doomed by renee thompson

preface

MJ's POV 

For once, I'm actually scared. My heart is pounding out of my chest right now. I'm running so fast I can't feel my feet hit the ground. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins. My instincts keep telling me to watch behind me constantly and make sure they've lost my tracks. 

I hear screaming in the distance along with some gunfire. 

Tears escape my eyes. I can't stop running now; I'm a goner if they find me, I know it. 

Shortly after turning a tight corner, my feet catch on something and cause me to trip. It's odd that I actually fall. Although I'm pretty clumsy in my day-to-day life, in serious situations like this, I don't usually lose my focus that easily. The physical pain on my hands and knees is nothing compared to my panic. 

While I'm still on the ground, my eyes wander to what I could have possibly tripped over. 

My breath hitches. 

Adjacent to me lies a corpse. The body had been beaten and shot multiple times. The corpse appeared to be a woman in her early thirties, with a blonde bob and hoop earrings. Her face was unrecognizable due to all the injuries. She wore a red long sleeved top and black dress pants. My curiosity quickly got the best of me, so I crawled closer. 

I read the name tag pinned on her shirt and winced. This woman was a kindergarten teacher, a wife, a mother...

As I attempt to stand up, I notice her left fore arm was exposed. A number was tattooed from the crease of her elbow to her wrist. In the palm of her hand, she gripped something tightly. I opened her hand to see a still bloody severed cats' tail. The fur was black. I threw the tail to the side and noticed something was scribbled in pen on her hand in all caps. It read: 

"CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT." 

My stomach turns. 

What the hell is going on?