It Lives In The Woods

Epilogue

One year later

Noah Preece sat in an old run down bar somewhere in the middle of California. California was an easy state to get lost in if you were a nobody from a small town in Oregon. That's precisely what Noah had wanted, the wanted posters, and news headlines with his face plastered on them hadn't made getting lost any easier, but he had successfully done it, becoming no one when all the people in his life tried to make him into someone he never wanted to be. He still saw her everywhere he went, he could see her smile in every woman that walked his way, though none kissed like her, none could make love like her, no one could fill the void Bee left behind. He wished everyday for death, that he had taken Norah's place instead of her, but what was done was done, and he could never change the past, no matter how hard he tried. So his only option was to keep running, always stay on the move, never look back at the mess he was leaving behind. "What can I get for you sir ?" Noah jumped, in an instant panic at the sound of another voice speaking to him. He blinked, lost in a daze of thoughts, "What ?" He asked, pushing his overgrown curls out of his eyes to see who had approached him. It was a small blonde girl, with round glasses that took up the majority of her face, "I asked if I could get you anything, we kind of have a no just sitting policy so.." She gestured to the menu laying unopened in front of him. The more Noah looked at her, the more familiar she seemed, the more she looked like Lily with blonde hair, their little mouse, always squeaking about terrified. Noah took out his old battered wallet, with odd jobs he had done, and even some stealing, he had around $200 saved up in cash, untraceable. "Just get me whatever is tastiest on the menu, I feel like I haven't eaten in days." he joked, though it was true. She nodded, delighted with his choice, and put his order in, going back behind the bar to tend, though the room was empty. Noah became lost in his thoughts again, as he often became whenever he had nothing to occupy his mind, lost in the guilt. "It's so sad isn't it?" Noah looked over at her, frowning in confusion. "What's sad ?" He asked, she nodded up to the tv where it was hung on the wall. "Sad that they never found the prick that murdered that woman. She was gonna be a star you know, but it's been a year, they're saying the case has gone completely cold, that the guy who her friends said did it just completely disappeared." Noah felt his stomach clench, threatening him with a wave of nausea as a picture of Bees smiling face popped up on screen. "Please don't." he thought, right as her picture, was replaced by his. He immediately ducked away from it, he hoped, by growing his hair and beard out he wouldn't be recognized, but she was so close to him, and he knew she'd been watching him for awhile.
"Noahhhh..." whispered a voice in his ear. Noah jumped out of the booth with a yelp of fright, his face turning ashen. "What's wrong ?" The waitress asked, coming from behind the bar. "N-nothing! Here, I changed my mind, keep these few dollars though." He stumbled over his words as he put down ten dollars, and looked for the quickest way out. "Hey..." she looked back up at the tv screen, where his old picture was still plastered as a news anchor read out the less morbid details of his crimes, "What did you say your name was again ?" She asked, offering him a fake polite smile, though he could see the nervousness written all across her face. "I didn't." He grumbled as he darted out of the bars back fire alarm door, leaving the siren ringing behind him as he ran down the alley, pure panic coursing through his veins, it was time to keep running.

THE END