Mirror Mirror on the Wall Whose the Killer After all?

Chapter twenty two

I head to the woods, frazzled.

As I reach the trail that leads through the woods, I take a slow, deep breath and watch my surroundings.

I slowly begin along the trail, hoping that I'm not spotted by anyone.

When I reach the spot that I know all to well, I see the tree that Carly tripped over.

I go over to the tree and attempt to reenact Carly's motions from that night.

Falling into the tree, lightly of course, hitting my head.

I then imagine the small white box falling out of Carly's pocket.
It wouldn't of fallen very far from where she fell.

Did she mean to give it to me, before we fought?
What could be in the box? I never had the courage to open it. I was to absorbed in Carly.

I scan my surroundings for a glimpse of white.
And I spot it, under a pile of fallen leaves.
I run over to the box and notice that it became slightly buried in the dirt.
I claw at the box until I feel it lift from the dirt and into my hand.

As I lift up from the crouch I was in, I hear the cracking of branches as feet fall on the dense earth.

I whip my head up, as I slip the box into my jacket pocket, and see a black masked figure coming toward me.

I hear a deep laugh coming from the figure. It's almost like this is...funny to them.

"Oh Rachel. Oh how foolish you have been. So incredibly foolish." As the figure speaks, I realized that I've heard this voice before. It is very familiar.

"Who are you?" I manage to mumble as I interrupt.

"Now what fun would that be if you knew who I was? Not very much fun at all would it? As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, you were so careless, so....persuadable. I mean all I had to go was give you a second of attention and you were hooked." The masked figure chuckles to themselves.

When my brain finally starts to work again, I very suddenly am struck with the realization of who I'm speaking to.

"Nick." I hiss in a whisper.

"It sure did take you a while. I thought wants I spoke my first word, I would be discovered." Again, the figure chuckles. But as this occurs, they, Nick, lifts the mask off of his face and drops it to the ground.

"What do you want?" I ask, frightened, as I look at his dimpled face, just as I remember. But now, all I see is betrayal in his eyes.

"I want you dead. I've always wanted you dead." Nick admits.

"But why? What did I ever do to you?"

"You- you killed Carly. You murdered her! You are a cold blooded killer." As Nick practically yells, his voice begins to waver as he talks about Carly.

"I didn't kill Carly." I say with 100% certainty.

I know I didn't kill her. I'm sure of it. When I left Carly in the woods, she was still breathing, still speaking. She wasn't dead.

Oh my gosh.........I didn't kill Carly!

As I realize with such relief the truth, I hear Nick rambling on.

"She meant everything to me. Everything! You deserve to die. And I knew the only way to get you here was to steal that box and make you think it was in the woods. I knew there wasn't enough time for you to find it before I came, so it worked out well." Nick takes a step forward and I automatically take a step back.

As Nick continues to approach, I realize I need to do something. I need to get out alive.
If not for me, for my family, for Carly.

My adrenaline kicks in as I spot one isolated branch by my feet.

I just need to distract him.

To my luck, I don't have to do anything, because Nick takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.
Even only for a split second but it's enough.

I move fast.
I grab the branch and hurl it into his gut. When Nick cries out in pain, I know the hit was affective, but it won't last long. So I attempt to hit him in the jaw with the end of the branch.

I'm prepared for the impact but it never happens.
Nick was able to grab the stick and wrestle it out of my grip.
Before I know it, my wrists are pinned behind my back and my forehead pressed up against a tree.

"Good try. But not good enough." Nick says as he pulls my arms tighter across my back, on the verge of breaking them.

I cry out in agony as the pain over takes my body.
I need to try. I have to try to get out alive.

As I take one, reassuring deep breathe, I use my left leg and kick him in the gut.

As I feel the grip on my arms loosen, I know I need to run.

I turn to the trail and run. I run faster then I've ever ran before.

Foot after foot. Yard after yard.
Before I know it I've reached the clearing to my house.

Knowing I don't have much time left, I sprint to the back door.
Luck is with me. The door is unlocked.

I fling the door open. I shut and lock it in almost the same moment.

"Mom?" I yell as I run to the phone.

Please don't be home!

"Mom?" I yell again.

No response. Thank goodness!

With shaking hands, I dial the numbers I know all to well.

9.....1.....1

An operator picks up on the second ring.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"I'm being followed. Please help me." I say in one shaky breathe.

"Calm down please. What's your address?" The operator asks.

"77 Honeysuckle Lane, Wayside County."

"What is your name?"

"Rachel." I say.

"Rachel honey, the police are on their way."

With that, the operator tells me to stay on the line and I do.

Not even 5 seconds later, there's a pounding on the door.

He's back.