© 2016 Chloe Tzang. All rights reserved. The author asserts her moral right to be identified as the author of this story. This story or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a review.
The author explicitly does NOT grant any person or entity (commercial, non-profit, or other) the legal right to train AI on any of the author's works published on Literotica. Each work published on Literotica is copyrighted by the author. Before using any of the author's work on Literotica for any purpose (including training AI or any other AI-related use) you are required by law to contact the author to request permission to use that work. Using the author's works on Literotica for training AI without legal authorization may subject you and your AI (and any work generated by your AI) to future lawsuits from the original author(s), Literotica, or both.
* * *
It was Julie's face again. Julie, screaming, her eyes wild, her face terrified, staring at me and even in her agony and pain, even as that cord looped around her neck and tightened, she hadn't given me away and I woke up, screaming, the way I always did when I had that dream. Five am and I wasn't going back to sleep. A shower, throw on my old jeans, a tee-shirt, that ratty old denim jacket, make some crap instant coffee, fill my travel mug and I hit the road. I'd paid cash last night, no ID. The old guy didn't care and it was four or five hours down side roads to get to where I was going and I was moving and the driving helped as the memory of that dream faded.
The dream faded, but those memories of Julie didn't and my hands gripped the steering wheel with whitened knuckles because Julie was why I was coming home and I'd been away so long that I thought nothing would be familiar.
I was wrong.
* * *
The old home town looked the same as I drove in on Highway Twenty Nine. Ten thirty in the morning. Even more of a dump than when I'd left. Left? Been sent away to my Uncle and Aunt because there wasn't anyone or anything left for me here except nightmares and I slowed down, the beatup old Ford truck's brakes grinding but who cared coz after this trip, it was for the boneyard that old trucks went to.
My old school was there, the High School I'd gone to before I'd left. Even more rundown now but I guess it was still used coz there were students there as I drove past. Weeds in the cracks across the pavement. Old houses next and I recognized one. My best friend Lizzie's house but I guess Lizzie was gone coz the windows were boarded up and half the roof had caved in and the neighbor's house, old Mr. and Mrs. Fleming who'd always given us home-made cookies after school, their house was weeds and a couple of blackened and charred walls.
Guess the old home town wasn't quite the same but I was sure some things would be.
Like Ted. I knew Ted was the same, because I'd checked Ted out.
Closely. Very very closely and I knew he was going to that Halloween Party at the old cemetery tonight and guess who his date was. Blind date and it hadn't taken much at all. A fake profile, a fake photo, a couple of messages and yeah, Ted was looking forward to tonight. I was sure he was looking forward to it the way he'd looked forward to that Halloween date with Julie because he'd asked a few questions and he was older now. More cautious.
But I wasn't Julie, I was her twin, and I knew Ted and thinking about tonight, that date with Ted, I smiled. Tonight was going to be a very very special night for Ted, a hot date. The hottest date he'd ever had and Ted, he didn't know that yet but he would, and I just shivered with that delicious sense of anticipation that grew and grew and he'd told me where the party was going to be. He'd told me where to meet him and I liked that too.
The old cemetery.
That was where Julie was, and I found her easily enough. Her grave was just what I'd had in mind and I did have everything I needed in the back of the old truck.
* * *
Eleven and in the dark of All Hallows Eve, the old big old mausoleum at the far end of the cemetery off of Old Church Street was spooky alright. Someone or someone's had done a great job with the decorations. Eerie. Scary even, even the music and there were more than a few people around when I wandered in and I was wearing the costume Ted had asked me to wear. The masquerade mask, jet black. The jet black witches top and long skirt. The hooded cloak, also jet black. The black lipstick, and Ted, he'd asked me to wear that and black nail polish.
He'd asked Julie to wear black.
He'd asked Julie to wear those black lace panties and the black lace bra he'd bought for her and I remembered she'd been so thrilled when she was dressing for that party. I'd been jealous of those panties and bra. I'd been so jealous that she was going out secretly with an older guy like Ted and I'd watched from the window as she'd left with him.
I'd worn a blonde wig tonight though. I didn't want him seeing any resemblance to Julie. Not until it was time. My time.
"Hi there." I remembered his voice too, it'd sent little shivers through me then. It did now.
"Hi yourself," I said, turning, smiling and my heart leapt because it was him and he was looking at me and smiling. "You're Mike?"
That was the name he'd given me. That was the fake Facebook name but it was Ted.
"You're Jessica?" That was the fake Facebook name I'd given him, setup from the burner phone I'd picked up, cash, no questions, no details.
"Yeah," I smiled, and now my heart was pounding because it was time and the anticipation was killing me. That, and the excitement, because Ted was going to get some of what he wanted. He'd gotten everything he wanted from Julie. He wasn't getting that from me, but I was going to enjoy myself with him and I knew there was a risk there for me, but I had it planned and I had my backup. The taser and my little Ruger.
"Why don't we go off somewhere together," I smiled, taking his hand in mine. Taking the initiative. "I don't like making out where there's other people." I didn't think he would either, not with what I was sure he had in mind.
"Sure," he smiled right back, following me like a lamb as I led him into the darkness, away from the mausoleum, away from the others, threading through the gravestones and the trees.
"You know where you're going," he said, and his voice said he liked that.
"I know what I want," I smiled back at him in the darkness. "I don't want anyone listening to us or walking up on us by accident."