Philip Dampier's Blog

Episode 7

He unfolded the newspaper to turn to the puzzle when his eyes caught a small headline halfway down the page.

“TWO PATIENTS ESCAPE LOCAL FORENSIC HOSPITAL, NURSE SERIOUSLY WOUNDED”

He scanned the article, but no names were given. Both of the escapees were women it said. A chill went down his spine, and his body temperature seemed as if it dropped several degrees. He realized that the scent he had smelled earlier was growing stronger. His brain cleared, and he knew what it was. It was Wanda’s perfume.

He started to get up from his chair, but he froze as he heard footfalls on the stairs leading down from the attic to Jill’s bedroom. He looked around for the phone and remembered it hadn’t been installed yet. He knew without looking that it was Wanda and he also knew that she would have her favorite kitchen utensil in her hand.

He wanted to jump up and run, but at first, his legs wouldn’t work. The door to the attic closed with a quiet click. The perfume was strong in his nose and brain now. He reached down to release the handle of the recliner, the newspaper and pencil dropping onto the floor. He saw the door from the bedroom open. It was Wanda. She wasn’t drunk, and she wasn’t screaming. She was smiling.

“You’ve been a bad boy, Arvie. Mommy’s got to punish you.”

Not only were Arvie’s feet and hands frozen but his tongue was as well. He just stared. The knife was by her side, but as she moved towards him, it began to rise in slow motion. In fact, it seemed to Arvie that everything was moving in slow motion.

Wanda was still smiling as the distance between them narrowed. Three feet away and the knife was over her head; hand extended for the greatest force.

There was a loud knock on the door, and a voice called out.”

“Phone Company, Mr. Alexander.”

It was as if an electric shock hit Arvie. He jumped to his feet just as the knife descended towards him. It missed his arm by a fraction of an inch and pierced the back of the recliner about where his heart had been. The lunge threw Wanda off balance, and she fell to the floor. Arvie never looked back but ran to the door. He threw it opened and threw his arms around a startled Bell installer.

“Thank God. Call the police at once and shut the door.”

For a moment the coveralled installer stood still in shock. He disengaged himself from Arvie’s impromptu hug and pushed the door shut. They heard a ripping sound and a loud shriek. The shriek was followed by a loud thump as something heavy hit the floor. Arvie tried to pull the installer down the steps, but the installer was trying to look inside the window next to him on the porch. Arvie let go his arm and started down the steps.

The door flew open, and Wanda burst through it, knife in hand and a banshee cry on her lips. It was then that the installer thought to run, but it was too late. He turned and stepped on the first step just as Wanda reached him with the knife. She swung it right at his throat and cut through the skin to the jugular. Blood flew, spraying on the post holding the porch roof up, then dripping down to the steps.

Arvie had made it to the bottom step when he tripped and fell out onto the grass. He rolled over in time to see Wanda swing at the unfortunate phone installer. He began to crawl across the lawn in an effort to get to his feet and run. Wanda was hampered by the body of the phone man, and when she finally moved him out of the way, Arvie was on his feet and moving across the yard to the house directly behind his.

He could run faster than her, and he did. He headed for the neighboring house hoping to get inside. Most of his neighbors didn’t lock their doors, and he hoped the McClain’s, the one set of neighbors he had met, had not locked theirs. He was also hoping Mrs. McClain didn’t work and he could lock her door and use the phone. He had only talked to them once, but they seemed like nice people.

Arvie easily outdistanced Wanda and gained the front porch and the door to the neighbor’s house. But Wanda did not pursue him. Instead, she ran to the corner of the McClain house where the phone line entered at the foundation and attacked the wire leading into the house with her large knife. With a sinister grin, she walked unhurriedly to the back door.

Arvie pounded on the door and pushed it open. He spun around and turned the lock lever. Mrs. McClain stepped into the living room from the door into the kitchen. She stopped in the middle of the room when she saw Arvie. He looked pale and out of breath. She looked startled.

“Why Mr. Alexander. It is Alexander, isn’t it? What on earth is wrong?

“Need your phone, emergency. Please lock your back door.”

“What…”

“Hurry, ma’am. Lock the door.”

Mrs. McClain went to the door not understanding but willing to obey. Just as she reached the door, it swung open propelled by mania induced strength.

That fact actually saved her life. The blow of the door was so strong that it threw her against the wall and her body was hidden by the door itself. It also helped that Arvie was standing right in the line of sight of Wanda who had flung the door open, and now stood there smiling at him once more.

“Well, Arvie, you idiot of a man, we meet again. Locked yourself in, haven’t you?”

Arvie backed towards the door. His hand found the handle. His fingers searched for the lock itself.

“If you open the door Arvie, I will have to hurt you in the back. Wouldn’t you rather face me?”

“Why are you doing this, Wanda? What is wrong with you?”

“Why nothing is wrong with me, Arvie. You know that you’re the problem. Always have been, haven’t you? Always wanting to take over and be the boss. Trying to sneak my things out of the house in the garbage. Trying to bring things in without me knowing it.”

“Wanda, I never did either of those things. You took care of the garbage, and you checked every bag I brought in.”

“Don’t try to kid me, Arvie. I know what you were doing. Stopping by that bar to meet those college girls.”

“I never met any girls, college or not. I never had any woman but you.”

“Ha, that’s funny. You thought I was blind, didn’t you? Then you stole my daughter. Those college girls weren’t enough for you. You had to have Jill too. You fixed it so that she always wanted to be with you. She was crazy about you, and you were crazy about her. You forgot me, didn’t you? College girls and Jill, that was your life. I was squeezed out.”

“Wanda, that’s ridiculous. Jill loves you. You lost touch because of the wine. You missed her affection because you were drunk half the time. You missed both of our affections because of the wine.”

“You’d like me to believe that, but I know better. But it’s over. I’m going to get rid of you and take Jill back with me, and she’ll forget all about you.” Wanda moved towards Arvie as she spoke.

Wanda’s raised her arm, the knife reflecting the ceiling light, and a sneer crossed her face. Arvie had no more room to retreat. His eyes grew big as he looked past Wanda.