’t help. She was only a burden.
She picked up the phone, and in a voice she didn’t recognize as hers, recorded a message on Jennifer’s answering machine, “You don’t have to worry about me, anymore Jennifer. Jyson won’t be able to get to me. I’m leaving. To where there’s no pain...good-bye.” Kelsey hung up. Then she headed out the door, keys, Soul Searching, and gun in hand.
“Jennifer, you want something to eat?” Zac asked, as he looked at the Drive-Thru Menu at McDonald’s. “Umm...no thanks, Zac,” Jennifer said, looking uneasy. Zac looked at her, concerned, “C’mon, Jennifer; you’ve been with me nearly all day and you haven’t eaten a thing. It’s six o’clock. You have to,” Zac said. “Fine; get me some french fries,” Jennifer said, too tired to argue.
“Whatever,” Zac said as he ordered a burger and two large fries. As they sat waiting, Jennifer leaned over and kissed Zac on the lips lightly. Zac looked at her, dazed, “What was that for?” Jennifer looked into his eyes and whispered, “Because I love you.” Zac’s lips tugged at the side of his mouth.
At that moment, the teenage boy coughed, “Ahem.” Zac turned toward him, the back of his neck turning a rather interesting shade of pink. Zac quickly took the food and drove out of the Drive-Thru. He stopped at an open parking lot and began to take out his burger when he felt Jennifer’s warm breathing on his ear. He froze as she softly bit his ear.
“Jeni...” he moaned. “Zac...” she breathed heavily yet softly, her breath music to Zac’s ears. “Please; we haven’t been alone all day,” she said, pleading with him. “Where?” Zac asked, as his thoughts became harder and harder to organize. “My apartment; I need to be with you, Zac...” she whispered, eyes closed.
Zac turned toward her. What did she mean by that? She couldn’t mean... Whatever she meant, Zac was willing to go along. He started up the car and headed for Jennifer’s apartment, which was only three minutes away.
They got there and immediately Zac brought Jennifer toward him, pressing his body to hers. Zac let his lips find hers. They devoured hers, as thought he could never get enough. It was almost as though he hungered for her and nothing she could give him would ever satisfy that hunger.
Suddenly she heard the phone ring, but Jennifer stayed with Zac, not letting go of him, physically or emotionally. She felt his lips, soft and sweet, on hers. The sounds of her mind and her pleasures drowned out the phone until she heard a soft voice with no emotion, “You don’t have to worry about me, anymore Jennifer. Jyson won’t be able to get to me. I’m leaving. To where there’s no pain...good-bye.” Jennifer straightened, startled.
Zac pulled away from her, confused. He hadn’t heard the message on the machine. Jennifer looked at him, her mouth opening and closing, her eyes wide. “Oh my God, Zac...”
Kelsey continued driving until she finally reached her destination. She stared out of the window of her car at the surroundings before her. She had always come her before in order to think. Or to cry. Or to write. It was her favorite place. ‘It’s time...’ the voice told her.
Kelsey got out of the car. She let her legs carry her to her favorite spot. She sat down, numbly staring at scene before her. So beautiful. Why is it everybody wants beauty? On the inside and out. We work so hard, strive for it. Beauty means happiness. So why is it that beauty kills?
Kelsey watched the sun set slowly. The sky swirled above her, painting with the wind, a mural in the sky. It seemed so real...as though she could reach out and touch it. Kelsey heard pages flutter on her lap. She gazed down at her pages of pain and poetry. Suddenly, she saw one entitled ‘Man, Lover, Beater.’ She stopped the pages.
She stared at the page, unblinking. She could feel the pain coming back inside her. It was time now. No more pain. No more worry. No more emotions. Just emptiness. Emptiness...pure emptiness.
Kelsey rose and looked over the horizon, “I’m doing this for you,” she whispered into the wind whirling around, beating her body. For Taylor. For Jennifer. For Zac. For Isaac. For everyone. But most importantly, for her.
She raised the gun numbly to her head. Her finger tensed against the trigger. Then suddenly, she heard her name screamed into the air. She turned toward her car and saw four people staring at her, shocked. Just looking at their faces made hot tears sting the corners of her eyes.
“Kelsey...please,” Jennifer spoke first. She held out her hand, “Give me the gun,” Kelsey stood, unmoving, the gun still pointed at her head. “Do it NOW!” the voice screamed, “NOW!” But Kelsey just stared at Jennifer, numbly. Jennifer slowly began to walk toward her.
“Don’t move,” Kelsey’s mouth was moving, and it was her that was talking, but it wasn’t her voice. This voice had no feeling, no emotion. Kelsey wasn’t there anymore. The voice, the demon. It had taken her.
Kelsey turned toward Jennifer, brown eyes blazing yet calm at the same time. She raised to gun to Jennifer’s head. “You move, you die,” Kelsey’s tone was calm and subtle...but deadly serious. Jennifer blinked, unmoving. “Kelsey...” her voice trailed off softly. Before anyone knew it, Jennifer’s eyes had closed and she had hit the ground.
“Jen!” Zac cried, and flung himself onto the ground by her side. He quickly checked her pulse, study but weakier than it should be. Suddenly, he noticed he couldn’t hear her breathing, or see the rise and fall of her chest. “Jennifer...” Zac stopped talking as he moved his mouth to hers and began performing CPR.
“Look at what you’ve done to Jen,” the voice accused, “She’ll never forgive you. Save her the anger; join us, Kelsey. Join us...” Kelsey stared at Zac and Jennifer on the ground, then moved her eyes to Taylor and Isaac. ‘He needs to know I’m not the same,’ she thought, for some reason angry he hadn’t. Even though there was no way he could know. Kelsey penetrated Taylor’s eyes as she brought the gun to her head. With her eyes screaming the pain she felt straight into Taylor’s, she pulled the trigger.
