666 Dead

2/6

It's night now. I'm staying up late texting Rachael. I can hear mom and Calvin talking to each other downstairs. I close my eyes and suddenly my phone beeps. An alert from my newscast app.
THREE MEN FOUND DEAD...
I click the link.
•Late afternoon, three men identified as Charles Johnson, Drew Bishop, and Kevin King were murdered by the same serial killer as before. Once again, stalker-like notes were left behind. The men were killed by being shot down and then buried under sacks of heavy rice. Police is still active on finding the killer.
I shiver and turned off my phone. The house was silent. I could hear wind howling outside, like a monster. I wanted to shut my eyes and wake up to find out all of this was a dream. Right now, I feel like I'm living a Sherlock Holmes story. This is so fiction, yet so real. As a 15-year-old, I should be more mature about this situation. But I can't. I'm still a kid when it comes to real-life horror. My head hurts and I roll over to avoid looking at the window.
I wake up to the smell of smoke. The house is silent and dark, but the air is polluted with the scent of something burning. It's still dark out, and my phone reads midnight. I don't know what's going on. I don't want to go to mom's room, the hallways are dark and long, like they'll swallow me. Plus, waking her up might get her cranky. I look in the direction of my window. I pulled the blinds down, but I still felt insecure. There was no way I was going to look out that window, night or day. I sniff the air again. The smell of smoke is fainter, but it is still present. I cover myself in my blankets and try to get my mind off track, and soon I doze off.
"Oh my gosh, EMMA WAKE UP!!" I hear someone shout. I wake up and I see mom hovering above me.
"What...?" I groan as I toss and turn in my bed.
"OUR NEIGHBORS HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET CAUGHT ON FIRE LAST NIGHT."
My eyes are now wide open.
"What?!" I jump out of bed and automatically look out the forbidden window. The house was burned up and black most places, and police were surrounding the ruins.
"Mom... I smelled a fire last night."
She stares at me for a few seconds, and then basically yells into my ear, "EMMA WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" I shook my head and, embarrassed to admit it, whispered, "I was afraid of the dark." Mom seemed to calm down a little and loosened up.
"Em, I know there's a serial killer going around, but everything is going to be okay," she says. I really hope she's right. I decide to go to the coffee shop near by. Mom drives me there and then drops me off.
"Get something chill and relax, okay?"
I nod and enter the cool café. It's crowded and there's only one seat available. A man around his mid-thirties was on his computer. He was sitting next to the empty seat, so I gently tapped his shoulder.
"Sir, could you please reserve this seat for me? I don't want it taken while a get a drink." He smiled warmly at me and nodded. I got a mocha and quickly got back to my reserved seat.
"Thank you, sir," I said.
"You're welcome," he replied.
A few minutes later, he asked me, "what's your name?"
I felt a little edgy telling him, but since he seemed friendly, I answered him.
"Emma, sir."
He chuckled.
"Call me Jack."
I smile at him and drink the rest of my mocha.
"Well, goodbye, Jack." I walk outside and call for my mom.
"How was it?" She asked.
"Meh," I say as I turn towards the window. I don't tell her about Jack. Summer was already really boring, and with a serial killer around, it makes it even more boring. You can't go outside without supervision, and when you're home alone you can't have the lights on bright or blast out music. As we turn around and head into our neighborhood, mom points at something in the distance.
"Oh my goodness, Emma, look."