Chapter 1:

Whispering Pines, NC…

Karen pulled up outside Gas Chamber, Inc. and took a deep breath. It was her last job interview of the day. She needed a job. She knew she was a hell of a worker but a good job, especially in a new town, was becoming hard to find.

{{Three weeks ago…}}}

"Joe, I'm home," Karen said walking into their apartment. She and Joe have been living together for the last six months after being together for three years. "Lately she had been having second thoughts about their relationship.

"Joe," she called out again.

Karen walked toward the bedroom and heard a grunt. Hairs stood on the back of her neck. Slowly she opened the never closed door. Karen's breath caught in her throat as she watched the man she was with thrust into some girl on their bed.

As the shock passed over her Karen saw red.

"What the fuck," she screamed hurling a shoe lying on the ground at the couple on the bed. "In our bed, you bastard!"

Joe, finally noticing Karen because he had no choice, scrambled to get off of the girl he was on. Karen became even more livid when she realized it was Nicole, her supposed friend.

"How could you," she screamed at both of them throwing another shoe.

Joe threw his hands up in defense. "Calm down Kar! It's not as bad as it looks."

Karen looked at him as if he was the most incredibly dumb man in the world. She brushed him off and turned to Nicole who was now hastily throwing her own clothes on.

"I suggest," Karen began in a chillingly calm voice. "I suggest Nicole that you get the fuck out of my sight before I knock your teeth in." As Nicole went to speak Karen held a hand up stopping her. "I said get out. I will hurt you, you know I can."

Without any further encouragement or a look back at her lover, Nicole scurried out of the room leaving Joe alone to face Karen's wrath.

"Baby, listen," he began to plead.

"I suggest you shut up and listen," Karen began still deadly calm. "I am going to give you five minutes to pack up your shit and get out. Anything you cannot take with you will be waiting on the porch for you tomorrow. If you don't pick it up, Good Will would be glad to have it." Karen turned to leave the room. "I will be back in five minutes and you better be gone."

When Karen returned to her home Joe was gone. She looked around the rooms she had shared with him. She knew she should feel betrayed and hurt but sadly she was relieved. He gave her an easy out of their relationship. In her heart she knew that they weren't going to last.

Over the next week Joe wouldn't stop calling her at work or at home. It was interfering with her job. Karen always wanted to get out of the small Pennsylvanian town she grew up in. After throwing a dart at several maps, first landing in North Carolina then Moore Township, she knew where she was headed.

Unfortunately, she didn't plan ahead when it came to finding work or a place to live.

{{{Present Time}}}

Karen shook the cobwebs out of her head as she prepared to enter the tattoo shop in front of her. After several bad interviews this was all she had left.

She walked into the shop and looked around loving the purples, reds, and blacks that adorned the walls. A blond and black haired man in a Mohawk walked up to her.

"Can I help you miss," he asked as the buzz of machines and the music filled the background.

"Yes," Karen said. "I'm looking for Shannon Moore. I have an interview with her for a job."

The man raised his eyebrow when she said "her."

"Well," he began. "I guess you're looking for me. I'm Shannon Moore." He stifled his laugh as he saw watched her turn beat red realizing her mistake.

"I'm sorry Mr. Moore," she said nervously. "I know better than to make assumptions."

"It's ok," he said finally laughing. "It happens. I am assuming you are Karen Bane." When she nodded, he smiled. "Let's go back in my office and discuss a few things."

Karen smiled nervously at the tattoo artists as she walked by. A really tall guy winked at her causing her to giggle and Shannon to throw her a look.

Finally seated in his office, they stared at each other in silence. Finally, Karen, not able to take another moment of silence a minute longer reached into her bag and pulled out her resume.

"I brought you a hard copy in case you needed it," she said even though she had emailed him days ago. "As you can see I have many years experience as an office manager."

Shannon placed the resume on his desk and looked at her intently. She was far better qualified than any of the applicants he met with and she seemed to not know who he was. That was always a bonus.

"Let me explain to you what I need," he began as she eased back into the chair. "While I do own this shop I have another job that requires me to be out on the road a hell of a lot. I need someone here I can trust to make sure things are being done right, bills paid, supplies ordered, payroll cut. Right now I am splitting the responsibilities with Shane and it really hasn't been easy on him trying to manage tattooing and the office work." He looked at her as he watched her absorb this new information. "Based on your resume and the fact the you actually broke the silent stare down in under three minutes," he laughed. "I would like to give you a trial run as manager. Let's give it a month and see how things go."

Karen stared at Shannon agape. "You're going to hire me like that?"

Shannon chuckled. "Honestly, your resume is the best I've seen. You actually are overqualified but I don't look a gift horse in the mouth." He grabbed a sheet of paper and handed it too her. "These are the specifics, wages, hours and such. If you have questions, ask myself or Kerry. One of the two of us are always here."

Karen wanted to yell and jump for joy. "This is great Mr. Moore. I can start whenever you want."

"Call me Shannon and tomorrow or the next day would be fine. I don't go back on the road until Sunday night."

"Okay Shannon," Karen said with a huge smile on her face. "I promise I won't let you down." She extended her hand out and the shook on the deal.

Later that night at Shannon's house…

Shannon, Matt and Jeff sat around Matt's backyard shooting the shit and drinking some beers.

"I hired a manager today for the shop," Shannon told his best friends.

Matt and Jeff shot each other a look. "How bad of a groupie," Matt asked knowing that Shannon had been dealing with a lot of those since posting the opening.

"She didn't know who I was," Shannon said quietly.

"That had to hurt," Jeff said laughing.

"I'm not going to lie, it stung but her resume and references were outstanding," Shannon explained. "Her last boss was very upset that she left him."

"Why did she leave," Matt asked.

"Personal reasons was all I was told but this dude would hire her back in a heart beat," Shannon took a swig of the beer in his hand. "She is going to be a good fit I think."

"What does she look like," Jeff, the always visual brother, asked.

"Well she definitely isn't hard on the eyes," Shannon explained. "She's a brunette but has bits of red in her hair. She has blue eyes I think and 'fuck me' curvy figure."

"You planning on tapping that," Matt asked his always horny friend.

"No," Shannon said very quickly causing the Hardy brothers to raise an eyebrow to each other. "Something tells me she wouldn't be too receptive of that right now. She just moved here from Pennsylvania. She needs to find her place before I even think about trying something. Plus she's my employee."

"I give it two weeks," Jeff said with a smirk.

"Dude, employor-employee relationship only," Shannon said more firmly.

"When does she start," Matt asked trying to bring the talk back on topic.

"Tomorrow or the next day," Shannon replied still picturing his new manager. "I wanted to give her time to settle in before she starts."

"Where is she living," Jeff asked as he got up for more drinks.

"I don't know," Shannon said creasing his brows. "I never thought to ask."

"Well, now you know what you can talk about tomorrow," Matt said with a small smile.

Shannon shook his head knowing this was going to be fodder for his two best friends for a while.

Double View Motel…

"I'm fine," Karen said into herself. "I got a job today. I plan on getting out of the Bates Motel as soon as I can." With that she grabbed a newspaper and started looking for a new place to live.

A scream echoed through her wall. Sounds like round two is beginning, Karen thought. She was tired of the screaming of the couple next door.

"I'll fuckin' kill you!"

Damn, he's being a bastard tonight Karen thought as she reached for her cell phone. Calling the police has been an option she was hesitant to use.

"Then kill me!!"

That's it, Karen thought as she dialed 911 and reported the little domestic problem from next door.

BANG! BANG!

Karen jumped at the sound as she let the dispatcher know that it sounded like shots were fired.

Suddenly Karen noticed a throbbing in her side and felt warm stickyness dripping down.

"Oh shit," she said softly, forgetting the dispatcher on the other side of the phone. "I think I've been shot."

Karen slipped to the floor as blackness enveloped her.

AN: Here is the new story I've been toying with. Let me know if you all think it's worth exploring.

Thanks,

Cameronchick