TITLE:FAYETTEVILLE
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Evelyn looked around the parking lot of the
police station. The darkness was intruded by
a few floodlights from the station. The chilly
breeze brushed her thin black hair to tickle
her nose. Evelyn was average height, and she
always wore a light purple hat. But for some
reason, tonight, she wasn't wearing it. Her
eyes were closer together than most, and she
had blushing cheeks.
She was a tough girl, but something about
the darkness and being alone was getting to
her, even if she was at the police station. She
wanted company, but she didn't want to deal
with whatever was going on inside the station
with that new girl, Kathrine.
Evelyn opened her car door and grabbed her
phone from the cup holder below the radio.
She unlocked it and called her new step-
brother, Zach.
Zach and Evelyn had been friends for years,
but now they weren't just friends. Zach's dad
and Evelyn's mom had "fallen in love" (so
they said) and got married.
"Hey, I know it's late. Don't freak out... but
I'm at the police station, and I kinda need you
to come here."
"What did you do?" Zach asked, a little pissed
off.
"Nothing! Really. I ran into this girl...
Kathrine, I think was her name. She's a new
girl in town. She was going crazy in the
middle of the street and needed a ride here
so I brought her. I don't want to ditch her so
I'm staying, but I would just like for you to be
here."
"Okay. I'm coming." He didn't think twice.
"Thank you," Evelyn said as she ended the
call.
Inside, Kathrine was giving her statement to
the sheriff himself, Jimmy Mullins. He was in
working later than he should, but he was just
doing his job. He was large in build and had
the strength to match it. He was comforting
in the way he talked to the people of
Fayetteville. His voice was deep and so was
his way of thinking.
"I know it sounds crazy, and I don't know
what happened. It was just wrong . My friend
Genni... who knows where she is..." she
looked up from the desk to Sheriff Mullins,
"I'm terrified for her." she had an urgency in
her voice.
Sheriff Mullins grabbed the radio. "We're
going to head out here and check everything.
It's at that old farming store over at Park City
hill."
Kathrine felt better, but it wasn't enough to
calm her. Yes, she felt safe, but she wasn't
anywhere near comfortable. She was proud
of herself for running... but her stomach
was hurting. Her heart was sinking because
she left Genni behind...
Outside, she walked down to Evelyn,
confused about the new guy standing next to
her. She shot an awkward smile to Evelyn.
She was trying to say "this is weird. Who is
this?" Evelyn got the message.
"Uh, this is Kathrine, and this is Zach, my
step-brother." Zach had a massive beard but
was about the same height as his step-sister.
Evelyn continued, "listen, our parents are out
of town on their honeymoon for the next two
weeks and our house is empty if you wanna
swing by and stay the night," Evelyn said.
"Umm, no it's fine. I want to go home and be
with my mom... she's on her way," she said
as she leaned against the car.
---
Sheriff Mullins pulled into the dark parking
lot. As his car turned, the headlights shined
on several things: the broken street light, the
graffitied walls of the store, then the white
cars that had been painted a new color... but
it wasn't paint. He grabbed his radio and let
the deputies know. He parked his car and
stepped outside. He could smell the iron and
the stench of blood splattered on the cars.
Sheriff Mullins walked around the parking lot
in full alert. He had his pistol in his right
hand and the flashlight in his left fist, letting
the gun rest on his wrist. He searched the
entire parking lot to make sure it was safe.
The glass of the building was solid. The door
was still boarded shut. There didn't seem to
be anyone here... no killer... and no dead
body....
