Grinded

chapter XVII.

As the night grew on, a sleek blanket of dark clouds settled over Lily's house, engulfing the stars embedded in the night sky like jewels. A haunting veil of shadows was cast across Blackwater Mountain, the stars slowly vanishing one by one, until there was nothing but the ominous clouds looming over. Taking a peak out of her cruiser window, the Sheriff watched as, one by one, the stars vanished behind the dark curtain of clouds.

There wasn't a single streetlight to be seen on the road by the decadent mountainside home, the only source of light being from the dimly lit house that Sarah and fellow officer, and rookie, Waitts, were keeping an eye on. But so far nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. They could hear the faint, muffled music playing inside, and to Sarah, it sounded like the teens were enjoying themselves.

She twitched at the thought of others cutting loose, letting themselves forget about everything going on in their supposed 'quiet' town. Her emerald eyes glazed over the house, a touch of jealousy lightly brushing through her.

"How's Donnie doin'?" asked Waitts, breaking the eerie silence, but not enough to startle Sarah. With the shit she had seen this week, it was going to take more than that to shellshock her.

Sarah cracked open her window, taking a beat to enjoy the faint whispers of the breeze gently kiss her skin, before turning her head back to the younger officer.

"He's fine," Sarah answered bluntly. She caught Waitts wince at her sharp tone, and sighed, resting her elbow on the edge of the car door. "I didn't mean to snap. Been a long week, is all."

Waitts nodded, a knowing glint flickered in his eyes. "Don't worry about it. You've had a lot on your plate lately."

Sarah could feel the guilt starting to eat its way through her as she watched Waitts turn his head to his window, staring out into the distance, eyes glazing over.

"He's still looking after our parents," Sarah finally said. This time it was her turn to catch Waitts off guard. He shot his head over to the Sheriff, a perplexed look spread across his face that was lightly covered with stubble. "Donnie."

"Oh," Waitts said. He cleared his throat before shifting in his seat. "They still over in Denver?"

"Yeah. They like it over there, but I know Donnie hasn't really settled yet. He said he misses the Ridge too much."

Waitts chuckled, and Sarah saw the way he looked at her; like she was some sort of idol to him, a figure head for him to look up to and follow her example.

A wave of dread and fear cascaded over her as she stared back at Waitts, the goofy rookie that was pulsating with a childlike curiousity and a need to prove himself to his superior. That was how Rhodes once looked at her.

Erica.

She remembers when Erica had first joined the force. The enthuasism and determination was almost unbearable at times. Sarah called back to when Erica told her that she was following in Sarah's footsteps. She remembered her deputy being determined to make a good example for her younger, more troubled, brother.

And now she was gone. All of those ambitions were ripped from her, her life cut short, all because of some maniac that was hellbent on leaving a trail of pain behind them.

A part of Sarah was praying, begging, for the killer to show up tonight. Because if they did, Sarah wasn't holding back anymore. It was going to be on sight. No arrests. No reasoning. Sarah was out for blood.

"He's lucky - he got outta this place," Waitts said, rustling his chestnut brown hair, "I'm jealous of him."

This time it was Sarah's turn to chuckle, even if it lacked any genuinity. She noticed the time, and it had been half an hour since Waitts' last check-up around the house. Reaching for the handle, she clicked open the door and started stepping out.

A cool kiss of breeze grazed over Sarah, and she closed her eyes for a split second, taking a moment to revel in the serenity around them. For just a second, Sarah felt herself float away, to a place where there was nothing but peace.

Some day. Some day, I'll find peace.

"Yeah, he was the lucky one," replied the Sheriff, leaving the car before leaning down, peering back inside, "only thing he's gotta worry about is making sure my folks aren't shitting themselves all day."

Waitts laughed louder this time, staring back at his superior with that look of pure admiration. A look that was starting to get under skin. Each time someone on the force had looked at her with such a stare, it wasn't long before shit hit the fan.

"Alright, I'm gonna do a check around the house," Sarah stated, eager to escape Waitts' need to step up to the plate, just like she had once done, "you keep an eye on things out here. I won't be long."

Just before Sarah turned away, she heard Waitts call out for her. Sighing, she looked over her shoulder to see him leaning across her seat.

"Stay safe, Sheriff," he told her, a soft smile playing up on the corners of his lips.

Sarah nodded back towards him, "You too."

Finally pulling herself away from the stuffy cruiser, Sarah started towards the gravel driveway, keeping a safe distance between herself and the dark forest that lay just feet away from the Mason house.

She wrapped her fingers around the flashlight tucked away within her utility belt, not wasting a second turning it on and immediately shining it towards the trees. She stilled, narrowing her eyes as she tried making out what lurked beyond the trees.

But the light only went so far, the darkness having put up an impenetrable veil of shadows. Sarah's eyes lingered for several more seconds, a small fraction of her hoping for the killer to be there, to slip up, and make themselves known.

She had started imagining what she was going to do when she caught the psychopath behind it all. They would feel pain that their victims hadn't felt, despite the horrors they endured seconds before they were ripped away from their young lives.

But those fantasies were quickly doused out as no one emerged from the black velvet shadows, only the smallest pierces of fleeting moonlight stabbing through the thick leaves and branches.

Pulling herself away from where she stopped, Sarah continued along the gravel, slowly shining the flashlight around her as she walked. The Sheriff stole a glance behind her, a shot of relief rippled through her when she saw Waitts just as she left him - lightly singing along to whatever trash he had been playing on the radio since they pulled up.

Sarah turned her head back around and gave a lasting, cautious look to the side of the house, noticing how close the forest suddenly became the further in she went. This wasn't going to get easier, no matter how many times she walked her ass through.

Trudging forward, Sarah picked up the pace in her step, but remained as vigilant as ever. Her senses were all on high alert, and she walked with a light foot, careful not to cause too much of a noise, fearing that it may give the killer a way inside without being noticed.