𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 | 𝟏𝟖+

| 𝟑.𝟕

—
"The quieter you become, the more you're able to hear."
—

I absentmindedly spin the pen in my hand while staring at the address on the computer.

303 McKinley Drive.

Sighing through my nose a press the ink to the sticky note, stuffing it in my scrub pockets. "I'll have to make an excuse..."

I told Creed I'd see him after my shift, but I'll be taking a quick detour without him knowing. His mother, where ever this address lead to, was where his mother was staying.

I had come back from my lunch, doing the usual routines when I got an anonymous email with the address and a picture of a small blue house.

Come alone, it said.

There could only be 4 people who know where this address is—all of which are either being held against their will or whose name starts with a C. But Creed hadn't mentioned but a few sentences about his mother. I knew little about her besides what I found in the file. So who was this anonymous tip? And how did they know I was searching for her?

"Jamie?"

I look up from the twirling of the pen and furrow my brows at the concerned expression on my coworker's face. "Yes?" I croak out.

She shifts, brushing a hand down her pink scrubs. "It seems you have a secret admirer," she says, pulling something from behind her back. I peer at the box with a bow in her hand curiously.

She hands it to me, gifting me a small smile before leaving. Holding the box up to my ear and shaking it, I hear small clicks and clatters. I peer at the card and decided to open the colored paper with my name on it, revealing a small white card. At first glance, the card was plain, with no designs or anything ominous besides the red calligraphy written in the center. Let's come to an agreement.

Tossing the card, I grasp the lid of the box peeling it back to reveal a bunch of Polaroids rubber banned together. I sift through the first 3 seeing nothing out of the ordinary until I get to the middle. The first was a picture of me and Riley at the beach, and the next was of me and Creed at the pond, with nobody in sight. Another one, repeating was off me curled in Crreds lap at the gas station. My chest constricts and my hands start to shake with every passing Polaroid.

More beach.

Random pictures of the forest.

And then I froze.

I heard screaming, and it sent chills down my spine. The utter horror coming from what sounded like a women's mouth was straight out of a horror film.

I grip the Polaroid tight, praying that my eyes were deceiving me.

My father. My papa's head. My papa's decapitated head sitting inside a body bag with his body.

Then I realized, the scream came from me as I tremble, my breath coming out short. Throwing the Polaroid away from me, I thrash, putting all my belongings into my work back with my computer. I weep, panic making it hard for me to concentrate. Voices filtered the room but I ignore them, snatching all the Polaroids and shoving them deep into my bag. I couldn't bare to look at them. I barely got to the middle of the stack but I was afraid, scared of what other pictures lyes beyond that one.