Story Of My Life

Chapter 1

Kacey was going to die. She knew that.  Her attacker knew it too.  That the multiple stab wounds no longer hurt would have frightened her more but she was trying to focus.  She had to make it to the panic button.  She could feel her consciousness slipping as she crawled slowly towards the alarm. She knew that help would not arrive in time to save her but that was not her goal.  She needed for them to get there in time to save him. If she couldn't summon help before she died, he would walk into the house to be greeted by whatever grotesque display the assailant arranged with her body and all the blood.  There was so much blood.  In his shock, he would not see the girl waiting for him. He would not be prepared when the she showed him what had been done and would not say the right things.  That's when the fanatic would turn on him, catching him off guard, and kill him too.

She could not allow that. She had to get help. He was all she cared about, inching her way towards the coffee table.  Kacey was on the floor in the lounge where she had fallen the last time the girl had struck her. She was close but not close enough to reach the alarm button beneath the left edge of the table. She could hear the young woman raving while she stalked around the room. The teen's voice was rising and falling, becoming more agitated listing all the ways that he had been wronged.

"You were never enough for him!  How could you even think that you could be good enough for him? You are so short and fat. And Ugly!  He deserves so much better than you. And he will have that.  He will have me.  I will love him!"  she shouted.  'YOU HURT HIM! He has been so sad these last two weeks.  Sad and upset because of you! I have been watching him.  He never smiles anymore.  And you are responsible.  I saw you run out of the house and get on the bus. Oh, you thought you were being so sneaky, but I saw you."

As the girl continued to rant at her, Kacey moved steadily closer to the table.  It was hard for her to see where she was going, the cut on her scalp bleeding into her eyes.  She tried to wipe the blood away but her left arm didn't seem to want to work.

The fan, distracted from her tirade, noticed her moving towards the table.

"You stupid bitch! You can't get away from me!  I am not going to let you hurt him anymore! You deserve to die and I'm going to kill you.  He'll see how I've taken care of his problems.  He'll see that I LOVE HIM!" 

The girl, her face red and contorted, moved closer and prepared to finish the job. Kacey realized that she would not be able to reach the button in time and tried desperately to blink the blood from her eyes as her nemesis knelt down in front of her.  Raising the knife above her head, with both hands on the hilt, the intruder was ready to slash down at her throat.  Kacey had one last chance. The girl was so close.  Using all her strength, she struck out with the palm of her right hand.  It felt like time slowed as the heel of her palm moved towards the girl's face, finally connecting with the nose. She felt the cartilage crack as the girl's head snapped back.  Kacey heard the knife clatter to the wood floor as her aggressor slumped backwards. 

Her whole body trembling, a small sob escaped Kacey's lips.  She scooted herself towards the coffee table, her back against the sofa. Her sight began to tunnel as she leaned over to the table. Just as she pressed the button, her vision went black.

*

One year prior

Harry was sat on the bed in his hotel room.  It looked exactly like every other room in any one of the dozens of hotels he had been in since the tour started. The crowd tonight had been just as loud as all the others, the venue just as big and the show just the same. The concert had been over for a couple of hours but he was too hyped to sleep.  He didn't feel like a party or a video game and he couldn't concentrate on his book.  He had taken a long, hot shower to relax. While the water felt great, he was still restless.  He tried some calming yoga poses, which had helped, but he was still too keyed up.  He made himself a cup of herbal tea and opened his laptop.