The Killer Among Us

Chapter 13

Walking down the familiar corridors of Carlisle High filled me with peace. Everything was just as I remembered it. The walls were still lined with the same greyish, blue lockers, the tiled floors polished and the atmosphere ecstatic.

Students were frantically walking down the corridors, trying to make it to their next class. Stacks of books and papers weighed them down, their demeanor either worried for the coming test or excited for the next lacrosse game. Life back then was easier, less urgent.

What I never liked, however, were the whispers - the constant shushed exchange of the latest gossip. The students were always busy keeping each other updated on the latest intel, like buzzing bees - and the corridor was their beehive.

What struck me as quite odd was that no one noticed me even for a second. No one even looked in my direction. It was as if they saw right through me.

But that all immediately vanished as soon as I saw her, Ava Collins.

She brought the sun with her, wherever she went, and like a glowing beam of light, she caught all my attention.

As she gracefully approached me from the other end of the hallway, our eyes met. It was like a fire started in me, burning through my veins and warming my heart.

There are no words to adequately describe the beauty and grace Ava Collins held. She displayed it even in the way she walked, the way her feet hit the floor with such precision, such elegance. It was evident in the way she dressed: modest, expressive but shy. Still, nothing topped the way she smiled, at me, me of all people.

Since the day I first laid eyes on her, I knew she was an angel. An angel whose innocence and charm I never deserved. Her blonde curls crowned her like a halo.

And as she was walking towards me, I could swear she was floating. Instantaneously, she took my breath away, making my knees weak and my heart overflowing with desire,

I stood still in the hallway, it was only the two of us now, locking eyes and smiling from a distance. Slowly I began to notice that she was walking in my direction this whole time and yet she never drew closer.

Confusion rose in me. Why wasn't she coming closer?

I glanced behind me for just a second but when I turned back, her smile had suddenly faded and instead she was frowning, her beautiful red lips quivering.

My breathing came to a halt when I saw that tears of blood were suddenly dripping down her face, filling her mouth and staining her beautiful, yellow dress.

"What is happening?" I whispered to myself.

Slowly, she raised one arm.

What she did next, hit me like a bullet and I wished it had killed me. With one finger she pointed at me, her blood now gushing everywhere. Pure hate radiated from her demeanor and it was all directed to me.

"Ava?" I called out but she never responded.

Suddenly I found myself running, my feet hitting the floor with desperate intensity.

All I needed was to be close to her and everything would be alright again, I thought.

My body was screaming in protest as I used all my power to leap toward her but it was all in vain. The distance never lessened, it stood between me and Ava, keeping me away from her despite all efforts.

I felt hot and heavy tears streaming down my face, screams of panic escaped my mouth.

No one heard me, I was infinitely and utterly alone. Pure terror filled my vision, blackening out everything else. My hard was threatening to burst, my blood ran ice cold.

Still I was screaming, eyes focused on Ava's blood that was now running down the hallway like a river, threatening to drown me.

"AVA! AVA! AVA!"

Suddenly, it was all gone.

My mind couldn't cope with the anguish anymore and so I woke up, only then realising I had in fact been dreaming.

Fourteen days left

Jacob

Breath filled my lungs once more. Eddie was standing above me, eyes filled with worry.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked without explaining my outburst. I quickly rose from the bed, still a little woozy from the shock and so I held on to the metal frame for support.

He squinted at me as if his brain cells went out of focus, eventually shaking off the confusion and answering:

"Just about thirty minutes. Figured you could use the sleep. What was all that about, man?"

It took me a second to process what had just happened but when I finally caught a grip on reality once more, I asked, completely ignoring his question,

"Are you done with the locating?"

He shot me a sly grin and answered proudly, "Don't underestimate me, man."

"We have a location?" I asked, baffled that it actually worked.

"We have a location," he reassured me with loud laughter.

Letting out a victorious laugh, I leaped toward his monitors and waited for him to show me.

He sat down and pulled up a map on one of his monitors. Without further explanation, he zoomed in on one of the streets and with his slim finger, pointed at an area. Somehow, I expected something different than an ordinary street address.

"This is the apartment building the call was made from. I couldn't get a closer ping on the exact location but this is definitely where he called from," Eddie beamed at me.

I let out a jubilant groan and threw my head back in relief. Had that not worked out, I would have majorly wasted precious time.

"This is kind of a run down neighborhood. I know some people who live there and it sure is ugly, man," he proclaimed in disgust.

"Doesn't matter," I replied, "I would go anywhere if there's a chance at finding Aria."

"So, what now? Are you just going to show up there?" Eddie asked, letting out a breathy scoff.

What I said next, he never saw coming.

"Yes, but first you're going to help me get a gun." Definitiveness laced my voice, leaving no room to argue this. The dream from earlier was nothing but a blurry memory now.

There was no way I was walking into that building without proper protection. More than that, I wanted to be prepared just in case this really was my opportunity to get to him before anyone else would.

No sane person would walk into a snake pit without the proper equipment, after all.

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