Past and Present Danger: Chapter 3
by blueeaglex
 

Nothing could have prepared Whitney for what she found inside her father's shed.

"I don't believe it," Whitney repeated, trying to make sense of it all.

Chad stepped in behind his girlfriend, his eyes moving over the entire room. A number of cardboard boxes filled the room, scattered around haphazardly. But the item which first caught Chad's attention was what had caused Whitney to cry out.

A painting of Whitney stood in the center of the room, propped up against one of the boxes. Despite the dust settled over the rest of the room, the painting looked as though it were brand new.

"A painting of me?" Whitney could hardly believe what she was seeing. "Why would Daddy have a painting of me hidden in his shed?"

"It does seem strange," Chad offered. "Is there a painting of Simone somewhere around here too?" Chad moved around a few boxes, but found nothing. "I'm a bit disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

"Well from all the secrecy about this shed, I figured your dad had a dead body hidden in here or something.

Whitney laughed. "That's crazy! It sounds like something out of a soap opera..." Moving closer to her boyfriend, Whitney added, "This place is so quiet. I like that."

"No one to interrupt us," Chad agreed, a wicked smile on his face. "That gives us more time to do--this." He kissed Whitney, a long, passionate kiss which took her breath away.

Whitney pulled back from the kiss. "This is wrong."

"Oh, now don't go telling me that again, Whitney." Chad recalled how long it had taken to get Whitney to open up to him.

"Us being together isn't wrong," Whitney assured him. "But I can't handle the secrecy anymore, Chad. My family needs to know about us."

"I thought you didn't want to tell T.C. about us just yet?"
 

"I didn't," Whitney admitted, the pain evident on her face. "And I know Simone will be upset too. But I won't lie anymore...I can't. Can we tell them today?"

"Whatever's good for you is good for me." Chad kissed Whitney again, happy to be with her. Caught up in their passion, neither Chad or Whitney noticed the snake slithering towards them.
 

******************

"You're sure you won't mind going out with us two nights in a row?"

"Don't be silly, Grace, you know T.C. and I love spending time with you and Sam."

Eve was having a pleasant conversation with Grace by phone. She looked around to make sure that no doctor or nurse needed her at the moment. For no reason she could properly explain, Eve felt refreshed this morning.

"So where are we going tonight?"

"That's my surprise...you'll find out tonight."

"I'm sure whereever you choose will be lovely, Grace. But I really should get back to work--I'll talk with you later tonight."

Grace hung up the phone, then walked towards Sam, who was reading the morning paper while sipping a cup of coffee. "So where are we headed tonight?" Sam asked, tipping his head towards his wife.

"Well.." Grace kissed Sam. "I guess I can tell you. We're going to the jazz club."

********************

"Daddy will be okay with us," Whitney insisted. Chad and Whitney were still inside the shed. "He likes you."

"As a friend of the family, yeah. But as your boyfriend? Not so sure about that."

Before Whitney could say anything, a noise outside the door caught her attention. "I think it's my Dad," Whitney whispered. "If he catches us in here..."

Chad gulped, putting his hand over his mouth to show he understood he must be silent.

From outside the shed, T.C. said, "I knew I forgot to do something. How could I forget to lock the shed, though?" Whitney gasped as she heard her father turn the key. They were locked inside. How were they supposed to get out now?

Neither Chad or Whitney said anything for several seconds; they listened to T.C. as he walked away, to assure themselves they could speak without being heard.

"What do we do now?" Whitney said. "I knew it was a bad idea coming in here."

Moving aside one of the boxes, Whitney screamed as a large snake whipped over her leg. Her yelp of pain intensified as she felt the snake bite her.
 

****************

Eve sat on the Bennett living room couch. Grace entered with two cups of tea on a tray, offering one to her friend. "You wanted to see me?" Grace asked, concerned. "Is something wrong, Eve?"

"I don't know how to say this, Grace." Eve sipped a bit of tea before returning it to the tray. "I've been lying to you for so many years. It's time you learned the truth about who I am."

"I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"Maybe it would be best if I showed you," Eve offered. She stood up from the couch, then stood in front of her friend. Then, Eve placed her hand on the side of her face...and started to pull.

Grace gasped, disbelieving, as Eve pulled off a mask, revealing her true self underneath. Screaming, Grace dropped her tea.

Grace woke with a start, looking around and seeing she had fallen asleep on the couch. She blinked twice, trying to become fully awake. "What was that dream all about?" Grace wondered to herself. "Why would I dream that Eve was hiding something? I mean, Eve doesn't keep anything from me...does she?"

************

Chad whirled around in time to see the snake slither under the boxes. Whitney cried out in pain, then collapsed to the ground in agony. "Please, I need help," Whitney whispered.

"Snake bites don't work this fast...do they?" Chad said to himself. But from the vacant look in Whitney's eyes, Chad knew that this one had. He rushed towards the door to the shed, ramming on it hard. "Will someone help us? We need help! Whitney's been bit by a snake!" He continued to hit the door, hard, but to no avail.

Woozy from the snake venom, Whitney managed to pull herself up, knocking over several boxes in the process. Her hand hit one of the boxes, sending it falling over. Whitney had been shocked to see the painting of herself, but what she saw now made the painting look like nothing.

Whitney fought back the urge to vomit as she stared at what appeared to be a glass coffin. Boxes covered most of the coffin, but Whitney could clearly see a dark hand inside.....

Screaming again, Whitney stepped backwards, and in her hurry knocked over several more boxes, which landed on top of the coffin. As she did so, Chad finally managed to break through the door, forcing it open.

"It's going to be all right," Chad whispered to Whitney. With one quick swoop, he picked her up into his arms. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and then fluttered open and shut. No time to hesitate, Chad carried Whitney out of the shed and into the sunlight.

T.C. was just a few steps ahead of Chad. He stared at Chad as Chad came out of the shed, his breathing hurried. "Just what were you two doing inside the shed?" T.C. demanded to know, the anger rising within him.