The Eruption of Mountgomery

Chapter 34

"It wouldn't work. Even if it had worked—" I repeated the lie smoothly, but the rest of the words died upon my throat. Much to my utter amazement, she seemed sated with the response. She promptly left my office, leaving me behind dazed and confused. Rising from my disorganized desk, I strode toward the door, placing my hand upon the handle, my forehead meeting the cool surface of the polished wood. The numbness would fade and somehow it did. Sticky tears clung to my eyelashes, my face warmed, but none had fallen. I reached up to my face with my free hand, drawing in a sharp, ragged breath. Lowering my hand to my side, my index finger brushed against the box that was my phone. I shook my head. The texts from him—from her built. The number had now been nearing thirty unanswered torments. Sky's texts were the same trying to gain another rise out of me. Somehow, I had maintained control that day, I knew very much what I was doing, however, the numbness quickly returned when my attention was refocused upon the messages from him. At first, they were also traditional, but then they stopped abruptly. They became crueler, viler.

To his credit, his misplaced aggravation left a lemon-like taste in my mouth. Nothing had stung me more than his texts. It wouldn't work! It won't work! It can never work. The inner reminders plagued me, the anguish, that numbness—

It all built up within me, but I willed it back down. I couldn't afford to submit to it, I would never bow down to it. My job was all I had; all I must fill the void that the numbness took over. Nothing else is waiting for me—the guarded emotions threatening to spill.

My guard dropped slightly when I read the last message.

I gripped my phone, my hand quivering as my thumb skimmed over the words. He knew nothing—he knew absolutely nothing about me! He knew nothing about what I have done, or what I was capable of. He pursued me first chased me and fell into my awaiting trap just like the hero he truly was. It was so easy to manipulate him though, to show myself when I did. He believed everything she said—believed everything she spoke was the God-honest truth. I realized better—I knew her! I taught her. Devoted time to try to rid her recklessness, but a chill crawled up my spine. I shifted my forehead, noticing a droplet of water break the screen up slightly. I pocketed my phone—seeking a way to maintain control upon my loosening emotion.

The message was a picture, him with her on his arm, smiles not quite reaching his eyes though. He wore that blue suit he had worn on our first date—the smile seemed forced and underneath that smile, I could see slight pain. The smile couldn't have been forced—it shouldn't have been coerced. He seemed happy in the car when our eyes locked, but no! No! No. My fist slammed against the door embers snapping like twigs underfoot. As I glared at the man in the distorted image, something just didn't seem right about her smile. Oh, it reached her eyes, her posing was direct, a well-placed taunt, but her smile was a twisted sneer. I'd call it downright horrifying, but that did not suit that smile. Her lips were slightly parted as her lips formed the knowing smirk. One of her hands rested upon a concealed weapon. What was she doing to him?

With a violent shake of my head, I backed away, backtracked to my desk. I glared at the door, glared at its crimson surface. I threw everything that was on it away; disposing them into one of my drawers. I opened my laptop, opened and searched her name—there had to be skeletons in her closet, things unassociated with me. It should never have taken me this long to find what I was seeking. Articles and documentation of the FBI fire, which was ruled as an act of domestic terrorism by the fire department, despite no known organization taking credit for the act. My finger tapped against the keys of my laptop, they gracefully moved against the raven-black keys. Something—there must be something to clear my name! Leaked footage, one of those websites that leaked incriminating evidence to the public came to mind—at first I dismissed that thought, I dismissed that concept, but as I continued to fiddle with the idea, my fingers did the talking. A Live Leak video popped up with the title Dead Woman Sets Building Ablaze