"Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep"
By: Kasey
(c) 1999/2000
Use your imagination and imagine what I'll do to you
if you steal any of this.

Chapter 7

	It was much later that day when Kasey finally woke
up, again to an empty bed. This time though, she heard
the shower running and knew Howie was in there. She
debated whether or not she should join him and had
just made the decision to join him when the phone by
her bed rang. She picked it up, holding the sheet to
her breasts as she did so.
	" Hello?" she said into the receiver. No one spoke,
there wasn't even the sound of anyone breathing.
Chills slid down her spine, her grip on the sheet
growing tighter, her knuckles turning white at the
pressure," Hello? Is someone there?"	
	" Bitch," the word was husky, whispered, so low that
she had to strain to hear it.
	" Hello?" she asked, scared now. Who was this?
	" Remember me Kasey? The alley?" she didn't hang
around to hear anymore. She slammed down the phone and
blinked her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears. She
let out a small scream when the phone rang again. With
shaking hands she picked it up and held it carefully
to her ear," Dont you ever hang up on me again bitch.
Where's Watchdog? Not making you scream? I heard you
last night Kasey. Damn but you're a passionate woman.
And damned if I wont taste the goods myself. Soon
Kasey. Our time will come very, very soon."
	" Who are you? Why am I so important to you?" she
demanded, determined not to let him hear her fright.
	" You remember me quite clearly Kasey. You saw me,
our souls connected in the alley. I killed that woman
for you. For you my sweet. And when it comes to our
time, I'll make you scream just as much as Watchdog
did," the man said and hung up. Kasey sat there, in
the bed, the receiver still to her ear, the dial tone
buzzing in her ears as Howie stepped out of the
bathroom. He took one look at her, at her pallor and
immediately came over to her, prying the receiver
gently from her fingers. He replaced it in the cradle
and sat on the bed, cradling Kasey in his arms.
	" Who was it?" he asked softly.
	" It was him. He knows my name, knows my phone
number, knows where I live. He said...he said that he
heard us last night. How can he do that? Was he
outside? Oh god Howie. Was he outside?" Kasey asked
and he coud see she was starting to panic and that
worried him. Up until now she had been strong and
unwavering. But if she started to crack, then the
killer would win. And Howie was determined not to let
that bastard win, not with Kasey. In a very short
time, he had come to care for this woman. And not just
sexually. But the emotional attachement he was
beginning to feel for her was also scaring the hell
out of him. The last woman he loved had died because
of his love, how could he place another womans life on
the line like that? But he was too involved now, last
night could never be taken back. He had to protect her
with everything he had in him, including his life.
	" He's messing with you. He's trying to break you
down, slowly. And if you let him, then he'll win
Kasey. And you cant let him win," Howie said, cupping
her face with his hands and staring deep into her
eyes.
	" I dont know if I can stand him calling me. It
scares me that he knows where I live. How did he find
that out? How did he find out my name? Damn it, did he
follow me? Is he outside now?" Kasey asked, her voice
rising, her eyes becoming wild and panic stricken.
	" Kasey, calm down. Take a deep breath. Dont let him
get to you," Howie warned, stroking her face with the
back of one hand. Kasey twisted out of his grasp and
got out of the bed, taking the sheet with her and
wrapping it around her body as she walked over to the
window, She pulled the curtain back a little, staring
out at the street. Nothing was out of place, there was
no strange car or anyone walking past so how could he
have known what had happened last night? Had he just
tested her to get a reaction? Or had he been outside
the whole night, watching, listening, waiting...
	" He's out there Howie," she said quietly and his
blood ran cold. She sounded defeated, lost, as though
her whole will to fight this, to live had gone.
	" No he's not. He was testing you. Making you react.
Dont listen to him."
	" He knows my name. He knows where I live. He knows
you're here. How would he know those things if he at
least didn't follow us, or wasn't out there now,
watching, waiting...he's waiting for you to leave, for
me to become vulnerable. Then he'll come in and finish
what he started in the alley, Kasey said, turning to
face Howie, her eyes bleak. Howie swore underneath his
breath, as he stood up and approached her slowly.
	" I will not let him get to you. I will be by your
side twenty-four hours a day for as long as he is out
there. I will be with you..."
	" You cant be with me every minute of the day Howie.
You have to check in to at the station. You have to
talk to those detectives. He'll find me. He'll come
inside the house when you aren't home and he'll finish
what he started. He'll do it Howie. I saw that in his
eyes. He has no soul, no human conscience. He'll take
pleasure in causing me pain and there wont be a damn
thing anyone can do about it," she said. Howie wrapped
his arms around her, bringing her stiff, unyielding
body against his, trying to soothe the tension out of
her. But she wouldn't be comforted that easy. She
wouldn't relax, couldn't relax as thoughts of that man
whirled around in her head.

*****

	He watched the curtains twitch and saw him take her
in his arms and run his hands over her back. He smiled
evilly, imagining that it was his arms that were
wrapped around her body. He could see it now. The
terror, the whiteness of her skin, her mouth shaped in
a scream as he brought her pain. She had screamed loud
last night, loud enough for him to hear. They hadn't
even seen him, hadn't even realised that he was there,
not even when the tree branch had fallen. That stupid
cop hadn't even done his job, never even coming
outside to investigate. He had wished he would. It
would have been so easy to just hit him over the head
and kill him. That would have left her to him. Kasey.
her name rolled off his tongue and he smiled again. So
sweet, so easy to say. Kasey. This woman would make
him a household name. He would be plastered all over
the papers with what he would do to her. Her name
would live on. Her memory would live, as the victim of
the worlds greatest killer. He had her death all
planned, from her kidnapping, right down to how he
would take her life. She would suffer, much more than
the others. Because she had defied him. She had run,
had escaped and gone to the police. Just for running
he would hurt her, but for going to the police he
would hurt her even more. It would be a sensuous
killing, hard and methodical. And she would scream,
like she had last night, but the screams would sound
much sweeter to him because he would be the cause of
them. Not the Watchdog, as he liked to refer to the
cop. Not that he was very good at doing his job. More
interested in bagging the witness in bed that paying
attention to anyone on the outside. And to him, that
was a good sign. A good sign in that she would be easy
to access. All he had to do was get Watchdog out of
the house in some way. Then, he smiled, his plan could
go ahead. Easy. Step one, get him out of the house.
Step two, get into the house. Step three, take her.
Step four, make her scream. Step five, kill her. Five
simple steps. All it would take was a little time.
Maybe a day, maybe two, but it would take place soon.
Very, very soon. He glanced one more time at the house
and imagined what it would be like, to actually have
the woman instead of dreaming about her. Patience, he
warned himself. No need to rush it. Just take it slow.
Break her down with the phone calls, then move in. And
as he slunk away, he knew it would not be long until
he held Kasey in his arms.