Title: Breathless Scream
By: Bridget McKennitt
Disclaimer: Charmed and company are owned by Aaron Spelling and other companies. They are used here without permission, and for entertainment purposes only. No challenge or infringement upon the copyright is intended, nor should any be inferred.
Brooke Myers knew that today would be a beautiful day. Her husband Julius finally had a day off from his busy schedule at work. Weeks sometimes went by before she saw him so today was extra special.
"Morning sweetheart," she greeted as her husband entered the kitchen.
Julius was so gorgeous. Every time she saw him, she fell in love all over
again. They first met when their mutual friends had set them up on a blind
date. Brooke was against the notion stating she was too busy with her
responsibilities. She was but not in an obvious way. She was a witch with
the duty of doing good and protecting the innocents. One didn't have enough
time for romance when there were innocents to save.
But her friends insisted and off she went. From the very first minute,
she knew he was the one. He brought her flowers, opened doors for her, and
even helped her into her chair. His gestures were sweet and his manners
polite. He made her feel comfortable and told her jokes. Everything was perfect.
Who could resist such a temptation? In the following weeks, Julius asked her
to marry him and she consented.
"Good morning." He crossed over to where she stood and kissed her on
the cheek. "Is breakfast ready?"
"Uh huh. Just let me bring the scrambled eggs to the table." He sat
in his chair and began reading the newspaper as Brooke served him. Maybe it
was her imagination but he seemed a little distant. She sat down next to him
and picked up her fork. "I've planned our day. We'll go to the fair and have
lunch at your favorite restaurant. Then we can catch a movie at the megaplex."
"Change of plans. I have to work today."
Hurt echoed through her heart but she struggled not to let it show.
"Oh, well that's okay. I was kinda hoping though that we'd go out. It's been
so long."
"Work first, Brooke. You know that." He finished his meal and left
the table.
Julius was very dedicated and passionate in whatever he did so she
shouldn't be upset that he was choosing work over her. Oh, who was she
kidding? She was crushed.
***
The sounds of the fair was music to Brooke's ears, lifting her spirits.
Even though her husband was working, that didn't mean she couldn't have a
good time. Far from it. Strolling past the kiddy rides while eating cotton candy,
she came across something horrible. Utterly horrible. Julius was at the fair
with another woman.
There had to be a logical explanation on why her husband was here.
Wanting to confront him but scared of what she might find, she hung back. The
woman whispered into his ear making him chuckle. He wrapped his arms
around her waist and spun her around. Brooke's heart was torn in shreds as
she witnessed the flirting and...kissing.
Silently following the couple as they remained unaware of their
surroundings, emotions of pain and betrayal shot through her. She recognized
the woman, it was Julius's coworker Sharon Downing. Her friend once noticed
that they had great chemistry together but Julius denied that they were anything
more than friends. Guess that was a sham. After seeing them smooch again,
she left the fair and her heart behind.
***
The sky darkened and the stars slowly came out. It'd been hours since
the fair but Brooke did not go home. She couldn't face her husband without
having an emotional outburst. So for the last couple of hours, she wandered
around the city in a daze. She finally ended up at a park under a giant oak tree.
Sinking on to one of the larger roots, Brooke allowed her tears to flow.
It wasn't fair! She never saw this coming. Questions began to crowd her mind.
How long has Julian been having an affair? Was this his first time? Did he love
Sharon? And the most painful question of all, did he still love her?
In her grief, Brooke didn't notice that she wasn't alone. A white haired
woman in a grayish, raggedy dress focused her attention on her and hissed,
baring her fingers in attack mode. She ran towards Brooke and clasped her
shoulders in a tight grip, letting loose an ear piercing scream.
Funny, it should have been ear piercing. Dogs off in the distance were
going wild over the noise. But to her, it seemed...soothing. The woman stopped
and backed away with a smirk on her face.
A change began inside her making her double over. "Oooh!" As quickly as
it started, it ended. Brooke rose and stared into the eyes of the banshee, seeing
her reflection. Her blond hair turned white and her skin was deathly pale. Teeth
pointed and eyes a bright blue, her clothing the same grayish, raggedy dress.
She opened her mouth to speak but a scream came forth.
An entity pushed into her mind. 'I've changed you. You are one of the
Banshee. Aren't you hungry?'
She was. Insatiably hungry. Brooke ran away from the woman, emitting her
soulful screams. There had to be something to stop her hunger. Wait, that young
lady. Her pain drew Brooke like honey to a bee. Feet pounding on the sidewalk,
she tackled the lady and screamed. And screamed some more until her victim's
voice mingled with her own.
The pain, the sadness, all this Brooke greedily sucked within her. Blood
began to bleed from the lady's eyes but she didn't care. When she finished, she
felt a small reprieve from the hunger. Unbeknownst to her, the transformation from
witch to banshee became utterly final.
Soon the hunger came over her again but this time she knew who she wanted
her next victim to be. Sharon Downing.
***
Sharon sighed happily as she brushed her hair at her vanity. Her long time
friend and colleague finally succumbed to the attraction between them. She knew
that they were right for each other the moment she laid eyes on him. He was
extremely sexy and that wife of his wasn't good enough for him. But she was.
Julius kissed her neck from behind and she allowed him fuller access. Sharon
bet that his wife did not know that her husband was spending the night at her
house.
"Hmm, you sure smell good Sharon. I love the perfume you're wearing."
She turned around and kissed him squarely on his lips. "Only for you, babe."
Suddenly the make-up bottles on her vanity began to tremble and a cry filled the
air. Sharon covered her ears and moved closer to Julius. "Who's making that
racket?"
Her window exploded and a woman jumped inside, making the room shake.
"Aieeeee!" She tackled Sharon and let loose her loudest and angriest screams.
This was the tramp who ruined her marriage. Ruined Julius's love for her. Made
her vulnerable to a banshee's cry. The bitch had to pay.
"No!" Julius tried to get the banshee off of Sharon but Brooke flung him
away. Nothing could stop her from taking her revenge. "Dieeee!"
Blood vessels began to burst and ran down Sharon's eyes, nose, and mouth.
She tried to block the cries but it pounded within her head until nothing was left
but a breathless scream.
Brooke released her grip on the bloody corpse and stared at the cowering
man. There was no love for him now. She pushed her thoughts into his head by
way of a scream. 'Betrayer!'
He gasped and stared into the banshee's eyes. "B--brooke?"
"Aiee!" With one swipe, she clawed his chest leaving behind a bloody trail
of remembrance. Let him embrace his dead tramp now. Let him become
swallowed by the pit of despair. She made her way to the broken window
and disappeared into the shadows.
***
Brooke relished being a banshee. Every woman she killed had Sharon's face.
Every man she killed had Julius's face. It gave her great pleasure imagining their
deaths over and over through her victims.
She traveled southwest until she came upon a place called San Francisco.
Perhaps this was where she'd find a witch in pain and turn her into a banshee,
like she was turned. So she could pass on the gift of a breathless scream.
