Cruel Summer (AHS: 1984)

Chapter 7: All Ears

Brooke and Lavinia ran into the woods from the sight of Montana being torn apart by the black-furred Lycan with glowing blue eyes. They refused to look behind them, and they were swift enough to move unscathed through the wilderness. They finally stopped at a clearing, and Brooke leaned forward to catch her breath. Lavinia leaned back against a tree, the shotgun strapped to her shoulder as she had not real words to express how she felt seeing what she did.

"Holy shit... holy shit... holy shit..."

"Stop saying that!" Brooke shouted.

"I can't unsee that," Lavinia said aloud, breathing heavily. "I cannot... like... why would that thing not devour me? I don't get it!"

Brooke was still breathing heavily as well, but collapsed to the ground, sitting and looking up at Lavinia: "I'm shocked, too, but I've seen enough tonight to shock me."

"No shit."

"Rita isn't really Rita," the brunette said. "You got to believe me."

"Why wouldn't I believe you, though?" Lavinia asked, taking a seat about three feet across from Brooke on the ground. "Unless, you've lied about something, which...I don't see you doing."

"No, no! Rita is actually... someone else," Brooke said, regaining her breath enough to speak quietly. "Her name is Donna Chambers. She's a psychologist and we are all part of some twisted experiment!"

"An experiment?" Lavinia was dumbfounded. "Here?"

"Yes. She released Mr. Jingles from the asylum...wanted to see if he could kill us, basically..." Brooke took a dry swallow, looking down with contemplation before meeting Lavinia's gaze. "I wonder if Margaret knows..."

"Margaret," Lavinia repeated. "Shit. Come to think of it, she hasn't been around this entire night pretty much. I wonder if she is up to something."

"Why haven't police been called?" Brooke questioned.

"Not sure..." She paused and looked up at the moon, which was losing a little of its luminosity in the wee hours of morning. "I still don't know why that beast is so fixed on me."

"Montana was threatening our lives," the brunette said. "I did not expect such a change in her!"

"Why exactly was she trying to kill you?" Lavinia asked.

"She thought that I took her brother away when he was killed at my wedding." Brooke's eyes started to tear up, and Lavinia shook her head. "Sam... he was Joey's friend and the best man. He shot my father and Sam... seems she was very attached to him... as any person would be their brother..."

"Hey..." Lavinia said, trying to console her friend. "We are going to find a way out... and maybe what is up with Margaret. All of this will be behind us... even though we can't unsee..."

Grrrrr...

There was a growling not far from where they were. Lavinia sighed and nodded.

"Well... I guess my father sent me here to die," she said.

"Why would you think that? He couldn't possibly-" Brooke was cut off.

"I was conceived out of wedlock," Lavinia said. "My parents had to get married. My father's family is very religious. My mom is Catholic, but not as hardcore as the Russians are. Getting rid of me was not an option. I've just been a burden since the day I was born."

"I'm sure your father meant well sending you here. How could he have even known about Mr. Jingles and all of that?"

"I made these promises to my father, but I don't think they mean much, well, except praying. The other ones were no boys and no being out on a full moon. I can't avoid being around Mandingo Trevor, but this?" She looked up at the moon, "I can't avoid this. I'm sure he'd understand if he knew what the hell we've been through so far."