After the Earthquake

Part 12

Just twenty-four hours later, Hazel was sat in the room of the police station, dishevelled, eyes as dark as night, glaring into those of the police officer opposite. "You just have to tell me what you were doing there. We don't want to convict you for this, but we have to if you don't give us any other clue as to who might have done it." His hands were pushing tightly against his head, and he was clearly frustrated with the woman in front of him. She held his gaze tightly and didn't move.

***

Earlier that day, Hazel had woken up to a loud car horn outside of her house. She leaned over to the window and pulled back the curtains slightly to see Jordan running to a car across the road. Of course he wasn't losing his eyesight, but it was risky of him to beso out in the open with it. "Do you want to wake the whole household?" he seethed, glancing nervously back at the house. Trembling, Hazel tried her best to stay hidden. She looked at the clock. It was barely dawn. No wonder he was not tryingto hide his sight. He was definitely up to no good.

Upon hurling herself into her wardrobe and back out, she rapidly put on some clothes and crept down the stairs, eager to find out what her fiancé was up to. Her footsteps were silent and quick, successful in their attempt to keep the rest of the household at rest. She slyly made her way around the edge of the banister and rushed to the front door, opening it and then locking it behind her carefully.

***

"Miss Anderson, I will only spend so long talking to you. Will you respond to my questions or not?" Her gaze pierced his soul, and his discomfort was clearly visible through his attempts to avoid eye contact. "I will sit here with you for thirty minutes, and after that I'll have to set you a date for a court hearing." He cast a sideways glance to the other officer in the room, who nodded.

"I'll repeat the facts for you again." He was looking forward to any excuse to look at something other than her deadly gaze. "So, we found you..."

***

Hazel rushed into her car and pulled out her phone before she set off. She set it to track Jordan's phone, and luckily he hadn't yet figured out she was tracking him. Pulling down her seatbelt, she scoffed. She was about to go on a dangerous car chase yet she was still worried about the basics. After all, there was no need to be naïve and foolish although she was dicing with danger.

Luckily, the car wasn't speeding... yet. They were clearly in no rush to arrive at their destination. She noticed they had turned onto a long, straight road, and she hung back to ensure they would not see her car. The roads were still empty due to it being so early, and she was not willing to risk being seen by Jordan, who would recognise their car instantly.

She had not even turned onto the straight road yet before she saw the tracker had stopped moving on her phone. It looked like they had reached their destination. This confirmed Hazel's suspicions that it was an area nearby. She rolled gently into some nearby woodland, trying not to ruin the car too much, before stopping it where it wouldn't be seen. Then she began to walk into the one place that could change her life forever...

***

Hazel finally moved her head slightly to the left as she heard the sound of the door opening. In entered Scott, looking in a state of mild panic, though he disguised it with his cool exterior as soon as his eyes met Hazel's. "What's up, Tears?" He nodded to the police officers, who both looked in shock and horror at the person who had entered the room. In a silent agreement, both left the room, while Scott remained.

"What were you thinking? It was my shift in just another half hour. You should have waited for me."

"There was no time to wait!" Hazel hissed. "I never know how much time I will have left to find things out. It's not my fault it backfired."

"I know, but they found you..."

***

The building was abandoned, and nobody was watching outside, luckily for Hazel. She slipped through an entrance and came into a large room. Nobody was there. Tentatively, she took another step forward. An echoing voice sounded over the other end of the room, and in panic she ran to the nearest door she could. Upon entering that room, she was thrown into total darkness and she listened.

"Is it done?" A familiar voice hit her ears and she cringed as she recognised Jordan speaking.

"Of course. You know I'm the best in the business."

"Leave it here. Our business is finished in this headquarters; I think it's time to find somewhere new."

"Yes, Sir."

"Oh, and Harold? Keep it local. I have a reputation to uphold in my household." At these words, Hazel's heart filled with dread. A 'reputation'? What sort of reputation did he have with her? A one that wasn't filled with deceit and betrayal? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an engine starting outside. Hazel decided it was safe and scrambled around the walls of the room for a light.

Upon flicking the switch, she grabbed the door handle and took one step back to allow the door to open, but she heard a disconcerting sound, like the sound of boots sinking into deep mud. Her body quaking, she turned her head around slowly, and the sight that was upon her was horrific. She couldn't help but to scream in horror as she saw the red liquid her foot had landed in.

***

"I know, I know. I was found with a dead body and blood covering my clothes. I know I was the only one there. It looks bad, but... can't you help me out and tell them what I was really up to?" Hazel pleaded desperately with Scott, something she hated. His heart dropped at hearing her so desperate.

"It's not that simple, Hazel. I dare say there's something we can do, but we can't exert that kind of influence without upending the entire case." He sighed wearily, feeling completely lost. This was not the kind of thing he was trained for. "I can, however, allow you a visitor." He nodded towards the door, and it opened slightly.

A tangled mop of blonde hair edged its way into the room, and Hazel gasped with delight. "Lyra?" Her friend rushed towards her and they embraced each other for a long time. "I'm so glad you're here. I need your support."

"Or two." Scott smirked from his seat, and the door opened once more.

More nervously this time, another girl made her way into the room. Her face was pale and her light blue eyes seemed even lighter, as though stripped of all brightness. She gazed elsewhere in the room, and appeared lost. Hazel looked at her clothes and was glad to see she was wearing different clothes than she had earlier. It would take her a long time to recover from this.

***

Blood dripped from Hazel's hands and she screamed loudly, although after this original outburst the only noise she could make was a horrified whimper. Her phone was still in the car, and she was in such a state she didn't know what to do.

Loud footsteps from the room she had entered from terrified her, and she tried her very hardest to stop herself from making any noise, but her tearful cries echoed through the building. Quickly, the door next to her was opened, and in came a confused Sierra. "Hazel, what are you-" The body on the floor was clearly only clocked by her a millisecond later, and she let out the most pained cry Hazel thought she had ever heard. "Wh-Who? Why? Hazel? Why are you here?" Her words came in between short, gasping breaths.

"Call... the police. Now." Sierra immediately pulled her phone out and began to speak to the other end. Hazel dreaded that she would have to explain this to her later, and she was also angry at herself. Why was she worried about Sierra's opinion when a man was dead? How many other men had been killed under Jordan's orders?

***

Sierra shifted slightly closer to Hazel and wrapped her arms tightly around her. "Sierra, you saw-"

"I know. But it doesn't matter – I trust you." Hazel welled up with tears and her heart wrenched painfully. What had she ever done to deserve such loyal friends as these? "I trust you completely." Taking back her words, Hazel felt the need to correct herself. They weren't friends. They were family.