Toxic

03. 20k!

I flung the necklace across the room in a fit of rage, not even wincing at the twinkle of its cold metal making contact with the ground. It seemed like 'Mr. Brown' was causing mental breakdowns all across town along with his blood spree.

How did the rest of town let his overcrowding guilt escape through their fingertips? If a town girl like me could steal his files from his own house, then the rest of town could identify him as the killer.

Well, I sure as hell wasn't taking his bait. I sat on the edge of my bed, almost sliding off and onto the ground until a theory hit me. What if the necklace was the same one he'd given Claire and all the other girls? I briefly recalled the girls I'd watched him murder wearing necklaces like the one that was now laying on the floor. I hurried to pick it up and tried to remember. Why was my memory so bad? Everything turned to haze after a few hours had passed. Hope was running out until I heard Clarence's sobs and my mother attempting to calm her down. Maybe she'd remember the necklace better than I did.

I hurried down the stairs, almost tripping over my own feet in the commotion, the iciness of the necklace burning into my palm as I clutched it tight.

"Clarence, is this the necklace that your sister received from her killer?" I asked hurriedly, my words overlapping each other.

"What?" Clarence's eyes were red and unwelcoming. I took a deep breath.

"Clarence, is this the necklace that your sister received from her killer? Mr. Brown?" I asked slowly, pausing into my words so Clarence could understand. I uncurled my fingers from the cold necklace and Clarence lunged for it.

"Why do you have it?" Clarence asked, the hatred brimming in her watery eyes.

"I'm next," I whispered softly.

Sitting next to Clarence, my mother jumped up. "What do you mean, you're next?"

"I'm the next victim." I raised my voice.

"What? Roxi, how do you know?" My mother yelled, shaking me by the shoulders with incredible force.

"I found his hit list when I stole his files, and I was the next person on the list. He also gave me this necklace, which is the exact same thing that happened to Claire before her death." I explained, surprisingly calm.

"Roxi, we have to do something. I'm not letting my little girl get murdered by some crazy ax murderer-" My mother started, but Clarence cut her off.

"Claire couldn't save herself." Although Clarence said this softly, it came out as sharp as Mr. Brown's knife.

"He sent a note asking me to meet at the park at five-fifty," I stated simply, looking down at the ground.

"No, Roxi, you're not walking into his bear trap. You're staying at home, so maybe this Mr. Brown will be empty-handed by the end of today." My mother ordered.

"But why did all the other girls meet him?" I wondered out loud.

"I don't know, maybe it's just cool to meet your admirer, especially if they're inviting you to meet them." Clarence offered.

"Clarence, this must be really hard for you, but do you think that your sister would have put up a fight against him?" I asked desperately.

"I don't know, it depends on how fast he was with his murder and if he cornered her." Clarence shrugged sadly, and I immediately felt terrible.

"He was very agile after the knife was out of his pocket," I said softly. My mother had already stopped trying to command me and instead stood frozen, her mouth slightly agape.