Another Bride

It had been Diane’s job as maid of honor to organize this sleepover with the bride and six bridesmaids.

Leslie, Joan, Cathy, Debbie, Cindy and Jennifer all parked at her house and they took a limo to pick up Kelly, the bride.

“Where are we going?” Kelly asked.

“Well, it’s a surprise. No one knows except me. But lots of games, stories, rum and vodka,” she laughed.

There was constant chatter in the limo as they drove. After an hour, the driver turned and announced, “We’re here.”

“Where is here exactly?” Debbie asked. No one answered her.

“I’ll be back in the morning to pick you all up. Have fun!” the driver yelled.

They all grabbed their overnight bags and walked toward the house. An oversized ivy covered cottage with a stream rushing by. Lights on in each window and a rose trellis reaching up the side of the house completed the fairy tale feeling.

After entering the cottage, the girls scattered to look at the rooms and choose a place to sleep.

“Let’s all reassemble in the living room in twenty minutes.” Diane yelled. “Games to play and booze to drink”, she laughed.

When all the girls had chosen their roommates and unpacked, they made their way back to the living room. Kelly and Diane were already there, each with a drink in their hands.

“What shall we play first? Who has any ideas?”

“How about Truth or Dare?” someone suggested.

“Debbie, what were you doing last Friday night?”

A look of panic spread over Debbie’s face that she tried to hide, and answered, “I went to a movie.”

“Well, some of us know that’s not true,” Diane said out loud.

Debbie glared at Diane. “Shut up, you’re no better.”

Diane looked very shocked at Debbie’s comment, but decided to leave this issue alone.

“Who’s next?”

“I’ll go.” Joan looked at Jennifer and asked, “Who took you to the airport last month?”

Jennifer blushed. “No one. I went on a quick trip to Las Vegas.”

“All by yourself?” someone asked.

“I answered the question. Who’s next?”

Kelly was looking very perplexed like she was missing this entire conversation.

“Let’s do something else,” Kelly suggested, hoping to keep the atmosphere less contentious.

“I’m going to go get ice and snacks”, Diane said and stood just as an arrow came crashing through the window and went right through Diane’s chest.

The girls all screamed and dropped to the floor.

“What the hell was that?” Leslie yelled.

Joan and Cathy clung to each other as did Kelly and Debbie. Leslie was behind the rocking chair peeking out through the slats. Cindy was on the floor just inches from Diane’s body, her eyes wide open and blood dripping from her mouth.

“What do we do now?” someone shrieked.

“Stay down”, Debbie yelled.

She slithered over to the front door and locked it.

“Like that’s gonna help with arrows coming through the windows,” Kelly screamed.

All the girls crawled their way out of the living room and into the kitchen, hoping it might be safer in here, at the back of the house. Fewer windows for arrows to be flying through.

Suddenly, the back door crashed open and in stepped a man dressed all in black with a black mask over his face, black gloves and swinging a machete.

The machete sliced through the air and right through Cindy. Blood gushed out of her amputated arm as she fell to the floor.

The girls all stood up and ran to the family room where several arrows came through the window and smashed into Leslie’s arm and chest.

Leslie screamed, almost more from fear than pain. Kelly took hold of the arrow in her chest, looked at Leslie and said “This is gonna hurt.”

Leslie braced herself and Kelly pulled. Some of the tissue from Leslie’s chest came out with the arrow. Leslie shrieked and passed out.

“Is Cindy dead?” Joan asked, fully knowing that she had to be.

Kelly reached for her cell phone. No signal. Of course.

“Does anyone have service on their phone?” she asked.

“What do we do now? Who is doing this? I don’t want to die,” Jennifer cried.

Trapped in this remote cottage, no cell service. Two dead and one injured, far away from anywhere and Diane had been the only one who knew where they were. The limo driver knew but he wouldn’t be back until morning. They had to survive the night.

Kelly and Joan chose to run upstairs at this point. Cathy followed. Debbie and Jennifer stayed with Leslie who was moaning in pain.

Jennifer noticed someone sneaking by the window, climbing the trellis toward the second floor.

“He’s coming up,” she yelled, not even sure if the girls could hear her.

Kelly and Joan were huddled together on the floor of the bathroom. The door was locked but it was no match for the ax that came crashing through the door. The man had crawled through the bedroom window and Cathy now lay on the floor, both her arms and legs amputated and her throat slit from ear to ear.

He picked Joan up by the hair and dragged her into the bedroom. She screamed when she saw Cathy’s body pieces. Her arms were where her legs were supposed to be and her legs now acting as arms. A sort of bizarre bloody puzzle.

Kelly ran back downstairs and ran right into Leslie who screamed in pain. Her chest was bleeding profusely and she was white as a sheet.

Leslie fell down and Kelly stepped over her in a panic to get back to the living room where Joan and Jennifer were.

Leslie bled to death right there in the entrance to the living room.

Debbie, Kelly and Jennifer were now the only ones left alive.

The look of fear and panic spread over each of their faces as they realized they might not see the morning.

“Why don’t we get knives or something out of the kitchen”? Debbie suggested. “We should try to protect ourselves.”

Kelly laughed in an almost hysterical way.

“You really think knives are going be any kind of help against arrows and machetes. God, you’re really stupid.”

Debbie cried harder now. The fear was still there but now she had been truly hurt by what her friend had said. She retaliated.

“Well, you’re marrying an idiot and a cheater.”

Jennifer glared at Debbie.

“Shut up your stupid fat face.”

Looking from Debbie to Jennifer, Kelly didn’t really want to ask but she did.

“What do you mean …. a cheater?”

“Whose stupid now? You’re completely blind and a bigger idiot than anyone I have ever known.

Debbie continued. “Mark’s been cheating with Leslie, Diane and…” She hesitated and finished … and Jennifer.”

Kelly was completely stricken. She looked at Jennifer who turned her head down in shame.

Kelly inched her way over to Jennifer and kicked her hard. Jennifer, without thinking, stood up and an arrow hit her right in the left eye. When Jennifer reached to pull out the arrow, her eyeball came with it and rolled to the floor. Jennifer slumped and stopped breathing.

Kelly got up and stomped on the eyeball and marched to the front door. “We’re not afraid of you,” she yelled into the night.

“Yes, we are,” whispered Debbie.