Love These Screams

Crocodile Machine

Mia really was a strange one. She only cared what she looked like when Andy came around. Was it a testament of what she felt for him? No, it couldn’t be. He was her only guy-friend, and she didn’t want to jeopardize that because she didn’t look like she cared about herself.

She’d let her hair down and washed the paint from her skin. She put on a miniscule amount of makeup, just enough to make it look like she had pigment. Andy always said she looked prettier with a skin-tone other than “Chalk”. Mia changed out of her painting clothes, though opted to keep on her combat boots, and into a black t-shirt from last year’s Warped tour and pants that weren’t so baggy, but still bedecked in chains and zippers and other assortments of metal. The usual black rubber-bands hung from her wrists. At least Andy never minded the way she dressed.

Andy knocked on the door and Mia ran downstairs. So much for subtle. She opened the door and almost, but not quite, laughed. He held two pizza boxes in his right hand, a 2-liter of soda in his left, and was balancing a DVD on his head.
“Someone order a bit of fun? Oh, and two pizzas, Sprite, and ‘Ever After’?”

That forced a little giggle out of Mia, and she didn’t mind so much.

“I guess I did. But where’s the fun?” She reached up and pulled the DVD from his head and the Sprite from his hand.

“You’re looking at him!”

“Is he invisible?”

Andy chuckled and kicked the door shut. Mia told him they’d be using the basement entertainment room so they wouldn’t have to worry about Catherine throwing a fit. “Sounds good to me.”

She lead the way and flopped onto an old sofa, used by her father in his college days. It was nice then, firm and strong. Now, there was a dip in it and it was considerably softer. It’d been called “Old Faithful” ever since its purchase, for a number of reasons. A few of which Mia didn’t want to think about. Cough, cough, Catherine.

“So what did you say we’d be watching?”

“Ever After.”

“What’s it about?”

“Cinderella.”

“Why?”

“Why is it about Cinderella? I dunno…”

“No, why’d you pick it? You know I wanted to see something gory like ‘Hannibal Rising’?”

“Well. I had told you I wasn’t going to help you see something as bloody as all that. Plus, ‘Hannibal Rising’ is rated R, and you know I’m both not allowed and very unwilling to watch R-rated movies – “

“Stormin’ Mormon,” Mia muttered.

“Amen,” Andy agreed. He continued, “And ‘Ever After’ is PG or PG-13, so that works for the Stormin’ Mormon. Also, it’s romantic and inspiring. Trust me, you like it.”

Mia pulled out a few pieces of cheese pizza and started eating. “Alright. I trust you, Andy. But if it gets to mushy, we’re going to PPV and finding the bloodiest PG-13 we can find.”

“No deal.”

“Fine.”

----

“Wow,” Mia whispered. “Good movie.”

“Told you that you’d like it. What was your favorite part?”

“Well, aside from Henry’s hair, I liked how they played rock-paper-scissors. That was really… sweet.”

“You wanna go a few rounds?”

“Sure. Stakes?”

“Hmmm… Loser has to do or say something of the winner’s choice. I don’t think the whole ‘tell a secret’ thing would work so well for us.”

“True, true. Okay, rock, paper, AHHH!”

Andy jumped and panic crossed his face. “What, what? What’s wrong?!”

Mia blushed sheepishly and pulled out her phone. “I had it set to vibrate, heh. Someone’s calling…. Crap, it’s Catherine.” She held up her finger to tell Andy to hold on a sec. “Yeah. Yes, I was asleep, thanks. Catherine, it’s like, midnight. I have nothing else to do, remember? You grounded me. Look, you just killed my first decent dream in weeks, and now you stand an accused felon. I’m going back to bed; maybe we can acquit you if it comes back. Goodnight.”

Mia slammed her phone shut and put her head in her hands. “I’m so sick of her. She just doesn’t go away…”
Andy moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay. One day, she’ll realize she has treat you better than she does. You deserve so much more than what you have, Mia. So much more…”

He stroked her hair and sighed. It was part of his religion to forgive. It was like a commandment that people were to forgive all men their trespasses, and God would choose who He wanted to forgive. All the same, it was becoming increasingly difficult to forgive Catherine Dennison. Even Steven! He never did anything but work! He was never there when Andy dropped by. Somehow, that seemed worse than the constant rejection Catherine supplied Mia with. Sure, Mia was strange and crazy at times, but everyone else is too! Mia’s little… ‘eccentricities’ only further endeared her to him.

“Andy?”

“Yeah, Mia?”

“Uh… well… Thanks. For everything.”

“Like what?”
“You’re the only one who’s always here for me. I guess Steven has his moments, but not really. And I know I don’t need to explain about Catherine. I’m just so… happy that I have you.”

Mia raised her head and Andy put a few stray pieces of hair back in their place. “You know,” he said softly, “we still have a game to play. You promised.”

“Yeah, so I did. Okay. Rock, paper, scissors!”

“Ha ha, I win! I want you to stop crying.”

“Oh, that’s no fair.”

“Of course it is. Here,” he said, handing her his sweater he’d taken off much earlier. “Kleenex Express. Get ‘em gone. Rock, paper, scissors!”

“I win. Now tell me: Why doesn’t Jell-o turn back into a liquid?”

“Well… I suppose it actually could if you nuked it for a bit. Rock, paper, scissors.”

For about an hour, this went on. Some things were random, like Mia’s inquiry about Jell-o, and others more serious. They were winding down and had settled back onto the couch under a blanket. Catherine and Steven wouldn’t be home for a few more hours, so it was strange when Mia told Andy he should leave.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um.. nothing. Nothing’s wrong. I just… think you should… go. Now.”

Andy sat up and studied her face. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no! Not at all. But really... you should go now.”

“Mia… Something’s wrong…”

“No, Andrew, it’s not. Go.”
Andy arched an eyebrow. Mia never called him Andrew.
“I’ll go under one condition.”

“What?”

“One last round.”
“Okay... but let’s do it while I walk you upstairs to the door.”

“Fine. But let’s hurry, okay?”

Mia took the stairs two at a time and almost fell halfway up.
“You alright?”

“I’m fine.” She pushed Andy away and ran up and out the door. Andy didn’t have trouble keeping up; he was six foot seven with very long legs. Mia was five ten, but still not a hard target to keep up with.

As they reached the double-doors that lead to the front of the house, Mia sighed and placed a fist in her palm. “Okay, quickly. You have to go.”

“Rock.”

“Paper.”

“Scissors.”

Mia looked at the symbols before her and sighed. Andy had Rock, she had scissors. She rolled her eyes and asked what he wanted for his win.

“What I want,” he said, taking her fairy-like hands in his large, protective grip, “Is you.”

Mia arched an eyebrow and whispered, “I beg your pardon?”

“I want you. I want to be the only guy for you, because you’re the only girl for me, Mia. I know it.”

“Andy…”

“Please, Mia. Please. Can I call you mine?”

“Oh, Andy, you can’t do this to me. Not here, not now.”

“Why not? Mia, I’ve thought a lot about it, and I have no doubt that I really do love you. Don’t you love me?”

“Andy.”

“Mia, if you don’t want me, just say so and I’ll go. If you never want to see me again, I’ll leave. I’d do anything for you.”

He wrapped Mia in his arms and she pushed against him, tears glistening in her eyes. “Crap,” he muttered, “I’ve made you cry… I’m sorry, Mia. I’ll go.”
Andy moved to leave the house, but Mia stopped him. She hugged him tightly and whispered so softly that she wasn’t sure Andy even heard, “I love you, too.”
Mia straightened her back and sniffled. “Just go, Andy. It ends here. Go.”

But he had heard what Mia said. He was confused, but left just the same. Mia stood at the window and watched him walk to his old truck, open the rusty door, and start the ignition. She cried more as he pulled out of the drive and left the Dennison property.
“Good to see him finally leave, Mia. I was getting impatient. Who knows what I would have done if you hadn’t made him go.”
Mia whipped her head around and uttered a cry. Two burning eyes stared hungrily from the darkness at her. She sank to her knees and stared in horror at the dark hallway from which she and Andy had just come. She’d forgotten to lock the door to the basement as they left, and now HE was here. But even if she’d locked the door, he would have gotten to her.

“What do you want?” she whispered.

“Sorry, Mia. I can’t hear you,” came the deep, melodic voice.
“What do you want?” Mia said, raising her voice.

“Still can’t hear you.”

“What do you want?!” She was yelling now, and her gut was wrenching.

“Oh, so that’s what you said. It’s quite simple, actually.” The man stepped from the shadows and Mia reached frantically for the door knob. “I want the same thing as Andy does. I want you.”

In an instant, he was right beside her in a crouching position, his hand behind her head. “You wouldn’t promise yourself to him, so why don’t you promise yourself to me?”

She’d been trying to hard to hold her stomach together, but his touch and his words made her sick. Her half-digested food shot from her mouth onto the intruder’s face. She tried to pull away, but his hand wouldn’t let her move.

“That, Mia, wasn’t very nice.” A roll of tape seemed to materialize in his other hand, and what little Mia could see in the dark was spinning. She pulled her knees up to her chin and pushed his hands away as he tried to grab her wrists. She lashed out as much as she could, cursing her horrible habit of chewing her nails.

A loud, resounding smack echoed as movement ceased. “I didn’t want to do that, Mia, but you have to be good. I don’t want to hurt you again, but I will if I have to.” He pulled a pocket knife from his back pocket and flipped it open. “Please, hold still while I bind you. Don’t make me hurt you.”

Her mind was racing and she thought back to her last encounter with him. This time, no one was coming to her aid. No one could know she was in trouble. All she could think to do was cry. She was basically pinned against the wall. The kitchen was far to her left, and the stairs leading up to her bedroom were on her right. This man had tape, a knife, and probably a gun. All she had were rubber-bands and combat boots.

Combat boots…

A/N – Le gasp. Who could the man be? Where has Mia seen him before? You’ll have to Review if you want to find out sooner.