Diaries of the Dead

23 | Lucky Guess

unedited. 

23 | L u c k y  G u e s s

      A tear rolled down Aiden’s cheek and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. It had been a long time since he allowed himself to cry, to truly cry. He wasn’t crying for Carlos’ sake. No, he barely knew the man. He was crying because so many people were dying around him. First, it was his aunt, then the girl from the party and now, Jessica’s father.

      College sure didn’t prepare him for this.

     It seemed as though they died after he encountered them, like a curse. He didn’t want to think about who would die next. Chances were it would be someone he knew.

      Nate appeared beside him and took a seat on the sidewalk, letting out a grunt as he did so. His brown eyes shifted to the pavement as he contemplated what to say. “Cops say it’s a brake failure,” he said softly. “Poor guy.”

    Aiden licked his dry lips as he stared blankly at the wreck before him. He knew it wasn’t an accident. Someone did it, but he couldn’t understand who would do such a thing. It was cruel, but it was also very clever. “I could have gotten him out,” he responded.

    Nate sat up straight and snapped his attention to his friend. “And what?” he questioned. “Get yourself killed, too?”

      Aiden ran a hand along his cheek, feeling the rubble crumble beneath his fingers. He glanced up at the few cop cars surrounding the wrecked car. “No one deserves to die like that.”

    “Seriously? That guy could have just robbed a bank! You’re lucky I saved your ass, or else you’d be ash right now!” Nate shook his head in disapproval. He moved his hands towards his ribcage, wincing. “Damn, that shit hurts.”

     Aiden glanced over. “We can ask the cops to take you to the hospital to get it checked out.”

     Nate objected, shaking his head.

    He reached over and pulled Nate’s shirt up, exposing the sides of his stomach. A large, dark purple bruise arced across Nate’s side. He traced the bruise lightly, but Nate still flinched. “You should get it checked out,” Aiden repeated.

     The boy snorted in response and tugged his shirt down. “I’m all right,” he said gruffly. “We just need to get out of here as soon as we can.”

      “Why?” Aiden asked, raising his brows in interest.

     “Your blood is on the car, Aiden. It’s on the dead guy. It’s only a matter of time before they try to link you to his death.”

     Aiden’s face contorted. “But I didn’t kill him. You can vouch for me. I already told the police we tried to rescue him. That would explain the blood.”

    Nate let out an irritated sigh. “You don’t get it,” he barked. “People are going to extreme measures after all the deaths that have been happening. Hate to break it to you, but you have some involvement with each victim. You moved into Jessica’s house just weeks before she was found dead. The girl from the party died on your lawn. You supposedly saw this man’s car crash. Do you understand how this makes you look? I know you’re innocent, but they don’t.”

      Aiden remained frozen as he thought about Nate’s words. He understood them, but he knew justice always won in the end. “I didn’t kill him.”

     A police officer stepped in front of the duo, his eyebrows pulling together in a straight line. “We’ve successfully ID’d the victim as Carlos Diaz.”