𝑩𝑼𝑵𝑵𝒀 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 ~ 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳

7 - Thunder and Lightening

Marcie Wallis stood horrified, her face lit red and her skin burning hot.

Standing in her slippers and nightgown at 4am, just a couple doors down from her own abode, was a furious blaze of flames ripping into the dark sky, the source being her friendly neighbour, Mr Moore's, house.

Whatever corner of the street wasn't lit by the fire, was then lit by red and blue flashing lights. The police along with the fire services had arrived hours before, tape cornered the burning pile, inadequately concealing the danger.

Marcie was a light sleeper, she felt that her body was trained to jolt awake to the slightest exposure to a possible crisis, she has had many false alarms when hearing unexplained but harmless thuds, cracks of lightening or rolls of thunder. Waking up to the smell of fire was one she feared often. She really couldn't believe it the moment she stepped out of her front door.

She had checked on Oliver to wish him sweet dreams before bed, and Bunny had locked her room meaning they were both likely sleeping soundly. Much like their father, the both of them could sleep through anything.

But upon thinking of her own children, and how she might begin to break the tragedy, a mundane voice called for Marcie's attention.

"Mom.. What happened..."

Bunny caught her breath, she was still in her pyjamas, matted hair, untied converse- her ankle squashing down the back of her shoe. Her face read utter confusion.

Bunny knew she was a good actor, she had never set foot in a theatre, or considered auditioning for any sort of role in any plays. This was the type of hyperrealistic acting that one would often utilise for manipulation, or attempt to wriggle through a lie. On this strange occasion, Bunny's skills were aiding in covering the fact that she knew exactly why this fire had started, when it started, how it started, and the fact that the one man the entire street seemed to be currently weeping over, was tied nice and neatly inside of a wonderful arrangement of materials, in the back of Vinnie's truck.

She was on one of the last steps of her plan. It was all coming together, and reasonably seamlessly.

Looking at the flames, it was starting to feel slightly ritualistic. A lot of this hard outer shell that had constructed itself around her after the crime, was beginning to break and burn, just like the house's porch, as it caved on itself, now blocking the entrance to the front door which had seemed to catch no flames at all.

It was unnerving. Looking at it. By the state of this fire, it would be highly unlikely for any evidence to be found, let alone traced, but staring at that front door was almost convincing Bunny that Moore was inside, standing, looking through his creepy little peep whole, doing what he does best.. just watching.

If the ghost of him was watching, she sincerely hoped he was cursing himself for letting that 'little princess' he watched grow up, stand over him with a knife stained in the malevolent colour of his blood.

She gripped her right hand.

It would all be yesterdays problem as soon as she and Vinnie dealt with the body, and she knew that it would have been increasingly suspicious if Moore was found dead on the floor in his own house fire with stab wounds all over his body. It would have so quickly come to conclusion of this case being a murder, (that or a severely operatic- over the top suicide). 

Him being missing threw a spanner in the works, there's no clear explanation or story to fall to when there's a missing person involved, and in the sad reality of it all, tonights antics sort of just fits in with the reoccurring theme of disappearance on Cedar.