Burning Bridges ✷ Gale Weathers

04. FORGIVE YOU NOT

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Ghostface wasn't stopping their murder sprees anytime soon.

That much Harriet knew. Another victim, another report. Another day of a killer running free.

Just the thought alone had imaginary bugs crawling down her spine. It was normal to be a little queasy when attending a murder scene, but this situation was more than just nauseating.

It was full-on terrifying.

Nobody knew when Ghostface was going to strike next, nor did they know who'd be the next on the list to die. It could be anyone at all. Someone could be walking the streets, either at night or in broad daylight, and they could be brutally murdered right then and there. Someone could slip into their car, and Ghostface could pop up from the backseat and slit their throat.

Ghostface didn't care who he killed. All that mattered was that he had someone to kill.

Truthfully, Harriet was surprised Ghostface had left her alone this long. Everyday she felt as if she had a target on her back, just waiting to be hit with the killer's presence. She wanted to feel lucky she was still alive, but she figured it was only a matter of time before her luck ran out.

With Ghostface still lurking, nobody was truly lucky.

Harriet pushed a hand through her dark curls and sighed as she skimmed through another report. A victim was stabbed twenty-three times in the chest and ten times in the gut. The photo wasn't pretty. Blood was splattered all over her, so much so that you couldn't even see her face.

She frowned. The girl didn't deserve this. No one deserved this.

"I knew her," a voice randomly chirped from behind her.

Harriet knew that voice. Clutching a pen tightly in her hand, she turned around in her chair to face Gale.

The reporter looked flawless, per usual. She was clad in a bright yellow suit, and on anyone else it would've looked like they were pretending to be a highlighter, but on Gale it looked nothing less than perfect.

Is there a day that goes by where this woman doesn't look perfect?

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she reluctantly met Gale's piercing gaze. "I'm not surprised. Did you exploit her on your news show?"

If Gale was offended, she didn't show it. "No, actually. Her and I were friends. She worked for me on set. She was a nice person."

Harriet couldn't imagine Gale having any friends. But then again, she did have fans, so what did she know.

When Harriet didn't respond, Gale folded her arms across her chest. "You can hate me all you want, Harriet. I can't change your opinion of me. I don't even blame you for holding a grudge. I would've done the same had I been in your position. But whether you believe it or not, I've changed. I'm not the person I was in highschool. I care about people. That asshole of a teenager isn't me anymore."

Harriet remained silent, taking her speech into consideration. While it had been sixteen years since she'd last been bullied by Gale, the pain had never lessened. The insults, the laughs, the death threats—it never stopped, even after she graduated. It followed her to college until eventually she moved away to New York. If she had stayed in this shitty town, not a single good thing would've came from it.