Rating: PG-13 or R ( some graphic violence )
Author: Sarah
Feedback: kaybennett87@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Days of Our Lives characters. This story is entirely fictional and I am not making a profit from it.
Additional Notes: Eric and Greta will appear in the next part, I promise. But every story has to start the right way. And I knew this was perfect. Anyway, feedback is appreciated.

Austin Reed was headed towards his car after a long workout at the local gym. A gym bag was slung over one shoulder as he fumbled in his pocket for his car keys. It was around ten o’ clock at night and the street light above flickered. Sweat dripped from his face and his shirt was drenched. The moon hung high in the sky, shining beautifully over the town of Salem. It cast a luminous glow on the town, a strange glow. It was pretty cold outside, though the coldness didn’t affect him much. His hair was matted to his head, coming in stiff strands across his forehead.
He finally retrieved his car keys from his jeans pocket and stuck it in the keyhole on his door. He opened the door and got inside, closing the door behind him and tossing his gym bag in the back seat. Pulling his seatbelt down and fixing his rearview mirror, he started the car. It came to life with a low roar. He put it in gear and backed out of the parking space and drove across the empty parking lot.
Just as he was driving down the street to get to Kate’s house, he heard a loud bang from under his car hood and his car came to an abrupt stop. He cursed softly to himself as he undid his seatbelt and pushed the door open angrily. After opening the hood, he had concluded that someone had snipped his gas line. So, the gas that had already been in there had run out. Now, he had to trek his way up to Kate’s, which was about a mile and a half ahead.
It was now time to shake a little from the cold. He left his gym bag in the car, nothing important was in it anyway. So, walking along the curb towards her house, he looked up at the stars. He could see his breath coming out in small puffs in front of him.

" Dang car," he murmured to himself.

Then, he heard it. A noise, a rustling of leaves behind him he whirled around quickly to see who was there. No one, nothing. He shook his head, figuring it was just the wind blowing the leaves around. Austin, then, laughed at himself for thinking such stupid things. This was Salem, the comfy small town of U.S.A. Granted that brainwashing did go on and whacked up affairs and what not, but never horrible serial killers. Like the movie Scream, that’s the terms he was thinking along. But no, that was impossible.
Just as he had cleared his head he heard the noise again, this time it sounded closer. His breathing rate raised sky high as visions popped into his head. He quickened his footsteps and began walking faster. He was so close to Kate’s, only about a half a mile now. As long as he got there, he’d be fine.
The noise sounded like it was right behind him, taunting him, beckoning him to turn around. Finally, he broke into an all-out run. Something on the sidewalk though, prevented him from getting any farther. He fell down hard onto the ground, tripping over the object. The street lamp above provided just enough light to reveal what the object was. The glistening blade of a newly sharpened ax lay deadly.
His eyes widened as he scrambled to get to his feet.
As he turned to run to Kate’s house, he ran into someone. A particular someone. A black robed, hooded someone. He turned in the opposite direction and began running faster, being careful not trip over the ax of doom again.
The person he had bumped into bent down to pick the ax up and started for Austin, walking quickly, thought not thoroughly running. Austin didn’t dare look back, for fear of viewing the worst. He finally reached his car and scrambled to get inside, locking the door. He reached into his glove compartment and pulled out his cell phone. His fingers began busily dialing Kate’s number, quickly. But before he could complete the phone number, something smashed through this back window. He dropped the phone quickly and jumped out of his seat. The ax was pulled back from the window and it was suddenly quiet.
It was pitch black now, no street lamps on. He couldn’t tell where the person had gone, unsure of what to do next. He reached under his seat and pulled a flashlight out, fumbling with shaky fingers to put it on. It flickered on, the batteries nearly dying, and he shined it outside to the front. There was nothing. He shined it out the passenger side door, nothing. He maneuvered himself around, checking out the backseat. Pieces of shattered glass lay everywhere and jagged edges of sharp glass still hung from the back window. He shuddered, feeling the sudden urge to cry. No time to cry, though.
He turned around and shined the light out his own window, only to be met with a grim face. A covered, shadowed face. The ax smashed through the window and he scrambled to the other side of the car just in time to avoid the sharp blade, the deadly blade. He pushed the car door open and tripped outside, falling to the ground.
He scrambled to get to his feet, but not fast enough. The killer with the ax was too quick for him. It came down beside his head, inches from obliterating him. He swallowed hard and tears rolled down his cheek.

" Please…" he begged, " What do you want?"

The person said nothing, just bent down and pulled the ax from the ground, but as they did so he noticed something shimmered on their finger. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the person, looking up into their eyes, at their face.

" Oh my God…" he whispered, realizing who it was.

" That’s right…" they whispered, raising the ax above their head and letting it fall.

Lucas trampled in through the front door, shedding his black hooded jacket. He hung it up on the coat rack and walked into the living room where he saw Sami pacing around in circles.

" I wonder what is taking Austin so long," Sami said, looking at the clock, " He said he’d be home by now,"

" He’s probably still working out," Lucas said, " Muscles above brains,"

" How’d you know he went to work out?" she asked him.

" He told me before he left," he said, " He said he’d be home by ten thirty. He was going to work on those flabby abs,"

Sami gave Lucas a glare that told him to back-off. If there was one thing she didn’t want Lucas to be criticizing, it was Austin. She was truly worried about him, he should have called by now.
They had gotten closer ever since Carrie had run off with Mike. She couldn’t let anything happen to him now.

" Don’t worry, Sami," Lucas said, " He’ll be home,"

Sami’s lips turned into a half smile, twisting up to one side. She shifted her weight and looked as if she were in deep thought. She shook her head and picked up her car keys.

" I’m going to go check on him," she said, " Just to make sure,"

" Just don’t let the boogey man get you," Lucas said, " That’s probably who got him,"

Sami just ignored him as she grabbed her coat and headed out into the night.

As she drove down the street, Sami noticed a car parked by the side of the road. Automatically assuming it was Austin’s, she jumped out quickly and headed towards it. Sure enough, it was. She noticed the glass was broken in both the driver’s side window and the back window.
She ran around to the other side of the car and almost tripped over the dead body lying there. She screamed loudly, seeing Austin’s decapitated head lying next to his body, blood staining the grass and running in a stream down the sidewalk and into the sewer.

I apologize to all you Austin lovers. Sorry, but I really don't like Austin. Hehehe... Feedback is always appreciated.

Sami watched, horrified, at the body of the man she loved the most. She saw something rolling slowly with the blood. It was a ring, a shimmering gold ring. It glimmered in the moonlight with a ray of moonbeams bouncing off of it. She ran to it, knowing this may help the investigation further on, but she was too late, it rolled down the sewer with a soft clink.
She, then, ran home, not wanting to look at the body any longer. How could this have happened? Who would have done something like this? Questions popped into her head and she fought back the urge to just curse loudly into the night. This was Austin…well it was Austin. It was her Austin. The man she had fought for all her life. Now he was dead.
Why Austin? Why couldn’t it have been Lucas? No, wait, don’t think like that, she told herself. Her legs carried her faster than she wanted them too, but all she wanted to do was get away from the horrific scene that sent chills down her spine and brought tears to her eyes. Her mind was racing with those difficult questions. Now it seemed like everyone she knew was against her, plotting evil things to destroy. All these crazy accusations flew into her head. She didn’t want them to, but they came. You were suppose to convict the person who kills the one you love. You’re suppose to hate them. But what if the person who kills the man of dreams turns out to be someone you love?

" John, honey!" Marlena called up the stairs, " Have you seen my ring?!"

She watched as he slowly plodded down the stairs and swung around the post at the end of the staircase.

" Your wedding ring?" he asked.

" Yes, I think I’ve misplaced it and I was wondering if you’ve seen it," she told him, " I don’t want to lose it,"

He smiled at her and walked to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, which caused her to smile also. She got that feeling she always got with him, that sense of security. It made her feel like a giddy fifteen year old.

" Well," he said, kissing the side of her neck, " even if you don’t find it, we’ll get another one made. It looks exactly like mine,"

" Sounds like a plan to me," she said, kissing him back.

" I love you, Doc," he said, " Wedding ring or not,"

Eric trudged into his house, stomping his boots on the mat before he hit the carpet. In his hands was a large pile of wood with an ax on top. He took the ax he had been using to chop the firewood with and set it on the fireplace. Dumping the wood into the fireplace and setting it ablaze he took his gloves off and threw them on the coffee table.
Man was he tired. All this hard work tonight, chopping, cutting, chopping, cutting. It seemed like he got it took all night, but it was really one a whack or two. His muscles ached and his whole body was sore. He hadn’t used an ax in quite a while and was beginning to feel it’s affects.
Greta had moved in with him, after searching everywhere for a place to live in Salem. Since she hadn’t found anywhere to live, he offered that she live with him. Don’t get him wrong, he knew it was a horrible mistake from the beginning.

*Flashback*

" God! Am I ever going to find a place to live?" Greta exclaimed, falling down onto the bench next to Eric in Salem Place.

" You will, just a little harder work," he said.

" Harder work? You’ve got to be kidding me! I’ve gone to fourteen different apartment complexes, all of them a waste of time," she explained, " it’s hopeless,"

Eric pondered this a moment. This woman, Greta, whom he happened to adore, couldn’t find a place to live. He just happened to have an extra bedroom which nobody was currently living in. So, he took that step forward and jump head on into what he knew would be a mistake.

" You could live with me," he suggested.

" Really?" Greta asked, her tired face turning into a weak smile.

" I have an extra bedroom and everything," he said, " I’d be happy for you to live with me,"

" Thank you, Eric," she’d said, hugging him.

*End of Flashback*

Right here, several things went wrong. First, he’d never thought about the fact that he only had one full bathroom. That right there caused problems. Major problems. Two, he’d be with her practically day and night, no way of escaping it. Three, she’d be one door down in her peaceful slumber, laying there so beautifully and angelically. Staying in his own bed at night would be a battle he’d have to fight strongly.

" Hey!" Greta said cheerfully, walking into the room with her pajamas on.

" Hi," he replied, " I got some firewood so we could have a fire,"

" I love fires," she said, " Oh, you know that ring that my mother gave me before she, um, passed away?"

Eric nodded.

" I’ve lost it and I was wondering if you know where it is. I can’t lose that, it’s the only thing I have left of my mothers," she told him.

" As a matter of fact, I have," he said, standing up and walking to the mantle.

He grabbed the golden ring off the top of the mantle and closed his hand around it. Greta smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Eric walked over to her and she held out her hand for him to slip the ring onto it. He took a deep breath. Slipping this ring on her finger gave him some ideas. The word wedding chimed over and over in his head so many times, he thought he could hear wedding bells.
Snap out of it, he told himself, you’re going crazy. Just because you slip some stupid ring on her finger does not mean anything. It’s a friendly way of showing her you care about her. Yeah right. He slipped the ring on her finger and she examined it with a huge grin on her face.

" Thank you, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t found it," she said.

She turned to the kitchen and said,

" How about some hot chocolate?"

" Sure," he said, settling back onto the couch.

*Oh God, the things he does to me. It was like he was proposing to me. In your dreams. Eric Brady sees you as just a friend, nothing more. You don’t deserve him anyway. He’s still in love with Nicole. But he broke-up with her and asked you to move in with him. That’s got to be a clear sign. A clear sign that he’s nice and kind…and single.*

She took two mugs down from the cabinet and walked over to the sink to fill them with water. She turned the handle and a warm stream of water flowed from the faucet. Greta looked up and peeked between the curtains from the window that was situated just above the sink.
Her eyes met with a grim face, a darkened face that seem to reek of death. A black hood hung over the person’s face and a shadow was cast gloomily over it. She screamed a loud, piercing scream. She turned to the living room, but Eric wasn’t there. Pulling the curtains back together, so she couldn’t see that deathly face again.
Running into the living she screamed Eric’s name. He ran in from the bedroom and grabbed her quickly, taking her into a hug.

" Shh…" he said soothingly, " What’s wrong?"

" There was someone outside, someone looking at me from the window," she said, " They were really creepy,"

" I’m going to go check it out," he said.

" No!" she screamed, " Don’t do that, just stay in here, where it’s safe,"

He smiled mentally to himself, seeing the care and worry about himself from her in her expression. She was concerned about him! He stroked her hair gently, hugging her tighter. She was shaking, this was a clear sign that something was definitely wrong.
The was a knock on the door. Greta’s head flew up and she looked at Eric with worry written all over her face. She shook her head and mouthed the word ‘no’. He didn’t obey, though, he took her hand and walked to the door. He looked out the peephole and saw a familiar face standing there. He pulled Greta to the door and showed her who was standing there.
She rolled her eyes and blushed what felt like five shades darker than her original skin tone. She suddenly felt foolish for acting so childishly. What she had seen outside had probably just been a tree branch or just her imagination. Eric opened the door and Bo was standing on the doormat. He was holding a black hooded jacket.

" I found this outside on your walkway," he explained, " I tripped over it and almost broke my neck,"

Eric grabbed it and he could feel Greta begin to tremble again.

" That’s the jacket I saw," she whispered, " On the person outside,"

" What person?" Bo asked.

" Greta thinks-"

" Knows," Greta cut him off.

" Greta saw someone outside my…our… kitchen window with a jacket like this one on," Eric explained to Bo.

Bo’s face turned grim and serious. A stalker? Killer? He was a cop, this was his business. He had to find out who this lurker was.

" Did you get a good look at their face?" he asked Greta.

She shook her head.

" I’ll give Abe an APB tomorrow," he said, " I just wanted to drop these off,"

He handed them a photo album.

" Their from your mother’s collection. You let me borrow them a few weeks back and I decided to bring them over tonight," he told them, handing her the album.

" Thanks," Eric said, grabbing the album and saying good-bye.

He closed the door and turned to Greta. She looked really frightened, like a lost puppy. It was cute. Her lower lip quivered. Things like this really scared her.

" Hey…" he said, wrapping an arm around her, " It’s alright, calm down,"

" I’m calmed down, it’s just something’s bothering me," she told him.

" What?" he asked.

" What if Bo’s lying?" she asked him.

" What do you mean?" Eric asked uneasily, not sure of what she was suggesting.

" What if he didn’t find that jacket on the ground?" she asked him.

" You mean, what if he was wearing it?" Eric asked, catching on.

" What if it was him outside the window?" Greta suggested.

END OF PART TWO

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