The Killer Among Us

Chapter 22

Eleven days left

Jacob

Sweat was dripping down my entire body, hot and heavy. My fist was aching, my knuckles on the brink of breaking. Still, I couldn't stop myself. My rage was merciless. There was no escaping it.

Eddie was wincing in pain as my fists collided with his face, time and time again.

"Why?" I yelled at him but I never gave him a chance to respond.

Relentlessly, I was unleashing the full extent of my anger. Blood was gushing from his mouth and nose, making a horrible crunching noise.

Still, all I heard was the ringing of my ears. Black entrapped my vision, everything happened in slow motion.

After way too long, I let go of Eddie's limp body, causing a thud to echo through the apartment as his bloody head hit the floor.

"Where is Aria?" My voice thundered through the room.

His eyes slowly opened, his face was already swollen beyond recognition and my fist was throbbing in unbearable pain. That all was overpowered by the overwhelming sting of betrayal that pumped through my veins.

"Wh - What?" he finally uttered weakly.

The sudden sound of my gun cocking caused him to open his eyes fully, fear visible in his eyes.

I held it up to the right side of his face, hovering over his lifeless body.

"Where is she, Eddie?" I paused dramatically before relentlessly jabbing him in the stomach.

He recoiled and started coughing up blood. With the rest of his energy, he held up a defensive hand, pleading, "I don't know where she is, Jacob. I swear! Please don't kill me, man."

"Why are you lying to me, Eddie?" I laughed maniacally, my face only inches from his.

The metallic smell of his blood stung in my nose.

"Heck, I know that you have been talking to Burke," I added when he didn't elaborate further.

Still, he was silent, not denying his actions. His silence only made me more furious so I drew out my fist once more, threatening to punch him.

"No-" he begged, "Please, stop."

"The truth," I commanded, "Now, Eddie."

He coughed, more blood gushing from his mouth. Then he looked up to me, sincerity radiating from his eyes, "I didn't take her, Jacob. I am not The Solemn Serpent."

I let go of his body and he crawled away for me, wincing in pain.

"Yes, I talked to Burke but only to protect you. When you told me that The Solemn Serpent knows you, I thought you were in danger. So, I thought telling Burke where you went would protect you."

Disbelief filled me, the anger slowly fading. Could this be another part of his deception?

Reality was distorted, there was no way to know.

"Burke went to High School with my brother, so I thought I could trust him."

I shook my head in disbelief and yet it didn't take me long to trust Eddie at that moment.

Whilst I was completely shattered that he went behind my back to talk to Burke, I didn't have the energy to argue over his motive. This tragedy was bigger than the both of us and we both felt the weight of it in some way or form.

The only thing I was certain of in that moment was that Eddie never betrayed me before, never once hurt me like this. Deep down, I still had faith in him. So, I had to make a choice: do I trust my destructive thoughts or do I trust the person in front of me?

Quickly, I made a decision. Some might argue that I chose the easy way out, the least painful one. Maybe that was the case. Regardless of that, I knew that I was in Eddie's position many times before, begging for his forgiveness after I betrayed his trust, and he never once turned me away.

"Eddie-" I tried to apologize as I helped him up from the ground, steadying his beaten body.

"No, it's okay. I probably deserved it, man," he nodded, "I shouldn't have snitched on ya."

I guided him to the couch and got him some paper towels from the kitchen.

"I am so sorry," and I truly meant it. Even if he betrayed me, even if I didn't know exactly why he did what he did, I still shouldn't have assumed that he was the killer.

"Jace, you can't stay here. There's an APB out for you. They wanna arrest you for obstructing the investigation," Eddie admitted slowly, "You have to go before they find you."

"But-" I tried to argue.

"There's no time, man. Aria is out there somewhere. You gotta find her. You're the only one who can." His blind trust in me, even after I beat him to smithereens, warmed me to my core, reviving me once again..

"I- I don't know how," I admitted, letting out a muffled sigh.

He dabbed the paper towels against his head wounds, his hands shaking in pain.

"You've been dreaming about Ava, right? Maybe that means something. Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell ya something, Jace."

Ava - the girl from my dreams. Why did I not remember her?

The connection between her and Aria seemed weak, if existent at all.

"Go now," Eddie broke through my thoughts, "And call me if you need anything. But not from your phone. They can track that shit. Buy a burner phone, okay?"

"Thank you, Eddie," I genuinely said, shaking his hand firmly to say goodbye.

With a heavy heart and an even heavier conscience, I walked back down to my car, leaving Eddie to himself.

What Eddie said about Ava swirled in my mind, no proper thought formed, however. The memories of Ava were blurry, distorted. They were right there in my mind but at the same time, so far out of reach.

When I finally reached my car, I was hit with instant confusion. Something was different about it. As I drew closer to it, I finally noticed that there was something stuck to the windshield but when I looked around, I saw no one in the area.

"What the -" I whispered as I approached it, eyes fixed on the paper.

Then I quickly turned around, making sure that no one was watching me.

I slowly reached for the paper and unfolded it.

Staring back at me was a single sentence, written in the same angry red ink as the threat Aria received before her abduction. It read, "The day of reckoning is upon us."

A gust of wind hit me, nightfall was nearing and the streets were eerily quiet.

My bloody knuckles ached, throbbing in pain, but they were a symbol, showing just how ready I was to deliver retribution. Soon he would learn how powerful my wrath was.

Oh, in a way he was right, the day of reckoning was upon us but the final revenge would be mine.

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