The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Understudy
by Naching T. Kassa

“CUT! Lila, you missed your mark—AGAIN!”

Lila Dubois glanced down at the floor and then up at Auric McMillan as he strode toward her. Everyone on set stood frozen, eyes on the director. Many had gone pale, their eyes wide. Lila’s understudy, Sarah Masters, was one of these. She watched as Lila glanced down at her feet and then up into the man’s furious face.

“Auric, I hit the mark. See? It’s right there.”

“THAT IS NOT YOUR MARK!”

“There’s no need to shout. I can hear you just fine.”

“I sometimes wonder about that. Maybe, we should get you some hearing aids.”

The air seemed to leave the room. A pin drop would’ve seemed thunderous.

Sarah stared at Lila. The woman stood tall, her graying hair swept back. She frowned and glanced at Sarah. The young woman shook her head.

No! Don’t do it! He’s baiting you! He wants to be rid of you.

Lila nodded. She turned on her heel and made for her trailer.

“Get back here!” Auric called after her. “How dare you turn your back on me!” He followed, but when he reached the trailer, she slammed the door in his face.

“BREAK!” Auric shouted.

The spell broke. Those who had frozen in place hurried on their way. Only Sarah remained, her eyes on Auric. He pounded on the door for several minutes. When he failed to gain entry, he turned toward Sarah.

“You! Masters! You’re the understudy, do you know these lines?”

“Lila’s lines?”

“No, the Queen of Sheba’s. Of course, her lines!”

A voice, Lila’s voice, filled Sarah’s mind. That bastard!

“I know them,” Sarah said aloud. “But this is Lila’s part.”

“Don’t worry about Lila right now. I’m asking you as the director.”

“But Lila has a contract. You can’t just replace her.”

“I can and I will.” His red face grew pinched, and the light shone in the bald spot on his head. For an instant, the image froze in Sarah’s mind. Lila’s laughter filled her head.

“There are other ways to handle this problem,” Auric said. “I suggest you fall into line if you want to continue in this business. If you’re smart, you’ll meet me in the canteen tonight at eight.”

He brushed past her, disappearing in the direction of his trailer.

Sarah rushed to Lila’s trailer, and Lila opened the door just as her foot touched the first step.

“That little prick,” she said as Sarah shut the door. “And you can save the telepathy. I’m too tired for that.”

“We shouldn’t talk out loud. He could have people listening.”

“Let them listen. Did you get inside his head?”

“He had his guard up. I could only get glimpses. You don’t suppose he knows about us?”

“He’s just a human.”

“Humans can be dangerous. He threatened you.”

“I didn’t hear that.”
“He didn’t say it in so many words. It was the feeling behind it. He’s afraid of you, and fear can turn to hate. I think he’s the type who’d kill what he hates.”

Lila laughed. “If I paid attention to everything humans thought, I’d be insane by now. They don’t always mean what they think. Tell me what you saw.”

“There’s a box in his trailer. It’s very important to him.”

“Where in the trailer?”

“Under his bed. Do you think the jewel is in it?”

Lila nodded. “We know he has it. He wants to meet with you later. Go see him, and I’ll get the jewel.”

“What do I say?”

“Whatever you want. I don’t think there’s going to be a movie after this.”

Sarah bit her lip. “Mom…I don’t like this.”

Lila wrapped an arm about her. “I know, little one. But the jewel is the most important thing on this planet. We must recover it.”

***

Eight O’clock came and went.

Sarah stood outside the canteen, waiting for Auric to arrive. He was, as always, unfashionably late.

She considered reaching out to her mother but decided against it. Because of Auric’s ability to block her psychic scan, they had agreed not to use telepathy. No use alerting him if he wasn’t human.

Sarah checked her watch. Forty-five minutes had passed. Maybe, she should—

The scream deafened.

It tore through Sarah’s mind, and excruciating pain followed. She’d only experienced the sensation once before. It had occurred with the death of her father.

She sobbed as she rushed toward the source, the psychic pain lessening the closer she grew to her mother. The pain led her to Auric’s trailer. When she arrived, she found her mother lying in the dirt, blood seeping from the bullet wound in her back.

“Mother!” Sarah screamed. She ran to Lila’s body and cradled the woman in her arms.

“It was self-defense,” Auric whined. He had gone pale, and the hand which held the gun trembled.

“Self-defense? You shot her in the back!”

“She was in my trailer. She took something from me. I told her to stop, and she ran.”

Lila clutched something in her hand. It sparkled in the trailer’s light.

“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to,” Auric whined. Sarah glared at him, willing herself past the guard he had set up in his mind. She found it surprisingly easy. He was, as Lila had said, nothing more than a human.

She took the jewel from Lila’s hand and rose to her feet.

“Now, listen, Sarah. There’s no need to tell anyone. We can work this out. I know some people. They can take the body away. No one needs to know. We’ll say Lila left and close the set for a week. Then, we’ll start again with you in the lead.”

“You selfish pig,” Sarah said. She held the jewel up toward him. “I thought you killed her for this. But I can see it in your mind. You were going to kill her anyway!”

Auric raised his trembling gunhand.

Sarah hurled the stone at him.

It smashed in the dirt before him. In the flash of light, a creature burst forth. Its form, insubstantial as smoke, surrounded the man. Sarah made out two large horns and row upon row of sharpened teeth just before it tore Auric limb from limb.

When the creature had finished its meal, it approached Sarah, a deep and rumbling purr in its throat. She stroked its nose, then lifted her mother’s body in her arms.

“Come, Jewel,” she said. “We’re going home.”

Fiction © Copyright Naching T. Kassa
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

More from Naching T. Kassa:

Sherlock Holmes and The Arcana of Madness: A Horror Mystery

Discover the untold mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes and the Arcana of Madness, a trilogy that unveils three captivating cases intertwined with the mystical allure of tarot cards, designed by the renowned, yet infamous artist, Richard Dadd.

A collection of manuscripts, meticulously penned by John H. Watson M.D., is unearthed in 2019 amidst the restoration of Broadmoor Hospital, found inexplicably in the grave of Richard Dadd. The manuscripts’ concealed journey and their remaining unpublished raise a myriad of questions, enveloping them in a veil of mystery.

Available on Amazon!