Possession

Claire walked toward Taylor, a knife in hand. Taylor still tried to unlock the door, unsuccessfully.

Why couldn't he just do what I wanted him to? I thought he would understand, be mine, and only mine. But no! He had to go and be like this! Well, no he'll be sorry won't he?!

She admired her reflection in the mirror. She was a pretty girl. She always had been, with her dark hair and eyes, and that pale skin that seemed to set it all off and made her cheeks look rosier in the wintertime.

Of course, Taylor doesn't think that. He thinks I'm ugly! I am ugly!

She balled her left hand into a fist and smashed it into the glass, shattering the mirror and sending shards of glass everywhere.

"Sara, please! No!" Taylor cried.

Claire stopped. "Sara? My name is Claire Hatchett." she looked at him like he was crazy. "Silly boy, that was just a fake name. I used that name so you'd think I was Ruth's daughter."

She dug a piece of glass out of her hand and threw it to the floor.

"Claire? Claire Hatchett? Didn't your parents-"

"Yes! My parents died in that big fire in Tulsa! Yes! I killed them, and yes, I'm glad I did! Does that answer all your questions?" Claire flung the knife around wildly.

Taylor pressed up against the door as hard as he could. He softly said a prayer to himself, asking for help, someone, anyone.

Zac groaned in disgust as he squished yet another spider under his hand. This tunnel was amazingly long, he wasn't even sure he was going the right direction.

I don't feel like I'm in "Mission Impossible" anymore. I feel more like I'm starring in some twisted version of "Arachniphobia".

Catching sight of a vague hint of light, he quickened his crawling speed. When he reached the end, what he saw put a feeling of fear in him like nothing he had ever felt before.

Taylor was in there. That awful girl was there too, holding a knife right in his face. The light had obviously come from all of the candles that were burning in the room.

The girl is deranged. If I don't do something, she will surely kill Taylor. If I ever had any doubts, I know for sure now.

Without thinking twice, he knew what he had to do.

"Why? Why did you do this? Why me?" Taylor asked, breathing heavily, his blue eyes wild with fear.

Claire held the knife down at her side and a far away look was adoned on her pretty face.

"I had a bad day at school and was walking around the playground by myself again. I saw a white van pull into the school driveway and you inside it. You were staring at me, I thought there was a connection between us. So I followed you around. I skipped out on Grandma Louise and took my inheritance to follow you. I love you so much, why can't you see that?" Claire said. Tears started coming down her cheeks.

"Well, If I can't have you, no one will!" She arched the knife above her head.

"WAIT!!!" Taylor screamed. Claire stopped in mid-stab. Taylor's heart was pounding like a jack hammer. "Who said I didn't want to be with you?! I do, I really do! Don't kill me!"

Claire frowned. "Why didn't you say so sooner, Taylor?! Now everyone knows about you and I and they won't let us be together! It's too late for that Taylor! They only way we can be together is if I kill us both."

"No! No! It doesn't hav-"

Claire covered her mouth with her own, in a urgent, harsh kiss, and then pulled away, looking at him sadly. He just looked horrified, and opened his mouth to scream again. She put one hand over his mouth, and with one hand and held the knife at his throat with the other.

"Shhhhh. Just close your eyes...." she sang softly along with "Possession".

Taylor closed his eyes, waiting for the pain. He couldn't fight her, he couldn't scream for help, there was nothing he could do. She was going to kill him and that was that.

He braced himself for the pain. Instead, he heard a loud thud and then Claire slumped against him and onto the floor.

He looked up and saw Zac holding what appeared to be the cover off the vent, staring at Claire with a scowl on his face.

Zac leaned over her and spoke in a soft, serious voice.

"Possess that, you psycho."

The crowd screamed again, making several crew members wince as they continued setting up equipment. It was the night of the Beacon Theater show.

Claire Hatchett had been arrested on several charges, including murder for some other man and his family. They carted her off to jail, and according to Detective Harve, she would probably be going to an institution for the criminally insane.

Taylor remembered the look on her face when they cuffed her and she drove off in the police car. She had mouthed, "I love you."

He shivered.

Perhaps the best thing, the press was never going to find out. No one would ever know about this whole thing. Everything will just go back to normal.

Sure it wasn't just something that you could forget about, but at least they were safe now. That brought out more adrenaline and excitement that anything could ever give them.

Zac smiled happily at Taylor. Now that Claire was out of their lives, he could have the old Taylor back.

"No offense bud, but you got really paranoid for a while there." Zac told Taylor.

"Me? You're the one who was talking about bullet proof vests and stuff!"

They laughed together, and started to throw things at each other.

"Five minutes till the curtain rises guys." a crew member informed them, holding up 5 fingers.

"Thanks." they replied in unison.

"Hey Zac, do you have the feeling we forgot something?" Taylor said.

He looked at Zac. Zac looked at him.

"Oh NO!" they cried.

"Zac?" Ike called out.

"Hey Zac? This isn't funny anymore!" Walker cried.

"Zac! Let us out!" Jessica exclaimed.

"Unlock the door! Please!" Diana begged.

"Please!" both Avery and Mackie shouted.

"Zac?"