Double Betrayal (Chapter Seven)

Chapter Seven
26th Aug 2004

It was three months since Allison came back to work in the town she grew up in and she worked hard. She had to, if she wanted to put her plans into motion. She saw to it that Ashley and Natasha were to trust her more and more, and she was pleased to know that they were delegating more work to her. She was now practically running the café she works in single-handedly. Ashley and Natasha only checked the accounts once a month to make sure that everything was in order. Allison had planned to carry out her plans on Ashley’s and Natasha’s next visit. However, Ashley visited the café with her husband, Steve that month. When Allison found that out, she thought that a subtle change of plans would do nicely.

Allison was busy in the kitchen when they arrived. She knew they were there, for the staff had informed her immediately. But she kept them waiting, because she wanted to lure Steve into the kitchen first. Hence, she waited 10 minutes and then let a pan clashed onto the floor, letting out a loud scream at the same time. She knew Steve would come running and she ordered all her staff to leave the kitchen and not come back in unless they were told to do so. No sooner had the staff exited through the back door, Steve burst into the kitchen.

“What happened here, Allison? Are you alright?”

Ashley was tallying the accounts with Steve when they heard the loud clash and scream. When Steve volunteered to go see what happened and to get Allison out for a talk, she let him as she was halfway through her calculations. However, Steve was gone for a long time, and Ashley could not help worrying about what happened. So she dumped her account books into the office drawers and locked it before going down to the kitchen to see what was going on. She walked towards the kitchen and stopped short when she heard Steve saying,

“Let go of me, Ally! I am not interested in your proposal. Neither am I interested in you! Steve’s voice raised as he began to panic, “Let me go! I warn you to let me go this instant or I will have to be rough on you!”

Ashley stopped dead in her tracks. What was happening?

“Oh darling, you know you do want me. I know you wanted me since you first set eyes on me. It’s Ashley who is stopping you isn’t it? Don’t worry; we can always go to the next town for some fun.” Allison said seductively.

Ashley stood rooted to the ground when she heard what Allison was saying. Was history repeating itself? She couldn’t believe it! She had to see for herself! Ashley pushed open the door to the kitchen to see Allison pinning Steve to the wall and him trying very hard to dislocate himself and not hurt Allison at the same time. When he saw Ashley, his face turned white and he said,

“Ash, it’s not…it’s not what you are seeing now. It’s not like this. Let me go, you bitch!” He said to Allison in frustration.

“I know, Steve. I heard you when I stood outside.” Ashley was surprisingly calm. A slow anger was building up inside her as she looked from her loving husband Steve; to the friend she thought she had saved from the dumps, yet at the same time, a deep grief formed inside her heart as she looked upon the person she had called a friend.

Allison loosened her hold on Steve and he pushed her away. Steve rushed over to Ashley and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Kissing her hair, Steve whispered to Ashley, “Oh my love! I am glad that you heard. She is such a bitch! I can’t believe that she threw herself at me.”

“Get out of my sight! I can’t stand it! If you would rather have that whimpering woman, so be it!” Allison shouted at Steve in a tone dripping with disgust.

Ashley couldn’t take it any longer. It was the second time in her life that Allison tried to take what was her and there was no way Ashley could bring herself to forgive her a second time.

Before Steve could lash out at Allison, Ashley cried out in anger, “Why? Ally, Why? Why must you always try to take what’s mine? You took Ted didn’t you? You took him for life. Now you want Steve too?”

Ashley choked back the tears that threatened to come. She would not cry in front of Allison for Ashley knew that would have given her pleasure and she would deny her that.

“Why? Oh, she is asking me why! Hahaha! Well, Ash, you should know why, shouldn’t you?” Allison’s eyes hardened and she picked up a knife. “Even if you don’t, I am not giving you a chance to find out! I will kill you! I will kill, kill, kill! I want you dead Ash! I really want you dead!” Allison screamed and rushed toward them, waving the kitchen knife before her.

Rushing headlong at Ashley and Steve, Allison looked like a madwoman who had just been driven beyond the binge of sanity.

“Run Ash! Hurry!”

Steve yelled as Ashley continued to stand rooted to the ground. Half dragging, half carrying her out of the kitchen, Steve shouted for help. The patrons in the café screamed and started running out. There was chaos everywhere but Ashley could only hear Allison shouting kill, kill and kill. Natasha and Chris managed to push their way into the café just at the moment. When Allison saw them, she stopped pursuing Ashley and Steve suddenly and stared at the four of them out of her crazed eyes, looking suddenly calmed. She looked satisfied when the four of them stood together, frightened. The café had emptied and left the five of them staring at one another.

“What are you doing, Ally?” Natasha tried to stall for time, knowing that Chris had called the police when they learned about what happened outside the café. She knew that her brother Aaron would come with his men soon.

“What am I doing? Oh, you want to know what is going on as well. Okay, I might as well let all of you know, since all of you are going to die soon.” Allison gave them a scary grin that looked more like a snarl.

“I was making a pass at Steve earlier when this bitch found out. Oh, she pretended to be calm and even tried to make me feel guilty! Well! I am not and now all I wanted is to kill all of you! You have all made my life miserable at some time or another! You caused me so much trouble!” She screamed suddenly, pointing her knife dangerously at all of them.

“Why? We have been trying to give you a better life, didn’t we?” Ashley asked, her voice trembling.

“Give me a better life? Cut the crap! All of you, especially you, Ashley McAllister, have been giving me nothing but misery all through my life! You, with your rich parents and big fancy house, were always giving me nothing but pity. Every time that you gave me some hand me down clothes; you looked like you were giving me the world! Let me tell you: I had thrown away every piece of hand me down the moment you walked out of my house! And now, you make me work in a filthy little café while you sit in some fancy office and count the money I help you earn! You call this a better life? Oh no! I certainly don’t think so. All my life, since the moment I moved here, it has been nothing but misery. Seeing the two of you together make me sick! How can you say you want to be friends with me when the two of you are so inseparatable? Everything that we did in the past, it was something that the two of you planned, and I had to follow! Did either of you think to ask me? No, you didn’t. Neither did either of you think to ask if I was happy. I had always hoped that the two of you would change, that you would see me as an equal friend, not someone who was just tagging along. But I was disappointed because it never happened!” Allison panted as she tried to catch her breath.

“And you, Natasha Mackenzie! Could you tell me whether there was a time when you came to me to discuss an outing instead of with Ashley McAllister? Could you? No, you couldn’t! You had never seen me as a friend! You had only your Ash in mind; she came first in everything we did. You asked me to give up Ted, for her, for her sake! What about me? I asked you this question so many years ago, you did not give me an answer then, and could you give me one now? I doubt so.” Allison continued in her mad rush.

Slashing her knife at Ashley, Allison continued to yell,

“Ashley McAllister! I hate you! I really do hate you! Did you know why? Everything you did was brilliant! Everybody thought that you were the best! Every little remark you made was God’s words! Everybody loved you! Your grades were better than mine, the teacher liked you better, and you always had all the boys chasing after you! And yet, you wwere never satisfied! You were always vying with me for the things and people whom I loved! You took away Ted! You were the one who caused his death! Not me! You took away Natasha! She should have been my best friend, not yours! You took away my life from me! You caused me pains all those years back when you became upset after I told you I hate you! Well, there was something else yet! I meant every word I said when I thrust that book at you! I hate you! I don’t want you in my life because you took away everything that was precious to me! I wanted to kill you! That was the only way I could take back everything! That was the only way I could make you suffer! I would kill you nice and slow, I would not let you get away this time.”

The hatred in Allison’s eyes was so potent, that everybody present was truly shaken by what she said. Ashley did not know that anyone could harbor so much hatred for her. She could not understand the hatred. Ashley did not do anything to hurt another person in her life, and yet she seemed to have hurt Allison so much. What did she do?

“Don’t kill her Ally! I would be your friend. I would not see her again. I would hate her the way you do. Just don’t hurt her! I would do anything you ask, just don’t hurt her.” Natasha cried out desperately. She even turned away from Ashley and brushed off Ashley’s hand which was resting on her shoulders.

Ashley’s eyes filled as she watched her best friend tried this last desperate attempt. She knew that Natasha was trying to save her with whatever she got, just like she always did. Their eyes met, and Ashley could see the anguish that was in Natasha.

“Yeah Ally! I would leave with you too!” Steve said, pushing Ashley behind him, and following Natasha’s example. Both of them had formed a barrier in front of Ashley subconsciously.

“You were right, Ally! I realized I don’t love her at all! What was she when compared to you? Ashley McAllister was nothing compared to you.” Steve exclaimed.

Ashley cried silently as she looked upon the desperate attempts that the two persons she loved most in her life was making. She understood what they were trying to do, and it tore at her all the more to see their anguished faces as they hurled abuses at her.

"SHUT UP! Both of you!” Allison yelled and waved her knife dangerously in front of Steve and Natasha. “Oh! You people thought you were so clever weren’t you? Trying to save her now? It’s too late! If you had said those words to me ten years ago, Nat, I might have believed you. I know you were just trying to save that bitch hiding behind her husband right now! And you, Steve, didn’t it occur to you that you would not have love me so much since you had just spurred my love back there n the kitchen? Fine! Since both of you were so willing to sacrifice, I would satisfied you! What was better than to kill you both right before her eyes? To let her see you die, and to know that she was the one who caused it! Oh! That would be a very good show to see.”

Allison snarled and lurched towards Natasha, the knife aiming straight at her. Natasha closed her eyes and whispered a prayer to God, asking Him to protect those who were going to be left behind.

“NO! Please no!” Ashley screamed instinctively and tried to run in front of Natasha to protect her. Pushing Ashley away, Natasha prepared to receive that knife. At the very last moment, a gun fired right behind Natasha. Allison dropped to the floor as the knife slipped out of her lifeless hand. Blood seeped out of her right shoulder. She looked at the wound in amusement and laughed.

“You think that was going to stop me? I am beyond pain! I am beyond human! I would kill again today! Just like the day I killed Ted!”

She looked up into all the horrified faces and laughed crazily.

“Oh yes! I lied! I lied! I killed Ted all those years back! I killed him! It was I who tied him to a tree and forced the poison down his throat. And I killed Beaumont too! He deserved to die! Both of them deserved to die! Ted died because of you as well, Ashley! He loved you! He loved you instead of me! He deserved to die! Beaumont was an accident. He saw me killing Ted, and that idiot had blackmailed me. Oh yes, I gave him what he wanted, but I saw that he never enjoyed his new home in England. Yes! I bought it for him! But he never gets to live in it for a day! I made sure his family did not either! Oh I was so clever! Nobody thought that it was me. To think of it, I thought that it was so funny! Nobody believes that a woman barely in her twenties would kill two men. But I did! And the feeling was wonderful. Going undetected was the best thing that happened to me. Of course, it was also a bonus, for I wouldn’t have a chance to finish you off if I had been caught. And now you would all die! And remember, Ashley McAllister was the one who caused all your deaths!”

Allison laughed hysterically and tried to use the knife to prop herself up to stab Natasha again. Aaron fired his gun a second time and this time right on Allison’s right hand. She dropped the knife a second time and Aaron kicked it out of her way.

“You were trying to kill my sister and you think I would stand by and watch?” He asked Allison, the gun leveled at her.

“Kill me then! Didn’t you always wanted to kill me? You were an idiot Aaron. You believed you could stop me this way? Don’t be silly!” With a manic laugh, Allison pulled out a small gun from her boots and fired at Ashley.

“Ashley! Get out of the way!” Natasha shouted and pushed her away. The windows behind Ashley shattered as the bullet hit it. Total chaos resulted and shots rang out continuously. Then, all was silent as Allison toppled forward and crumbled at their feet.

“Move away!” Aaron ordered. Ashley screamed as Allison put her bloodied hand on her.

“Get your hand away from her!” Steve yelled at her and tried to kick Allison’s hand away. She let go, not because Steve asked, but because she no longer had the life in her to hold on. Ashley watched as Allison’s hand slided lifelessly from her leg and onto the floor. Natasha grabbed hold of her as she continued to stare at Allison’s body as she lay on the floor. She looked so harmless now. She seemed at peace, but was she really? Ashley began to cry bitterly, and Natasha hugged her tight and cried along with her.

They were all told to go out of the café. As they sat down on the sidewalk, Ashley held Natasha’s hand and whispered sadly,

“Oh Nat! What had we done? Did we ruin Ally’s life so many years ago when we befriend her? I couldn’t understand why she hated me so much. Was it me? Was it because I am evil? Was it because I really caused her so much pain?”

Ashley couldn’t help but cry, and Natasha hugged her tightly and let her cry before she replied brokenly,

“No Ash! You were the best friend and sister that anyone could ever have! You would never have hurt anyone in your life intentionally. Ally was sick, Ash! She could not take what life dish out to her and she wanted to blame someone else for that. She picked you, Ash. You were the victim, not her. Please, do not think in that way.”

“What about Ted? Beaumont? I caused their deaths too! I am so seeped in blood!” Ashley just couldn’t take all of it. It was too much for her.

“Oh Ash,” Natasha just pulled Ashley close for another hug and said,

“It’s not your fault! You were not to blame. Ally killed them. She killed them because she was sick with jealousy. You did not cause their death. Ted loved you out of his own willingness. His greatest mistake was to pity Ally. And Beaumont brought his own death to himself and his family. If he had not blackmail Ally, he wouldn’t have to die. Please Ash, don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault. Be strong, Ash. Be strong for yourself, for Steve, for your three adorable children and for me. Please don’t do this to yourself.”

Natasha held on to Ashley as she continued to cry. After some time, Ashley began to calm down with the strong presence of her best friend’s tranquility despite all odds. Natasha was always the pillar of support for Ashley. No matter what happened, Natasha was always there for her. She never let Ashley down. Ashley hugged her fiercely and said in a fainted but strong voice,

“I would be strong Nat, for everyone. I would try my best to stop thinking of these unhappy things. I would try.” Ashley said, putting on a brave face. Natasha nodded and patted her on the back before moving away to seek comfort in Chris’ arms and letting Steve took over.

Steve took Ashley into his arms then. He kissed her and told her that he loved her, no matter what happened. He was another pillar of support that Ashley could not do without. She loved him with such intensity that she wouldn’t be able to stand it if anyone was to take him away.

They were all advised to go back for a rest, especially for the two traumatized women. Steve had wanted to take Ashley home, but as their children were home with their grandparents, Ashley did not want to go home in fear of alarming the children. It was lucky that they lived far away from the place of incident, and the children were relatively unharmed. In the end, they all went to Natasha’s house because Natasha’s children were away in their auntie’s house in the next town and the four of them needed to be together to sort thing out. Steve and Chris tried their best to comfort their wives as much as they could, but Natasha and Ashley needed to be together to share in their grief. They retired to the children’s bedroom and talked about a lot of things, the things that they did in the past with Allison, the things they did without her. They remember their college days without Allison and it was shameful to admit that they were much happier without her. She was like a shadow that hung over them then. They also talked about Allison’s depression, and they tried to understand how it was like to live in the shadows of others. Although they knew that it was all over, it would take them a long time to get over what happened. It would not be something that they could put out of their minds easily.

The two women spent a fitful night full of nightmares together, refusing to see their husbands at all. Both of them cried for the friend that they lost, and the wrong things that they might had done in their lives.

Roy came to look for the four of them the next day. He had brought Angus, his son to visit the circus in the next town and was not there when Allison went on her crazy journey to her death. He apologized, and told them that he was leaving. He wanted to take his son Angus back to Manhattans. There was nothing left for him in Scotland. His wife had died, killed in the name of defense, and there was nothing for him to do. He felt so lost, and the only thing that he could think of was to bring his son back to a place where they could start all over again.

Natasha and Ashley felt so guilty. It was as if they had taken his wife from him. Although so, they wondered if Roy had known about his wife’s hatred for Ashley. Natasha plucked up the courage to ask him the day he was leaving. In a sadden voice, Roy told them that he never did know about Allison until it was too late. He told Natasha and Ashley how Allison always said the best things about them, illustrating the day he picked her up from the airport after she visited them. He told Ashley and Natasha how thrilled Allison was when she found out that they had forgiven her. Little had he guess that her thrill came from the fact that she could finally take her revenge, and that it had nothing to reflect true repentance. He verified that they were not well-off but not as poor as Allison made it out to be. And he also rejected a position in Ashley’s and Natasha’s firm. He said that he could not do that after all that had happened and that he would go back and helped his brother with his flourishing business back in Manhattans. He explained that he could not do that in the past because Allison had hated his brother and forbade him from keeping in touch with his family. But now, he was free, and he could build a better life for his son. That was the last time Ashley and Natasha ever heard from Roy, for he refused to keep in touch with them, saying that it was better for all of them.