Watch What Burns (20 page)

“Mommy,” Grace’s voice snapped into her subconscious, rousing her from her slumber.

Getting up, Austin quickly scooped Grace up into her arms and moved into the hallway so not to wake Tyler up. “Baby, you should be sleeping.”

“I don’t
hab Clara,” Grace said sleepily, laying her head to Austin’s shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Nicolas asked as he came into the room.

“I think we need to pop to the house,” Austin remarked, knowing that the only way they would fix this was to get the doll.

“Tyler okay to take you?”
Nicolas asked, unaware that Tyler was knocked out cold on the couch and Grace’s need for her favorite doll.

“He’s fallen asleep,” Austin smiled, looking back over her shoulder at her husband as he lay completely unaware. Looking to her father, she knew she needed to hurry up and get Grace settled. “She doesn’t have Clara. She’s still at the house. Would you come with
me?” Austin asked her father, pleading with him. “Pretty please?”

“Course I will,” Nicolas replied without hesitation. “You don’t have to beg me. I understand that my little lady works exactly like her mommy used to.” He then reached out, taking his granddaughter and holding her to his body. “Get your shoes on, we’ll go and get back before your mother notices or Tyler wakes up and finds we’re gone.”

“I only want to grab Clara and maybe a few bits and pieces then come back,” Austin commented, knowing exactly what of Grace’s stuff she would be making a beeline for.

Without another word, Nicolas left the house, Austin trailing behind him as they walked down the road together. It wasn’t late in the evening and there was still a bit of light in the sky, but storm clouds were gathering and Austin could feel the chill in the air building, wrapping around her. As she neared hers and Tyler’s house, she took a moment to remind herself to pick up a cardigan and coat just in case they were in for a massive rainfall.

“I’ve forgotten my key,” Nicolas suddenly stated. “And my phone,” he groaned, realizing he had left the house with just his granddaughter in his arms. “I’ll do a run through of the house then run back to mine for the keys.”

“Okay,” Austin giggled at her father. “I think old age is getting to you, daddy.”

“Watch it,” Nicolas admonished her quickly, and just as playfully as she did. He then went up to the front door, opened it and made Austin stand just inside the door with Grace as he ran into the house, hastily checking everywhere to make sure the house was safe. By the time he made it back to the door, he was breathless, but immediately picked Grace up to give her his own orders. “Right, Sweetie,” Nicolas started as he watched Grace intently. “I need to run back to the house before Gramma falls asleep and locks us out,” he laughed as Grace’s eyes widened considerably then.

“But it’s cold, Pop-pop,” she replied looking up at him with several amounts of disbelief as her grandfather put her back down. “We can’t sleep out here!”

“You’re right we can’t,” Nicolas knelt down to talk to Grace. “So you’re going to run in there and grab as many teddies and toys as you can and I’ll meet you back here so we can head back for a sleepover.”

“Oka,” she nodded her head and moved back to be by her mother’s side.

“Will you be okay?” Nicolas asked Austin as he ungraciously got up from his kneeling position.

“Yeah go,” Austin pushed her father, feeling no need for him to supervising her getting clothes for her and Tyler while Grace gathered her things together. “You’ll be straight back and by then Gracie and I will be ready.”

“No leaving the house, you hear?” Was all Nicolas asked of her, he watched her intently as she nodded.

“I know,” Austin groaned and rolled her eyes. “Go, the sooner you do I can get little miss here back and tucked in.” She bent down and picked her daughter up, eager to go into the house.

“I’ll be ten minutes tops,” Nicolas told her, then quickly ran back down the drive, ready to run home.

“Right, let’s go get Clara shall we?” Austin asked as she went back into the house and closed the door, locking it behind her. Leaving the key behind, Austin hated how suddenly the shadows cast throughout her house were overwhelming, encroaching on her. Giving in, she turned on the landing light, and vowed that would be all she would use.

Allowing Grace to run up the stairs, Austin followed, by the time she made it, she looked out to see it pouring hard. Wondering if her father was caught in the sudden downpour, she followed Grace until a flash of lightning struck and the lights went off. Austin literally groaned at the timing of it all, and knew she had to hurry this along. Her plans were cut short as Grace suddenly pinned herself next to her mother, panicking over the sudden darkness they were plunged into.

“Mommy, I’m scared,” Grace whispered and gripped Austin’s leg.

“Hey now,” Austin replied, not letting her daughter get terrified by the dark. “It’s okay, baby,” Austin commented taking her daughter in her arms. “It’s just a storm. I know you’re a big girl, you can go into your room and grab your things for me, can’t you?” She felt Grace nod against her. “That’s it, show me how big you can be so I can go home and tell daddy how brave you are.”

She put her daughter down and watched as Grace released her, and used the incentive to her advantage. She loved how much of a daddy’s girl she was, and she loved even more that the mere sound of the word ‘daddy’ triggered a response in Grace to do anything. Once she was safely into her room, Austin
decided to leave her daughter be while she grabbed things for her and Tyler. Even though her parents had done a great job picking up clothes and such for them, there were silly things they forgot.

Stepping out onto the landing from Grace’s bedroom doorway, Austin’s heart stopped and her blood ran cold and she as stood confronted with her nightmare. At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her, toying with her, torturing her until the sanctity of her father came back to her. That wasn’t the case.

“Hello Austin,” Natasha spoke sweetly as she stepped out of the master bedroom.

Austin stood stock still, she could feel each and every syllable of her name splice through her, sending a freezing chill down her spine. The moment her voice hit her, Austin felt the fear quake in her, ready to erupt full throttle and claim her victim.

“Missed me?” Natasha asked, a sickly sweet smile smearing itself across her entire face.

“CAT got your tongue?” Natasha asked and she took a calculated step forward. “I thought you’d be happier to see me, Austin. Then you’d know exactly where I am. Instead of thinking you see me all around.”

“Just because you escaped doesn’t mean my life has stopped,” Austin admitted, her voice souring at the sight of Natasha before her. She looked her over, noticing her hair was now butchered into a short bob and dyed a dark hazelnut
color. She looked washed out, and the scariest part of it all was that underneath the menacing expression Natasha hid behind, she was completely dead.

Natasha’s lips twisted into a thick smirk. “Is that what you tell yourself before you go to bed so you can sleep easier?”

“No,” Austin whispered, not willing to continue the sarcastic goading. She knew what she needed to do, and she needed to do it properly. “How did you get in here?” Austin asked, trying to remain calm. She needed to buy some time.

Natasha laughed; the octave of it evil, possessed,
murderous
. “Daddy dearest looked for the monsters under the bed, but didn’t look for ones in the closet.” She flashed her gaze to Austin, settling it heavily upon her. “I’ve been in here waiting for you. When I watched you all flee after dear Sienna took a bullet for you, I took the opportunity to make myself at home.”

“You’re crazy you know that?” Austin quizzed Natasha, trying her hardest to swallow her rabid fear. “You’ll get away with none of this.”

“Maybe, but it’s really working in my favor right about now,” Natasha chided, enjoying the moment. “Oh,
Aussie
, I wish you could have seen your sister. I almost got my chance to kill her.
Execution
style as well.” The smile that appeared on Natasha’s lips was sardonic and full of evil. “The absolute fear that she was going to die because of you was brilliant. I just hope she remembers so she can hate you for what I almost did to her. How she did, in fact, nearly died for you.”

“She doesn’t hate me,” Austin remarked, her eyes watering at the thought.

Again, Natasha laughed at Austin’s innocence. “Keep telling yourself that. I’m only here because of you, Austin! It’s all your fault that I am stuck here as I am and not living a perfect life. It’s all on you. All of this is on you.” She then chuckled a little before talking, “The funniest part is that I was willing to go through every family member of yours to get to this point.”

“If that were true how come you let my dad walk out?” Austin asked, trying to call Natasha on her bluff.

“Oh, I was tempted. I was very tempted to use this on him,” Natasha began to say, bringing out a gun to show Austin. She watched the fear ignite in Austin’s eyes, her mind screaming at her to get out. Clearing her throat, Natasha spoke up. “But then that would ruin why I was here in the first place. Why spoil the surprise? Your face when I stepped out was priceless. Sparing him for that was worth it.”

Austin closed her eyes, realizing there was no bargaining when the devil stood before you, ready for the kill. If she got out of this alive, she knew she would count her lucky stars. Right now, she was praying for her father to come back, but then a part of her knew that if he did, he would more than likely wind up in the hospital like her sister and Cassie or worse. She didn’t want anyone else in her family hurt.

“Now, where’s Gracie?” Natasha asked, smiling gleefully with anticipation.

“Don’t you dare say her name,” Austin’s voice darkened, lacing with venom as the woman before her even dare speak about her daughter. “You have no right.”

“I think I do, and with this, I have the upper hand.” Natasha raised the gun and shook it at Austin. “I will get what I want.”

Austin’s eyes flickered to her right. In her peripheral she could see Grace; standing scared in the middle of her bedroom, Clara clasped to her chest. She hated how her daughter was able to interpret the situation. This wasn’t something a young child should have to deal with. None of this was part of the happy childhood she had promised Grace would have.

She knew that what Natasha wanted was Grace, and Austin’s heart broke at the thought of a hair on Grace’s head being touched by Natasha.

Swallowing all fear, Austin dared the beast before her. “How do I know you’re going to do anything?” Austin asked, her eyes flicking between the gun and Natasha’s piercing eyes. “Whatever you do now will not win you any
favors with Tyler. He doesn’t want you, and if you do anything, Natasha, he will never forgive you.”

“Are you really willing to test that theory?” Natasha quizzed Austin, her bravado not shifting in any way, shape, or form. “I’m a good sweet talker and with you gone it makes it all the more
easier to do.”

“How serious are you in doing this?” Austin dared to ask her arch nemesis. Natasha knew exactly what Austin meant to Tyler, and she just prayed that Natasha would keep that in mind. However, when the gun went off, she knew that Natasha didn’t care. As the piercing pain hit her shoulder, she felt her body involuntarily hit the wall behind her before she slid down against its flat panel.

“That serious,” Natasha snarled as Austin hit the floor, pain taking over and emasculating her.

Looking down, Austin felt her shock become more prevalent. She saw the blood begin to pour from the wound and immediately pushed her palm against it. With her chest heaving in panic and pain, she slowly began looking up, her eyes watering at how disadvantaged she was, but Austin knew she had to fight until the death to get free and get Grace to safety. Having heard Grace begin to sob, Austin felt
distraught at not keeping her daughter safe from all measures of evil.

Looking up into Natasha’s face, the happiness written all over it all, she felt the pool of hatred begin to swirl and take over. “He’ll never forgive you,” Austin goaded Natasha, using her pain to empower her. “He will never love you now. Not after this. He will never, ever want to be with you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Natasha remarked, almost snorting on the words. “Now, it’s time to get my plan set into action before I deal with you.”

The moment she said that, Austin’s heart rate began to accelerate and she knew exactly what Natasha was after, and there was no way she would get to her daughter unless it was over her dead body.

“Gracie,” Austin shouted out, her voice weaker than she wanted it, but she was able to project enough emotional for her daughter to react. “Cubby,” she ended as Natasha made a hasty attempt to go for Grace’s room. She knew she didn’t have to say any other words for Grace to react.

Even with her daughter hidden, Austin wasn’t about to let Natasha get to her that easily. Grabbing her ankle, she yanked as hard as she could,
hissing at the pain in her shoulder and watched Natasha fall hard to the ground.

Kicking Austin off, Natasha was even more enraged than ever.

“You’re not going to stop me,” Natasha hissed, and went for Austin, wrapping her hands around the other woman’s neck. She applied more pressure as she watched Austin struggle for breath. Consumed with the thrill of Austin’s plight, she was taken aback when Austin landed a clenched fist against her ribs and then her face, weakening her slightly. Receiving another blow to her jaw, Natasha pushed away, trying to gain composure in order to continue her attack.

Natasha refused to let Austin get away. Lunging at her, she pinned her to the floor and dug her nails into the shoulder wound making Austin howl out in immense pain. Smirking at the sound, she pushed deeper, concentrating on the pain she was inflicting. She felt the blood rushing out as she ripped at the already damaged wound and tried her optimal best to make this moment was as worthwhile as possible.

Austin could feel the nerve endings reacting to Natasha's torture, but she had to fight back. She had to stop this woman before she did anything else. Fighting back, she blindly threw punches, only happy when she felt a connection to Natasha. However, Natasha was relentless. She didn't cease up or give up. In a last attempt to fight back, Austin threw her hands up, ready to gouge out Natasha's eyes.

"You bitch!" Natasha cried clambering off Austin and trying to assess the damage now that her vision was blurry. She blinked hard trying to see Austin more in focus, and as her eyesight settled, she was shocked to see a slick smirk on Austin’s face staring back at her.

"You really think I'm not going to fight back?" Austin asked back, and even though the pain in her arm was disabling, she wasn’t going to be beaten. “You think I’d give up that easily?”

Natasha looked at Austin shocked, her jaw slackened at the strength Austin had hidden away. “I shot you in the shoulder. I should have gotten your
subclavian artery. You should be bleeding out! You should be dying! I looked all of this up, how to get you out of the picture!” Natasha rambled on in a manic trance, before she suddenly stopped, looked at Austin and lunged for her. Again, she went for the gunshot wound, but it was futile, Austin’s fight was unbroken.

After fighting back with all the strength she had, Austin was thankful when Natasha began to whimper
like a wounded dog. Crawling away, she knew that if she could get to hers and Tyler’s room she could call for help and get Grace. It was right now that she thanked Tyler for building a tunnel with a cubbyhole so that when storms struck, or Grace wanted a fort, she had one at her disposal. It was her safe place.

Suddenly, she felt her head whip back as Natasha grabbed a clump of her hair and pulled her away from the door. Being thrown down, Austin felt the impact most on her shoulder and she tried to swallow the scream, but she couldn’t keep it all down. She needed the release. Managing to verbalize the extent of her injury, she felt no more pain could come to her, but when she felt Natasha’s foot kick against her back, she felt the unpleasant shock wave race up her spine.

Deliberately pushing up onto her hands and knees, Austin took the heavy blows, but didn’t give up. Rising up as best she could, Austin mastered a punch to Natasha’s gut, sending her doubling over. Getting up shakily, she held onto Natasha so she could bring her knee up and cause her own damage. Pushing her away, Austin watched as Natasha tried to stand straight, and using her uninjured side, threw a punch towards Natasha. Using all of the training Tyler had shown her in order to be able to protect herself if she ever should need it, Austin did everything her husband had taught her. When she drew blood and caused abrasions to Natasha’s face, she felt like she had accomplished something and the pain, sweat, and tears hadn’t been for nothing.

Apparently her moment of being champion was short lived as Natasha suddenly came back to life and threw her own punch, connecting directly with Austin’s jaw. Stumbling backwards, Austin wondered how quickly she could get down the stairs and to the nearest house to get help.

"Mommy?" Grace cried out, her words coming out in a small and scared manner from behind Natasha.

It broke her thoughts entirely, and immediately Austin became
defenseless as her daughter’s voice looped around her brain and reminded her that her daughter was here.

Seeing her distracted, Natasha took her opportunity and gave Austin a powerful push. She watched in delight as Austin fell backwards down the stairs, tumbling and twisting until she hit the floor below. Her legs were thrown waywardly, her arms the same. They looked disjointed and broken from the top of the stairs.

When Austin didn't move, Natasha took action.

Turning to face Grace, she used the back of her hand to wipe away the blood from the corner of her mouth and locked her gaze firmly on the intimidated child. "I'm your new mommy now," she said and stepped towards Grace, putting her hands out to the small child. "You're coming home with me now."

“No!” Grace squealed in horror and readied to run away and go back to her cubbyhole and wait for someone to find her.

"Come here you little brat," Natasha sneered as she grabbed for Grace. As Grace fought her, Natasha knew she had to be menacing and use absolute force. “Stop squirming and I’ll make sure daddy gets you back unhurt,” she sneered and began to carry her towards the stairs, her hands firmly grasping the child’s upper arms painfully. Tyler might not want her if Austin was gone, but he’d sure as hell want her if it was the only way to get Grace back. She now had her bargaining tool, and she couldn’t have been happier with how it happened.

Now all she needed was a swift exit and all would fit together perfectly in her plan.

Austin could hear Grace's cries for help as she came too. She tried to move but pain was keeping her locked at the bottom of the stairs, her body thrown
into a wayward contorted shape. She could feel the blood pulsating from her shoulder, the fall clearly exacerbating the wound already there.

"Gracie?" she murmured, calling out for her daughter. She tried to move as she heard movement, but her head couldn't cognitively work out where in fact it was coming from. "Gracie," she tried again, but yet words failed her, and body was no use for helping her to fight back.

Lying there helplessly, Austin suddenly felt an overbearing presence above her and when she painfully turned her head, her neck screamed in pain and her eyes widened as she saw Natasha holding onto Gracie tightly and possessively.

"No," Austin sobbed out, the tears falling on instinct.