Roses

Chapter 14

Zoey

"You feel spooked too?" Sam asks as he glances out the windshield.

I gasp out a laugh and say, "Yeah. I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling it."

He starts slowing the car as we approach the pharmacy but then jerks it to a stop as we hear something.

"What the hell-"

"Was that?"

We look at each other and then out the windows as it registers what the noise must have been--a scream.

"I'll be back in a sec and then we'll get the fuck out of here," he mutters with one hand on the door and the other reaching for the medical script sitting on top of the center console but I stop him before he can get out.

"I'll come with you."

"No. You stay here. It should be safer in the car." And then he's gone before I can say anything else. I watch his back as he walks away from me till he disappears from my view.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. But I snap them open as I hear something. Not a scream this time, but footsteps. Hurried footsteps. Towards me.

I look around frantically till my eyes settle on the figure stumbling out of the corner and making its way towards our car. I swear I can hear my heart beat out of my chest with every careless step the figure takes. But something tells me it's not the killer. This person seems..... injured. As the figure crosses a street light, its face gets illuminated and I recognize it. It's the woman from the police station.

She's clutching her neck as blood oozes out of it. I can see cuts marring her face as she limps towards me. Was she attacked? By the killer?

I get my answer as my eyes catch movement behind her. I see the silhouette of a man close to the corner the woman emerged from. His arm is raised and before I can react the sound of a gunshot pierces my surroundings. The last thing I see before I scream is the woman falling down.

I scream between gasps and fumble with my handle, finally getting the door open. I rush towards the woman but I already know it's too late. I can't do anything now. She's dead.

The next few minutes are a blur. I collapse on the road a foot from the woman, trying to push away her matted hair from her face and tap on her cheek, hoping against hope she'll come back to life. Fuck, why don't I know how to perform CPR?! Why can't I be more useful in these situations?

I feel someone's hands on me and I look up to see Sam hovering over me, shock and fear evident on his face. His mouth is also moving but I can't hear anything other than the sound of the gunshot still echoing in my ears. Then I feel another pair of hands on me. They are firmer than Sam's as they try to pull me away from the woman's body. I turn my head and lock eyes with Adam Thorns.

Those dark pools finally do it. My poor heart gives out.

                                                                       ***

Adam

A hundred and ninety. Hundred and ninety one. Hundred and ninety two.

Huh!

Zoey Kirby has a hundred and ninety two eyelashes on her right eye. Cool.

On any other day, I would have weirded myself out staring at someone's face for such a ridiculous amount of time. But not today. Not after seeing Zoey on the road next to Martha.