The Perfect Witness

Beautiful Bed of Black Feathers

The air inside the warehouse was thick and dingy, causing every hair on my body to stand on end. It was dark, cold, and so quiet that all I could hear was my raspy breathing.

I didn't have a clue who or what I was looking for. They didn't say whether to meet inside or out and how long they'd be here for.

This was so stupid.

What am I doing here?

"Hello?" I hoarsely called out, instantly regretting it.

I just completely exposed my position without the other person exposing theirs, but to my surprise, I didn't hear a thing.

No footsteps.

No voice.

No noise at all.

The place was huge; this person or people could be anywhere. So why would they want to meet anywhere else but the front?

"Hello!" I called out again, a little more confident I wasn't going to get killed.

If they were going to kill me, they would have attacked me by now.

"This must be a stupid prank." I whispered quietly under my breath, rounding the corner of the far right wall. Some sick kids were probably making a joke of what happened to me and my friends. "Dustin if you're here to kill me, I'm not scared of you!"

As I finished my sentence I was stopped dead in my tracks.

There were black feathers.

Everywhere.

And...a body.

The slender frame of a malnourished female lay utterly motionless in the middle of a bed of black feathers.

I ran.

I ran so quickly to the body that I skidded to my knees, the sharp pain shooting through my skin as the flesh on my knees ripped on rocks and dusty debris.

I sucked in my breath, holding back a scream of pure agony.

Now only inches from the girl, I slowly limped my way over to her side.

Her small frame was covered in deep slits, the poor girl bleeding from every inch of her body.

My stomach churned with fresh bile as I was forced to look at this dead girl. Before I could stop myself, my stomach retched, and I threw up in my mouth.

"Help me," a weak voice gurgled from behind me. 'Please help me."

I turned back around, astonished to see the girl lying still, but blood now gurgling from open wounds on her neck and chest.

"What the fuck!" I shouted, crouching down next to the apparently alive girl.

Shit, I shouldn't touch her.

I couldn't call the police to help her because then they would ask why I was here to meet a dead girl.

And I couldn't talk to them.

But I needed to help her; she was going to die if I didn't.

"Hello? Are you still there?" She croaked, her voice muffled by the mask. More blood continued to seep from her neck and chest as she called out.

"Hi-y-yes, I'm still here," I sobbed, tears streaming down my overheating face.

I stared hopelessly at the dying girl in front of me. "I-I-can't help you. I'm so sorry. I'll-I'll send help for you, but I can't do anything to help."