Threat

      The next morning was a bit odd to me, I woke up feeling as though I had a hang-over, and it was unpleasant.  I could smell coffee coming from the kitchen.  Alana must have brewed some.  I thought, quietly, to myself.  I grabbed my phone at my bedside table to check the time; 11:45 am, it was nearly afternoon.  I had no desire to get out of bed, but I pulled myself up and out against my will.  I could hear the television blaring across the house.  Is she deaf?  Was all I could think.  I walked out into the living room where she was sitting with her attention glued to the morning news. 

 

      "Several bodies were found inside of one of the local clubs in Savannah late last night.  Officials are saying that the victims all suffered unexplained massive heart-attacks, and some officials believe that the victims were poisoned although they have found no traces of such."  The female reporter said. 

 

       "Good morning Alana, you mind turning that down?"  I asked her quickly.  I was trying to take in the information I had just heard on the news.  It made no sense, had I done that?  I couldn't remember going anywhere last night after Leonna's and the hospital. 

       "Hey, good morning Ryan."  Alana said with a stiffened and lifeless expression. 

       "Are you feeling okay Alana?"  I asked her curiously.  She was looking more and more like a zombie each day, and I was beginning to feel guilty.  Maybe erasing her most precious memories wasn't such a good idea after all. 

       "Yeah, I am okay---I guess.  I just need my morning's fill of coffee and I'll be fine."  She said with a falsely placed excited expression.  I continued into the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee and sat at the breakfast table to drink it.  I was only halfway finished with my drink and was interrupted by a knock at my front door.  What's up with all of the sudden visitors?  I thought as I sluggishly proceeded to get the door. 

       "Ryan, have you seen the news?"  It was Daniel.  Immediately I stepped out and closed the door behind me so Alana wouldn't hear any of our conversation. 

       "Yes, oddly, I caught something on the news just a few minutes ago."  I told him with a scrunched up and confused expression. 

       "Oh, well they have been talking about it all morning, they're saying that they think someone is poisoning people.  Was that you at that club last night?"  He asked me sounding interested. 

       "No, I hate to disappoint, but it wasn't me.  I was here in bed last night."  I said, and then looked over to where his car was parked and idling.  I noticed his girlfriend, Dawn, sitting in the passenger seat of the car. 

       "Is that Dawn?  Did you tell her what we talked about?"  I asked him quickly. 

       "Yes it is Dawn, and why would I tell her anything?"  He said defensively. 

       "I don't know, I guess I'm just being paranoid."  I said a little more calmly.  "I did get into a little trouble last night though."  I told him smiling crookedly. 

       "What do you mean?"  He asked curiously. 

       "Well, my cousin Elisa decided she wanted to start accusing me of---well of everything that I have been doing."  I told him, redirecting my attention to Dawn and waving.  She smiled and waved back. 

       "Right, and?"  He asked suggesting for me to continue. 

       "Well, I had to convince her to stop poking her nose in my business.  So after work I dropped by a party at Leonna's house, and I kinda influenced Leonna into stabbing her."  His expression was shocked, it made me want to laugh a little though. 

       "Unfortunately, it sorta backfired on me.  I guess I am still trying to get a good hold on this whole thing, but she kinda stabbed herself too."  I said sounding less than pleased with myself. 

        "Oh, well is she okay?"  Daniel looked blankly concerned when he asked though.  He never seemed too fond of Leonna, but I'm sure he never wished anything terrible on her, either. 

        "Well, no.  She is in critical condition and is awaiting a kidney and liver transplant.  But to be honest, she shouldn't have been nosing around in my business with Anthony and she was.  So I guess she got what was coming to her."  I explained quickly. 

       "Ryan, she was trying to be a good friend, you have to try to fix this.  You can't just let her die for trying to match-make."  He told me truthfully.  It was funny Daniel and I always joked about crazy things, but when it came down to it he would never condone my doing something immoral. 

       "I don't really know what to do, I mean the hospital called her family, I'm certain that it will work itself out."  I told him quickly.  "Realistically though, there's not much I can do, she did it to herself.  I never wanted that to happen."  I said trying to defend my actions.  I started over toward his car to greet Dawn.  I hadn't seen her in years, so it was a pleasant surprise.  When she saw us walking in her direction she got out of the car. 

        She was gorgeous with her dark curly hair, milk-chocolate colored brown eyes, and a caramel-brown complexion.  Daniel always liked his girls "thick" and she was perfectly fit to this description; curvy and voluptuous. 

        "Hey Dawn!"  I said with a refreshed excitement in my tone.  "It's good to see you, been a while."  I said to her and hugged her quick and lightly.  

       "You too, Ryan."  She said smiling as usual.  

       "So what are you two up to?"  I asked looking back and forth between the two of them.  

       "Well we have lunch plans this afternoon, but Dan said he wanted to stop by and talk to you for a minute."  She said quickly.  

       "Yeah, so we'll talk later?"  Daniel said looking at me with a curious expression.  

       "Of course, you guys go enjoy your lunch.  I have some things I have to get taken care of before class and work."  I told them.  They both got back into Daniel's car and pulled off.  I had nothing to do before I went to class, but I was stuck thinking about the events of the night before.  I wanted to be sure that I had nothing to do with whatever might have happened at the club, but I couldn't think straight.  My mind kept jumping back to my interesting moment with Anthony.  

       "Ryan, is everything okay out here?"  It was Alana hanging out the front door.  

       "Huh?  Oh, yeah, I'm fine thanks."  I answered her quickly while taking notice to her improved appearance.  I walked back into the house so I could finish my coffee and get ready for the rest of the day.  

       "So, Elisa called and she wants me to go meet her later for a late dinner.  I guess she is in the hospital and is waiting to get discharged."  Alana told me anxiously.

       "What?  No!  I mean, you two don't even get along that well I thought."  I said to her hastily.  

       "Yeah, I don't know, she says it's important."  She said brushing her hand through her hair which fell softly back into place.  I grabbed her arm quickly.

       "No, you don't need to meet with her."  I said in a harsh tone.  Alana snatched her arm quickly from my grip, and rolled her eyes at me.  

       "What's your problem?"  She snapped.  I looked at her stunned at her response.  I figured I would be able to get that thought inside of her, but she was unaffected.  I guessed my focus was off since I was so frustrated with the idea of her and Elisa meeting.  I was sure that Elisa would try to convince her that I was up to something.  The last thing I needed was two people snooping around, especially someone who was living with me.  

       "I'm sorry, Alana.  I didn't mean to overreact."  I said quickly trying to get her to relax enough to drop her guard so I could get a hold of her once more.  

       "Whatever Ryan, get a grip.  I'm going out!"  She said and quickly took her purse and walked out of the house.  Damn!  I thought angrily.  I swear I am going to kill Elisa!  I was fuming at this point.  I went and snatched my phone off the table and immediately dialed Elisa's number.  Her phone rang several times, but there was no answer.  I called back a few times but she must have been ignoring my calls because it would ring once and go to her voice mail.  This wasn't helping my frustration. 

       Now, I had to decide to either go back to the hospital to persuade Elisa not to meet with Alana, or track Alana down and convince her not to meet Elisa.  Any kind of contact with Elisa might be risky considering what I had seen on the news, and Alana was already upset with me.  "Damn!"  This time I yelled my thoughts aloud. 

       I hurried to dress and freshen up, I was running already late.  I had considered skipping class and lounging around the house until I had to go to work.  I figured Anthony would be at the school and I preferred not to run into him before I absolutely had to.  I guessed that Alana would probably be headed to class though, so I had no choice but to find out.  I figured my chances at talking Alana out of her meeting with Elisa was my best bet. 

       Class was long and it seemed longer considering that I still hadn't found Alana, but luckily I hadn't run into Anthony yet either.  I was frustrated, class ran over today and now I was about to be late to work.  When I arrived at work, I quickly changed into my work clothes in the car then rushed inside to clock-in.  I didn't see Alana in the front and I was starting to worry about Anthony now, because he wasn't at the tech's desk and our shift had already started.  I found Daniel in the break-room watching t.v.

       "Hey, have you seen Anthony or Alana?"  I asked him quickly.  He turned around quickly in his seat almost startled looking. 

       "No, why?  Have you done something crazy?"  He asked me sounding concerned. 

       "No, I need to talk to Alana.  She is suppose to be meeting with Elisa tonight and I was hoping to talk her out of it."  I said with a suggestive expression, as if he should have known what I really meant. 

       "Oh, nope, haven't seen her.  What about Anthony?"  He asked me with a grin on his face. 

       "Oh, ummm--- I was just wondering."  I felt my face blush as I searched for a better explanation. 

       "Right, ha, no he isn't coming in.  He called in saying he wasn't feeling good."  Daniel said with an antagonistic laugh in his tone.  I was growing more frustrated and he wasn't helping the situation.  I didn't have the patients to deal with his sarcasm and such right then. 

       I quickly got to work trying to occupy my mind.  I was working so quickly everything I had scheduled to be done was finished hours before it was supposed to be.  I ended up having to help out in other departments so I wouldn't be so bored.  Why'd he call out?  Where the hell is Alana?  Those thoughts circulated my mind during the course of the entire shift. 

       Closing time came, and almost immediately I clocked out.  I had practically closed out half of the departments in the store, and finished all of the repairs I had.  I stopped by the managers' office and said bye to Daniel, and quickly exited the building.  I reached in my pocket for my keys and my phone.  I quickly typed out a message asking Alana not to meet with Elisa and sent it.  I stood in the middle of the parking lot for several minutes waiting for a reply that never came, and then continued walking over to my car. 

       When I finally looked up at my car as I clicked the remote to unlock the doors, my jaw nearly hit the floor.  Someone had keyed "YOU'RE DEAD!" into the driver's side door.  

"What the f**k!?"  I yelled, irately.  I'm going to f*****g kill Elisa!  I thought to myself, immediately placing the blame on her.  I got in the car and started it, slamming the door behind myself.

       I had no idea where Elisa would be, she was probably still out to dinner with Alana, so I wouldn't be able to pay her a visit right away.  Anger coursed its way through my body, I couldn't even drive right away.  After sitting there for a while I decided that driving home and going to bed was my best bet.  I could catch up to Elisa in the morning, I had hoped for her safety, though, that I wouldn't be able to find her.  I was so angry with her, but she was still my cousin, and I still loved her. 

       Sleep came easily for me that night.  My dreams were odd though, first of the accident, then of Michelle being lost, and then pain.  My body jolted awake at a raging pain in my thigh.  My eyes ripped open, the light in my bedroom was on and blinding me.  Alana was standing over me, with the largest butcher knife I owned in her hand.  She had it forced into my lower thigh right above my knee.  Her wrists were bleeding profusely, she had several slices up and down her arms and a small cut across her neck. 

        "Oh my God, Alana!  Are you --- Aaahhhhh!!!!"  I started to ask her but interrupted my self with a loud yelp.  She tore the knife from my thigh and then viciously stabbed it back into my leg slightly higher this time.  She looked at me faintly, and her eyes flickered open and close and then started to roll.  What's going on?  I thought.  Alana's body dropped to the floor and I had to force myself up and my legs over the side of the bed.  I placed my hands on the knife and quickly pulled it out yelping loudly again. 

       "Alana!"  I dropped quickly beside her checking to see if she still had a pulse, it was faint but present.  I picked up my phone and quickly dialed for emergency services, telling them that someone had been stabbed and to send an ambulance.  What the hell had happened, this I was sure, I had not done.  My phone vibrated beside me.  It was a text message from an out of area number I hadn't recognized and it read;  "Your Move!"  

       Quickly I cleared my screen of the message and dialed Elisa's number, I needed to figure out what was going on.  It rang three times before she answered.

       "He---ahem---Hello?"  She answered sounding raspy from sleep. 

       "Elisa?"  I asked trying not to sound distraught. 

       "Yeah, what's wrong?"  She asked me trying to make herself sound as if she wasn't sleeping. 

       "Did you have dinner with Alana tonight?"  I asked her quickly. 

       "What? No. Why?"  She asked me quickly. 

       "Well, I don't really know what's going on, but she told me she was meeting you for dinner, and I just got woken up to her stabbing me."  I explained to her. 

       "What?  Are you okay?  What happened?"  She responded sounding genuinely concerned.  

       "I--- I don't really know what happened.  She's cut up really bad too though, it looks like she tried to kill herself."  I told her trying to keep from sounding upset.  I never wanted Alana to end up like this. 

       "Did you call 911?"  She asked me. 

       "Yes, they're on their way."  I answered her quickly. 

       "Okay, I'm on my way over."  She told me hesitantly.  I could tell she didn't really want to come, maybe she was afraid I was lying.  My leg throbbed as it bled out.  Everything started to hurt, things were intensified again.  Pain ached across my body, and my leg was on fire.  The room started spinning and my vision began to blur, before long a loud ringing erupted in my ears.  I knew that there was nothing I could do, Alana was nearly dead and I didn't want to risk her survival, and before I could finish my thoughts everything went black.