A stranger from the past.
By Vicki © 2003


The lightning flashed across the dark sky, her deep blue eyes flashed almost evilly as she watched him hurry into his home trying to avoid the rain. From her place in the shadows she heard him cuss as he hit his leg against the side of the car. His short dark hair damp from his work out, still dressed in red and white sweatpants and a white wife beater shirt. He looked incrediable and she knew it. Watching him finally enter his home she ran her fingers threw her long dark red hair and stepped out of the shadows. She wanted him so bad she could feel it. Walking to her motorcycle she climbed on and drove off into the darkness just as the rain began to fall.



“ Hey Alex sweetie when did you get home?” Sarah asked coming from the shadows.
“ Just now babe. How are you?” He asked kissing her lips lightly as he set his bag down on the floor.
“ I’ve missed you so much. We’ve had some strange calls coming in all the time.” Sarah said looking at him. AJ looked at her worry apparent in his brown eyes.
“ Has security been checking that?” He asked pulling her closer to him.
“ Yeah.” She said a devious smile on her face as he pulled her into a tight hug.
“ Well how about I take you out tonight?” He said smiling at her. Sarah smiled sweetly and nodded.
“ That would be nice. I haven’t seen you in weeks. It’s time we did something together.”
“ Yeah we should. Come on you look lovely as you are.” AJ said taking Sarah’s hand and leading her out to the car.
“ Shit I forgot something. Babe why don’t you start the car I’ll be with you in a sec.” AJ said kissing her cheek and hurrying back into the house. Sarah smiled and headed towards the car. She looked around she could have sworn she had heard a noise but blew it off and climbed into the car and placed the key in the ignition and turned the key just as AJ exited the house. He smiled sweetly at her as she returned the smile just as the car exploded throwing AJ backwards into the door knocking him unconscious.

“ Everything is going perfectly, one down four to go.” She said into the cell phone.
“ You missed. You got the girlfriend. You wont get paid for their deaths if they aren’t dead.”
“ I planted the bomb what happens after that isn’t my doing. I watched he walk out to the car.”
“ Get it right or you don’t get paid. Do as your told.”
“ I am doing as I am told. Don’t get snippy with me or you’ll be a freebie.” She growled.
“ Darla, don’t get like that.”
“ Then don’t get like that with me.” Darla growled as she closed her cell phone. Placing it back into her pocket she made her way threw the town and out of it. She had to make it to her next stop before sunrise. Finally knowing she couldn’t make it to her next stop she pulled into a hotel and got a room for the night.
“ Hmm what a lovely yet dingy hotel. Grand.” Darcy groaned as she made her way to her room. She grabbed the saddlebag off her bike and headed into the room. Opening the bag she poured the contents onto the bed. Picking up the first packet she opened the envelope and looked at the picture.
“ So Mr. McLean. You survived my first attempt at your life. No matter you wont survive the next one.” She said setting the packet down. She picked up the next one and looked at the young blonde in the picture.
“ So Nickolas Carter your next. A loner that doesn’t have anyone living with him, you’ll be an easier target.” Darcy said looking the picture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ Nick what are you doing?” Kevin asked as he watched his young friend pacing the room.
“ I am worried about J.”
“ We all are. Who ever did this had intended on killing him. But it seems Sarah was the one that got it instead. Alex is going to be devastated when he finds out that Sarah is dead.”
“ No one could have survived that blast.”
“ We are lucky that Alex did. He was hurt pretty bad but at least he’s alive.”
“ Yeah Lucky.” Brian said looking down the hall. The doctor came walking down the hall and looked at the worried group of friends.
“ Alexander will be fine. He’s got a broken arm and a cuncussion but other than that he’s going to be doing fine.” The doctor said looking at them.
“ Thank god. Can we see him?”
“ Shortly, we are moving him to his own room. We will be keeping him for a few days.”
“ Alright. Thank you doctor.” Kevin said sitting back down. He was worried what AJ would say when he heard that Sarah was dead. Once the doctor let them go into the room, Howie stood next to the bed looking at his injured friend.
“ Hi guys.” AJ said, his voice just above a whisper.
“ How are you feeling J?” Howie asked.
“ Like I was hit by a bus. Sarah’s dead isn’t she?”
“ Yeah, we are so sorry Alex.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darcy stood outside the hospital, getting the call about the victim being placed in the hospital.
“ So all the little ducks in a row.”
“ Take them.” The voice said to her.
“ Take them? That’s not part of this game.”
“ The rules have changed do as your told or I kill your family.”
“ What the hell does my family have to do with these five men? I’ve never met these men yet your willing to kill my family if I don’t kill them.”
“ Because it was part of the deal my dear. It’s either that or we tell young McLean that you’re the woman that he dated years ago.”
“ Tell him I don’t care. I haven’t seen him in six years why should I care what he thinks now? Why do you think telling him these things is going to make me do this?”
“ Because then we tell Kevin that you’re the baby sister he thought was dead.”
“ You wouldn’t dare.”
“ Why not? My dear you where raised by people that didn’t even love you, they trained you to be a killer, and one of the best in the world. Why are you suddenly deciding that you can’t kill people anymore.”
“ When my family was brought into it.” She growled.
“ Do as we instructed and we will release your family.”
“ I wont kill another person, especially these men.”
“ Do as your told. Or that beautiful child you have is gone.”
“ Don’t you dare hurt Ally She’s just a child.”
“ Then do as your told.” He said slipping off into the darkness. Darcy looked around and found that the man that had been talking to her was now gone. This pissed her off more than anything. What was she going to do he had changed the game and she wasn’t happy with that kind of change. She had particular ways of doing things and she hated having people change it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1993~~~~~~~~~~~


“ Darcy, what are you doing?” A gruff voice asked.
“ I am training.” She answered grabbing the knife and throwing it at the voice, she heard it lodge itself in the wall behind her teacher.
“ You aim is off my dear.”
“ If I had wanted you dead I would have done so.” Darcy said her blue eyes dancing with evil.
“ Are you getting that good my little Darcy.”
“ Yes master I am. You’ve taught me well. When do I do my first job?”
“ Come up soon. I want to make sure your up to sneeking in getting it done and getting out without being noticed.”
“ Then get me started.” Darcy said looking at him.
“ Go change, there is a new uniform for you to wear. I want to train you in this personally. And then I want you when we are done to get your school work done.”
“ Yes sir.” She said bowing a bit and then heading out of the room. She went into her room and found the new uniform, quickly changing she walked out and stood next to him.
“ Wonderful.” He said kissing her cheek. Darcy took the knife off the table and strapped it to her left leg. Grabbing the gun she strapped it to her other leg.
“ I am ready.” She said proudly.
“ Alright come on.”
“ Master Shane.”
“ Yes Darcy?”
“ Who are we targeting?” She asked, she had been trained but hadn’t ever taken and killed anyone as of yet.
“ Just someone that has been against us.” Shane said placing his hand on her shoulder. He led her from the building out to the waiting van. Darcy waited in the van once it had come to a stop. She wondered if they where going to be doing anything very interesting. She followed silently behind her teacher as they made their way into the large house.
“ You stay close until I tell you to go upstairs. They have a young son.”
“ I don’t kill kids.” Darcy said looking at him. He nodded and looked into her eyes.
“ I wasn’t going to ask you to. Take this, tie him up. I don’t kill kids either. They are helpless.”
“ Ok. What about the parents?”
“ That’s what I am here to deal with. If you find other kids there, make sure you have the rope and your gun near by We don’t want them alerting their folks too soon.”
“ Right.” Darcy said heading up the stairs. Darcy made her way into the bedroom and saw the two young boys. She tipped her head trying to get a better view of them, she could tell that they couldn’t have been more than twelve. One was blonde the other a dark haired kid, the absolute terror in their eyes when she entered the room with her gun drawn.
“ Shush now, I promise you I wont hurt you. What are your names?”
“ Nick.” Said the small blonde.
“ Alex.” The other said. She looked at them and wondered how close of friends they where.
“ How old are you?”
“ I’m 13.” Nick said looking at the floor.
“ I am 15.” Alex answered.
“ Come here. I promise I wont hurt you.” Darcy said, the boys walked towards her slowly. She took Nick by the arm and tied his hands behind him. She could feel him start to cry.
“ Hey, buddy I’m not going to hurt you I promise.” Darcy said looking into his scared blue eyes. “ I am doing this for your safety.”
“ What about our safety? We aren’t here alone.” Alex said as she tied his arms behind him.
“ I know. Don’t worry we don’t hurt kids.” Darcy said touching their faces.
“ But the others are a bit older than we are.” Nick said as tears rolled freely down his cheeks.
“ How much older?”
“ My friends are 16 17 and 19. Does that mean you will hurt them?”
“ No, now sit in here quietly and I wont have to gag you. I will go and get your friends.”
“ Thank you.” Alex said. Darcy headed out of the room pulling the door closed behind her. She slowly made her way threw the large house and could hear a young voice, it was soft and sweet. She waited for him to come around the corner and grabbed him from behind her hand clasp over his mouth.
“ Stop. I wont hurt you. I am taking you to your friends. Are the other two more?” She asked never moving her hand. She felt him nod and point down the hallway. She tied his arms and walked him into the room with the other two boys.
“ Now stay quiet.” She said closing the door again. Darcy went on the hunt for the other two when she heard a gun shot. Rushing down the hall she prayed she could find the other two young men. She saw them backing from the room, as they got closer to her she grabbed the taller one’s arm.
“ Come with me.” She whispered harshly. The taller one nodded numbly and let her led them from the hall. She opened the bedroom door and gasped.
“ You promised no harm to kids.”
“ They are teenagers and can tell what we’ve done.”
“ They are kids.” Darcy growled. Shane looked at her and nodded. He grabbed some cloths and gagged the five boys and left the room. Darcy remained in the room for a short time more and then followed her master from the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ present time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Her eyes got wide.
“ Oh my god. It’s them. The same five boys. I didn’t recognize them when I saw them. Alex, Nick, Howie, Brian and Kevin. I never put two and two together. Why does he want them dead now? Why suddenly do these men need to be dead?” She asked herself.

“ Why would someone pay me loads of money to kill them?” She whispered. She watched the youngest of the group wonder away and she saw her chance to talk to him alone. She walked towards him as she saw him finally make his way away from the others. She could see the tears running down his cheeks. Darcy grabbed his arm and pulled the startled man towards her. Placing her hand over his mouth she pulled him into the shadows, she could feel him trying to struggle to get free, finally she put her gun in his ribs. Nick stiffened and stopped struggling with her.
“ Not one word or you wont live to scream for help.” Darcy hissed in his ear. Nick nodded as she moved her hand.
“ Wh…what do you want?” He stuttered. She looked into those same terrified blue eyes she had seen over ten years before. She knew he couldn’t remember her, she had changed so much over that ten years.
“ Come with me.” She said. Nick narrowed his eyes and looked at her, he had heard that phrase before but he did what he was told. She led him out to the motorcycle that she had been riding.
“ Get on.” She said climbing onto the bike. Nick looked at her strangely but she moved the gun and he did as he was told. Darcy drove till they came to a stop at a deserted house on the out skirts of town. Motioning for him to follow her inside she pushed him into a chair and tied him to it. Nick looked at her with fear in his eyes unsure of what she was going to do to him. She paced back and forth in the room and then sat down on one of the empty chairs.
“ I don’t know what to do with you Nick.” Darcy said looking at him.
“ But.. but I am here.”
“ Yes that much I know. I cant kill you. I wont kill you. But I need to get my daughter back.”
“ How?”
“ For now I need to get each of your friends here one at a time.” Darcy said. She moved closer to Nick and shoved a cloth in his mouth and tied it off behind his head.
“ I am sorry, this is for your own safety. And you do know me. I am very sorry.” She said sadly. She pulled the door closed and heard Nick begin to cry. She hated to do this, but her daughter needed to be found safely. She turned and hopped onto her bike and headed back to the hospital, she knew which one she could get next, he’d be the one looking for the younger man. One down four to go she thought to herself.

Darcy stood in the darkness as she watched the tall dark haired man as he worriedly looked around wondering where their younger member has wondered off too. She moved behind him and stuck her gun into his back. She knew if he saw her face he’d remember her from ten years before.
“ You can have all the money I have.”
“ Don’t want it.” She said.
“ What do you want?”
“ Where’s your car?”
“ Over there why?”
“ Start walking to it. And don’t bring any attention to yourself or so help me you’ll be dead before they can get to you.”
“ Where’s Nick?”
“ He’s safe. We need to do this.” Darcy said following him to the car.
“ You driving or me?”
“ You are.” Darcy answered as he climbed into the car. Darcy pointed her gun at him, she really didn’t want to do this but she had no choice.
“ Where?” Kevin asked.
“ Abandoned house just outside of town.” Darcy told him. Her hand never moving the gun that pointed at him. Kevin nodded and drove the car towards where she said. Darcy used her free hand and reached into her pocket, she had a pair of handcuffs. Once they had stopped she looked at him.
“ Get out.” She said a bit harsher than she had intended.
“ Fine.” Kevin said his voice as harsh as hers. Darcy walked up behind him and grabbed his arms and handcuffed them behind him.
“ What’s that for?” Kevin asked looking at her over his shoulder.
“ Just walk.” She said shoving him forward. Kevin shook his head but walked towards the house. Darcy opened the door and was surprised when she heard a loud noise from the back.
“ Sit.” She said shoving Kevin into the chair. Kevin looked at her strangely as she raced down the hallway. Darcy threw open the door to the room where Nick was and found him laying sideways on the floor. She looked at his tear stained face.
“ Shush. Here let me help.” Darcy said helping him sit up. She pulled the gag free and pulled his shivering body into her arms. She stroked his short blonde hair.
“ Can you untie me?” Nick asked, she could feel the tears that had soaked her shirt.
“ Come on how about I move you. I have one of your friends here.” She said as she helped him stand. Nick nodded and allowed her to lead him from the room. He looked up and chocked out a sob when he saw Kevin sitting in one of the chairs. Kevin’s head was down and his eyes where closed.
“ Did you hurt him?” Nick asked looking at his older friend. The minuet Nick spoke Kevin’s head snapped up and he looked at Nick’s tear stained face.
“ Nope. I told you I wouldn’t hurt you didn’t I.” Darcy whispered.
“ Yes that you did. I’m hungry.” Nick says looking at Darcy. Darcy reached behind Nick and untied his arms. She walked across the hardwood floor she unhooked the handcuffs that held Kevin’s arm’s in place. Kevin rubbed his wrists and then looked at Nick as he sat down next to him.
“ You ok buddy?”
“ Yeah, she never hurt me.” Nick said looking at Kevin and then at Darcy. Darcy’s cell phone rang causing the two men to jump. Pulling it out she moved towards the doorway holding her gun. She knew she wouldn’t hurt them but she didn’t trust them hurting her.
“ What?”
“ I know you have two of them open the door.”
“ Where are you?”
“ Out front with some friends.”
“ Yours or theirs?”
“ Theirs and if I find them walking around freely in there I’ll kill your angel.” He growled at her. Darcy’s eyes snapped towards Kevin and Nick.
“ How is that possible one is still in the hospital?”
“ He’s still there. We have the other two now open the door and do it now.”
“ Damn it hang on.” Darcy said hanging up and looking at them. “ I am so sorry.”
“ Sorry for what?” Kevin asked.
“ Take this.” She said handing him a small switchblade.
“ What for?”
“ Just take it. You’ll need it.” She said as she tied his hands behind him, she did the same to Nick. “ Be very quiet I wont have to gag either of you.” She said slowly opening the front door. Shane came in pushing Howie and Brian before him, both bound and gagged.
“ Damn it Shane why are you being such a pain in my ass?”
“ Because you need to play this game right.”
“ How so?”
“ We get the fifth member of their little family and then you have to work with them to find your daughter.” Shane said laughing at her.

“ What does she have to do with this? I remember you, she helped us and you wanted to kill us.”
“ Well guess what the game has just changed.” Shane said looking at Darcy. Darcy narrowed her dark eyes and growled at him.
“ Sit down Darcy.” Shane said looking at her raising his gun. She knew the men that where there where going to be no help to her.
“ You bastard. You’ve turned on me. The one man I thought was willing to be just that a man.”
“ Sit down bitch.” Shane said backhanding her with the gun.
“ Hey come on leave her alone.” Kevin said trying to get up from where he was.
“ I’d stay there pretty boy.” Shane said raising the gun. Darcy moaned and lifted her head to look towards Shane. Her eyes now cloudy and pain filled. Shane grabbed her arm and shoved her into a chair next to Kevin, securing her to it, he looked at her and then turned on his heal and left the room. Darcy sat there, the only thing holding her up at that moment was the fact that she was tied to the chair. Her head was pounding and she could feel the blood that ran down her face.
“ Darcy, you ok?” Kevin asked turning and looking at her. Darcy turned and looked at him and then at the floor.
“ I should have never trusted that bastard.” Darcy hissed.
“ You didn’t know what he was planning.”
“ My daughter is going to die because of that prick.” Darcy said looking away from Kevin. “ And he’s the father.” She whispered at the end.
“ He’s your daughter’s father and he’s willing to kill her?” Kevin asked completely stunned by the comment.
“ He raped me six years ago. It produced a child. I never told him she was his, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction to know he had gotten a child. He would have wanted to take her away from me.” Darcy said struggling with the bonds that held her arms. She stiffened when she felt two hands on her shoulders, her eyes looking up to see Kevin standing behind her.
“ The knife came in handy thank you.” He said untying her hands. Kevin stopped and looked up to see Shane standing in the doorway.
“ Sit down now.” Shane said raising the gun again. Kevin sighed and sat down. Darcy stood slowly and looked at Shane.
“ Bastard. How long have you been there?”
“ Long enough to know you should die.” Shane said pulling the trigger and firing the gun.
“ NO!” Kevin yelled trying to get to her before he too got shot. Darcy’s body slumped to the floor, Kevin knelt down by her checking for a pulse.
“ You could have killed her.” Kevin hissed looking up at the man that just stood there.
“ Yes I could have but I didn’t. Now here are your instructions, you have three days in which o make it from here to the destination where the little girl is being held. Now to make things a little more interesting you can’t take Darcy to a hospital to be treated for her wounds, you can stop the bleeding and all but she can’t be taken to the hospital.”
“ And if we do?”
“ You forfeit the game and you all die.” Shane said looking at them.
“ We need to go to the hospital for our friend.”
“ Oh him, nope that you don’t have to do. He’s with the little one.” Shane said.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


AJ woke up in a small room, his head was killing him and the last thing he remembered was he was at the hospital now he was laying against the wall his arms tied above his head and a gag in his mouth. Looking around the room he saw a small child that couldn’t have been more than six, her dark eyes looking at him, a small smile. Her little arms tied tightly in front of her. She toddled over and sat down next to him and rested her head on his chest. AJ looked down at her and then around the room. Ally reached up her little hands and tugged the gag free. AJ raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
“ Are you mommy’s friend?” Ally asked. AJ looked down into her dark brown eyes and smiled a little.
“ Not sure who’s your mommy?” AJ asked shifting a bit as little Ally climbed up into his lap.
“ Darcy Wolfe.” Ally said proudly. AJ looked at the little girl, he could remember six years before dating a girl that had that name. But it had been a long time since he had seen or heard from her.
“ Sounds familiar.”
“ Mommy has a picture of you in her wallet, talks about you all the time. Says that you’re the best thing that had happened to her twice.”
“ Twice?” AJ said looking at the little girl.
“ I don’t know mommy said twice.” Ally said snuggling up against him. AJ looked down at her and smiled.
“ What’s your name sweetie?” AJ asked. Ally looked up into his eyes and smiled.
“ I’m Ally.”
“ I’m Alex.” AJ said as she snuggled up and finally drifted off to sleep. He looked down at the little one’s sleeping form and wondered why someone would kidnap a small child. He knew he had money there was always hundreds of reasons but not for a little child. AJ closed his eyes and he to fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darcy moaned and finally sat up looking at Kevin strangely.
“ How long has he been gone?” Darcy asked looking them.
“ I’d say about an hour. You passed out on us. We didn’t dare move you till you woke up.” Kevin said looking into her eyes. Darcy huffed and slowly made her way to her feet. She held onto Kevin’s arm as she got her balance.
“ Come we must go.” Darcy said heading for the door. Kevin followed her out the door. Howie, Nick and Brian headed out the door behind them.
“ I’m confused, isn’t she the one that kidnapped Nick? Why help her?” Brian asked, his anger apparent in his voice.
“ Because my daughter belongs to your friend.” Darcy shouted at him, causing her to lose her balance and nearly fall.
“ Your daughter what?”
“ I had assumed she was from that bastard and I kept telling myself that she was his. But she’s got dark brown hair and dark eyes. And a smile that will melt even the coldest heart. Sound familiar?” She asked looking at them.
“ Your describing Alex or Howie depending on which your looking at.” Kevin answered.
“ Howie is a nice man, but it was your Alex that had caught my attention those ten years ago. The frightened child that looked into my teenage eyes, he melted my heart and captured it. I haven’t been able to ever kill as well as I did that day. When I met him again six years ago I melted against his touch, he touched my heart in ways I never knew possible. When we had our encounter, yes I admit he was drunk, very drunk in fact. I tried not to take advantage of his kind heart but he slept with me that night and nine months later I had a child. But I had assumed it was Shane’s cause after my encounter with Alex he beat and raped me.”
“ Wow, a little Alex.” Nick said as they walked down the dusty roads.