St. Columb - Chapter Fourteen

XIV

The noise from the gunshot echoed throughout the woods, I'm told that they even heard it at the house. Celia told me later that nothing scared her more than hearing that shot, and my scream.
“Shit!” she said, hurrying through the woods towards the location of the noise.
“Rachel!! Dougan!!” she called, not receiving an answer she went to the top of the hill to see if she could see anything. “Godamnit all to hell...” she said, stopping. “Come on Celia, pull yourself together for God's sake! You're no good to them fussing about like a child.” She continued down the hill, hoping to find some sort of clue.
Lynsay had heard the shot too, fear surged through her as she ran through the woods. Please, please, please let me find Robby dead and not Dougan or Rachel. She thought it wrong to wish death upon someone, however he did kill three people so she figure he probably had it coming to him anyway. She came to a clearing at the foot of the hill, and stopped when she saw Dougan lying in the underbrush.
“Oh no...Dougan!!” she cried, running towards him and rolling him over on his back, laying his head in her lap.
“Dougan, Dougan please say something!” Tears were forming in her eyes; she saw that he had been shot in the chest, blood had stained his shirt and the ground where he had lain. She kissed his forehead and held his head to her chest, “Please....please Dougan...” she whispered. He coughed, startling her.
“Lynsay....” he groaned
“Oh thank God you're alive!” she said
“Rachel...he has her...I've got to...” he tried to get up but stopped, the pain was excruciating.
“You're not going anywhere you've been shot! From the looks of it by someone who can't shoot worth a damn because he missed you're heart. You're bloody lucky.” she replied, tearing her dress again to create a bandage and opening his shirt.
“Lynsay...he has Rachel....” Dougan said, wincing.
“Celia and Phillip are hot on the trail of both of them, they'll get to her Dougan I know it. Just lie still.” she said, trying not to sound as scared as she was; she reached into her satchel and pulled out the flare gun, she fired one into the air.
“Help will be here soon, just lie still and keep your eyes open.” Lynsay said, stroking Dougan's hair; she prayed that Rachel would be alright.

I awoke on the floor of a dingy building, upon later observation I saw it was the same building that Lynsay had stayed in before Dougan brought her to St. Columb. It took me a second to piece together what had happened, Robby was the murderer and 'monster' that Dona was always talking about, he killed Beatrice, Max and Julian, and tried to frame Dougan; Dougan, who probably lay dead in the woods somewhere. I felt fresh tears form in my eyes, I quickly wiped them away when I heard that familiar, ominous laugh.
“Well, it seems as though Sleeping Beauty has awakened.” he smiled, coming from the shadows.
“Robby...why are you doing this?” I asked, standing.
“You stupid bitch! You still haven't figured it out have you?!” he laughed manically.
He grabbed me against and pinned me against the wall. I cried out in pain, and tried to get away; this only caused him to laugh more and tighten his grasp on my arms. I mustered the courage to look into his eyes, I saw there was nothing except insanity and a sheer animalistic fury.
“R—Robby whatever you did, or are going to do; Whatever you're feeling—I—I can help you. I can get you the treatment you need to—“ I was thrown to the floor and kicked.
Robby put his hands on his knees and laughed as if it were all a grand joke, “Oh you naïve little fool! Oh perhaps I should just tell you then!” he laughed and patted my head like a child.
“You see I knew from the start that I was different from other boys. The older I got, the younger my taste in girls became. Little girls in their birthday dresses were far more beautiful and alluring to me than a raven haired beauty in a red gown. Why the way they would flit about in the meadow, the wind catching their dresses would just drive me mad.” he shuddered with desire; I can't describe the sheer horror and vulgarity I felt.
“I knew that dear old mum and dad wouldn't think that proper. It just wasn't done! My desires were confirmed when Germans were first starting to bomb London. Of course we had a shelter that we retreated to. Well I had a cousin who needed comforting during this horrible time, her skin was soft like silk, a creamy white. She had the most charming blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Why when I found her most sweetest spot how could I go back? I can still feel her...” He closed his eyes and licked his lips, as if he was remembering the moment.
“But you see the desire within me was unstoppable! When I turned fourteen I could barely contain myself; I suppose that's when I decided I had to do something. You see I knew that nobody would suspect as seemingly helpless boy of only fourteen to be a cold blooded murderer. ” he stopped turning to me, his eyes dark and calm.
I felt the color drain from my face as I stood, I scrambled to the other side of the table that was in the center of the room; I wanted some sort of barrier between us. “You murdered your parents so you could come to St. Columb....and you made it seem as though it was a war crime. This entire time...you've been the one. You've been raping these girls, you, you killed Beatrice and Max...then you killed Julian and framed Dougan. It was you all along...you're the monster Dona talks about!” I cried, tears of hatred streaming down my face.
Robby mockingly applauded me, “Bravo dear Rachel! You may make a better detective than I originally suspected!” he laughed. “Yes! I killed them! You see I knew where dear old daddy kept his pistol, he was stupid enough to show me. He wanted me to know 'just in case I had to use it against an enemy'. Little did he know that he was my enemy.” his voice was gruff, it oozed with hatred.
“Me being the clever lad I am, stole the key one night and snuck into the parlor where mum stayed after dinner to read. I crept ever so silently up behind her and shot her in the back of the head. Of course the noise brought father in from the other room, and that's when the struggle ensued. I underestimated dear old dad's strength, however I knew that he couldn't very well kill his own son even if I had just killed his wife. I began to weep, when I felt his grip soften I took my the gun from him and shot him in the face. His blood and brains covered my face and chest. I simply wiped the chunks off and pretended to weep over his dead body.” he laughed, enjoying his triumph.
“I never wanted to kill Beatrice, she was probably my favorite, even more so than Dona. But you see I couldn't let anyone else have her....” he said, his voice dangerously low.
“So I took her into the woods and spent one final moment with her, then I killed her so those fucking parents you had assigned her wouldn't take her from me. Max just knew and saw too much, that little bastard couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it.”
“How can you talk of them like they're pieces of meat in a marketplace?! They're children! Human beings! You have no right to decide if they can live or die!!” He reached across the table and silenced me with a smack, the blow almost caused me to fall.
Robby laughed, “This coming from a woman who decides where they spend the rest of their life! Oh Rachel how hypocritical you are!”
“I am not hypocritical....” I said through my teeth, my head to turned to the side.
“Of course you aren't darling.” he said reaching across and patting my head again, I smacked his hand away; he laughed as if he were laughing a child trying to defy an adult.
“I killed Julian because he and I are about the same size. I knew that bloody Captain friend of yours and her little team would see that he was the perfect fit. And of course Dougan was the perfect choice to frame, he was always such a fucking sentimental bastard. Daft too, he made it quite easy to lift his knife and use it to kill Julian.”
I thought I was going to be ill, I leaned on the table to steady myself. This boy is mad...and now I know his story. He's going to kill me like he killed his parents...I have to get out of here.
“So you see Miss Winter, the poor tormented boy known as Robby is actually a brilliant madman! I murdered my parents so I could have my fill of little girls in their birthday dresses with cream colored skin!”
He began to laugh like a maniac, I knew that I had to figure out some way to escape before I was added to his list of victims.

Celia saw the flare go off, but didn't stop; relief surged through her as she made her way through the forest, following the creek.
“Thank God...Lynsay found Dougan. Now if I can just find Rachel, God please...please keep her alive until I get there!” she prayed.

I remember Celia saying something about predators showing pride in their work, if I could figure out a way to distract him so I could escape....
“Tell me Robby...how many girls have you taken advantage of since you've been here?” I said, disgust in my voice; I really didn't want to know the answer but I knew of no other way to distract him.
“Well one looses count after almost four years.” replied, sitting down in the chair and placing the gun on the table. “Lately I've been consumed with ideas of how I'm going to stay there.”
“Of course...because it would be such a bloody tragedy if you left.” I said through my teeth, I was disgusted with him; but I also feared him, though I would never admit it out loud.
“Oh wouldn't it?” he laughed. “Well if you want to continue to live, I think you're going to be the one to help me achieve that.”
“You bloody well know that I would rather die than help you with anything.” I tried to make it look as if I was trying to get away, maintaining the helplessness on the outside but very aware of how close I was to the door. I also felt some sort of metal rod against the wall behind me, I gripped it tight with my hand; I had to be ready to use it at any moment.
“That's true, but can you say the same for your sister? She's not quite my type, but she'll definitely be satisfactory every now and then. You don't help me, I kill her. While having my fun in the process.” he chuckled.
Something inside me snapped, perhaps it was the way he threatened my sister; at any rate I gripped the rod with my hand, “You demented son of a bitch, you won't touch her!” I said; I hit him across the face with the rod, causing him to fall in the floor. I ran out the door and into the storm.

I remember praying then, something I hadn't done for years. To this day I can still hear the wind howling and the rain pounding the earth as I ran into the forest. I wish that those sounds would overpower the sound of that haunting laughter.