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Post by Blackie on Jan 4, 2008 23:23:26 GMT -5
After a normal day at school, the trio walked to Stephanie's car to bid their goodbyes. Stephanie was laughing at Mark's jokes and holding on to her boyfriend of three years, Kale. As she opened the car door and got inside, she smiled and waved to them. Kale leaned into the window to give her a kiss goodbye and Mark was standing behind him, making his usual funny faces. As she rolled up the window and started to drive off laughing, she fixed the rearview mirror to look behind her and saw something that would scar her forever. Kale was crossing the street when a black truck floored it and ran over him. Terrified, Stephanie got out and rushed to the scene. There lay Kale in a dark pool of his own blood. An ambulance was called and they rushed Kale to the hospital. Later that night Stephanie drove to the hospital to visit Kale. The doctors told her that he was in critical condition and was not expected to make it. When she walked in, Kale was barely conscious. When he looked up and saw her, he smiled. "Hey, look who showed up." he said, hoarsely. With tearful eyes she walked in and pulled a chair up next to his bed and sat down. "Of course. I couldn't just leave you here." She said, trying to choke back tears. "The doctors said you aren't expected to make it." "Yeah I know. But hey, I'm cool with that as long as you're here with me right now." He smiled. "I won't leave you, I'll be here with you to the end." She said, holding on to his hand tightly. "And I won't leave you. I'll be with you forever Stephanie." He said, staring deep into her eyes. As the night wore on, the couple talked and talked, laughing at past events. Neither one of them wanted to face the reality that was sure to happen. Hours passed by and the nurses told Stephanie she couldn't stay for the night. Trying not to cry, Stephanie got up and gave Kale a long kiss goodbye, expecting it to be their last. When she arrived home, she looked at the phone and saw that Mark had called. She called him back to see what he wanted. "Hello?" He answered. "Hi Mark. Did you call?" "Yeah. Listen I heard about what happened earlier today and I just wanted to see how you were doing." "Not so great. The doctors said that he isn't going to make it. Mark, I just don't know what I'm going to do if he dies." "Well, I'm here for you if you should ever need anything." "Thanks Mark." "What are best friends for?" After the phone call with Mark, Stephanie went to soak herself in hot water. She tried and tried to convince herself that none of this was happening, with no luck. She slowly got out of the bathtub and dried off. She brushed her hair and her teeth, then went to bed. She slept restlessly that night, only to receive a phone call the next morning telling her that Kale died over night. This was horrible! She didn't feel like going to school today, but decided she should anyway. Besides, anything is better than to be alone right now. When she arrived, she told Mark of the news and broke down into tears. He pulled her close and let her cry on his shoulder. She sat there for a long time, just allowing the tears to flow. Once the bell rang she gradually got up and trudged to class. She sat there, numb the whole period and the rest of the day. When time came to go home, she slowly walked to her car with Mark and glanced at the spot where the accident had happened, quickly turning away. She said goodbye to her friend and drove home, unaware of her surroundings.
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Post by Blackie on Jan 4, 2008 23:28:52 GMT -5
Upon reaching home, she walked in and threw herself onto the bed. She stared at the phone, waiting for a call that she knew wouldn't come. She slowly drifted to sleep, but was awakened to hear the ring tone that she had set for Kale. Unsure of what to do, she slowly picked it up and answered. "H-hello?" She said with a quivery voice. "Hey sweetie." Came Kale's voice. "No...This isn't possible! I-i thought you were dead..." "I am. I just thought I'd call to see how things were without me." Terrified, Stephanie shut her phone and threw it against the wall. She huddled on the far corner of her bed and stared at the phone that had just broken in half. It started to ring again. She got up and walked over to look at the caller ID. It was him again. She ran back to her bed and covered her ears so she couldn't hear the ring tone. The phone relentlessly kept ringing and ringing. Voice mail never picked up but eventually the ringing silenced. Stephanie spent the rest of the night horrified. She came back to school the next day looking sleep deprived and shaking. "What happened to you?" Mark asked her. "He called." She said, staring into space. "Who called?" "Kale!" "I think you're letting your imagination take control. Kale is dead, remember? You got the phone call from the hospital yesterday morning. It was probably just a dream." "I'm telling you, he called!" She said. "Okay, okay. Tell you what; let's get you inside and something to eat." "I'm not hungry." "Well at least come inside." "Alright." Mark escorted Stephanie inside when a very cold wind picked up. Mark shivered and wrapped his arms around Stephanie to keep her warm. He thought it was rather peculiar since it was spring time. But he soon threw the thought away as he pulled a seat out for Stephanie and sat beside her. As he saw the look on her face, one of deep sorrow and fright, he gripped her hand as a signal that he was there for her. All of a sudden he experienced a sharp pain in his back. He immediately let go to see what was going on, but the pain had subsided. As the day pressed on, the oddities didn't stop. Once, Mark even thought he heard Kale's voice, but decided not to think anything of it. That night, Mark called Stephanie to talk with her and try to calm her down. "Steph, I think Kale's death is driving you a little insane. Are you sure you're okay?" "I'm fine Mark, but thanks for asking." "No problem Steph." "Mark?" "Yeah?" "You know, you're really sweet." "Thanks." "And the time isn't right just yet, but when it comes.. I was just wondering.." "Wondering what?" "Well, I guess I'm just trying to say that I really like you." "I really like you too." "It's getting late and I'm tired. I should probably get to bed." "Good idea, goodnight Steph." "Night Mark." That night, Stephanie slept peacefully and without bother. The same could not be said for Mark. He kept feeling this awful chill, but he couldn't understand why. So he went to turn the heater on. As he walked to the bathroom to take a shower, he thought he saw somebody standing in one of the rooms as he passed. He turned the light on, but only saw a stack of boxes and a picture of him standing with Kale and Stephanie. He turned the light off and went to take a shower. When he got out, he wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked to his bedroom to put some boxers on, but dropped the towel in shock when he caught sight of the wall. In big letters, written in blood were the words "LEAVE HER ALONE". Mark slowly backed out and decided to sleep on the couch instead. All night, he was tossing and turning, trying to figure out what the words were talking about. The next morning Mark's alarm went off. It took a while for it to reach him in the living room, but he slowly got up and made his way to turn it off. Still half asleep, he hit the button with his fist and looked up without realizing it. The words had disappeared. The absense didn't really occure to Mark. He pulled on his jeans and put a shirt on, then went to comb his hair. When he got in his car to drive to school, he thought he saw a face reflected in the windshield. But when he looked behind him, nobody was there.
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Post by Blackie on Jan 4, 2008 23:31:34 GMT -5
He arrived at school and Stephanie came running up to him and threw her arms around him. He place one hand around her waist and the other on the back of her head as he kissed the top. "I was lonely last night Mark." "I know Steph, I know." He said as he caressed her hair. All of a sudden it hit him. "Uh.. That's probably enough hugging Steph. I mean, you said it yourself. It's just not the right time." "Oh. Yeah.. You're right. Sorry." She said as she backed off. Mark started to walk inside then turned back to signal Stephanie to follow him. She caught up to him and wrapped her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her and she looked up at him, smiling. He didn't say anything, but looked down awkwardly. "Is something wrong Mark? I thought you said you liked me too." "I do! I do.. I just didn't sleep well last night." "Why not?" "I found a picture of the three of us and.. I don't know. I just thought it would be wrong of me to take you away from Kale right after he died." "Oh, I see your point. But he's dead now. Anyway, he would want me to be happy, right?" "Yeah, but still. Maybe we should just slow it down a bit." "What ever." She said unhappily as she let go and sped ahead of him. "Hurry up, are you coming inside or not?" "I'm coming." They sat in the cafeteria in angry silence until the bell rang and they walked to first period together. Mark didn't really like making Stephanie mad at him, but Kale was obviously unhappy with the two of them. All day Mark kept trying to convince himself that Kale was dead and that there was no reason to be afraid, but nothing worked. Everytime he passed Stephanie in the halls he would try and talk to her, but she was still sore from being rejected. He tried to explain to her all the moral reasons for his actions, but she wasn't believing any of it. "Look, Steph! I'm sorry! But Kale-" "But Kale what?" She cut him off. "Kale isn't here Mark! He's dead!" She collapsed on the floor and began to sob. Feeling bad about his behavior and not wanting to look like a jerk, Mark knelt beside her and hugged her for comfort. She tried to push him off, but he held on tight and wouldn't let go until she was okay again. She eventually quit struggling, but the commotion was gaining attention. People started to gather around, murmuring and asking if everything was okay. "Everything is fine people! Now go and leave her alone!" Mark snapped. The crowd slowly, but not without protest, started to scatter and regain normality. Mark helped Stephanie up and walked her to her last class of the day, even though he would be late for his. "Thanks," she said as she wiped away tears from her face, "I'm sorry for back there. It's just not fair that he died and we're stuck here dealing with it! The funeral is tomorrow at two. It would mean a lot to me if you showed up. And it's Saturday, so there shouldn't be much going on." "I'll be there." Mark said. "Thank you. For going and for walking me to class. I'm sorry I made you late, I know how much keeping your attendance up meant to you." "It's no problem Steph. I should get going though." "Bye Mark."
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Post by Blackie on Jan 4, 2008 23:40:23 GMT -5
Mark turned around without saying a word and walked to his classroom. The bell rang while he was still in the hall so he started to run. When he got in, he apologized for being late and explained what happened. The teacher accepted his excuse and handed him the end of the week quiz, which he finished quickly. He spent the rest of the period trying to think of what he would wear to the funeral. It was his best friend and he wanted to wear something proper, but he couldn't think of anything that he had that was appropriate for a funeral. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, he rushed outside to talk to Stephanie about appropriate funeral attire. She told him to just wear black slacks and a formal black shirt and that she wouldn't be able to talk today. She had to help prepare for the funeral. After they were done talking, the two went their separate ways. That night was unusually peaceful considering the past few days. The serenity concerned Mark. He knew something was up, but he was glad that he could rest easy for the night. The next morning was cold and both Mark and Stephanie were sleeping in. At Stephanie's house, Kale appeared and crawled in bed with her. She barely woke up and didn't really realize what was going on. After a moment of examination, she saw who it was that was cuddling with her. She quickly backed up as far as she could, but was stopped by a wall. Kale looked at her and smiled. "Don't be afraid Sugar, it's just me." "But you aren't supposed to be here!" "I told you, I'll always be with you." “But you’re dead!!” she shouted. “That doesn’t mean I can’t come visit you.” Stephanie broke down into tears again. Kale saw her crying and pulled her into his chest. Stephanie wasn’t comforted though, she couldn’t hear his heart beating. "I miss you so much Kale." she said. "It's alright, I'm here." He said as he gently stroked her hair. At the same time all this was going on, Kale had also appeared at Mark's bedside. Except the Kale that was at Stephanie's house was not the one here. The one here was covered in blood and had a malicious look in his eyes. Mark felt a presence in his slumber and slowly woke up. He was frightened to see a murderous, dead Kale standing there, breathing heavily. Kale advanced on him quickly and gripped his throat, lifting him up and pinning him to the wall. His breathing increasing rapidly. "Kale..." Mark choked. "I told you to leave her alone man! That's not cool!" "It's not what you think.." Mark said quietly, barely being able to breathe. "SHE BELONGS TO ME, MAN! SHE'S MINE! BACK OFF!" "She came to me." Mark could barely spit the words out. "Touch her again and I'll kill you!" Kale said as he threw Mark onto the floor. Mark backed away quickly as Kale disappeared. He wasn’t so sure that he wanted to go to the funeral now. There were several things that he would have to deal with. He knew that Stephanie would be clinging to him the whole time. He would have to look at his best friend’s dead body. And then to top it all off, he was just attacked by his best friend because of Stephanie’s constant clinging.
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Post by Blackie on Jan 4, 2008 23:43:29 GMT -5
Meanwhile, Kale and Stephanie had moved their little cuddle moment into a full blown make out scene. Then reality hit Steph. “Wait.. You’re dead.” “So what?” “I can’t do this. Anyway I have to get ready for the funeral. Your funeral.” “Ah, c’mon babe. I thought you missed me.” “I do. Constantly. I just can’t do this though.” Kale was silent for a few moments. “Well since you seem serious, I guess I’ll see you on the other side.” “I love you Kale. I always will.” “I love you too, Steph.” Kale disappeared, leaving Stephanie in an emotional wreck. She wished he could have stayed longer, but she had to prepare herself to see him laying dead in a casket. She stared at the spot where he had just been and placed her hand on it. It was ice cold. She began sobbing on her pillow. Then she gingerly got out of bed and looked in the mirror. As she studied the look on her face, she decided that she needed to talk to somebody. She picked up her broken cell phone. It wasn’t working. She picked up the house phone and dialed Mark’s number. As it began to ring at Mark’s house, he gave a startled jolt at the sound. Then he carefully picked up the phone to see who was calling. Realizing that it was only Steph, he answered. “Hello?” He said. “Hey Mark. Ready for today?” she replied. “Uh…Yeah I guess” “Listen, I called to ask you a favor.” “Sure anything.” “Can I stay at your place tonight? I don’t feel comfortable by myself.” “Yeah. Me neither.” He said, rubbing the spot on his throat where Kale had pinned him. “But sure, you can stay.” “Great, thanks. I should get ready. And you should too. The funeral is in two hours.” “Crap, is it that late already? Alright, well see you later then Steph. Be careful.” “You too.” Stephanie hung up the phone and took off her pajamas to put her dress on. At the same time, Mark was in the bathroom shaving his face and examining the mark Kale had left on his neck. He rinsed off and went to the bedroom to get dressed. He took off his ratty jeans and put on some nice, black slacks accompanied by a black suit jacket. He put a tie on and straightened it up in the mirror. When he was done he took a deep breath and tried to make himself ready for this. He grabbed the car keys and drove off to the funeral home, where he would meet Stephanie. Stephanie put on her make up and finished fixing her hair. She took one long look in the mirror and decided that she was ready. She too picked up her car keys and drove off to the home. When she saw Mark standing in his formal suit, she was in awe. “You look amazing.” She said as she walked up to him. “Thanks, but this was supposed to be for paying respects to a friend, not for scoring hot chicks.” He said looking down at his feet. “Well let’s go in, shall we?” She asked, once again wrapping her arm around his. He gripped his neck where the injury was. “Uh.. Yeah.” They walked inside and saw a full crowd that had also come out to pay their respects. Mark escorted Stephanie to a seat and sat down next to her. Stephanie gripped his hand and rubbed on it affectionately with her thumb. Mark stared awkwardly the opposite way. As the ceremony began, Mark grew more nervous, wondering if Kale would make an appearance. And if he did, would anybody else see it? The desire to pull away from Stephanie steadily increased. Not because he didn’t want to hold her hand, he loved it, but because he didn’t really want to get killed. To his relief, as they got further into the ceremony, she began to weep and needed her hand to wipe away her tears. He was safe for now. Finally the time came to bury the body. Everybody filed outside and surrounded the burial site where the grave had already been prepared. Even Mark felt tears rolling down his cheek as they lowered his best friend into the dirt. Stephanie looked over at him, but he turned away quickly. He didn’t want her to think he was weak, so he didn’t want her to see him like this. But instead she turned his face back toward her and smiled. She had been crying too. She held onto Mark tightly as everyone watched them through in the last bit of dirt.
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Post by Blackie on Jan 4, 2008 23:44:56 GMT -5
“Let’s go, I can’t stay here.” Stephanie told him. “Alright. You take your car and I’ll take mine and we’ll both go to my place.” “Okay.” She said, before leaning in and kissing him. He smiled and then walked to his car. He sat waiting inside until he saw her get into her own. Then he started it up and headed for his house, with Stephanie close behind him. When they arrived, he got out of his car and helped her out of hers. Then he led her up the porch to the front door and unlocked it, motioning her in. She stepped inside with awe. “Wow Mark! You have such a nice house.” “Uh.. Thanks. Feel free to make yourself at home.” “Thanks. Um, where will I sleep?” “Crap. Sorry, I forgot to get the guest bed cleaned up.” “Oh.. That’s okay. Does your couch fold out into a bed or something?” “No, sorry. The only other place to sleep would be my bed.” “Well, I guess you get company tonight then.” “Uh.. Well I suppose I could sleep on the couch and you can have the bed.” “No, that’s okay. I’ll need somebody to keep me warm anyway.” “Um, okay. So what do you want to do now?” “I don’t know, watch a movie?” “Alright, what kind?” “How about a romantic comedy?” “Okay..” Mark picked out the best romantic comedy he had, though he didn’t have many. He sat down on the far end of the couch and Stephanie scooted closer. Mark was feeling awkward again. He didn’t want to tell her that her deceased boyfriend threatened to kill him. She rested her head on his shoulder as she watched the movie. Mark watched the movie too, but he didn’t put his arm around her or anything. They sat like that through the entire movie, though she kept trying to get him to cuddle. An hour and a half later, after the movie had ended, he felt even more awkward than he had in the beginning. He didn’t like having to turn her down like that. “I’m hungry.” She said, interrupting Mark’s thoughts. “Oh, well what do you want to eat?” “I dunno, maybe just a sandwich or something.” “Well, why don’t you come into the kitchen and choose something?” “Okay.” Mark escorted her to the kitchen where she picked out all the food she wanted. She sat down at the table with Mark as he waited for her to finish. He noticed that she took rather small bites, and figured that he was going to be waiting a while. Once she finished, she took her plate to the sink and washed it off. “I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.” “Uh.. Us? As in the two of us?” “Well yeah silly. I told you I needed somebody to keep me warm.” “Uh..” But before he could protest, she was dragging him by his wrist, into the bedroom. There, she got undressed for bed, while he got undressed in the closet, not wanting to invade her privacy or anything. He came out wearing just his boxers and slid under the covers with his back to Stephanie. She was wearing a silky pink nightgown that only went half way down her thigh. Mark gulped, wide eyed, and kept his back turned. He had yet to succeed at sleeping in the same bed as a hot girl without taking their clothes off. It didn’t help that she was now rubbing along his body seductively. She obviously wanted it, she had to. Mark was finding it harder and harder to resist. After some consideration, he came to the conclusion that since they had just witnessed Kale’s body being buried, it was probably safe now. He finally caved and turned over to face Stephanie. She smiled at him, her eyes glittered in the dim moonlight. Without realizing it, he leaned closer to her. Her lips joined his in a kiss. Once the kiss stopped they looked at each and then started kissing again, only more aggressively. Through the night, they tossed and turned, creating lots of noise and disruption in the midnight silence. When they had both settled down, Stephanie looked over at Mark. “Hey Mark..” “Yeah?” “I think.. I think I’m falling in love with you. More so than I did with Kale.” “Oh..” “That’s it? Just oh?” “Well, Steph, I love you. I have for a long time, but you were always with Kale so I could never show you. I just don’t think you should replace Kale like that though. You guys were together for three years. The guy was completely head over heals for you.” “Yes, but he never did any of this stuff for me.” “He probably had a good reason.” “Well, maybe. But I wish he could show me that he loved me the way you have.” “Every guy has their own way of showing affection. Besides, he was probably waiting for the right moment, trying to make it special. You know what I mean?” “Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, I’m going to sleep. Good night Mark.” “Good night Stephanie.”
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Post by Blackie on Jan 4, 2008 23:47:04 GMT -5
The pair slept soundly that night. The next morning Stephanie awoke to find Mark still asleep, snoring slightly. She smiled to herself and slipped out of bed. She walked down the hall, got a small device from her purse, and silently strolled to the bathroom. By the time Mark woke up, Stephanie was already in the kitchen, trying to find something to eat. Mark slowly made his way into the kitchen in his boxers. He stretched and scratched his chest, as most guys do, upon entering. “Well look who decided to wake up this morning.” Stephanie teased him. “Yeah.” He smiled, still half asleep. “I made French toast for breakfast.” She said as she slid his piece onto the table. “Thanks." The two sat there, eating their breakfast. Mark felt awkward about last night, and he couldn't help but to feel a little guilty. On the other hand, Stephanie felt closer to Mark than ever before. She had never felt this level of affection for somebody before. It was a brand new feeling that came with the new experience and she loved it. Stephanie finished her breakfast and took the plate over to the sink. When she came back, she sat down right next to Mark who looked away silently to finish his breakfast. Stephanie turned his head back to her and giggled. He had a mouth full of toast and some powdered sugar in the corners of his mouth. She leaned closer to his face. He swallowed his food and backed away. "Uh..." he said "What's wrong?" Stephanie asked him. "Nothing.. I just think we should keep the affection to a minimum." "Why?" "I don't know, it just doesn't seem right." "Well.. Okay." "Thanks Steph." "No problem." Mark finished his breakfast too and came back to sit down. "So what are we gonna do today?" Stephanie asked him. "I dunno, maybe go to a movie theater?" "Sounds good to me." "Okay, what do you want to go see?" "I'm thinking a horror movie sounds nice." "Alright, there's one at four later today." "Great. Thanks Mark." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Yeah.. No problem." Later that day, the couple went to the movie theater. They got their drinks and popcorn and took a seat. There was nobody else in the theater so they had the whole thing to themselves.Stephanie was resting her head on Mark's shoulder while he rested his arm around her. Whenever a scary part of the movie came up, Stephanie would hold on extra tight to Mark. He would just look down, smiling, and kiss her on the top of the head affectionately. After they finished the movie, the new couple went out to eat. By the time the whole date was over it was eight o' clock and dark outside. They entered Mark's house laughing. Mark turned the light on and took off his jacket. He hung it up on the coat rack and walked over to Stephanie and kissed her. All of a sudden the lights went pitch black. Mark held onto Steph as they stood completely still. They heard maniacal laughing in the distance, like it was in another dimension. The laughing grew closer and louder, then Kale appeared right in front of them. There was an ominous glow coming off of his figure. He was bleeding worse than he had been the last time he visited Mark, and his flesh was decaying and starting to fall off. "Hello Mark, Stephanie. Nice to see you two getting along so well," he said dangerously cheerful, "A little too well." Kale pulled out a gun and pointed it at Mark. His eyes were filled with hatred so deep it could've bore a hole through Mark with no need for a bullet. Stephanie clung tightly onto Mark who pushed her out of the path the bullet would follow should the gun be fired. Steph sat on the ground and started to cry. "Stop! Kale don't shoot him!" she sobbed. "Why shouldn't I!?" He yelled at her. "Because..." She continued to cry, "There's a good chance that I'm carrying his baby.." "Wha.." Mark looked over at her, wide eyed in shock. "What.. But.. Stephanie.." Kale stuttered. He shot a glare at Mark. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH HER AGAIN!" Kale turned away from them. His expression was filled with pain, disgust, and hatred. He felt so betrayed by his best friend and his girlfriend. He was trying to choke back the tears, but he couldn't stop them. He turned back around to face Mark, who was petrified in fright. Kale's eyes were blazing with rage, tears streaming down his cheek. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, then he fired the gun. The bullet hit Mark in the chest, but it was in a spot that was going to take some time to bleed out. Stephanie screamed and rushed over to Mark and started cry. As he lay there dieing, Mark looked at Stephanie with an expression of deep passion and placed a hand on her cheek. "Stephanie, I love you.. So very much. You'll be a great mother to our child." "I love you too Mark." She sobbed. "Oh shut up!" Kale snapped. He fired the gun again, this time at Mark's head. Mark instantly fell dead, leaving Stephanie crying over his body. "How could you!? You monster!" Stephanie screamed at Kale. "How could I!? Stephanie you slept with my best friend! How could either one of you do that to me!? When did this happen anyway!" He yelled. Stephanie looked down and wiped away her tears. She calmed herself down enough to talk somewhat normally. "It was the night of your funeral.. Kale, I just couldn't stand to be alone! And he said he's loved me for a long time.. He just never got to prove it.." "Oh God.." Kale sounded like he was about to puke, but looked like he was about to cry. "I don't care if he never got to prove it! That's because you were with me!! And it was on the night of MY FUNERAL!?!?" "Kale.. I'm so sorry." Kale took a deep breath and straightened his face up, then looked her straight in the eye. "I don't care. Shut up slut." He shot her once in the head. She fell to the ground next to Mark and lay there unmoving. Kale dropped the gun and took one last look at the two, or three if you count the baby, of them. "Perfect family portrait." He sniped. Kale disappeared, leaving behind the gun and the bodies behind. The police investigated the murder for several years, but couldn't believe it when the evidence pointed to a man that had died days before the crime. The case has yet to be solved.
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Post by Blackie on Jan 5, 2008 0:07:44 GMT -5
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