Something About Alice Murphy: BOOK 1

P A R T - T W E L V E

Chapter 12; Unfolding.
________________________________________

January 10th 12:56am

Alice pulled on a black hoodie over her leggings and crept over to her door as she turned all her lights out... licking her lips carefully as she listened, she opened the door to her bedroom and glanced out, seeing the house dark apart from the moonlight leaking in through the sky lights over the hallway between her and Charlotte's upstairs room.

Alice walked as carefully as she could, worried that even her breathing would make too much noise as she grabbed the banisters and crept down the spiral stairs that would take her onto the hallway next to her parents room... Her lips were parted as she breathed deeply and slowly, seeing the thin line of orange light from her parents room, showing they were still awake. "shit," she muttered, wondering if her parents would some how know she was about to sneak out even if she made no noise. She'd have to make sure she was back before six thirty in the morning so that they wouldn't know she wasn't there the whole night.

Alice's phone began to vibrate in her hand as she tip toed past her parents bedroom door, making sure she stepped over all the floorboards she knew creaked. She glanced down at her phone screen, seeing that Magnus was calling her already, meaning that he was probably outside waiting.

Alice grabbed the spare key from the bowl in the kitchen and pulled open the front door as carefully as she could, only opening it enough to slip out through the crack and closed it gently. The night was so quiet that Alice could hear the rumbling of Magnus's car engine from where she was stood...It was eerily silent with barely any wind rustling through the trees as Alice walked quickly down her drive, seeing Magnus's range rover parked by the side walk with the headlights off.

Within moments she'd opened the passenger door and climbed in. It had barely closed as Magnus pulled away from the side walk and cruised quickly down the road, making it to the end before he turned the headlights on. Alice felt the tension in the air, and kept her mouth shut as she glanced down at her phone, seeing a message from Candice pop up on her lock screen...

Magnus said nothing, and appreciated that Alice had kept quiet as he drove them through the roads lining the edge of the town and back towards the vineyards where they had been earlier that previous day... He saw the light from her phone, seeing it lighting up every other moment because someone was obviously messaging her, but before he could comment she tucked her phone away into a pocket on her hoodie.

Suspense was hanging heavily in the air as Magnus turned off the headlights again, and turned onto the dirt track along the edge of the vineyard that looked so intensely eerie in the dark. Alice's could see lights up ahead, and felt the nerves begin to pool in her stomach as she shifted in her seat whilst the car crept along the dirt road silently. She wanted to ask Magnus who they were meeting but she knew her questions would only annoy him, and she couldn't help but feel that she was partly responsible for this situation. "Get out," Magnus said bluntly and quietly as he opened the driver's side door and got out...

Alice exhaled heavily, feeling her instincts telling her to stay in the car but she followed anyway, sliding out of the car slowly as she tugged her phone from her pocket and quickly sent her location to Candice with a short message for her to come ASAP. She didn't know why she did it, but she began to tremble with adrenaline and anxiety as she walked around the car and let her gaze fall upon a collection of around ten other people, excluding her and Magnus, dressed all in black. The sight made her skin turn cold and she felt goosebumps spread all the way up her neck.