The Offering

Chapter 22

The number one rule when meeting up with a murder suspect is ....to very quickly question what the hell you are you thinking! Accept you have no such business doing so unless you are an armed police officer (which you are not). Then vow never to be so stupid again before abruptly returning home to the comfort of your bed and a Netflix marathon. That's what any normal 18 year old teenager should be doing, but then I was far from normal.

So if the person is stupid or perhaps just crazy enough to persist then the second rule would undoubtedly be to make sure that you never go alone. Under no circumstances whatsoever. And if you have some sort of weapon to take with you then it would be highly advisable.

The third and final rule would be to obviously meet in a crowded, public place in broad daylight. In doing so there would be plenty of witnesses and far less chance of the said suspected killer actually murdering you. Most killers want to get away with their crimes after all. Unless they're the really sick serial killer types who just want to be famous so they get caught on purpose.

With that in mind I had sensibly agreed to meet Jake at night, alone without any form of protection and in a secluded area I'd never been to before. I'd tried to quieten the voice of logic screaming 'nut job' in my mind but it had only screamed louder. My mind had even imagined a thousand different and increasingly grisly ways of dying in an effort to dissuade me.

Despite this I had not changed my mind because deep down I didn't want to. I couldn't believe that Jake was a killer, surely of all people I would know. Surely my spider sense would have tingled? Sent me some sort of warning? I had to meet up with him, I had too many questions that needed answers.

Jake had text and asked to meet at 'Pizzeria Perfecto' a restaurant I'd only ever driven by on the outskirts of town. When I arrived and saw the place up close I'd presumed it had long since shut down as it was in such a state of disrepair. I could understand why as it was so stand alone from all the other amenities in town.

Fortunately, I'd seen a chef emerge through a side door to smoke a cigarette. I'd decided to head inside and order a Coke, it felt safer inside than outside in the poorly lit car park. The isolated location made me uneasy.

The meeting place had been a strange suggestion but Jake explained it was because he had to hide from his parents. They thought he was out of town at his grandfathers and his grandfather would think he was asleep in bed. I was relieved he didn't suggest the old house, I didn't want to go back there after my terrifying encounter with Clara during the seance.

The restaurant was almost empty inside apart from an attractive, friendly looking waitress with a name badge that read 'Liz', a middle aged 'trucker type' man in the far corner who was heartily guzzling down his pizza and I presumed the chef I'd seen on his cigarette break. I took another sip of my Coke and checked the time on my phone once again.

Jake was over twenty minutes late, I wondered if his grandad had caught him trying to sneak out. If he had then he'd probably confiscate Jake's new phone meaning he wouldn't be able to let me know. I decided to give him ten more minutes before I headed back home. Angela would be furious with me if she discovered I'd walked here so late at night while she was at work. She trusted me to be sensible which made me feel instantly guilty. I used to be sensible, trustworthy and reliable. I was changing everyday into somebody I hardly recognised.

Ten minutes passed and I drained the last of my drink. I slid my coat back on and waved to the waitress as I left. The brisk cold hit me at once and I wrapped my arms tightly around myself. I had at least a thirty minute walk ahead of me and suddenly questioned what the hell I had been thinking coming here.

Too late now rationality!

I thought to myself. I started forward across the large, desolate car park towards the equally vacant road out front. Mid way I was suddenly blinded by a pair of beaming headlights which came from one of the four cars parked up. I shielded the light from my eyes and tried to see the car in more detail but it was of no use.

It struck me as peculiar then that somebody was inside the car. I hadn't heard anybody exit behind me and the door wasn't too far away, I would surely have heard. I shook the thought away and continued forward, keen to get back home. As I did I heard the car engine behind me rev to life and I felt a strange chill run down the back of my neck.

I didn't quite know why but for some reason I began to quicken my pace towards the road. Perhaps I was just being paranoid but something felt odd. The streetlights were much more appealing than the shadowy car park and I wanted to get to them as quickly as I could.

I found myself suddenly back lit, able to see my own silhouette before me on the concrete floor and I knew then that the car was behind me. I tried to move out of its way so it could drive past but the light seemed to follow.

I continued slowly forward, still expecting the car to pass by. It didn't. So I stopped dead in my tracks, so did the car. I was stood directly in front of it, a mere few feet between us. As I turned back to face it I had to shield my eyes once again. I narrowed my eyes and tried to see who was inside, to work out what they wanted but I was blinded still.

I gasped and threw my hand out towards the car as it jolted forward, closing the gap between us. I suspected the movement hadn't been accidental.

"Hey what the hell are you playing at?" I snapped, taking several steps back.

"Jake...is that you?" I found myself asking, there had been more suspicion in my tone than I'd intended.

It jolted forward again and my level of panic rose. There was a menace to the car, if that was possible. It began to growl threateningly at me as the engine revved and I instinctively felt an overwhelming urge to run. So I did. I turned and began to sprint across the car park but the car picked up speed and pursued me.

My heart pounded frantically in my chest as I ran, I could hear somebody screaming, crying out for help. It took several seconds for me to realise I was the person screaming. I tried to outrun the car, to throw it off by changing direction but it was relentless. Then I lost my footing and stumbled clumsily to the floor.

I managed to pull myself half way back up onto my feet, ready to run for my life once again. The last thing I remember seeing is those blinding headlights, then hearing the sound of my own body cracking against the glass windshield of the car.

Then-nothing.

***Hope you enjoyed!! Poor Alice! Please vote/comment.