Chocolate & Concerts

O N E

She ran through the forest as fast as she could, adrenaline pumping through her veins, leaves crunching beneath her feet. Just minutes earlier she had been performing at a party she'd been asked to come to when something came crashing through the window. It pinned down the closest person and drove a knife into his back. Zoe hadn't seen what had happened after that, as she was out the door and running into the woods. Of course I ended up in the woods, she thought. Now I'm even more likely to die.

Eventually, she tripped over a tree root as she was running. It was bound to happen, but she didn't want to think about what would happen if she didn't get back up. Looking to her side, she saw a strange device. She stuck it in her back pocket and scrambled to her feet, continuing to sprint. She eventually came to the side of a highway. Zoe stuck her thumb out into the road, hoping someone would drive by and let her hitchhike back to her place

Thankfully, a car turned around the bend,  saw her, desperate for help, and stopped. The lady inside the car motioned for her to come in, and Zoe flung open the door, jumped in, and slammed it shut.

"You were in a hurry, hun. Y'alright?" the lady asked kindly. She took her auburn hair out of a messy bun and started to put it into a ponytail, taking advantage of the fact that they had stopped. "Where ya headed to?"

"Willow Street, miss. In Hawthfield. Is that near here? I don't know where I am," she panted, still out of breath from running. She was shaking like mad, tears brimming in her eyes from fear. Silence reigned for a moment before she added a quiet, "If it's not too much trouble."

"Oh, that's not far at all. Next exit, I think. Not too far at all," she responded cheerily. She had finished re-doing her hair by then, and was just starting up the car. "Do you want the heatin' on, hun? Ya look a bit chilly."

"Yes, please," Zoe muttered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. While cold wasn't the ont reason she was shaking, it was part of it, so she was glad the lady offered. Her coat had been left back at the party, but there was no way she was going back there now. The lady had pulled back onto the road and was driving a couple miles above the speed limit, but nobody tended to drive on that road at 11PM.

"What were ya doing our so late, hunny? And in that outfit, too- you must have been freezing!" the lady laughed cheerily, looking back at Zoe. Zoe smiled weakly.

"I was performing at a party, miss-"

"Oh! I haven't introduced myself! I'm Daisy, hunny, and you are?" she cut her off. Her pale hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, as if she, too, was scared of something.

"Zoe," she responded quietly. She was slowly warming up in the backseat, but still shivered from pure shock and fear. She was never going to wear short shorts and a crop top in October ever again, not even indoors.

She shuddered noticeably, thinking about how I could have been the one to die. I should have been the one to die. Lost in thought, she jumped when the lady startled her.

"Zoe... what a pretty name. Suits ya, hun!" She laughed cheerily, attempting to brighten the atmosphere a little bit by doing so. It didn't help. "Ah, here we are," she said, pulling onto Zoe's street. "Any particular house, or shall I drop you off here?"

"Number 15," Zoe spoke from the backseat. She didn't sound any more cheery than when she first got in. If anything, she sounded worse. "I-I'm sorry, miss, but I can't pay you or anything for the ride-"

"Oh, no, it's fine! I don't mind at all!" she cut her off again. She pulled up to Zoe's house. "Here's your stop, hun."

"Thanks..." Zoe said gratefully, getting out of the car. The cold autumn wind immediately hit her and she wanted to get inside as soon as she could.

"No problem!" Daisy said as she drove off into the darkness. Zoe waved until she couldn't see her anymore, then ran up to her door. She reached into the small bag she had slung around her shoulder, sitting on her hip. She was relieved to find her keys, phone and wallet in there- everything she brought but her coat. She sighed, unlocking the door. To be fair, that coat was quite old, she thought. I needed to replace it anyway.

She stepped into her house, warmth and the scent of vanilla immediately greeting her. She took a few deep breaths and plastered on a fake smile as she shouted, "Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

"You're home early," replied her mother from the kitchen. "Did something happen?" Zoe walked over to her, joining her at the table.

"Well, erm..." Zoe trailed off, not really knowing what to say. Her mom was too absorbed in her Words With Friends game to notice her reluctance to speak. Just then, her brother called from upstairs.

"Mom, can you help me with my math homework?" Will called from upstairs. He sounded very fed up and frustrated.

"I'm coming!" she responded, switching off her phone and pocketing it, seemingly forgetting about the abrupt end to Zoe's party. Zoe sighed in relief. She followed her mom upstairs, but went up to her own room instead of her brother's.

She shut the door behind her, flicking on the lights. She took her bag off of her shoulder, tossed it onto her desk, and flopped on her bed. Plugging in her  phone, she opened her phone to lots of notifications from her friends. They had heard about the murderer at the party Zoe had been singing at, and were spamming her both with links to news articles on the incident and messages of "Are you okay?!"

I'm so lucky to have such caring friends, she thought, a sad smile on her face. She went to group chat and sent a message that she was alive and okay, and was instantly bombarded with replies. She ignored them and opened on of the links her friends had sent her on the article. She was surprised that they even had coverage on it her, as it only happened around thirty minutes ago. Jeez, not even that long ago! Zoe shivered, checking her watch.

It could have been me. It should have been me.

The time read 11:07 PM, though she was supposed to be home around midnight. Her parents wouldn't have normally agreed to a gig that late, but Zoe had been pestering them as of late and they had finally caved, "but only on weekends," they said.

Turning back to the article, she skimmed it for details. There were a pair of killers at the Treshonbury Hall tonight, killing four and injuring nine during a party at which popular singer Z0Z0 was preforming. The pair have been described by witnesses as follows:

The first one had been described as wearing a yellow jacket with light brown hair and a white mask. The mask has black lips and eyes and looks quite feminine.

A crappy picture of the two of them has been attached, most likely sent by a witness.

The other was supposedly wearing a orange hoodie with the hood up, and a black mask underneath. This one's mask appears to have a red frowning face on it.

The two killers had gotten away before police officers arrived on the scene. If you see these two individuals, please contact the authorities immediately.

Zoe didn't bother to read the rest of the witness accounts, but something caught her eye in one of the photographs. A mark on the sleeve of the yellow-coated one, and, upon closer inspection, on the orange one as well. An O with an X through it.

Zoe thought nothing of it. Probably a gang mark. She quickly changed into her pajamas- red and green plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt that read "Allergic To Mornings"- and took out her contact lenses. Her makeup wiped off and the strange device she found in the woods pocketed for later, Zoe flicked out the lights. She climbed into her warm bed, drifting off to sleep after a long while of staring at the ceiling, thinking about how it could have been her that got killed. Me. I could have died.

I should have died.