I was blind.
I couldn’t see anything. Everything was black. I’d flutter my eyelids but the darkness never lifted. Sight would appear in quick flashes, but I couldn’t recognize anything.
My body was on ice, my mind on fire.
My breathing was constricted by my clogged nose and my tight chest; which was only growing tighter the more I fought him.
I screamed.
I kicked.
I threw a few fists, but hit nothing.
I couldn’t hear.
Well I could hear one thing; and that was a high pitched buzz. Just a buzz. Buzzing, ringing against my eardrums. Vibrating through my spine, curling my toes.
But everything came back to me in a flash.
Literally.
Headlights swooped around into the driveway, the SUV breaking suddenly as the driver saw us. Tommy holding me against his chest as I fought him, trying to climb out of his grip and crawl over to Emma on the ground.
“LET ME GO! LET ME DOWN!” I sobbed.
I heard car doors slam and bodies running into view, in front of the headlights. Their shadows meant nothing to me. I didn’t know who they were, but I would have run to Emma whether they were holding me at gunpoint or offering me a cupcake.
“Vaeda?” Someone jogged over, as they came into view I could see his red hair.
“He killed her! He shot her! It’s my fault!” I kicked my legs out, Tom only tightening his grip. Fox’s hands grabbed either side of my face.
“Who, Vaeda? Who?” He shook me. His eyes were black and I could feel the anger radiating from his flesh.
“Josh.” I sobbed. And with that Tom’s grip immediately released me and when I looked up to Fox he was staring passed me to Tom.
Fox looked back at me “What do you mean Josh? Josh who?”
My nails were digging into my palms as my eyes wandered quickly to Emma on the pavement and back to Fox. My teeth gritted and ground against each other as I mustered up a breath. A breath deep enough to get out what I wanted to say. Something I now know I should have spoke up about when I first found out.
“The same Josh who killed Rachael.”
He hardly took another breath before he took my face into his palms again. “JOSH WHO?”
“Carter.” I spat.
“How do you know?” He countered.
“I just watched him!” I pointed to the camera mounted above the gate.
“About Rachael!” Tom’s hand grabbed my shoulders and spun me to face him. “About Rachael!”
My body warmed up.
With rage.
“He told me.” I said. Tom looked passed me again to Fox. And then I remembered. “Where’s Harry?” I spun around to Fox, then looked passed him to the men trying to gather Emma’s body.
“We thought he left with you?”
“What the fuck do you mean ‘you thought he left with me’? Where the fuck is Harry!” I sprinted passed him before anyone could grab me. “Where’s Harry?” I shouted to the guys hoisting my best friend into the trunk.
“Thought’e was ‘ere.” The bald one said.
“Well he’s not!” My body began to shake on its own.
