Rise Above Evil

On a normal day, Dr. Elizabeth Barnes would be on her way home after a productive day helping her patients with their relationship problems. Most of her patients have often been in toxic and even abusive relationships, with one of them being a young woman named Alyssa Hanover, who was the subject of her drive. Elizabeth was on her way to meet a fellow therapist, Dr. Jacqueline Vincent, regarding Alyssa, and the drive was a speedy one, as Elizabeth's history with Alyssa was a close one.

Elizabeth arrived at a diner where she was supposed to meet with Jacqueline, only to hear someone calling her name.

"Dr. Barnes?"

Elizabeth spotted a brunette woman seated at a table motioning for her to come over, with Elizabeth doing so and shaking her hand. "You must be Dr. Vincent," said Elizabeth. "Nice to meet a fellow therapist."

"Likewise," Jacqueline said as she and Elizabeth sat down. "So we need to talk about Alyssa Hanover."

"How familiar are you with her case?" asked Elizabeth.

"I know it was all over the news," replied Jacqueline. "A lot of attention for a case of domestic abuse." Elizabeth gave a deep sigh after Jacqueline's statement, which went noticed by her colleague. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry," said Elizabeth. "It's just...I understood what Alyssa was going through, having come from an abusive marriage myself. I still remember our sessions, how scared Alyssa was, as well as the bruises on her body." Elizabeth's profession often taught her to maintain her composure, though her past personal experience nearly drove Elizabeth to tears as she talked about Alyssa, but she managed to avoid breaking down and continued.

"Anyway," Elizabeth said, "they had only been together for about eight months before they became engaged. Alyssa became more and more fearful as the day got closer; she wanted out. She was afraid her future spouse would kill her. You're probably familiar with the name: Kris Johnston."

"Oh, definitely," said Jacqueline. "The Johnstons are quite wealthy."

"Exactly," said Elizabeth. "It was Alyssa's fear; that Kris would get away with abusing her due to all that wealth and power. She finally left Kris at the altar and filed a restraining order."

"I know," said Jacqueline, "you really saved Alyssa."

"That was all Alyssa," replied Elizabeth. "I only helped in that regard to the restraining order, but to no surprise, Kris never showed up. It's a shame, because I had never seen Kris, and I wanted to look into the eyes of the horrible person who damaged Alyssa. Kris' parents died during the proceedings; I guess the stress of knowing one of their own was an abusive monster got to them."

Jacqueline gave an incredulous expression over Elizabeth's story before getting to the reason for their meeting. She presented Elizabeth with a photo of a young, White male, with dark hair, and provided the following statements:

"This man is Kris Johnston. He had been in my care since the order. I hoped I'd get through to him, but instead, all he did was obsess over Alyssa. I think he may be after her."

"Oh my goodness!" gasped Elizabeth, who gazed at the photo.

"Where is Alyssa now?" asked Jacqueline.

"I can't say," said Elizabeth.

"Can't or won't?" Jacqueline asked in a somewhat demanding tone. Elizabeth got up and walked out instead of answering, ignoring Jacqueline's attempts to call her back. It was a long drive home for Elizabeth, as she now had the added worry that Alyssa, a woman she had spent two months helping her though her terrible relationship, was now in danger. The image of Alyssa talking about how she and Kris met remained in her mind.

Five Weeks Earlier

"I was ice skating on a frozen pond," Alyssa said to Elizabeth, "but I lost my footing and tripped. That's when Kris spotted me. We locked eyes, it was beautiful. I used to remember that day so fondly. Then the abuse started--name calling at first, then it became physical. Before I knew it, I was in a nightmare."

"I'm so sorry," said Elizabeth. "But at least you have the courage to tell me. I know it had been hard for you."

"The day is getting closer," Alyssa said fearfully. "I can't do this, Dr. Barnes. I can't marry Kris. I may not be alive if I do."

"Rise above evil, Alyssa," said Elizabeth. "I know you can. And I'll help you every step of the way."

Present Day: 2AM

Elizabeth suddenly found herself woken up by the strange sounds outside the house, and later went to the living room to inspect. As she turned to face the front window, she spotted a masked figure pointing a gun from outside the house, which was followed by Elizabeth running off and hiding as the figure fired the weapon. Elizabeth narrowly avoided being shot, and just as she was away from plain sight, she called the police. The figure was gone, allowing Elizabeth to leave the house only to discover that the culprit also vandalized her house: with Elizabeth seeing the words "YOU'RE DEAD" spray-painted on her front door and her garage.

Elizabeth reported the incident to police, but she remained too cautious to head to work, so she called in sick. She gave her statement at the police station, but as she was leaving, Elizabeth found herself spotting the same man from Jacqueline's photo: the man described as Kris Johnston. Figuring he was behind the attempt on her life, Elizabeth walked faster--accelerating as the man called for her, only to run into Jacqueline.

"Dr. Vincent!" exclaimed Elizabeth. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about what happened," replied Jacqueline, "and I was planning to give a statement of my own."

"We need to get to Alyssa," said Elizabeth. "You were right; Kris is on the loose and dangerous, I just spotted him!" The women rushed to Elizabeth's car and drove off as fast as they could, with Elizabeth deciding to drive to Alyssa's home and warn her about Kris, only for both women to learn that a second car was vigorously following them. Elizabeth and Jacqueline finally arrived at Alyssa's house, and afterwards, the former instructed the latter to remain in the car while she approached Alyssa.

"Alyssa?!" Elizabeth shouted as she banged on Alyssa's door, with Alyssa later opening the door just a crack.

"Dr. Barnes?" asked Alyssa. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come," replied Elizabeth. "You're in danger! Kris is after you...after us!" Alyssa only shook in fear in response to Elizabeth's news, but they both ended up shaking after hearing a gunshot very close to them. Both women headed for cover, but after a while, Elizabeth headed for the front door, and upon opening it, she saw that same man clinging to life, as he had just been shot.

"Alyssa...Alyssa..."

Alyssa's name was the only name the man could utter, before succumbing to the wound. "Dr. Barnes?" asked Alyssa. "What's going on?!"

"It's Kris," said Elizabeth. "He's dead." Alyssa peeked from behind her couch and saw the body, but later gave a surprising statement to Elizabeth.

"That's not Kris."

"What?" asked Elizabeth. "I was shown a photo of Kris by a fellow therapist: Dr. Vincent. She came with me." Elizabeth later spotted a framed photo of Alyssa with a woman fitting Dr. Vincent's description, and looked puzzled. "You know Dr. Vincent?" she asked Alyssa, who later shrieked in horror before Elizabeth was suddenly pistol-whipped by Jacqueline, who gave a fiendish smirk at Alyssa.

"Kristina..."

"How many times have I told you...call me Kris!" the villainess exclaimed before pistol-whipping Alyssa, knocking her out.

Elizabeth woke up tied to a chair, while the woman revealed as Kris Johnston held Elizabeth at gunpoint, with Alyssa being forcibly held hostage by her deranged ex-lover. "Hello, Doctor," said Kris, "so glad you could join us."

"Kris, please don't do this," pleaded Elizabeth.

"Why are you such a downer, Elizabeth?" asked Kris. "I'm doing you a favor. I'm giving you an opportunity to right a terrible wrong. A wrong you caused!"

"Kristina, please let me go," said Alyssa, whose plea furthered angered Kris, who grabbed her ex-fiancée by her hair and started seething.

"I told you not to call me that!" snarled Kris. "That's all I heard all my life from my parents. Kristina Marie Johnston. The only time parents use full names is when they are disappointed in you."

"I'm sure you're hurting right now...," Elizabeth said in an attempt to calm the situation down.

"You don't know anything!" shouted Kris. "Nothing was ever good enough for them. I was their only child, yet I wasn't even an outright heiress; they told me I had to earn my inheritance, show I was stable and responsible. That's when Alyssa came in."

"So you were out to your parents?" asked Elizabeth.

"They're the ones who set me up with her," replied Kris. "It was wonderful at first, but I kept getting pressured to get married. I needed to; I deserved my inheritance!"

"That's all I was to you: just a payout," said Alyssa.

"That's right!" Kris replied before delivering a hard slap to Alyssa. "If you had been a good girl, co-operated, and said 'I do,' I wouldn't have to do this! All of this is your fault! Even my parents' deaths are because of you!"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Elizabeth. Kris ominously turned to Elizabeth and gave the following shocking statement:

"If she had married me, I wouldn't have had to poison them."

Both women were stunned by Kris' words; on the day the restraining order was filed, Kris murdered her parents. The deranged woman later smiled as she reminisced over injecting both of her parents--Cassandra and Charles Johnston--with a lethal overdose of potassium chloride as they slept.

"To be fair, though," the villainess ranted to Elizabeth, "you're partly to blame, too, Doctor. You filled Alyssa's head with your bullshit! Calling me a monster, telling her to 'rise above evil.' You wanted to meet the 'horrible person' who 'damaged' her! Well, here I am!" Kris laughed wickedly at Elizabeth, who simply shook her head at her and Alyssa's captor.

"You're sick, Kris," said Elizabeth. "You need serious help."

"That's what my last therapist said," replied Kris. "It's a name you're now familiar with: Dr. Jacqueline Vincent. She exists! Well, she used to; I killed that bitch and took her identity. And that guy I shot? Dr. Thomas Clinton, one of her colleagues; the only one who could give me away."

Kris later stood up and looked down at Elizabeth. "Now, as I said before," she ordered, "you are going to do the right thing. Contact your colleagues and take back everything you said about me abusing Alyssa, and then you're going to arrange our wedding...and be our maid of honor." Kris untied one of Elizabeth's hands and gave her phone to her to use, after which Elizabeth made a call as ordered. Instead, Elizabeth called 911 and gave their location, which angered Kris.

"You bitch!" shouted Kris. "You just made your last mistake." Just as Kris was set on shooting Elizabeth, Alyssa grabbed a lamp and struck her evil ex-fiancée's head; knocking her out before untying Elizabeth. After police arrived, Elizabeth and Alyssa pointed her to Kris, who was tied up to a chair by the duo. Kris was untied and later handcuffed and arrested, and as for Alyssa, she thanked Elizabeth for saving her once again, but Elizabeth told Alyssa that she had the strength all along; the strength to rise above evil.

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