Nocturnal Obsession

The next evening, she waited in the cover of darkness by her window. As soon as she saw Sabrina pass by, she called for a taxi. It showed up five minutes later, and she hopped in the back seat. “Where to, Miss?” Teresa gave the guy the address. Her destination was about ten minutes away. “I’ve never been to this place before. Do you know the area well?” she asked. “Sure do,” replied the driver. “Been here all my life. You know, lots of people around here are from somewhere else, but not me. People are usually pretty surprised when they ask me where I’m from and I tell them I’m from right here in good old Phoenix, Arizona.” Whatever, thought Teresa, tuning the driver out. All she wanted to know was whether or not the guy knew the area, not his life’s story. Eventually, they pulled up to a small tract home on the corner of a street in a middle-class residential area. Teresa could see a light on in one of the front windows. The house across the street had a For Rent sign in front of it. “I’m not going to be here long,” she told the cabby. “Think you could come back in, say, twenty minutes?” “Sure can. See you then.” Teresa slid out of the cab and stood to gaze at the house. Slowly and quietly, she approached the front door and listened. She heard the drone of a television. Pulling on her plastic gloves, she rang the doorbell, then shoved her hands into the pockets of her baggy jeans. The sound of the TV diminished, and a dim outside light came on. A young voice then called out, “Who is it?” “It’s Amelia, your new neighbor from across the street.” The door opened, and a short, skinny blond peered out at her. Though in a very different way than with Sabrina, Teresa thought she was breathtaking. She could see how Sabrina would find her attractive. Her skin was so perfectly flawless that it appeared like porcelain. Her pearl-white teeth glowed in the dim light. She wore a simple yellow T-shirt with orange swirls throughout it, as well as jeans that were a few inches above her knees. “Can I help you?” “Oh, I hope so,” Teresa said with feigned urgency. “You see, my husband and I just moved in, and we don’t have a phone yet. I’m three months pregnant, and, well, I started bleeding, and I thought…” “Come on in,” said her blond obstacle. “You can use our phone.” “Oh, thank you,” said Teresa, stepping inside the small house. “I’m Carly, by the way. Sabrina and I have lived here for a while. She’s at work at the moment, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you using the phone for something this urgent.” Teresa studied the room. It was a small yet cozy living room done in shades of mauve and light blue. Straight ahead, she could see into the kitchen. Carly closed the door. “You have a two-bedroom, too?” Teresa asked her competition. “Yes, we do. The house is perfect for two people.” “Indeed it is,” Teresa said, turning toward Carly. “After all, you know what they say.” “No, what do they say?” asked Carly, wondering why the girl wasn’t frantically calling for medical assistance if she was supposed to be having a miscarriage. “Two’s company, three’s a crowd.” Carly stared at the girl. Suddenly, it clicked in her mind that Sabrina had described her unwanted admirer at the apartment complex as being similar to her own size, though with red hair. The girl’s hair was pinned back under a cap, but she could still see enough of it to determine that it was definitely red. She was also about the same size. Carly’s heart sped up. “Wait a minute. Just who the hell are you, and what do you want?” she demanded. “Well,” said Teresa, “just call me your local Blond Extinguisher.” “What? Get the fuck out!” screamed Carly, just as Teresa pulled her gloved hands from her pockets and grabbed her by the neck. Instinctively, Carly began kicking and punching, but the bitch had arms of steel. She clawed at her face, but couldn’t inflict enough harm to do her any good. “You mother-fucking asshole! I’m not going to let you remain in the way of Sabrina and me anymore. It’s me she wants, Carly, me!” Carly made horrible gagging sounds. Her flailing arms were growing weaker by the second. Teresa’s arms grew heavy and tired with the fierce effort to strangle Carly, and she had to rest a moment, even if that meant momentarily releasing her grip on Carly’s neck. Carly sucked in a deep breath of air. “Y-you fucking c-crazy bitch!” she sputtered hoarsely, scampering toward the front door. “Yeah? Well, let me show you just what a crazy bitch I can be, Carly,” said Teresa, grabbing her from behind to finish what she’d started. “You see, love really is blind, Carly.” She wrapped her hands around her neck and squeezed and squeezed. It seemed to take forever, but eventually, the girl’s movements stilled, weighing down heavier and heavier in Teresa’s arms till Teresa could no longer hold her upright, and Carly’s body folded to the ground. To be sure she was dead, she crouched down and checked for a pulse. There was none. The phone rang, startling Teresa back into an upright position. She moved closer to the phone and read the caller ID box attached to it. The name of the apartment complex appeared. It was Sabrina calling. How she wished she could pick up the phone and hear her sweet voice after she informed her that they could now be together because Carly was no longer a factor in their lives. In fact, she caught herself laughing at the thought of the look on Sabrina’s face if she heard her answer the phone and not her precious little Carly. Sabrina would be sad for a while, she knew, but then she’d need Teresa all the more to help her get over Carly and move on to better things, such as herself. For now, she would wait for Mr. Chatty Cabby to come and pick her up. She had the driver drop her off just outside the complex. The last thing she wanted was for Sabrina to see her pulling up to her place in a cab. It’d be easier to dodge Sabrina if she ran into her on foot. A glance at her watch told her she should be at the guard station now. She’d make a point of making her nightly visit to see Sabrina as always, as she knew it might look suspicious if she didn’t visit on the night her beloved Carly was killed. How she was going to keep a straight face was beyond her at the moment. She managed to get to her apartment without running into anyone. A little before 3 AM, she headed for her tall, dark, and now oh-so-free goddess. This time, she’d made a point of dressing down and not using any perfume. She wore a simple T-shirt and jeans. “Hi there,” Teresa said, approaching the guardhouse. She noted Sabrina’s worrisome expression just as Sabrina noticed her casual attire. “Hello, Teresa. What’s up tonight? Anything good?” Sabrina asked, turning back to her paperwork. If you only knew, she thought. Yes, things are good. So, so good! “No, not really. How about you?” “I’m ok, I guess.” “You guess?” “I can’t seem to reach Carly.” “Why? Is she expecting you to call?” “I usually do at least once a night.” “How come? Afraid she’ll be stepping out on you or something?” Sabrina glanced at Teresa, offended. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to offend you,” she said, cursing herself for the fact that she just couldn’t seem to say anything right lately when she was around Sabrina. Sabrina’s look softened. “It’s alright.” Teresa’s heartbeat seemed to take off with a mind of its own. “What’s wrong with you?” asked Sabrina. “I’m not feeling well,” Teresa said, hoping she was convincing enough. “My stomach’s been on the fritz all day.” “Then maybe you'd better go back and rest up.” “I think I will. Besides, you look like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Teresa said, motioning to the papers. Sabrina smiled. “A security guard’s job isn’t as simple as most people think it is.” Teresa smiled back. “As a matter of fact,” said Sabrina, rising to her feet, “I’m about to take a walk, so how about my walking you home?” “I’d like that,” Teresa said with a broad smile, feeling honored. They walked a moment in silence, then Teresa spoke. “You have a way of making a petite lady feel quite safe, Officer soon-to-be Agent Garrett.” Sabrina chuckled. “Well, good. I’m glad.” “Carly happy about you becoming an FBI agent?” Sabrina sighed. “Not really. She says I should get one of those so-called normal jobs so she doesn’t have to worry about me so much.” Don’t worry, Teresa wanted to say, she won’t be worrying about you anymore. Instead, she said, “Oh, that’s too bad. Maybe she’ll come around sooner or later.” They arrived at Teresa’s door. Before Teresa unlocked it, she turned to Sabrina. “Good night, good-looking,” she said. “Good night,” Sabrina said with a look of both amusement and reprimand as she turned to continue on her way. “Lock up tight and feel better.” “I will.”