The Bay-ing

[emmasi]

Topic Title: The Bay-ing

Topic Description: Jack, Martha, Robbie. Rated T(VD)

Type of story: Oneshot

Rating: T

Main Characters: Jack, Martha, Robbie

Genre: Comedy/Horror (Based on "The Shining.")

Warnings: VD

Is Story being proof read: Yes

Summary: All work and no play makes Jack really, really boring.

THE BAY-ING

Martha and Jack are looking around a big country house. Martha is taking in all the quiet, open spaces, but Jack is busy setting up his typewriter.

Martha: Finally! We get to go on our honeymoon! And what a great place to do it. This is great, isn’t it Jack? Jack?

Jack: (Fiddling with the typewriter) What?

Martha: You’re not seriously going to do work while we’re on our honeymoon?

Jack: These police reports aren’t gonna write themselves, Martha. This was the only way I could fit this weekend into my schedule, so could you just let it go?

Martha: Fine! It’s a good thing I brought Robbie along. I knew you wouldn’t want to spend anytime with me! Where is he anyway?

Robbie comes in, carrying the bags.

Robbie: Oh, guys! Did you have to bring so much stuff! It’s a long weekend, not a three-month stint as winter caretakers in some isolated mansion!

Jack: (Sarcastically) Yep, it was a great idea letting him tag along.

Martha: Well his mother did just go crazy and kill herself, as well as Mattie and Tasha.

Jack: Uh, yeah, hence the police report!

Martha: Why don’t you just get to work, if it’s that important to you?

She walks over to Robbie and guides him out and towards the bedrooms. Jack shakes his head at them and starts typing.

***

Robbie wanders through the grounds and ends up at another, smaller cottage. He looks in the window and sees Kim asleep with Rachael. All of a sudden Kim wakes up, as if he knows that someone is watching him. He sees Robbie on the other side of the window. He gets up and opens the window to talk to him.

Kim: Rob, what are you doing here?

Robbie: I’m gatecrashing Martha and Jack’s honeymoon. What about you? Looking to spend some quality time with Rachael?

Kim: Yeah, well I was. I knew we wouldn’t be left alone though.

Robbie: Oh, sorry! Half my family was just killed, but don’t let me disturb you!

Kim: No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, I actually knew, like I heard your voice in my head, thinking that you’d come over here. Weird, huh? Anyway, Rachael probably won’t be too happy that you’re here – she’s pretty keen on having me all to herself after what happened with Kit – so you’d better go back to Jack and Martha. If you really need me, just call and I’ll come see you, okay?

Robbie: (Thinks) Okay.

Kim: Good. See ya later then.

Kim closes the window and goes back to bed. Robbie wanders back across the grounds.

***

Jack is still typing. He’s looking tired and frustrated. He goes into the kitchen to get a drink, but Beth is already behind the breakfast bar, pouring it for him.

Beth: Hi love.

Jack: Hey Beth.

Beth pushes the glass of scotch on the rocks over to him.

Jack: Thanks.

Beth: You look tired. Is everything okay?

Jack: Yeah. It’s just this paperwork. It’s taking forever.

Beth: I bet Martha’s not helping.

Jack: She’s alright. She just wants some attention. I’ve tried to explain to her that I want to hang out with her but I don’t have time.

Beth: Sounds like Martha doesn’t appreciate you. She’s taking you for granted. My girls used to treat my like that, until I corrected them.

Jack: What do you mean?

Beth: You can’t let Martha walk all over you, Jack. It sounds to me like she needs you to teach her some respect.

Jack thinks about it and takes a sip of scotch.

***

Robbie is still wandering about, but he’s taken to investigating the house. He turns into a hallway and sees Mattie and Tasha standing in front of him, holding hands. He stares at them… they stare back at him vacantly.

Mattie and Tasha: Come hang with us Robbie, forever and ever and ever.

Robbie: (Knowing they’re supposed to be dead) Uh… no… I’ll be right, thanks.

Robbie keeps walking.

***

Jack goes into the garden shed and finds an axe.

***

Martha goes into the room where the typewriter is. She rolls her eyes at the fact that Jack’s not there.

She goes over to see how much he’s written.

Someone walks up behind her…

Martha turns around and jumps.

Martha: Robbie! Don’t sneak up on me like that!

Robbie: Sorry! Jeez, why are you so edgy?

Martha: I’m not edgy, I’m just angry. Jack has been using this paperwork as an excuse not to spend time with me, and now he’s not even working on it!

She picks up a few of the sheets of paper that are stacked beside the typewriter.

Martha: Look at this! It’s not even police work! He’s just been messing around to avoid me! God, I can’t believe he would be so selfish!

Robbie takes a look at the words on the paper: “All work and no play makes Jack really, really boring.” - typed over and over again.

Robbie: (Worried) Are they all like this?

Martha: (Flicking through the stack) Yep, all of them! What a jerk!

She looks up past Robbie to see Jack standing in the doorway.

Martha: I can’t believe you’d do this to me!

Robbie looks back to see Jack holding the axe with an evil look in his eye.

Martha: (Ignoring the axe) How could you be so inconsiderate, Jack?! Don’t you even care how I feel?!

Robbie slowly backs away as Jack starts walking forward.

Martha: God, Jack, aren’t you even going to say anything?

Jack gets closer to them both.

Martha: Come on, what do you have to say for yourself? Huh?!

Jack holds up the axe and grins maniacally.

Jack: (Menacingly) Say hi to your mum for me…

He swings the axe, but Martha and Robbie dodge it. It lands in the desk – Jack struggles to get it free.

Martha: What, you’re trying to kill us now?! God Jack! It’s always the easy way out with you, isn’t it?!

Robbie grabs her by the wrist and they run out of the room. He tries to call Kim on his mobile, but fumbles with the buttons out of fear. He drops the phone as he looks back and sees Jack catching up with them – there’s no time to go back for it.

Jack stops to put the axe through the phone, and then continues chasing them.

Robbie and Martha run towards Kim’s cottage, but Jack cuts them off and drives them into the bush instead. He loses them amongst the trees.

Robbie and Martha are huddled together, waiting for their chance to make a break for it when Kim suddenly appears in front of them. They both scream, thinking he’s Jack, but then he calms them down.

Kim: Hey, it’s okay, it’s me! What’s going on?

Martha: Oh thank God you’re here. You have to help us! You have to save us from him!

Kim: What? Who?

Robbie: Jack! He’s gone psycho and he’s trying to kill us! How did you know where to find us?!

Kim: You called me. You said you needed me.

Robbie: But I dropped my phone.

Kim: (Thinks to Robbie) You didn’t need your phone.

Robbie hears Kim’s thoughts and understands.

Robbie: What do we do?

Martha: We have to get out of here!

Kim: Come on. We’ll go to my cottage and call the police. Then I’ll drive you back to the Bay and –

Kim stops mid-sentence… and topples forward lifelessly. As he falls to the ground, dead, Martha and Robbie see Jack standing behind him with the bloody axe.

Martha screams and Robbie drags her away again.

They run through the bush, getting deeper and deeper into it. Jack follows them – or thinks he’s following – but then gets lost.

Jack: (Calling out) Martha! Martha!

Robbie and Martha are hiding behind some trees.

Jack: Martha… (Jack starts crying) Where are you? Martha, I’m scared…

Robbie puts his hand over Martha’s mouth in case she gets the urge to call out to Jack. Martha pushes him off her and glares at him – as if she’d be that stupid.

Jack wanders further away from them, getting more and more lost.

Jack: Martha… please… I didn’t mean it… I don’t want to hurt you… I love you… Martha?

Martha cries on Robbie’s shoulder. He hugs her, and then quietly leads her out of the bush.

***

Rachael stands on the verandah of the cottage, looking out towards the bush with concern.

She sees Robbie and Martha stumble out, holding onto each other. They look exhausted.

Rachael runs down to meet them.

Martha: Oh, Rachael!

Martha hugs her. Rachael is confused.

Rachael: Martha, Robbie – I thought I heard Jack’s voice. What happened to you? Where’s Kim?

Robbie: Rach, I’m so sorry, there was nothing we could do.

Rachael: What are you talking about?

Robbie: Kim’s dead.

Martha: (Crying) Jack killed him!

Rachael: What?

Martha: Jack’s gone crazy! He has an axe!

Robbie: We have to call the police.

Robbie leads them back into the cottage to make the call.

***

Jack is still wandering through the bush. It’s dark and cold…and it’s starting to snow…

Jack: (Calling out, tiredly) Martha! Martha!

He drops the axe and falls to his knees, exhausted. He lies down in the snow and eventually freezes to death.

***

Back at the Diner, Robbie, Martha, and Rachael are discussing the bizarre events of the weekend.

Martha: I still can’t believe it.

Robbie: I know. What are the odds of a freak snowstorm happening in Summer Bay? I didn’t think it was meteorologically possible!

Martha: (Glares at him) I meant Jack.

Robbie: Oh, yeah… that too.

Marth: I just can’t believe he would do that! I can’t even comprehend the thought of spending the rest of my life without him.

Rachael: I feel the same way about Kim.

Robbie: Me too.

Rachael and Martha look at him.

Robbie: I meant about Tash…

Rachael: I guess we’ll just have to deal with it and move on.

Martha: Yeah, I guess.

Robbie: How about I buy us a round of milkshakes? That’ll make us feel better.

Martha: Yeah, it couldn’t hurt.

Rachael: I’m in. Thanks Rob.

Robbie: Any time.

THE END

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