Gehenna: An Awakening

Chapter 3

Clara didn't go to school the next day. She couldn't. The idea that Gerald wouldn't be there was trampling her, keeping her up all night. Besides, the police thought it was a good idea, at least for the first day. There was a cop car parked outside her house, making her feel like a prisoner in her own home. She knew it was for her safety, but it was a sobering reminder of her situation.

The thoughts in her head multiplied uncontrollably, like she was going to drown in them. Gerald's death had hit her hard, and not just because she liked him a lot. No, it was so much worse than that. It was her fault that Gerald died. Whoever killed him, they did it because of her, and she didn't know if the guilt would ever go away.

Andrew slept in the living room, he had a baseball bat at his side. He was sure the police would handle any sort of intrusion, but better safe than sorry. Just the thought of him being there at all, that was enough to keep Clara sane. Her parents slept there as well, though they both had a pistol with them. Most of the time, Clara thought that kind of weaponry would be unnecessary. She was appreciative this time.

Hours passed with Gerald's corpse haunting her mind, but eventually dawn came. The sickening realization that Gerald wasn't around to see the sunrise hit her like a train, and any motivation she had mustered to get out of bed fled her body. She didn't have the capacity for normalcy anymore.

She jumped as her door suddenly opened, but it was only Andrew. He seemed tired, but he put up some sort of false energy, like he was doing just fine. He was trying to make Clara feel better. "Hey," He started a little awkwardly. "Did you sleep?"

Clara just shook her head without a word.

Andrew nodded, clearly not sure what to say. "I... uh... I imagine you'll be staying home today,"

Clara nodded again, but said nothing again. She didn't have anything to say. What was there to say?

"Alright... Well, you're... uh... you're gonna get through this. I know it, alright?" Andrew said as compassionately as he could. "And I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise, whoever this maniac is, he isn't getting anywhere near you, alright?"

Clara weakly smiled at him, and he smiled back. He turned to walk out of the room when someone stopped him. Clara's heart skipped a beat. Who was there? Was it this Gabril? But fortunately it was only her mom, warranting a sigh of relief from Clara.

"Why don't you get ready?" Her mom told Andrew. "I'll talk to her," And with that, Andrew left, leaving just her and her mom there alone. Clara's mom walked in, and sat by her side on the bed. "Hey, how are you?"

"About as well as I can be," Clara answered honestly.

"I'm sorry, honey. I... I wish you never had to go through something like this. Speaking from personal experience, I can imagine just how rough this must be on you. But, again, from personal experience, I can promise you you're going to be ok,"

Clara narrowed her eyes and turned away. "You can't know that. Not with someone chasing me. I mean, if this person is willing to murder someone just to get to me... oh god..." She shivered at the thought. "What would they do to... you guys? To Jaclyn...? To Andrew...?"

Her mom's gaze hardened, and she put her hand on Clara's leg. "Hey, it's not gonna happen like that, alright? If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that I'm going to always be here for you, and so is your father and Andrew. I promise,"

Clara nodded, still not entirely believing her, but her words were comforting nonetheless. "And," her mom continued. "You cannot, and I repeat, you cannot blame yourself for what happened,"

What? How could she tell Clara felt guilty? "I don't..."

"Clara, I can see it in your eyes," Her mom said. "You think that because this crazy guy put your name in a message, that you're the reason Gerald died. I promise you that there is only one person at fault, and that is this psychopath who killed him. Do you understand?"