One Last Time

13

Chimney

 A pool of blood surrounded the body. The man was older, at least seventy. His fragile body lay, lifeless in the corner of the room, like a shattered glass plate. His white shirt was now dyed red and a fresh wound was imbedded in his chest.

Soft piano music would've played in the background, and Chimney would have adjusted his position to throw an arm around Maddie and whisper in her ear, "It's always when you least expect it."

The only problem was, this wasn't a movie. Fear was pulsing through Chimney's body as he tried to drown out the horrific screams in the background. Distant sobbing was floating beneath the screams.

Only minutes before, Buck and Eddie had come rushing to the room, banging on the door. "The KILLER," Buck screeched. "He's back!"

Expectantly, Athena rushed down the stairs, like a kid on Christmas morning. Stars glistened in her eyes. Bobby, Hen and he had followed. Buck, Maddie and Eddie trailed behind.

Now, all seven of them stood in the diner. Darrius fought his way through the chaotic crowd. His face turned beet red at the sight of the dead body.

"What happened? Did anyone see anything?" he bellowed.

A tall woman emerged from the crowd, a baby on her hip. She nervously stepped closer to Darrius, while the uncontrollable fear spread around the room like a virus.

"The windows opened," she spat out, the fear infecting her too. "The wind blew out the candles and the room went dark."

Darrius breathed heavily and searched for the 118 crew in the crowd. He weaved through people, meeting Athena near the exit.

"Lock the doors in the diner. Anyone in here doesn't come out," he ordered.

Athena nodded and bolted for the doors, a trickle of people had already begun flowing out of the room. However, a blonde-haired boy rushed towards Darruis. He eyed the body but held his tongue.

"Owen, there you are!" exclaimed Darrius. "Could you– err– cover it?" He pointed towards the dead body.

Owen blinked a couple of times, "Yeah, sure," he mumbled quietly. Owen placed his hands on his stomach before striding towards the body.

"Chimney, you go help him out," Bobby instructed. "Hen, Eddie, you're on crowd control," he ordered as if they were on a call. Chimney sighed, reluctant to obey. However, he had dealt with dead bodies before, and seen life flash before his eyes, he could handle this.

Owen checked over his shoulder, ensuring Chimney would follow. He decided to dash over to a booth and quickly snatch the red and white striped tablecloths from it. He balled up the cloth and proceeded to join Owen at the body.

Hands on his hips, he inspected the body, the tablecloth at his feet. His eyes met the teenager's gaze as they watched the light reflect off the pool of blood. It shimmered in an unsettling way, causing a lump in Chimney's throat.

"His wife is over there," Owen mentioned, gesturing to an older lady. She was sitting with Bobby and Darrius, tears streaming down her face. Bobby had a hand placed on her shoulder, a slight act of comfort, she desperately needed. "He shouldn't have died."

Chimney shifted on his feet, unsure of how to respond. "He shouldn't have."

"We need to find out who did this," Owen declared, a sudden urgency rising in his voice.

"My friend, Athena, over there," Chimney pointed to Athena who was closing the last door to the diner. "She's a cop. She's working on the case."

Owen nodded, gripping the tablecloth in his hands. "Are you a firefighter, like Mr. Nash and his son?"