Chronicles of the Living

Chapter 2

     My ears ring but not from the sirens, no it's that ring everyone hears. Deafening silence. The ringing you hear when you're alone in a dark room, no sound to distract you from your own mind. A silence only broken by the murmurs of police officers and bystanders surrounding the street. I stare at my hands tinted red with blood. The police officer gave me a rag to clean myself up with but it did very little.

     The nauseating scent of blood surrounds me. Through the frantic screaming of my own mind I can hear hard stretcher wheels scraping against the asphalt beside me. I look over to see two paramedics rolling a stretcher past. A sheet that was once white is now drenched in blood sits atop the stretcher. The sheet gives a vail of mystery to the bystanders, but not to me. I know all too well the horrors that lie under that sheet. Past the paramedics down the road I see Pete grasping a styrofoam cup looking up to a tall male officer. He says something I can't make out and motions toward me. The officer looks over with a concerned face.

     "Mr Matthews?" I hear a faint female voice cutting through the ring in my head. I look up to see a smaller, female officer. She looks at me with a caring look in her eye. Soft blue eyes look me up and down seeing the state of my blood drenched clothing.

     "Mr Mathews I need to ask you some questions" her tone turning slightly frustrated. I don't know how long she's been trying to get my attention but by her expression I can tell she's been trying to talk to me for awhile.

     "Sorry um. I didn't see you there" I say weakly.

     "Don't worry mr Matthews, this has all been very traumatic. Take your time" she says take your time with a caring voice but I can tell she wants to get out of here just as bad as I do.

     The ringing meets my ears once more only broken by a tune. A whistle I've heard before. It's stuck in my mind. I want to run and hide from it like a scared child.

     "Mr Matthews?" She asks her voice becoming ever more impatient. "Have you been drinking?"

     "No I just hang out at bars for fun" I spit more viciously than I had intended. "Sorry I just don't know how to react. I didn't mean to be rude I'm sorry officer" I speak without lifting my eyes off my hands. Dried blood soaked into the creases, leaving my palms a pale pinkish color.

     "No worries mr Matthews. I'm detective Tanner from Foxburrow county PD I just need to ask you a few questions" she looks down at me like a parent comforting an injured child.

     "Ok" I respond weakly.

     "If you would, walk me through what happened before you came to the alley"

     "It was a good night, I had some drinks with my friend over there..." She stops me mid sentence.

     "The bartender?" She asks.

     "Yeah, Pete, we were closing up I took a shot for the road before heading out the door"

     "Was anyone else there after close with you?" She asks quickly.

     "Umm no just me and him, the cook Marco leaves around eleven so Pete mostly closes by himself" she looks confused by the mention of Marco.

     "Can you please tell me Marco's full name?" She asks. I tremble at the question. She thinks he's a suspect. Marco wouldn't do that, of Sophia's 2 sons he's the better of the two. More gentle than Tony but nowhere near as dumb.

     "Marco Vintelli, he's my boss's son"

     "You know Marco pretty well then?"

     "Not really but he wouldn't do this if that's what you're thinking" I spit at her accusingly.