"Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep"
By: Kasey
(c) 1999/2000
I'm running out of threats, but by now you should know
what not to do.

Chapter 13

	She was too involved in making the table look perfect
to hear the slight click of the door opening and
closing. Howie would be back soon and she wanted to
have evrything ready by the time he walked through the
door. The lasagne was bubbling away in the oven,
sending out delicious smells. The salad was in the
fridge, waiting for the dressing to be added and the
wine was opened and sitting in an ice bucket on the
table, along with a vase full of the flowers he had
bought for her and several already lit candles. She
was leaning over on of these candles when she heard
someone come up behind her. Thinking it was Howie, she
turned around, a smile on her face.
	" Howie..." she said, but the smile died when she saw
that it wasn't Howie," Oh god no."
	" Oh god yes. Hello Kasey," it was him. The man from
the alley," Did you think I'd forgotten you?"
	" Why are you here? How did you get in?" she asked,
backing up against the table. She had nowhere to go.
He was blocking her only escape route. She was right
up against the table now. She rested her hands on the
table top, feeling a knife underneath her palm. She
grasped it gratefully, knowing that at some point she
would need this. He was right up against her now, so
close that she could feel his breath on her. 
	" You really should lock your doors," he said,
running his finger along her collarbone," And why
shouldn't I be here? You are mine after all." His
finger ran down to between her breasts and rested
there. Kasey shuddered at his touch and gripped
tighter on the only weapon she had," We have plenty of
time Kasey. Watchdog wont be back, if I did my job
correctly. And I know that I did."
	" What did you do to Howie?"she asked, terrified at
the thought that Howie was hurt. She couldn't stand
the thought of him suffering because of her.
	" Oh I just got rid of him. No worries. You wont have
to put up with his touch ever again. You'll be all
mine, from this moment on," he said and cupped her
breast through her dress. She swallowed her revulsion,
her heart beating faster. 
	" You killed him," she accused.
	" Probably," he said, chuckling. She glared at him
angrily.
	" I loved him."
	" You cant love him. You love me," he snarled at her,
grabbing her arm roughly and pulling her against his
body. She choked back her disgust as he ran his tongue
down her face.
	" I dont love you. I never could love you. I dont
even know you," she said.
	" You know me. I'm all you've been thinking about,
even when he's been inside you," he said crudely and
she flinched. It was true, in a sense. She had been
thinking about him of course, but never when she had
been with Howie. Her entire body, mind and soul had
been focused on Howie each time they had been
together.
	" Dont kid yourself," she said and cried out when his
grip tightened, his fingers cruelly digging into her
flesh.
	" Dont provoke me bitch. I'll take great pleasure in
making you scream, but if you push me, I wont give you
mercy."
	" Mercy?" she spat at him, her eyes alight with
fire," Men like you have no mercy." She cried out as
he back handed her hard across her mouth. She raised a
shaky hand to her lips and it came away with blood on
it," You bastard."
	" Give me anymore trouble and that will seem like
nothing compared to what I can do to you," he said
right in her face. She swallowed nervously but didnt
let him see it.
	" I'm not about to let you intimidate me, you weak
ass son of a bitch. You should start picking on
someone your own sex and size," she said and swung her
arm around in an arc, embedding the knife deeply into
the flesh of his upper arm. He howled in pain,
clutching his arm, letting go of her in the process.
She took that oppurtunity to grab a lit candle and
bring it up, smashing the hot wax against his eye and
pushing past him. She raced out of the dining room and
into the kitchen, scrabbling through a drawer, trying
to find a sharper knife. Just as her hands closed
around the handle, her head was pulled back roughly by
her hair. She screamed and let go of the knife in an
attempt to lessen the pain of her hair being torn.
	" You will pay for that bitch," his voice grated in
her ear and she felt hard cold metal pressing against
her throat," Feel this? Its the same knife that cut
the pretty throats of many other women. You will be
the most important of them all. I'll make a name for
myself through you. And you will live on in infamy
because of me."
	" You cant do this."
	" Cant I? Hell if I cant. I've got the knife. Your
watchdog is dead. Who's gonna stop me? You? Some weak
bitch?"
	" You're weak. You go around killing women. What does
that make you? You think you're big and strong? That
you're a big man? I dont think so. I think you're just
some weak, small man who cant get it up so you have to
kill innocent to find your pleasure. "
	" Bitch. I'll show you what type of man I am.
Watchdog was nothing in bed. I'm gonna make you
scream. Over and over again. I'm gonna use your whole
body to make me feel good," he whispered and moved the
knife from her throat. He dragged the tip down to her
breast, resting the blade against the soft curve. She
whimpered softly as he pressed the blade harder into
her flesh and she felt the slight sting as her flesh
was cut. 
	" See. You need a knife to prove your manhood. Real
men dont need to use anything..."she cried out again
as he pulled her head back even tighter, dragging her
out of the kitchen and into the living room. He threw
her towards the floor where she landed hard on her
knees. He started pacing in front of her, waving the
knife around, a wildness in his eyes that hadn't been
there before.
	" Its whores like you that make men like me. You
tease and you use and you lead a man on. And when we
react, you all hate us. And its your fault in the
first place that we act like this," he said. She
crawled away from him, resting her back against the
wall, drawing her knees up against her chest.
	" You're crazy. I dont know you. You do this
yourself. Its not my fault..." she cried out when he
rushed over to her and flicked the blade in her face.
	" Shut up. Shut up or I gut you like a fish right
here."
	" You wouldn't do that. You want to make me scream.
So make me scream big man. Make me scream," she was
terrified she was making a mistake, edging him on but
she wasn't going to give him an easy time of it. 
	" You want to see what I can do?" he asked and
flicked the knife down to the front of her dress. He
placed the knife under the top button and flicked it
off, the button flying away and the dress parting to
reveal the tops of her breasts. Her licked his lips
and did the same with the next button, and the next,
until all the buttons were gone and the dress was
lying open, her silk covered breasts revealed to his
eyes. Kasey looked down and saw blood staining the
pink silk of her bra and swallowed against the sight,"
Can he make you bleed? I'm gonna do you so good that
you're gonna be split wide open and bleeding." Kasey
stared at him in horror as he started to unbuckle his
pants. She reached her hand out, moving it along the
wall, hoping that something was lying around so she
could use it against him. He grabbed her ankles and
pulled her down, so she was lying flat on her back,
hiking her dress up so she was bared to him. He rested
heavily between her thighs, his hands grappling in
that general area and she heard the tearing sound as
her panties were ripped from her body. And just as she
felt his hardness spring free, her hand met up with a
book. She picked it up with one hand as best as she
could and brought it down on top of his head. It was
enough to make him lose grip of the knife and she
dropped the book and picked up the knife, slashing out
against him as she kicked her legs up, bringing her
knees into her body, pushing him off her body and
rolling away from underneath him. She scrabbled to her
feet, still holding the knife in her hands as he
staggered to his feet, his hand covering his head,
blood starting to seep through his fingers. She must
have caught him with the sharp edge. But she didn't
care. This man had killed. He was going to kill her.
As much pain as he was going through, she would be
going through a lot more if she gave up.
	" I've got the knife now big man. What are you gonna
do?" she asked and he snarled, lunging for her. She
moved to her side and he fell forward, hitting his
head on the fireplace. She held her breath as he
slumped forward, the cut from his head bleeding, but
he didn't move again. She stumbled to the phone, tears
streaming down her face as she picked up the receiver,
only to be confronted with complete silence. She
glanced at him again, before leaving the room and
heading towards the front door. The door flew open
just as her hand touched the doorknob and Howie burst
in, gun in hand, his eyes wild with worry. But he
dropped his gun when Kasey fell into his arms and
together they sank to their knees, his arms tight
around her as she sobbed against his chest.
	" Oh my god. I'm sorry, god I'm sorry," he whispered
brokenly, the hot wetness of his tears mingling with
hers.
	" I thought you were dead. He told me he'd killed
you," she sobbed and she could hear his heart beating
fast, his chest heaving.
	" He killed Brooks. Not me. I should never have left
you alone. Never. He came in and he blitzed Brooks,
thinking he was me. I got over here as soon as we saw
him leave but I was terrified that it wouldn't be in
time. God Kasey, I love you, I love you, I love you.
Dont ever leave me," he said, his mouth moving over
her face, licking her tears, then meeting with hers,
their tongues meeting in a fired duel, mingled
emotions of love and relief mixing with the slowing
down of adrenaline.
	" Looks like I didn't do my job too well," the
grating voice was so close, as if he was right behind
her. They broke apart, Howie scrambling for his gun as
other voice filtered into the haze that Kasey was
surrounded in. But Howies gun was in the other mans
hand...and it was pointed directly at Kaseys head,"
But I know a way I can keep you two apart." And as the
trigger was depressed, and the hammer moved slowly
back, Kasey felt as if her entire life was just flying
by, her time with Howie seeming so short. And then she
felt her body being jarred to the side, just as the
sound of  guns being fired filtered through her
consciousness. She looked up and stared at the police
man who stood at her door, gun pointed behind her. But
it was the stickiness beneath her hands, the pungent
smell of blood reaching her nostrils that jerked her
out of her haze. She stared down in horror at the
puddle of blood that was spreading out from underneath
Howies body, his eyes focused steadily on hers as his
breathing shortened and became sharper. The scream
that left her lips caused everyone in the room to
flinch and as she knelt over him, her hands pressed
against the gaping hole in his chest, tears streaming
down her face, she reached one blood smeared hand up
to his face and ran it down his cheek, begging him
with her eyes not to leave her.
	" I love you," he said, his eyes fighting to stay
open as men worked around her, pressing white bandages
against his chest, the stark whiteness becoming
stained with his blood within seconds.
	" No. Dont leave me. Please. Howie, god no, dont
leave me. Please," she begged, her voice breaking.
Someone took her arm gently, trying to pull her away
but she jerked away from whoever it was and leaned
down, kissing Howie on his lips, breathing her life
essence into him, desperately trying to keep him alive
so that he would stay with her.
	" I love you," he whispered and his eyes closed. She
was moved away from him, this time she gave no fight,
instead accepting the comfort the mans arms gave her.
She watched in a daze as Howie was bundled into an
ambulance and driven away. And, as she watched the
killer be bundled into a police car, she knew then,
that he had won.