Haunted by Screams (Jeff the Killer)

Chapter 17. Property?

And the silken, 

sad, 

uncertain rustling of each purple curtain,

Thrilled me,

filled me with fantastic terrors,

never felt before...

- Edgar Allan Poe

* * * * * * * * * * *  * 

She didn't want to look back. She knew what her eyes would see.

The policeman standing beside the car outside her school didn't even look at her once she nervously and quickly walked past him, her fingers squeezing her cold phone hard in its pocket. As soon as she'd made it out of sight from the school's seemingly horrible and gaping grin Nora picked up her speed - everything to escape the possible doom hovering over her. She knew more than well that she was taking a huge risk by not showing up at the interrogation, but right before she'd decided to leave she realised she would had spilled everything to the police if they'd asked her about anything concerning Jeff. Jim looked surprisingly worried for her once she'd returned from the restroom with Jessica. When Jessica had told him that it probably would be best for Nora to go home and do the interrogation another day, he'd given Nora a long and a bit skeptical look to her sudden behavior - just as if he knew her secret.

"Well, if you're not feeling well you should head home. I'm sure they'll let you speak with them another day - of course you'll probably have to do that at the police station then, I guess"

Nora did the best to push Jim's words out of her mind and spend the energy on getting home as fast as possible.

I'll deal with that then when it becomes necessary - which hopefully will be never.

Once Nora made it inside the house and the familiar scent of her house filled her nose she exhaled and relaxed. With a low thud she let schoolbag hit the hard floor of the hallway. Nora took some seconds to listen carefully if she heard any kind of noises implying she wasn't alone. However, the house was as quiet and empty as in an old and withered grave with her being the only one in it for the moment. Nora turned around and was just about to lock the door when she felt a presence moving behind her. Unfortunately before she had the time to react an ice-cold hand gripped her body and the other placed itself over her mouth, preventing the small scream from escaping from her tightly pressed lips.

"You home already? I thought you were gonna have that little chitty-talky thing with those damn assholes at school before you went home huh?"

His breath was so warm compared to his hands and his voice sounded as grease as it had done earlier that it made it a bit difficult for Nora to concentrate only on his words.

"hhouw diud yoou knoow...?" she tried to say with his hand pressing against her lips.

"If I would have known you would walk home earlier, I could as well have accompanied you...Nora" his lips nearly touched her left ear and his voice was nothing but a mere whisper. However his other hand held a strong grip around her waist and thus prevented her from flinching away from his touch. Her wounded shoulder ached due to the pressure from his hot and cold body and caused her to painfully remember what had happened barely two days ago.

Soon enough he grew tired of her not doing any kind of resisting and let her body go and his hand disappeared from her dried lips. Nora spun around and faced that deranged facial expression she'd seen Jeff wear plenty of times already. The handle from the knife was poking out from his front pocket on his white now-redish hoodie and the black hair hung in tangles resembling a bird's nest.