Saving Cassandra

Do I Already Know?

          I closed the door to my shabby apartment loudly and slid down it. What the hell just happened? I finally catch the man who's been following me, and he just disappears? I tried to find any familiarity I had with the name Trace Crowley, but I couldn't find a single thing. How did he know my name without me having ever met him? Probably from them. But as soon as I thought that word something he said floated back into my head.

           "How can you know I'm one of them when you don't even know who they are?"

        "Well, I'll just have to start with finding out who you are," I muttered with a smirk. I turned on my computer and entered in two simple words: Trace Crowley.

         Many things popped up at once. Titles like 'Trace Crowley The Infamous Hitman Was Caught" and "Trace Crowley: Top Most Wanted". I chuckled at that. I can bet you that I'm way higher up there, buddy. You can't see the future. I stopped laughing and one article caught my eye. My breath caught in my throat.

           'Trace Crowley Killed After Being Issued Death Penalty'

           I sat there motionless. Then tried to start breathing normally again and rationalize. He could have faked his own death. People have done it. Maybe they got him out and covered it up some how. Yeah. That makes sense.

           Then why doesn't it feel right?

I tried to shake the doubt out of my head. I faked my own death. Maybe it's just strange for me to meet someone else who's done it. It makes sense why he would do it, to escape his charges and the police. But that still raises so many questions. Why did he tell me his real name if he's trying to stay hidden? He obviously made a fake one, that's just common sense. So why would he trust me with that information when he knows I could call the police?

Then it came to me. I couldn't go to the police because that would be ratting out myself, too. He knew that. Of course he knew that. I cursed at myself under my breath for being so thoughtless. He knew just what to do to get me where he wanted. He was smart. A cocky, murderous asshole, but smart. I'd give him that.

I felt a little bit better about my theory. Not fully convinced, but better was a start. I chuckled at how stupid I was being. What did I think? He was dead already? What would that make him? A vampire? A zombie? A ghos-

My heart speed up when I said that. I nervously laughed. No. That's stupid. Ghosts aren't real. You're being a child, Cass. Stop.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax myself. But all I could think about was him disappearing into thin air in the alleyway. I asked the question in my head. But who is he?

Do I already know?