Inside Evil

Chapter 2 - Part I

*Inside Evil and its sequels are available on Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Smashwords and iBooks*

Chapter 2

When Roberta woke she found herself lying on a bed in the school’s infirmary. Her shoes had been removed, and someone had caringly covered her in a blanket. Lifting her head and swinging her legs around to a sitting position, she could see that the lights were on in the corridor outside. Roberta glanced through the small pane of glass and realised that a number of people, none with faces that she recognised, were rushing around. A couple of individuals were carrying hot mugs, the steam of which trailed after them like an aeroplane in the sky. Another had a thick file of papers firmly clutched under his arm, whilst the remaining few were simply leaning against the walls looking exhausted. On the other side of the corridor was a window looking into Malcolm’s office, and though the blinds were usually down, Roberta could clearly see the headmaster sitting at his desk staring vacantly over the top of his glasses. The policeman with him said something and Malcolm looked up briefly, catching Roberta’s eye as he did so and causing the man he was with to walk across and drop the blinds.

Pushing herself slowly off the bed, Roberta swooned as her head momentarily tightened in pain, before walking slowly into the corridor as the officer exited the opposite office.

“Miss Arlington, you’ve come round at last. We were starting to get a little worried about you.”

“I’m fine…I think,” Roberta replied, feeling dazed as the pounding in her head came in waves. Her mind still felt a little fuzzy and although she could remember what had happened, she had a sense of numb coldness, almost as if it hadn’t been her but she’d simply looked down upon the scene. The policeman went to open his mouth, but before he could continue the conversation, another officer came running down the hall.

“Alan,” he said breathlessly, “We’ve just had a report of an attack on the high street. We need to get someone down there.”

Tightening his jaw, the man who had been talking to Roberta pulled the officer aside, and Roberta got the distinct impression that he was being scolded for the obvious unease and uncontrolled shock that he’d revealed. The two stood huddled a few feet away with their backs to her, muttering in such a way that Roberta couldn’t work out what they were saying.

“Take Brady with you. No one seems to know much here and we can’t do anything until we get the coroners report,” the senior police officer said as the two broke apart. “I’ll see you back at the station.”

As the second police officer hurried off, the sergeant shouted after him.

“And Rider…..if there’s any problem, anything at all, get straight on the radio.”

“Yes chief,” Rider responded, correcting his previous informality.

Following the police officer out of view, Roberta’s gaze was caught by a number of paramedics carrying a stretcher. On it was a black, fully zipped body bag.

“Oh God.” The memory of finding Vanessa’s body flashed back into her mind and she suddenly felt very sick. Clutching her stomach, Roberta did all she could to stop the bile from rising, and she was thankful when the officer with her motioned back to the infirmary where she’d awoken.

“Could I have a word with you?” It was definitely more of a statement than a question, and Roberta dutifully followed the officer and pushed herself onto the bed, resting her back against the wall.

“Now, Miss Arlington, we’re presuming that you found the body?”

“Yes, I suppose I did.” Roberta saw the pale and stiff skin of Vanessa’s body flash before her eyes again.

“Could you please tell me what happened. Take it slowly,” he added as he looked at Roberta’s pale face.

Roberta started to fill the officer in on her actions of the night and was surprised how calm she was. She even felt a slight pang of guilt as she logically retraced her evening’s steps. She and Malcolm had been talking about Vanessa, about the troubles that they were having, and all the time the girl was lying dead, in a cold, empty corridor. It worried Roberta that she wasn’t more upset. When her grandmother had died, she’d felt no emotion and hadn’t shed a tear. It was as if, until the funeral, it wasn’t real and so she didn’t need to grieve. She could just imagine her grandmother bustling around the little ancient kitchen in the flat where Roberta had used to visit her. However, at the funeral, any funeral, she’d become a complete mess. The floodgates would open and all of her internal grief would come pouring out, often much to her embarrassment.

“So, she was dead when you found her?” asked the officer for a second time, trying to reel Roberta back from her daydream.

“Vanessa? Yes, she was. Deathly cold. God, she must have been there hours.”

“Yes, well that’s what we just don’t understand you see. Her roommate says that she saw her only minutes before you apparently found her.”

“But that can’t be right, she’d have still been warm. Perhaps you’ve misjudged how long I was there for.” Roberta paused, “How long was I there?”

“Miss Arlington, when you were found, you were unconscious. You were moved to this bed and stayed here for 45 minutes, until just now. However, Mr Swithburn has said that he heard a scream, which we believe to be yours, and that was when he found both you and Vanessa.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, that you must have screamed, then fainted. Mr Swithburn would have found you only a minute or so later. Vanessa couldn’t have possibly been dead for longer than 20 to 30 minutes before you found her, yet she shows signs of being dead much longer.”

“Officer, I really don’t understand.” Roberta’s head was starting to shred needles through her brain; a torture which was becoming unbearable. “I’m too tired and cold to focus right now.”

“Of course. I’m sorry Miss Arlington, you’ve had a shock. We’re just trying to work it all out.”

He smiled, a false one, but it was still a smile. “We can’t do anything more tonight so if you’re feeling up to it I can get someone to give you a lift home.”

Roberta allowed herself to breathe finally. Home. That would be heaven. All that she wanted to do was to get home, crawl into bed and forget, if only for a few hours, the horrendous proceedings of this evening.

“That would be great, thank you.”

As the officer turned to leave, Roberta noticed something was missing.

“Officer, where are my shoes?”

“Oh I’m sorry, they’re just in the hall. I’m afraid they’re broken though, you must have fallen awkwardly, the heel on the left shoe has completely snapped off.”

*I will be posting one or two scenes every week as the story builds. However, if you can't wait that long, Inside Evil and its sequels are available on Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Smashwords and iBooks.

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