Broken Dreams (6 page)

She was beautiful in her Tiffany blue dress. It looked stunning against her pale skin and ginger hair. The bridesmaid’s dress color was my choice. Only after hours of pissing and moaning did my mother finally relent to the blue. Claire was barreling toward me. “Oh, my god, Elaina! Oh, my god!” She grabbed me and started sobbing.

“I’m going to go find your mother.” My dad ran his hand over my shoulder and took off into the congregational area. All of our family and friends were running around, freaking out, trying to get out of the church. I could hear this weird growling/snarling sound, coupled with the screaming. I still couldn’t see where the sounds were coming from. I grabbed Claire by the shoulders and shook her.

“Claire, what the fuck is going on?” She could do nothing but look at me with tears streaming down her face, taking her mascara with them. I started shaking her more. “Snap out of it, Claire!” She took a couple of staggered breaths. Meanwhile, the church was clearing out and I was holding Claire by the shoulders, standing still. I felt like time had stopped for us, but everyone else was moving in fast forward.

“The pastor…the pastor, he…” And then Henry came running up, not looking half as panicked as everyone else. In fact, he looked to be rather in control. It was quite odd but, for the most part, he seemed to be in check of his emotions.

“Henry, what the fuck is going on?” I sounded like a broken record. I looked back and forth between the two of them. “Damn it! Will one of you say something?” I was beyond pissed. They must have forgotten that I rate a zero on the patience scale. Then I noticed they both had red splatters all over them. “What is that?” I reached out to touch the wet, red speckles on Henry’s face. He turned his head away so I couldn’t.

“Elaina, we need to get you out of here. Go to the limo. Once you get there, lock the doors and stay put, no matter what. Do not leave the limo under any circumstances. Do you understand me?”

Bossy, bossy,
I thought. He knew I didn’t take kindly to commands, except when we were in bed together. “Why?” I crossed my arms. Cue four-year-old Elaina. “I refuse to go anywhere until you tell me what the fuck is happening!” There. I could be bossy, as well. I almost felt like sticking my tongue out at him, too. My maturity spoke volumes about me.

Henry’s face twisted into an angry snarl. He grabbed me by the wrist and started dragging me out the door. That was unusual behavior for him. I looked back and saw Claire just standing there, still looking stunned.

“Will you let go of me?” I broke his grip and ran back to Claire. Well, I didn’t really run with those stupid shoes on, but I hustled my butt back to her the best that I could in four-inch heels.

“Damn it, Elaina! Come on! There’s no time!” Henry chased after me. I grabbed Claire by the wrist and Henry grabbed my arm. “Let’s go, you two. Now!” He dragged us through the crowd of screaming, panicking family and friends.

“Wait!” I screamed and stopped in my tracks. Henry stopped just short of pulling me over and making me face-plant onto the steps of the church.

“No, we need to go! You don’t understand! There’s no time!” What was with his behavior? He was acting like that mental uncle that we all have. Actually, in my case, that would be my Aunt Lisa. She takes cuckoo to a whole new level.

“I need to get these fucking shoes off if you want me to run!” At that point, I couldn’t even hear myself think because the noise level was so high from the pandemonium all around us. People were pushing and shoving, trying to escape the surreal scene. It was like a herd of elephants trying to push through a mouse-sized door.

I kicked my stupid shoes off, hoisted up my dress, and started to run, as instructed, to the limo, making sure Claire was keeping up. Luckily, she was an expert in heels. She could run a marathon in them. We got to the limo and Henry opened the door.

“Now, please, I need you to listen to me. Do not open these doors for anyone. I need you to stay here. I will be back in a few and we can get out of here. I will explain everything later.”

“But I can’t open the door for you?” I batted my eyelashes at him. My cuteness wasn’t desirable at the moment. Henry threw his arms up in the air. “But you just said…” He cut me off. I hated it when he did that!

“No time for your smart ass comments right now. Open the fucking door for me and me only! Okay?!” Henry was officially pissed. He was shouting at me, and he looked as if he was ready to punch something. It alarmed me a little. That wasn’t the Henry that I knew and was about to marry.

We barely made it through the door, me in that god-awful wedding dress and Claire in her Maid of Honor dress, before he slammed it shut. After his resounding “Okay?!” he made a mad dash back to the church.

I maneuvered my way around the limo, locking all the doors as instructed. I started to wonder why the driver wasn’t there. Oh, well. Under Henry’s command, I wouldn’t be opening the door for the driver, either. So I just shrugged my shoulders and sat down. Claire moved closer to me and she started to sob in her hands.

“Claire, please tell me what happened. Tell me what is going on.” I handed her my hanky that I had safely tucked in my annoying strapless bra. I hoped it wasn’t too sweaty. To be honest, I don’t think she would have cared at that point.

“It was horrible!” She was trying to speak between her sobs. “I have never seen anything like it.”

“Anything like what?
What,
Claire?” People were trying to open the limo doors and were banging on the windows, leaving bloody handprints, crying for help. Some looked like they had huge gashes on their bodies and torn skin. I shivered. I hate blood. Then I thought,
Wait, blood?
It finally dawned on me.

“Claire, is that blood on you?” I got closer to her, trying to see if I was right.

“Yes!” she yelled and I jumped back. Seriously, there was no need to yell in such a confined area. “We’re going to die. All of us. Everyone.” She bent down, put her face in her hands, and sobbed some more.

“Okay, Claire, I need you to tell me what you saw,” I pleaded with her. Obviously, it was a good time to become concerned. I started stroking her hair. “Please, Claire. It’s my wedding, my family, Henry’s family and our friends. I need to know what happened so we can figure out what to do.”

Claire lifted her head and tried to gather herself as best as she could. “The pastor,” she whispered and then she paused for a second to take a breath. “He staggered to the podium. Initially, I thought he had been drinking or something. But then he lunged at Marc. He’s gone!”

Oh, my god…Marc! How could I have forgotten about him? The tears were running down her face and collecting on her chest.

Marc was Claire’s long-time beau. Keyword: was. Marc was a great guy. He was a Harvard graduate, top of his class. He was so sweet to Claire. He loved her with all his heart as she loved him with
almost
all of hers. I had some belief left that she was still hung up on my brother. But that is an entirely different story, meant for another time.

“He lunged at Marc? Why would he do such a thing?” I was baffled. The situation was getting weirder by the second.

“He bit him, tore out his throat.” She could barely get the words out.

I grabbed her and made her look at me. It was like pulling teeth trying to get information out of her. “Tore out his throat? Like, with his teeth?”

“Yes!” She looked like a Goth kid from the early nineties with all her mascara running down her face.

“Oh, my god,” I whispered. It finally hit me that everyone was in danger. My family, my friends, my future family were all in real danger. I couldn’t just sit there and watch the chaos that was unfolding before us. “Claire, stay here. I need to go find Henry.” I started for the door, but she grabbed me by the corset ties of my dress. I heard a tear.

“No! I will not let you go out there. Henry said to stay here and that’s what we’re doing!” Claire was pissed and crying at the same time. It was a combination that no one should fuck with, but this was
me
we are talking about here. “I just lost Marc and, damn it, I am not losing my best friend, as well!” My jaw dropped. Look who was wearing the bossy pants now. The ever polite and ever proper, Ms. Claire James.

I missed that day in etiquette school. She wouldn’t dare say “ass”, even while referring to a donkey. She knew all the proper table manners for all those hoity-toity restaurants, while I was happy if I didn't get the dripping grease on my shirt from a bacon cheeseburger from the local burger joint. Etiquette was so overrated.

“Really, Claire? Really?”

“Yes! You are staying here with me, just like Henry said!”

“He’s in danger! I need to find him so we can gather our families and get the fuck out of here!”

“I understand you, but you can’t. You just can’t!” Claire fell apart again, kind of like my dress was starting to after she tried to stop me from leaving the limo. I didn’t know what to do. “Please, Elaina. Stay. Stay with me. I’m so scared.”

Through the bloody windows of the limo, I saw Pastor Jones stagger out of the church, blood dripping from his mouth, and stumble down the stairs. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was all in slow motion. I didn’t hear anything. All I could see was Henry running up behind him with his arm straight out like he was aiming a gun.

Wait, he had a gun? What the fuck? Where did he get a gun? With one shot, Pastor Jones’ head exploded and his body hit the sidewalk like a sack of potatoes.

I had no emotion. All I could do was stare in disbelief at the scene that was replaying in my head. It was as if I kept rewinding and pressing play. I had no idea that Claire was screaming right next to me. I wondered if Henry would go to Hell for killing a pastor. Then I felt my stomach give. I buckled over on to the limo floor and heaved. Did I mention I hate blood, guts, and anything gory?

The sound of Claire screaming and grabbing at me brought me back from my vomit-fest. She was looking out the window behind us. I turned around and there was our limo driver, Ray, tearing out Henry’s father’s throat. I turned back to find Henry again, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I started to panic. My body began to shake. I was so fucking scared.

“Henry! Where’s Henry?! What the fuck is happening, Claire?!” I screamed. I knew I shouldn’t have yelled in such a confined space, since Claire’s yelling was getting to me, but I do believe that it was warranted. Then I saw him sprint past the end of the limo, and run toward the other side of the car.

“Oh, my god, Henry! Henry!” I screamed and pounded on the window with the heel of my hand. I felt like I was trapped in a cage. He shot at the driver, but missed as he tripped over his father’s body and fell to the ground. The driver started coming at him, snarling. “Henry!” I felt helpless watching it all unfold in front of me. I wanted to help. I
needed
to help. “Claire, stay here.” Before she could protest, I unlocked the door and jumped out of the limo.

I could hear her screaming my name. I ran around the limo toward Henry. Before I could get to him, he jumped up, grabbed the gun, and annihilated the driver.

Ray’s head exploded all over. My stomach lurched again. He turned with his gun aimed at me. “Elaina! Damn it, I almost shot you! Get your ass back in the fucking limo! Now!” he bellowed at me.

“What’s going on? Where did you get that gun? Are you all right?” His tuxedo was bloodied, his shirt was torn and he had his mad face on. I looked back at the driver and it dawned on me. “Is…I mean, was that...? Wait.” I put my hands in front of my mouth. My stomach continued to protest. Somehow, I stopped myself from throwing up.

He spoke a little more calmly, “Elaina, please. We need to get to the limo and get out of here.”

“But my mom and dad, Nick, our friends. We have to make sure they are all safe!” I pleaded with him.

“Damn it, Elaina, stop arguing with me! Just get in the fucking limo! I will tell you everything once we get moving!”

“But my parents, my brother. Where are they?”

He tucked the gun in the back of his tux pants and walked over to me. In the midst of the chaos, his face changed from Crazy Henry to the Henry I knew. “Love, please. Just go to the limo. There’s no time.” I did what I was told without protest. There was always a first time for everything.

Claire whipped open the door as soon as I came around to the other side. I watched Henry search the driver’s corpse. He grabbed Ray’s keys and ran to the driver’s door. He was fumbling with them, due to all the gore that was covering his hands.

Claire moved quickly to the door and unlocked it. Henry jumped in, slammed the door, and started the car. I looked around, and it was utter chaos everywhere. I felt the limo lurch forward and we sped away.

***

Henry drove the limo like a pro, cutting around corners closely, but with control and precision. We looked to be heading toward his apartment. Yes,
his
apartment. Not
our
apartment, but
his
apartment.

Henry wanted to be proper and not live together until we were married, even though he spent many nights -- okay, most nights -- in my bed. He said it would please his mother to be proper. I wonder if it would please his mother knowing he wasn’t that good boy she thought he was when he would spend the night. He was actually rather naughty, and I loved that about him.

He looked back at me in the rearview mirror. “Elaina,” he whispered. I looked up at him and started to cry. I don’t cry on a regular basis like some girls…Claire, for instance. There has to be a damn good reason for me to cry, and I’m not talking about a broken nail or a bad hair day.

Thinking about what had happened in the moments before we sped off in the limo, it occurred to me that I wasn’t exactly sure who this guy really was.

Typically, my Henry was gentle, soft spoken, and would only enter conflict when it was absolutely necessary. Unless, of course, he was liquored up and some pervert tried to fondle my goods. The Henry I knew would never kill anyone, or even think about yelling at me.

“Elaina, come up to the window.” I shook my head. I was frightened by him. “Elaina, please. I need to talk to you.” He was begging me.