**Warning: This story is based off actual events that sadly some people have experienced recently. We are in no way using such events for just mere mild amusement. Be advised, some of the events are tragically graphic. Please don’t take this story too seriously, we are after all fiction writers.**

“Predestined Insanity”

~Locked Away~

Six months after…

The black sleek 4Runner crawls to a stop in front of the tall intriguing white mental institution. Flinging open the driver’s side of the door, Jeremy Morris steps out over the scattered gravel in the parking lot alone, grabbing his tape recorder and slipping a pad of paper and pen into his jacket pocket. He sighs slowly and presides to make his way towards the entrance of the institution. Stepping into the uninviting cold lobby, he walks over to the front counter where a middle age woman stood behind the counter, typing manically on a keyboard: the words blurring together on the flat screen monitor.

“Excuse me.” Jeremy whispers, placing his butter pecan hands onto the rich dark wood counter. The attendant smiles and looks up all dressed in white attire.

“Uh, yes. How can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m Jeremy Morris, the journalist you talked with last week. You gave me permission to interview the women.”

“Oh yeah, I remember. Let me get Ms. Benton, she’ll lead you to them.” She whispers, pressing a small button on the inside of the counter. A soft static vibrated through the lobby as the woman speaks calling for the nurse to meet her in the front. She sits back in her seat and smiles gently, her soft grey eyes glitter happily. The soft white lights gleam down, lighting up the institution. Jeremy stands uncomfortably, clearing his throat.

“So mister Morris, how did you get interested in wanting to talk to those two women?”

Jeremy smiles, shrugging his shoulders, his dark eyes lock with the woman, “Well the story died down and there was no real answer. Even with all the interviews that were done, there wasn’t anything solid that any journalist came up with.”

“And you think you can find the answer to that?” The attendant whispers, continuing her typing.

“Hopefully: if the women will share. But I have a question, why did they come here?”

The woman gulps and stares up at Jeremy, “You’ll have to ask them that when you see them.”

“Oh ok.” Jeremy whispers, watching a white attired nurse appear down the long off white color hallway. Large windows lie scattered through out the hallways as she makes her way up to the counter.

“Hi Mister Morris. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m glad you made it here alright.” She extends her hand as Jeremy shakes her hand gently.

“Yeah, the directions were fine. It seemed far off from the city though.”

“Yeah, that’s what we tend to do. Facilities like these tend to be separate from the cities and such. It allows the patients less distractions and more of a safety issue for them. Plus they seem more comfortable here than living in the society. Doctors tend to get through the patients better when they’re away from such places.”

Jeremy nods and smiles, “Wow, I see it’s beautiful, it’s like another world over here. You have a beautiful garden and the back yard looks amazing.”

Smiling, Nurse Benton leads the way down the hallway, “Come, let me show you the rooms the women are staying in.”

“Ok, great thanks. I have a quick question if you don’t mind.”

“Sure what is it?” Benton asks, pressing the lit elevator button.

“Out of curiosity? I know its been six months since they’ve experienced all that, will they willing to tell me anything?”

The nurse nods her head and holds the opening elevator doors that just arrived, “Of course, if they weren’t willing to talk about it, then you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Right.” Jeremy whispers, standing quietly as the white paneled elevator takes them down a few floors. “Basement huh?”

“Yeah, they wanted the full privacy and asked for the basement. Strange, but I assume they have their reasons.” Benton states, stepping out of the sliding open elevator doors. “Follow me this way Morris.”

“Just call me Jeremy, more casual that way.”

“Alright, I’ll try to remember that.” The fair headed nurse smiles, her dark emerald eyes gleam as she leads the way down a dim lit almost prison like hallway. On either side of them, a wide tall glass window aligned the hallway, reflecting their steady movement. He sees at the end of the hallway only one white iron door. Curious, Jeremy eyes the window besides his left and jumps at what he saw inside it. He can see into the dark grey room, where a tall fair skinned woman dressed in a flimsy white lace dress walks steadily barefooted along side him. Her emerald sapphire eyes shone brilliantly as she places her right hand along the window, walking besides him.

The nurse, not noticing the sudden presence of the woman in the room that was trailing behind Jeremy, slides a card through the slot of the door, opening it and pulling it open. “Mr. Mor…Uh Jeremy, let me show you the women. Come in.”

Jeremy follows the nurse and glances back at the window to his left to see the woman disappear from his view. Smiling, the nurse enters the room, flipping the light switch on. “They’re in here. This is where they spend most of their time. Sometimes they head out in the garden and even take a dip in the pool we have further in the basement. Ana, Jamelet: girls. The journalist is here. Come meet him.” She calls out to the women.

A sudden soft movement shuffles in the dark corner: a petite figure steps out of the dark shadows. The young woman steps into the light dressed in a similar lace white dress and smiles at the nurse nodding at Jeremy. Her dark brown curls trickles pass her shoulders: her light eyes staring at the new comer.

The tall broad shoulder woman that had followed Jeremy in the hallway from within the room, steps out of the threshold of the room she was in. She stares at Jeremy quietly and slithers her way over to the only furniture in the room; a thick wooden dark mahogany table, grabbing a seat, settling down on it. The brunette heads over to the window pane, sitting down on the small window seat, staring out into the evening sunlight that barely reached their window.

The nurse smiles and pats the flaxen hair beauty on her shoulders, “This is Ana. The dark hair woman is Jamelet. I’m sure you all have plenty to discuss. So I’ll leave you to begin. If you need me for anything Mr. Morris, just push the small blue bottom on the side of the front door, I’ll come here shortly after then. Ok?”

Jeremy nods and whispers a thanks as the nurse slips through the door and exits. Clearing his throat, he smiles softly and takes a seat across from Ana. “Hi. Uh, is it ok, if I record our discussion?” He whispers, pulling out a small tape recorder along with his pad and pen. He watches Ana stare at Jamelet and remains quiet, waiting for the older woman to speak.

Jamelet turns her head at Jeremy and shakes her head, making her way to the table, sliding besides Ana. “No, go right ahead.”

Jeremy jumps at the sound of her voice after being so quiet in the room, “Ok, well can we begin now?”

“Yes.” Ana whispers, clasping her hands in front of her.

“First off, tell me why are you here? I did research on you two, neither of you are insane.”

Ana smirks, “Define insane for me. Because after we’re done telling you the story, you may begin to consider the opposite.”

“Really now?” Jeremy asks, preparing the tape recorder.

“Yeah, at least that what happens after each journalist comes here to talk with us.” Jamelet whispers, fiddling with her fingers.

Jeremy smiles, “I’d doubt that, unlike the other journalist’s, I actually did get reasonable data and I’m sure you won’t change my mind, you both seem naturally normal.”

Jamelet smiles gently and places her arms on the table, leaning close to Jeremy, “So you say. Let’s begin.”

Jeremy nods and pushes the bottom on the tape recorder.

Ana’s soft voice begins, “One never knows when their time is up. We’ve been either blessed or cursed with the sudden ‘gift’ given to us.”

“Gift?” Jeremy interrupts.

“Yeah, it seems that if one avoids their fatal death by some sudden miraculous event, death comes back for you.” Jamelet whispers, “And it doesn’t stop till it takes you with it.”

Jeremy gulps and listens as the flaxen haired woman, Ana, speaks again: “It started six months ago, May to be exact. It was a regular day…”
~*~

He tries hard to withhold his yawn as he gazes at his excited friend pulling in an empty fishing rod. Rubbing away the sleep that tempted his eyes, he groans and leans back on the base of a tree:

“Nick this place sucks. Why did I listen to you guys? This is so boring. Old men do this. Fishing? Man how lame is this?” A.J. grumbles, standing up to stretch, kicking a stone into the calm blue green river. The stone bounces on the surface sending the ripples to flow outward into what seems like infinity on the water’s surface.

Kevin, relaxing on the base of a tree with his back on it, laughs and crosses his jean clad legs at the ankles. “Chill out Alex. Sorry this isn’t the club hopping trip you enjoy. I think it’s a good idea for us to come here. It gives us time to bond.” He smirks at the angry glare A.J. gives him.

“Bond? Dude, do you we look like girls that we need to bond?” A.J. asks, lowering his shades to stare at Kevin.

Brian laughs and shakes his head, “Hey what’s wrong with bonding? We can bond: you know…There isn’t anything wrong with male bonding.” His sapphire orbs gleaming devilishly.

“Man that sounds so gay.” Nick quips, providing the laughter for the group. The warm breeze fluttering his fair short spiked hair.

“Yo where’s Howie?” A.J. asks after his laughter subsides, tossing a coin into the air and catching it.

“I think he’s pissing somewhere behind a tree or something.” Brian mutters, busily un-wrapping the cord around his fishing pole.

“Oh, eww man.” A.J. states: kneeling besides Nick who was again waiting for a bite from the fishes. The soft afternoon sunlight beams down on them as warm air embraces them passionately. He passes his hands through his newly grown goatee and picks at his nails.

Footsteps approach from behind them as they see Howie grinning madly with relief on his face.

“Man, I think I was holding that in for the entire car ride.” Howie smirks, getting a few groans from the others. “Oh what? You act like you never had to piss before.” His dark brown eyes open wide with interest and mischievous.

“Dude that’s so gross. Really not our business man. Its not that, it’s just ‘cause you ain’t wash your hands and I don’t want you touching me now.” A.J. pipes up, receiving a few stares from the others.

Brian chuckles softly and eyes Howie who plops besides Kevin. “Shut up. Nick and A.J. have dirtier hands than I.” Howie teases them as Kevin smirks.

A.J. plops on the ground and groans, “Ahhhh, this is so wack. Guys, we need to go do something before I lose my mind.”

Kevin eyes his friend, “J, why don’t you try giving the whole fishing thing a shot? Who knows, maybe you’ll catch a fish.”

“Kev! If I want fish, I’ll go buy it at the stores! That’s what their there for!” A.J. exclaims.

Howie grins, shrugging his shoulders at A.J., suddenly an idea struck him, “Hey Nick, you said you know a lady who reads tarot cards for a living right?”

This caught A.J.’s attention as he listens in on the conversation. Nick nods and looks at Howie who’s tan was clearly showing from the sun’s effect. “Oh yeah, my mom knows the lady. In fact I think she stills works there. It’s not that far from here. Hey J, maybe we can go check that lady out, she does this cool stuff with the cards.”

A.J. groans and smirks, “Dude, you’re kidding me right? You don’t believe in that sh…”

Brian interrupts him as a sneeze cuts through A.J.’s sentence, “Hey that’s sounds neat, let’s go.”

“Bless you buddy.” Howie whispers to Brian as they all stand up.

“Thanks. So Nick, you think she’s working now?” Brian inhales a fresh breath from the lowly forest.

Checking his watch, he nods, “Yeah, its two now. I’m sure she’s off from lunch and be back there.”

A.J. lazily scratches the side of his head, running his fingers through his dark hair. “Ok, ok. Fine, I see what you guys are doing. You’re trying to keep me entertain, so I won’t bolt out on you guys.”

“Damn, you figured that out.” Kevin jokily responds, snapping his fingers.

“Man, whatever. Look, if she’s good at the card thing then let’s check it out, it’s better than waiting around for a stupid fish to bite.” A.J. states, pulling on the edge of his black tank top to wipe the perspiration that rolled down his cheeks.

“Great! We’re going on a trip!” Howie quips up, ruffling Nick’s hair.

“Cool, wait let me tie my pole down.” Brian rushes over to his fishing pole and ties it around the bark of a tree. Nick does the same thing and both head out, leading the way as the others follow.

Nick and A.J. glance at each other before they all trekked out of the forest and out of the pier.
~*~

“There it is I think.” Nick points down the boardwalk, approaching a small red bricked store.

A.J. nibbles on his lower lip as they gather at the entrance of the small plain store.

Kevin narrows his eyes and peeks at the window, examining the signs in there. “You sure this is? I thought it be all weird looking, with scrolled scary letters that say…”

“Come see what the cards hold for you and see what your future holds.” Howie states, interrupting Kevin.

“Yeah, exactly.” Nick whispers confused as they scroll their eyes over to the front window where in small bold italic letters stated what Howie just read.

“Well that’s nice. What a trip Nick. Guess we should head back, I’m sure the fishes are snapping at the poles now.” A.J. whispers, turning around and bumping into an elderly woman. “Uh oh. Man, I’m so sorry. Are you ok ma’am?”

The woman giggles and nods her head, “Oh yes, dear. I’m just fine. Thanks though.” She pushes back wisps of salt and pepper hair strands behind her caramel ears as she smiles. “So, you all must be here to see me, right?”

Brian smirks and pokes A.J. in the ribs, “Uh yeah. That’s right. We’re killing time, waiting for the fish to come out. Plus our buddy here, A.J. needs some form of entertainment and Nick thought to bring him to ya.”

The woman breaks into a smile and nods her head, “Ahhh, well thanks Nick. The name’s Miss Levees. Nick has always been a good costumer to me so this one is on the house. What do you all say?”

Kevin shrugs his shoulders, “Oh hey sure. Free is never easy to find anymore.”

“Tell me about it.” Howie whispers as he shakes the lady’s hand. She guides the five men into her small store and they all gather around the small wooden table. She pulls out a deck of tarot cards from a satin red box and kisses it gently, her caramel cheeks glowing brightly in the early sunlight.

“Alright. A.J. right?” She asks him as he nods his head. “Ok, this is the deal. These cards in my hands all represent a specific symbol that reflects your life and or where’s it heading. And before you say this is ridiculous, I have made a good reputation that my cards don’t lie. I’ve predicted many people living in this community, in fact I predicted you’re friend’s mother that she was impregnated with this man here.” She smiles, gazing at Nick.

Brian snorts as Howie chuckles slightly.

“Ok, Miss Levees, can you show us what you see in our lives?” Kevin smirks as Howie rolls his eyes.

Miss Levees smiles and shuffles the cards, placing them in a deck. One by one, she pulls out a card face down and spreads out the five cards, one next to each man. She pulls the rest of the cards away and sighs. Whispering a small prayer or possibly a chant before flipping the cards over, she begins. All five men watch curiously as she begins flipping the first card. A picture of a black eye stares back at her and the men.

“Uh, what does that mean?” Brian whispers, his eyes rolling over the eye card. Miss Levees frowns and flips the next card, revealing a grim reaper. Nick gulps as Brian clears his throat nervously. The silence in the room was deafening as she turns over the third card revealing a skeleton. She gasps as she nervously twitches her gaze over at the men. “Ummm… this can’t be. Hold on.” She whispers, her throat gone dry.

Kevin eyes Howie who shakes his head seeing A.J. watching in confusion. Miss Levees flips the fourth revealing a picture of a bowl full of what one assumes was blood. By now, her hands her shaking terribly as a cold sweat begins to emerge from her forehead.

“Miss Levees, listen hey you ok? You don’t look so good. Maybe you should stop, this isn’t important.” Nick whispers, worried about the fate of the elderly woman.

She shakes her head rapidly no, “Once I start, I can not stop until I reach the end. It is the custom Nick.” She whispers out in a frighten voice.

“Look, Miss Levees, don’t worry about this. You can forget it, it’s obviously worrying you.” Kevin whispers, watching a shock look cross A.J.’s face.

She ignores him and flips the last card to show a picture of another eye. “Oh God! This can’t be happening.” She whispers, shivering slightly.

“Alright lady what does this mean?! Its freaking us out watching you do this.” A.J. shouts, standing up.

She looks up at him and gulps, “The first and last card: the eye, shows what you all will see in your future. The three in the middle reveals death, your life and its danger of it.”

“You’re lying. What does it mean?” A.J. growls, as Nick holds his tense friend back.

Miss Levees closes her eyes, shaking her head: “Oh God, Death has chosen you all. You’ll all die if you don’t watch out. Death has plans for the five of you.” She cries out, her hands shaking as Brian and Howie try to calm the woman down.

A.J. narrows his eyes and grabs the five cards smirking, “This is bull. Nick don’t ever take me to these things, it’s a lame way to scare people.” And he walks out, fear pricking his soul. Kevin smiles gently at the woman,

“I’ll apologize for my friend, I just think that want a little too far, Death isn’t something to be played with you know? Doesn’t make for a real good joke you know.” Kevin whispers gently.

Miss Levees gasps and takes deep breaths, “It’s real! It’s true! You can’t hide from death, its coming for you.” She shouts, standing up, pointing as the five men exit her store.

A.J. smirks and holds the door open for the others, turning to her direction, “Like I didn’t hear that before.” And with that exits the store, leaving the shaking woman alone in fear.
~*~

“Look girl, you have to start packing. If we’re going to this road trip, you gotta move your butt girl!” Jamelet shouts from below the apartment stairwell.

Ana grumbles and grabs her suitcase, placing a small wad of money into the small pockets. “Yo, Jammy, you have the tickets right? Cause I can’t find them anywhere.”

“Yeah, it’s in my bag, Let’s go.” Jamelet calls out again.

Sighing, Ana grabs her suitcase and beams brightly at the mirror in her room. She quickly grabs her keys and slips out the apartment, locking the door behind her. Reaching the bottom stairwell, she meets her friend and both exit the apartment building.

“I’m so hyped! I get to chill at the beaches of Florida! Hehe, hey you think I can get a nice tan?” Jamelet beams, placing her shades on as they make their way to the front of the building where their taxi was waiting for them.

“Hell ya! I’m about to burst through my clothes, I can’t wait to check out the hotties down there! And you should have no problem getting a tan. Me however and the sun don’t get along. So you get the suntan for the both of us.” Ana giggles, flipping her blonde locks behind her shoulders.

Jamelet laughs and both board the vehicle, not knowing that they were pulling away from their normal life and about to enter into a world where death plays with its victims.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

Chapter 2 - Agony of Knowing



Dark flames of Hell whirled around Ana as she walked through a deep midnight haze. So many pictures began to flash about her as blood rained down upon her. Ana shielded her eyes as thick droplets of blood flowed down her face. The strong aftertaste of metal remained in her mouth as the blood continued to coat her pale skin. She struggled not to vomit as cars crashed in front of her and buildings toppled. Sharps knives lunged at her body as gunshots rang against her ears. She screamed in surprise as several thick ropes made into nooses tried to wrap about her neck. She struggled to get away as she was pulled under a thick sea of red. Several faces exploded in her mind. The five men looked so familiar, but their eyes were gouged out from the sockets and their lips sewn shut. Suddenly, she fell hard against a black road. She struggled to orient herself as a bright orange flame wrapped around her ankle. She screamed loudly.



“ANA!” Jamelet screamed. Ana jerked from her sleep and inhaled deeply while she plunged into a sea of bubbling water. She surfaced quickly, pulling her long blonde locks away from her face. She coughed deeply, struggling to orient herself once again. She wanted to fight whatever was holding her, but soon realized it was only Jamelet’s hands. Her heart raced wildly and she glanced up to see Jamelet join her in the bubbling Jacuzzi on their veranda. Jamelet offered a playful smile. “You fell asleep in the Jacuzzi you ditz. I bet you’d sleep anywhere!”



“I was dreaming then?” Ana asked in wonder, checking her bounding pulse.



“Yes, dreaming. That’s usually what people do when they sleep,” Jamelet replied sarcastically.



“But it felt so real…”



“What are you talking about?”



“I had these…visions—”



“Visions, who do you think you are, Miss Cleo?”



“Not funny!”



“What did you dream, then?”



“I dreamt that blood was raining down on me as fire consumed my soul. Then there was this car that crashed into other cars and a building collapsed. Knives were whirling and gunshots were firing. Then these thick ropes kept tangling around my neck. I saw these faces… They looked so familiar… Then I fell into this sea of red…”



“Damn, you dreamt all that?”



“What if it wasn’t a dream?”



“What do you mean?”



“It felt so real.”



“Girl, you’re crazy.”



“No, I’m not!” Ana defended.



“They’re going to throw you in a padded cell and give you Jell-o for a lifetime.”



“Jamelet, bite me!” Ana huffed.



Jamelet smiled softly when she noticed the serious look that had crossed Ana’s face. She leaned over and ruffled her friend’s blonde curls. “Fine, than it’s that blonde hair of yours!”



“Are you telling me that you think I’m insane?”



“I don’t think that you’re insane, because I already knew you were insane.”



“Must you always infuriate me?”



“Yes, because you’re younger.”



“I’m going to get you back,” Ana avenged, curling her right hand into a fist.

“You’ll get me back the day that death knocks on my door and tells me how I’m going to die,” Jamelet declared, not noticing the flicker of black that accumulated in the bright midday sky.



*~*~*



Nick smirked with knowing as he waited for Brian around the corner. They were engaged in a brisk game of paintball while Kevin, Howie, and AJ lazily lounged about Nick’s pool. He and Brian had invited the others to play the game, but they decided against paintball, knowing the bruises that could occur when Nick adjusted his gun to a higher power than agreed upon. Yet, Brian had already attacked Nick and shot him three times in the chest with his blue paint. Nick had hit Brian only two times. He needed two more shots to win the game. Nick shook the thoughts free, concentrating on his game. He listened quietly, hearing a sneeze near the side of the house. Nick rolled forward, jumping to his feet in time to aim. “CARTER IS THE WINNER AGAIN!”



“DON’T EVEN THINK OF FIRING THAT SHIT AT ME!” AJ rasped in surprise when Nick faced him with the gun.



“Damn, I thought it was—”



“Over here, Blondie!” Brian called, aiming the gun directly at Nick’s chest. Nick turned, catching his foot in a hole. He fell forward as the gun exploded with a violent power. The paintball zoomed forward as Brian was knocked onto his back from the kick of the gun. The paintball whizzed past Nick’s head and blew a clean hole through his thick wooden fence. Everyone grew dangerously quiet as Nick quickly checked to make sure that all his body parts remained. Brian lay on his back until Kevin grabbed him by the shirt and tugged him upward.



“What power did you have that on?” Nick burst, looking behind him to see the large hole in his fence.



“I-I-It wasn’t that high!” Brian wheezed, struggling to get away from Kevin.



“You could have killed him!” Kevin burst, examining the gun. Indeed, the power had been fully maximized. Kevin reached for the lever to turn it down, but noticed that it was stuck. Kevin knitted his thick eyebrows together in surprise, struggling with the simple lever. “It’s jammed.”



“What do you mean?” Howie questioned in surprise.



“It must have gotten hit on a wall or something,” Brian mumbled in surprise, tossing the gun in a nearby garbage can.



“Dude, I could have had a hole in my chest!” Nick exclaimed, admiring the hole in his fence.



“Just what the Blonde needs,” AJ muttered, rolling his eyes.



“I think we might want to head to the beach where Nick and Brian can’t hurt themselves,” Howie suggested.



“Hey…” AJ drawled with amusement, clapping Nick on the back. Nick stumbled a few steps forward, glaring at the older man. AJ held a devilish smirk. “Death was trying to get you, Nicky-Boy. The gun was jammed and it could have blown a hole through your body. Ooooh! Maybe we should be hanging out with you. You’re next on death’s list of murders. Oooooh! Dead Man Carter Walking!”



“Shut up, J!” Nick snorted, pushing on the man.



“Can I make out your tombstone? Here lies dear Nicky Carter, killed by Lady Death, because he didn’t pay after sex,” AJ teased, continuing to annoy Nick.



“AJ, drop it!” Nick growled, feeling odd about the entire incident.



“Lady Death – The Prostitute who kills—”



“AJ, shut up,” Kevin ordered sternly, taking authority.



“Kev—”



“It was an accident, nothing more. So just drop it and get your stuff ready for the beach,” Kevin decided, dropping the incident immediately without further questioning.



*~*~*



Ana yawned as she turned onto her stomach while the hot sun beamed down against her pale flesh. She had been lying on her large beach towel for about an hour, hoping to start some kind of tan. Yet, she wasn’t making any progress, while Jamelet seemed to darken the second she stepped out into the sun. Jamelet sat beside Ana on her own beach towel, lazily gazing at a magazine. She licked her fingers and turned another page before glancing toward her watch. “Naughty-Angel, you might want to lather some more sun block on your skin before you start looking like a lobster in a steaming pot,” Jamelet called, using a nickname she had developed from years of knowing the younger woman.



“Jamelet, bite my bikini-ass,” Ana quipped back with a smirk.



“Were you always this mouthy?” Jamelet laughed.



“Only when the professors weren’t watching.”



“Point well taken. I suppose that is why I call you Naughty-Angel.”



“If the bikini fits,” Ana laughed.



“You’re all about that bikini aren’t you?”



“Dude, it’s cherry-printed, my favorite!”



“Ana?”



“Yeah?”



“You are insane.”



“Thank you,” Ana chirped, pushing her sunglasses further onto the bridge of her nose. With that being said, she closed her eyes and laid her head against her folded arms. She sighed softly, inviting the warm rays to tickle her skin. She was having a fantastic time in Florida and it had only been her first day. She was about to drift off into a dreamless sleep when an image flashed against her brain. She watched a volleyball hurling toward Jamelet with a fevered pace. “Jam – watch out for that ball,” Ana murmured, before turning onto her back.



“What ball?” Jamelet asked, looking upward quickly, yet she saw nothing. She turned toward Ana, smacking her sharply on her bare thigh. Ana yelped, jumping upward in surprise. Ana tore off her sunglasses in surprise, glaring toward her friend. Yet, Jamelet offered the same glare. “Would you stop teasing me?”



“Teasing you about what?” Ana groaned.



“THE BALL!” Jamelet shrieked as a volleyball smacked her sharply in the side of the head. Jamelet tumbled forward into the sand. Ana’s eyes grew large in absolute surprise as she sat straight up. She struggled to maintain her laughter as Jamelet pulled herself up from the sand, brushing the particles away from her dark curls. She sputtered, wiping away the sand in her mouth. She then reached to rub the tender spot where the ball had hit.



“Told you,” Ana sniffled, struggling to maintain her smirk.



“Oh, man! I am so sorry!” a male voice called, running over through the sand. He stumbled as he reached the girls, falling to his knees right in front of Jamelet. His dark blue eyes immediately connected with Jamelet’s warm brown eyes. Jamelet’s cheeks flushed furiously as she admired the handsome man that had hit her. He was a natural pretty-boy with sharp blonde locks, deep blue eyes, and a muscular body. “Are you alright?”



“Nicky! You pegged a hot chick!” a raspy voice announced with a high-pitched laugh.



“I’m f-f-fine,” Jamelet stammered with embarrassment.



“Are you sure?” the man asked once more.



“I’m positive,” Jamelet replied.



“I’m really sorry by the way,” he said, raking his hands through his short blonde spikes. He offered a lopsided smile as he stuck out his hand. “My name is Nick.”



“I’m Jamelet and this is my friend Ana,” Jamelet replied, motioning toward Ana.



“Nice,” Nick laughed, motioning toward his four friends that stood behind him. “This is AJ, Howie, Kevin, and Brian. Guys, this is Jamelet and Ana.”



“Hey,” Howie replied, studying Ana. He admitted silently to himself that she was quite cute. Her blonde curls were tossed into a high ponytail, delicately falling down against her defined shoulders. Her lithe body was wrapped in a small cherry-print bikini. Howie could already tell that she might be the bubbly energetic type, but something about her facial features startled him. He leaned toward her and offered his hand. “Are you alright, Miss?”



“It’s Ana…” she drawled quietly, staring at all five men in wonder. Her mind immediately clicked with her previous dream of devastation. The five men had been the men in her dream with their eyes gouged and lips sewn shut. She shivered uncontrollably, trying to forget the images.



“Well, Ana, are you alright?” Howie repeated.



“I’m fine, just a little too much sun,” she replied, offering a shy smile.



“Well, maybe we should get out of the sun before you burn that soft skin of yours?” Howie suggested, pulling her up from the sand. Ana offered him a surprised look, staring at him intently. Howie returned a smile. “Is there something wrong?”



“You hardly know me, but I think I know you…” Ana trailed.



Nick offered a snort of laughter. “Of course you know us!”



“We do?” Jamelet asked in surprise.



“The Backstreet Boys,” Brian drawled.



“Oh! That group!” Jamelet laughed. “I got beamed in the head with a volleyball by a famous man?”



“Yes, you did,” Nick chuckled, helping her up. “Are you staying in Florida for awhile?”



“Yes, for a few weeks,” Jamelet replied.



“Then how about we take you girls to our house for dinner tonight? You know, to apologize?” Nick offered, admiring Jamelet’s dark beauty. He wanted to get to know this woman better and could tell that Howie was searching to know the blonde better. They had an alluring quality that Nick couldn’t shake.



“Dinner?” Ana repeated, still somewhat unnerved by the images flashing against her brain.



“Yeah, it’d be fun,” Howie encouraged.



“And if you don’t like what we cook, we’ll take you out the next day,” AJ replied.



“It would be nice. We haven’t had much company lately that doesn’t try to tear our clothing off,” Kevin joked.



“Sure, let’s go Ana,” Jamelet encouraged, pulling on her friend’s arm before she could disagree with her fatalist instinct.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**

“Predestined Insanity”

**~First Sight~**

Jamelet laughs as she helps place the last glass dish into the dishwasher. “I heard about that, but didn’t think it was true.”

“Hey I was tortured growing up with these guys.” Nick smirks, wiping the counter with a rag.

“Shut up, no you weren’t.” A.J. grins, plopping on the leather black sofa. “It was your fault you left your green ninja turtle drawers on the floor. You were just asking for trouble.”

Kevin grins, shaking his head, “Ahhh, Nick was only like twelve when we did that.”

“Man, memories are sweet.” Brian chuckles, tying a knot on the plastic garbage bag. The others smirk and join in the laughter as well.

“Tell me about it.” Howie whispers, sitting calmly on the edge of the sofa, his eyes trained on Ana the entire time.

Ana blushes, glancing around the lavish suite.

“So whatcha think of the food ladies?” Nick asks curiously, batting his light eyes.

Jamelet takes a seat besides Ana and grins, “Hmmmm, I have to think about that.”

Kevin laughs, shaking his head, “Nick you can’t cook to save your life. I feel bad for the two women.”

Ana laughs heartily, shaking her head, “When I thought we were gonna see you guys make food, I didn’t think ordering fast food was an option.”

Brian grins widely, his sapphire orbs glimmering evilly, “Yeah well, if that didn’t happen, we might all be in the bathroom if Nick got his hands on making food.”

“Hey, what are you saying? I can cook.” Nick shots up defensively.

Howie chuckles, “Making grilled cheese sandwiches is not cooking Nick.”

Nick playfully gasps and drops on a vacant spot on the sofa besides Jamelet. “D that hurts man. You love those sandwiches. I think I have talent in that.”

“Alright buddy, whatever makes you feel good.” Brian whispers, lifting the trash bag out of the can.

Kevin saunters over to the fridge in the fancy kitchenette to find any drinks. “Guys we run out of soda.”

“Oh aight. I can go pick some up, there’s a store a few miles down from here.” A.J. speaks up, lifting his head up from the decorative pillows on the sofa.

“K, hey girls do you have any sodas you like in general or is Pespi fine with ya?” Kevin asks, leaning forwards on the mahogany kitchen counter, placing his arms on it.

“I’ll take Pespi.” Ana whispers, smiling as Howie eyes her.

“Uh Pespi sounds fine I guess, I wouldn’t mind Sprite but don’t worry about it.” Jamelet whispers, feeling uncomfortable suddenly.

“Aight.” A.J. whispers, heading out the room. “Hey listen since I’m heading to the store, call me if you think you need anything else cause my behind is not gonna drive back and forth for ya.”

Brian grins, “Ok, we will.” And he heads out the door to remove the trash bag. He gently brushes pass A.J. out of the threshold to drop the waste down a garage shoot.

A.J. eyes the group and smirks, “Don’t ya call me later asking me for something else. Ya ain’t cute like that.”

Jamelet and Ana giggles softly as A.J. smirks, exiting the room along following behind Brian.

“Ok well ladies. I have to personally thank you both for spending time with us. I’m sure it was a little strange hanging out with celebrities, but see we’re normal people too.” Nick grins widely, batting his eyes towards Kevin.

Kevin smirks, taking a seat across from the girls and Nick. “We have a movie we were all planning on renting. Maybe you will like to join us girls?”

“That sounds cool. I’m down for it.” Jamelet whispers, fiddling with her fingers.

Kevin smiles, “Cool, so Nick you have the dvd right?”

Nick nods, placing a stick of gum into his mouth. “Uh yeah, do you wanna wait till J gets back or not?”

“Hey we gotta entertain the women, I’m not waiting around for Alex.” Howie whispers, getting up from the sofa and heading over to a pile of dvd’s lined up on the side of the Plasma TV.

Ana smiles, shaking her head, “Man, look at that TV, you know what we can do with a TV that big.”

Jamelet nods, “Oh yeah, big time. Hey Nick, you got any horror films over there?”

“D’s checking them out now. You girls can decide what to watch.” Nick shuffles over to the pile of DVD’s, pulling one out. “So you what horror huh?”

Ana smirks, “How about something more tamer shall we? Something of a more psychological thriller.”

“Ahhh, is this thriller enough for ya?” Howie whispers, pulling out a blurry pictured DVD: tossing it towards Ana’s direction.

Ana grabs the dvd and smirks, glancing at the title. “Hmmm, Final Destination. One of my faves. Perfect.”

Howie smirks, “Great.”

“Nice choice.” Nick whispers, taking a seat on the carpeted floor, crossing his legs beneath him.

Howie takes the dvd and prepares the dvd player. Brian enters back into the room and turns off the lights as Kevin lowers the shades, blocking out the late evening sun.

“Guys ready?” Howie asks, kneeling next to the TV, awaiting the cue to begin the movie.

“Yup!” Kevin whispers as Brian takes a seat on the rug next to Nick.

“Ok and now ladies and gents. For our feature presentation.” Howie grins playfully, starting the movie. The others chuckle softly as the television screen goes black, ready to play the movie. Kevin flops on the black sofa across from the women, gazing at the screen.

The white letters of the title of the movie scroll on the screen slowly as Ana grins.

Jamelet giggles, “You getting a little excited now ain’t ya?”

Ana pokes her friend’s ribs, “Shhhh. Movie starting.”

Howie scoots over to Ana, his brown eyes shining in joy as he watches the movie begin.

Brian heads to the fridge and finds a hidden cardboard Pespi box hidden behind a large gallon of milk. “Hey we have soda! J didn’t need to go out.”

“Oh well. We need more anyway.” Nick mutters, annoyed that his friend was making noise as the movie plays.

Kevin smiles: happily inhaling as he enjoys the serene scene around him. He closes his eyes for a brief period and suddenly was washed over with a strange image in his mind. He sees A.J. driving on a highway and an accident ensues. A truck up ahead of A.J.’s vehicle begins leaking a trail of gas while the truck’s contents are labeled flammable. Kevin gazes at the back of the white truck to see in red letters, ‘Flammable objects carried.’ Kevin continues watching this strange image in his head as the truck stops suddenly, the screeching brakes sounded off. A.J. slows his car behind the truck as a traffic jam occurred on the highway. Kevin watches this strange vision as he sees the truck suddenly blast into flames and blows up, catching fire to all the surrounding vehicles around it, including A.J.’s. Kevin gasps loudly and bolts out of his seat, his eyes snaps open as the others stare at him strangely.

“Yo dude, you aight?” Nick whispers nervously, crawling over to his friend.

Kevin gulps and nods his head, “Where’s A.J.?”

“He’s not back yet, why?” Brian asks.

“I, I think he could be in trouble.” Kevin whispers, getting an odd look from Ana.

“Trouble? Kev you aight? What happened?” Nick whispers quietly as Howie kneels over the sofa to gaze at Kevin.


“I just had some crazy dream. It dealt with A.J. I just wanted to know where A.J. is at right now. Howie, call A.J. for me now would ya?” Kevin whispers shakily as Brian helps his cousin off the couch nervously.

Jamelet stops the movie on the screen and gazes at Ana curiously. Ana seemed to have paled suddenly as she reaches out to her friend. “I’m not the only one.” She whispers to Jamelet nervously.

“What?!” Jamelet quips up, taking a seat besides Ana.

“Look, I don’t know if I ever told you, but I’ve been getting some strange images, visions running through my head lately. I don’t know what it could mean, but I recall seeing these guy’s faces in it, even before we met them.” Ana whispers shakily, gripping her hand around Jamelet’s wrist.

Jamelet gulps and nods in confusion, “What does that mean?”

“I, I, I don’t know. I just know if Kevin saw what he thinks he saw, it could mean something’s up.”

“He just had a nightmare. Look at the movie we’re watching.” Nick overhears the conversation, glancing at the two women.

“There’s more to this Nick.” Ana whispers, her hands shivering gently.

Howie picks up his cell and quickly dials A.J.’s mobile’s phone, hoping he would answer.
~*~

A.J. yawns, glancing to his left at the passing road and cars coming from the other side of him on the highway. He grips the steering wheel, pressing on the pedal to zoom him down a few lanes. Messing with the radio with his free hand, he hears his phone ring.

“Uh uh. I can’t believe they remembered something now. I ain’t picking it up.” A.J. grumbles. Curiosity getting the best of him, he scans his eyes on the phone screen to see Howie’s number appear.

Grumbling, he answers his phone. “Yo, what up?”

“Alex! Hey good thing you picked up! Listen, Kevin wanted me to call you to see where you at?” Howie asks, taking a seat on a stool as the others watch on curiously.

“Uh, k. I’m on the highway. D, why?” A.J. asks, cradling the small phone as he switches lanes.

Kevin takes Howie’s phone and speaks, “Alex listen. I know this sounds weird, but how about you just come home. Forget the sodas man. Brian found some sodas hidden in the fridge. Just get off at the next exit ramp.”

A.J. snorts, “I’m on the highway, two minutes away from the store. I might as well go and get some more stuff.”

“Alex, forget it. Really man, it’s not important, besides the girls are gonna leave shortly and you should be here when they head out.” Kevin whispers quietly.

“Yo Kev, you aight? You sound strange man.” A.J. whispers, focusing on the road ahead of him.

“I’m ok. Just come home k.” Kevin whispers.

A.J. rolls his eyes and pulls over to the exit ramp, ready to leave the road. He glances up to see a white truck ahead of him as he switches lane. Once he exits the highway, he hears a roaring sound like an on-coming earthquake which startled him. Glancing up on the bridge, he can see the same white truck that was ahead of him before, explode. The large fire and flames consumes everything around it, taking down all the cars next to it. A.J. watches on in silent shock, his mouth dropping open at the horrific burning wreckage.

“A.J.! A.J.! You left the bridge?” Howie’s voice cuts into the phone as Brian switches on the news, to see the events play out before him. Kevin sits on the sofa in utter silence, the images in his head now formed into a real event on the television screen.

“Ye, yeah.” A.J. finally responds back after a few short minutes of gathering himself together. He walks away from his car, watching the flames spread ravaging over the cars above him.

“What do you see?” Howie whispers nervously.

“Everything blew up.” A.J. whispers slowly.

“Was, was there by any chance a truck ahead of you?” Kevin asks, taking the phone away from Howie.

“Ye, yeah. Why?”

“Cause I saw it before you did.”

A.J. gulps, dropping his cell phone on the ground: the burning mess above him taunting him, almost angrily. “That could have been me.” He whispers in fright to himself, lowering to pick up his phone.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**

-Yeah that's right! This is another chapter finaly huh? This is Ana's chapter, do your thing and drop a review when done aight?

-Questionable


Ana watched apprehensively as Kevin finally pulled the phone away from his ear, obviously giving AJ instructions to come home quickly. Her heart hammered intensely against her tender ribcage as Nick whispered something faint in Brian’s ear. Both boys shifted, gazing at her with a bizarre glint in their eyes. The images of the boys burning beneath heavy bushes of fire while their bloody lips sewn shut screamed for mercy pulsated heavily against her brain. Her stomach immediately coiled in tight knots, realizing being connected to these boys seemed to only offer death. She shifted uncomfortably, immediately tugging hard on Jamelet’s arm.



“What?” Jamelet whispered in surprise.



“We’re leaving,” Ana stated simply, pulling her friend to the door.



“Wait, why?!” Jamelet yelped as she was hurriedly yanked toward the door. She struggled to grab hold of something to slow Ana’s movements, but the younger girl wouldn’t be swayed. Something was obviously wrong within Ana’s heart. Jamelet didn’t know whether to press the issue or leave it alone. For goodness sakes, AJ had almost died.



“I just don’t want to be here,” Ana stressed.



“Why? Because of Kevin saying he saw AJ die? It was just a stupid dream.”



“A stupid dream? Jammy! AJ was almost in a wreck!”



“You don’t know that. You weren’t on the phone with him.”



“Look, all I see is death here,” Ana recounted darkly, releasing Jamelet’s hand. She stopped at the threshold of the front door’s porch, turning to gaze at her best friend. Jamelet swallowed a gasp, noting the dark black flames licking around Ana’s eerily shadowing blue-green irises. Jamelet quickly blinked, finding Ana’s eyes the normal blue-green tone. Ana said nothing more as an agreed decision was made silently between the girls. Knowing Jamelet understand, Ana hurriedly ran down the steps, wanting to reach the safety of their rented car.



“Where are you going?” Howie suddenly called, noticing Jamelet lingering in the doorway. Howie craned his neck, realizing that Ana had already disappeared. He had been so worried about Kevin’s coincidental vision that he had forgotten to take care of Ana’s fears. He swallowed hard, already knowing the skittish gleam in Jamelet’s cinnamon eyes.



“Ana’s not feeling too well. I promised I’d take her home. Can’t really afford to let her be sick on our vacation. Dinner was lovely… And, we’re happy that AJ’s okay. Consider the whole hitting-me-upside-the-head-with-a-ball a thing of the past. Um… yeah…” Jamelet jumped when Ana laid heavily upon the horn. She quickly turned after offering a soft smile to Nick. “Thanks!”



“Wait! We don’t have your numbers!” Nick blurted, watching Jamelet dart toward the car.



“Somehow I think they’ll find us,” Kevin murmured softly.



“What?” Howie pressed in confusion, watching the girls peel away.



“I just don’t think we’ve seen the last of them…” Kevin replied, not wanting to give the grisly details he had witnessed regarding the girls and a simple bloody kitchen knife.
~**~

**~To Be Continued,,,~**