Chapter 11

WARNING! This chapter has some triggering scenes, it may not be as descriptive as you want but I'd you at any point feel uncomfortable reading this, please stop! I wouldn't any of you to get hurt or revisit things you don't want to unknowingly. Thank you🥰

I hear a sudden sound then the phone disconnects.

***What exactly does she mean by what she just said? Who would want to kill a little girl at a toy store?***

I signal Lane that I need to leave and she nods. I try to call her again but it doesn't connect so I change plans quickly. Can't call mum cause she might be too freaked out to come up with a solution so I decided to call dad at sane time a cab pulls over and I rush in—though that was a risky move on my part, I could care less about that right now. My sister was all I was worried about at the moment

"Hey son"

"Dad! Willow is being harrased at work, she says the lady is trying to kill her"

"What!!? Is she safe? is she okay?" I can hear his panic and fear through his voice and the rustling of papers

"I don't know dad. Her phone suddenly went off so I can't tell if she's hurt or not. I'm hurrying there in a taxi right now, please call the cops while I keep trying to call her"

"Okay, I will. Be careful Noah!"

"Got it Dad"

Almost immediately, Willow calls again

"Oh thank God Sis are you okay?! Did she hurt you?"

Shatter!

Scream!

Crying!

Laughter!?

"Will!? Willow!? Are you there? Say something for christ sake!"

The taxi driver must've noticed my tone because the car strated to move faster

"About time!" I shout reflexively but apologize quickly too. I can still hear faint thuds and crashing coming from the phone.

"Please be safe Willow.. please be safe" I pray silently as the taxi moves as quickly as it can to her

"Noah? she's out to get me Noah! She's really going to kill me please help! Someone just anyone please save me!!"

Tears are flowing from my eyes when I see her shop come into view.

"Stop! I'll get down here" I quickly pay him and runs as fast as my legs let me into the store.

"Willow!? Willow! Whoever you are leave my sister alone!" I shout as I keep opening doors and cupboards to check if she's traped in one of them

"You didn't teach your sister manners, Noah.."

I turn around quickly and see Willow being held hostage by an apparently crazy girl.

"Then let her go. I'm the one that didn't do a good job, so if she did something to you it's my fault" I try to reason with her and at the same time signal at Willow to get ready to run

"Why!? Why must you take the blame for her!? She did wrong so she should bear the consequences herself! Why must you be a knight in shining armor!?" The girl screeched and tugged on Willows hair harder

I realized at that moment that her anger wasn't directed us, that we are the outlet she's using to vent an already existing anger that spurred from who knows where..

"Because I'm her brother and that's what brothers do. Now Willow!" I shout—having no other response to give—and swing the vase I held as she ranted, towards her head making her dodge reflexively, making let grip on Willow loosen enough for her to escape.

"No! How dare you!?" She rushes at me andh I'm trying my best not to hurt her cause she just a sad woman

"Let. Go!" I push her away and she falls to the ground

I try to move outside before she catches up to me again. I can hear sirens blowing from outside now so I need to use this chance wisely.

"Do you think I'll let you leave just like that?" I hear the lady say but I don't turn back

"Keep running Will, don't stop running till you're outside the building. I think the police are here, they'll get you to safety" I say to My sister who running awkwardly—probably from a twisted ankle

"What about you? We need to go out together!" Willow stopped and asked. instead of answering, I caught up to her and grabbed her hand so she'll keep running

"Die!!" The crazy lady suddenly screams from nowhere and my eyes go wide with shock. I turn around quickly and see a bloody hand holding something that looked like glass before me. I quickly push Willow away from me and at that same moment I felt a piercing pain at the side of my body.

I see Willow's mouth open but I don't hear her screams. The whole store looks blurry and I feel very light headed so I decided to rest to calm myself

"Noah!" I hear three voices shout at once before I fall on the body of someone?

Willow's POV

Ding!

The shop bell rings for the thousandth time today. Seriously, is an important person having their kids party today? We've had almost all our customers today requesting for different types of spaceship toys and I don't think this lady will be any different.

"Good day miss, you're welcome to Kiddies Paradise. What can we get you today?" Phoebe asks the lady with a smile on her face

Phoebe is my only coworker at work. She's a stunning black beauty with the prettiest brown eyes I've ever seen. And though she's older than I am, so she's so cool and nice that I don't feel awkward working with someone much older than me. She's a college student on holiday and put in her own words "I needed some extra cash but what better place to earn it than I place full of goodness and cute little kids?". According to her, She had first applied at the amusement park but found the work too stressful so she quit and luckily found this place.

According to her, this is the most stress free she had ever been since moving here from California—because the weather reminded her too much of home. But I think that days like these—where the both of us have to smile for straight three hours at kids that might be just five or six but give you the vibe of a crowd at a football game or the ones that never seem able to make up their minds or maybe the stubborn ones that always want toys that are bigger than them or too dangerous for them. Yet we still very patiently, with that professional smile on our faces, guide their thoughts away from those toys or give their parents the best alternative that will make everyone happy—remind me of just how important our work as toy sellers' is and that it isn't as carefree as she makes it seem.

"What? Why don't you have the latest version of Thor's hammer?" The customer asks

Thor's hammer and not a spaceship? I guess she wasn't invited to the party

"Because ma'am we haven't been able to restock yet. The hammer you're asking for got finished the day before but we are expecting a new batch tomorrow and if you want I could set it aside for you so it will be available when you come back tomorrow" Phoebe said

The lady goes quiet, then types on her phone a little before looking back up with a bigger frown on her face.

"I can't wait till tomorrow, I need it now."

"But ma'am I just told you, the toy you're asking for.."

"Toy!? I'm not asking for a toy! I'm asking for Thor's hammer the lastest and realest one ever made, so do you have that?"

"Um... no this is a toy store we don't sell movie or game merchs here"

"Then why did you say you had it on the first place? Do I look like a joke to you?" The lady asks in an eeriely quiet voice

Oh oh! someone is upset

"Um ma'am if you want I could show you were you could get it and at a good price too. You know my brother is into this stuff so.."

"A good price? Do I look poor to you? like I'm a hungry woman looking to buy it at a cheap price?" The lady asks and I hastily shake my head

"No, do you think the shabby name plaque or decorations that are so out of fashion is what made me step in here? I don't think so" the lady said

Okay so what's her problem? She clearly came in here because she couldn't find what she was looking for elsewhere but that doesn't give her the right to mock the beautiful and thoughtful decorations Mrs Smith put up for her customers—who are obviously innocent kids that may or may not care about the interior design.

"Ma'am I'm apologize for not having what you want right now but I promise you that you can get it tomorrow at any time that is convenient for you and in any quantity you want" Phoebe speaks up, totally ignoring her rudeness from earlier

"Well it will be useless by 10pm today so I need it now!" The lady says apparently still angry

"Then I'm sorry you have to let her direct you else where to get what you want cause we don't have it right now. Thank you for coming" Phoebe said then turns to me showing she done talking with the woman.

Crash!

"Do you think I'm stupid for coming here!? Are you seriously taking me for a fool right now?" The lady screams at us looking scary and crazy

"I told you I need it tonight but you won't listen. I promised I'll deal with anyone who stands in my way this time" She whispers to herself

"Um Phoebe? Is she okay? She's behaving weird and it's creepy" I quietly say to Phoebe bit she shrugs and goes on to rearrange the scattered store.

"Stop right there!" The lady grabs her hand but she pulls her hand away and glares at her. She then continued her trip to the shelves muttering something needing security.

I quickly and quietly try to search for my phone when I hear another crashing sound that's accompanied with a cry of pain this time. I look over and to my horror Phoebe's back is covered on blood and there are little pieces stuck on it.

"What did you do to her!" I shout at the lady angry and scared

"I'm sorry I don't know what happened.. I really didn't mean it" She tries to touch Phoebe but I prevent her by pushing her hand away

"Don't touch her" I support her with my freak height and carry her to a chair by the counter.

Are you okay? we need to call an ambulance, you're bleeding quickly. I should take the pieces of first" I say to Phoebe and she nods but before I could move behind her she pushes me away and I hear a piercing sound this time.

"Are you crazy?!" I scream when I see blood dripping from Phoebe's mouth and stomach. I hurriedly stand up and push her away

"You don't understand! She will report me to the police! She'll... she will tell them we're I am and he will hate me!" The lady said to me with the most innocent look I've ever seen on an adult before which creeped the hell outta me

"We won't report you promise. Just leave before the ambulance gets here cause they may call the police" I assure her as I tend to Phoebe's wounds

She nods repeatedly then hurriedly stands. Thinking she about to leave, I lower my guard but thankfully not completely cause next thing I know she brings out a knife abd tries to Stab me with it.

This woman is really crazy!!

I quickly find a vase and hit her with it. While she down I look for my phone then pick of the first aid box and drag myself and Phoebe to a spare room and lock it from the inside.

I cleaned up her wound and bandaged them as neatly as I could then I picked my phone to call the police then Noah. A loud sound from the main store scares me and makes me dial Noah instead.

"Hello? Noah there's a crazy lady here trying to kill me... please help!" I'm not done talking when the door to the room were in vomits and axe from the top corner

"Aahh!" I scream before I could hold back helping her confirm our presence in the room

"We can go out through the vents" Phoebe says pointing upwards and I nod. I quickly search for something that can be used to break it then I move to support Phoebe to climb before me.

we've gotten to another room unnoticed and I quickly dial 911 for them to come take her away before she bleeds to death. I hear a voice on the phone.

"Noah? she's out to get me Noah! She's really going to kill me please help! Someone just anyone please save me!!" I whisper that last part more to myself and for Phoebe, I don't know how much longer she can hold on. Instead of waiting for her to find me here, I quickly pick Phoebe up so I can take her outside before the lady finds us.

"Where are you ladies? I just want to hey this over with I have some else to take care of and you're wasting my time!" She shouts but I ignore her and focus on getting Phoebe outside as quietly as I can.

We've gotten to the counter when my hair is forcefully pulled to the back.

"Ahh!" I let go of Phoebe who miraculously runs outside while she's distracted.

"Oh, poor you... Your friend has abandoned you after how much you helped her. tsk tsk tsk she's such a wicked girl isn't she?" She asks like she genuinely feels concerned for me. She tugs harder when I don't respond to her but she doesn't get to hear me scream again.

"Come on, let's go somewhere that will make it easy for me to wash off the evidence" She winks and I feel my skin crawl at how casually she talks about killing and getting rid of the body.

"Willow!? Willow! Whoever you are leave my sister alone!"

"Noah?" I whisper with uncertainty. He's so fast getting here before the police!

"Someone you know? Boyfriend perhaps?" She asks but I ignore her so she doesn't go over to him

"Suddenly gone mite huh? Okay then let's go see" She says as she drags me to the main store again. My head has gotten numb from the pain so this second trip is a bit less painful for me.

"You didn't teach your sister manners, Noah.." She says and nearly roll my eyes, she's always so dramatic.

The young boy looks up from the cupboard he was staring at and stares at us with anger.

"Then let her go. I'm the one that didn't do a good job, so if she did something to you it's my fault" He says but I know words like these don't get to her, instead they seem to infuriate her the most. Noah sends me some kind of signal that I don't totally understand yet ready to comply when he needs me to.

"Why!? Why must you take the blame for her!? She did wrong so she should bear the consequences herself! Why must you be a knight in shining armor!?" The girl screeched and tugged on my hair harder

"Because I'm her brother and that's what brothers do. Now Willow!" He shouted—If I wasn't about to die right now, I would've swooned at the words he said right now but I didn't let myself get distracted —and swung the vase he grabbed when She wasn't looking, towards her head making her dodge reflexively, making her grip loosen enough for me to escape.

"No! How dare you!?" I hear her shout then I stop and look behind to see the lady and Noah in a struggle and surprisingly he wins

"Let. Go!" he pushes her and she falls to the ground on some glass shards but I don't pity her

I hear sirens outside the store and I'm relived cause Phoebe is outside and they can easily care for injuries first. Noah and I are almost outside now, away from the crazy lady and her viciousness

"Do you think I'll let you leave just like that?" I hear the lady say but I don't turn back

"Keep running Will, don't stop running till you're outside the building. I think the police are here, they'll get you to safety" Noah says to me making me stop.

"What about you? We need to go out together!" I say to him. Instead of answering, he came closer and grabbed my hand then continued running.

"Die!!" The crazy lady suddenly screams from nowhere and I'm suddenly flying to a corner.

I scream from fright of my brother, my only brother who isn't healthy in the first place getting stabbed and bleeding faster than Phoebe few minutes ago. I grab the first thing I can see and slam on her head then I hear footsteps at the door and the next thing Noah is falling.

"Noah!" I scream to wake him up but he falls unto the hands of our mum that I didn't notice when she came in here.