She Told Me

Chapter 7

The next morning when my mom pulls up to the front of the school, I honestly don't feel like getting out of the car. All I want to do is go back home and pop some pills but right now that isn't an option so with a casual wave at my mom, I step out. As soon as I step inside the building, the screaming starts.

For a minute I pause, wondering if it's Cathy being Cathy, but then the guy next to me jerks and starts running inside and I realise that there's actually someone screaming. Someone that sounds really familiar. I run towards the direction of the screaming and stop in front of the detention room. Maya is standing at the door of the room, sobbing and there's a small crowd around her. One guy pushes to the front of the crowd and almost immediately comes back looking like he's about to throw up.

I swallow, "what happened?" I ask,

He glances at me, "there's a dead body."

For a minute, I forget how to breathe. This cannot be possibly happening again. An image of Karen's lifeless body suddenly appears before my eyes and I turn away, trying to get rid of the gruesome image.

"Maya," someone yells loudly.

I wince as Cory pushes me aside and pulls Maya out of the room, "Babe, what happened?"

"Miss Martin," she chokes out, "there's blood, there's blood all over her."

There's suddenly a hand on my arm and I find myself being dragged down the corridor. Mia glares at me, "what are you doing?"

I briefly wonder why she looks so pissed before I realise I don't care. I just want to go home, away from all this death and gore, away from Cathy and away from this town. "Maya was screaming," I say simply, "so I went to see why."

Mia takes a deep breath, "look I need you to try to stay away from all this, trust me you don't want to get caught up in it."

"I don't even know what this is" I say, "so I can't make any promises, plus it seems like whatever this is, doesn't want to stay away from me. It's like it's following me around"

"Don't say that" Mia angry whispers, "Just promise me you'll stay away".

I just turn and walk down the corridor. Cathy is silent today; she always is the day after a murder. A murder she predicts.

I know I should be scared but at this point I feel numb. None of it feels real, Karen Hills lying dead in the woods, Miss Martin being murdered the day after teaching us advanced mathematics, Cathy telling me they're going to die a day before they do. Cathy telling me I'm going to die too.

Because now it makes sense, that these are the people Cathy keeps screaming about. It would be the most logical conclusion in my illogical screwed up life.

To no one's surprise, classes are cancelled that day. Everyone is scared and there are cops everywhere. Maya is taken down to the police station to record a statement and Cory goes with her.

I consider calling my mom to pick me up but then decide to just walk home instead. I don't really feel like talking and the idea of a solitary walk almost immediately makes me feel better.

As soon as I enter my house, I hear my mom's voice which brings me some measure of comfort. She seems to be talking to a client in her makeshift office but she is loud enough for me to hear every bit of their boring conversation.

I pull out my phone, a bit disappointed to see no notifications. I was kind of counting on PurpleQueen to cheer me up with her weird conversation topics. My mom peeks out, "Lucas?"

"Yeah, it's me" I say, "I'm home."

I trudge up to my room and there it is on my bed. The video game I'd been begging my parents to buy for the last week. My heart sinks. This can mean only one thing.

I go downstairs, the video game in my hand, "You're leaving again, aren't you?"

My mom gives me the look. The 'please try to understand' look. It works most of the time. In fact it has worked almost every single time she's used it on me. But this time it doesn't. This time I'm scared, I've witnessed a murder, I've got a voice in my head that predicts death and has predicted mine and for the first time, I selfishly want my mom here. I want her to be there everyday when I come back from school and I want to bake with her and I want her at my games and my plays and I want to tell her everything that has been happening to me for the last month. I just want her to stay.

"It's just for a few days honey."

"Yeah it is, and then a day after you come back you'll go for another few days and then another."

"You're 18, I don't have to lie to you about how important our jobs are."

I chuckle, "yeah you don't have to lie to me about how important I am either, not anymore."

I turn and walk back up the stairs. My mother doesn't follow me. I don't think she knows what to do or say. This is a first for her.

Once I'm in my room I get out my laptop and check out the online daily. I scan the headline 'Second murder at local high school raises fear of potential serial killer.' I take a deep breath and scroll through the rest of the article. Miss Martin was murdered the exact same way Karen was, except that she was murdered in a classroom which meant she didn't get her face bitten off by wild animals. Apparently Maya who hadn't been mentioned by name had stumbled upon her body when she went to class. I felt a twinge of sympathy, I could imagine the nightmares she was going to be dealing with for the next few weeks. Well, at least she had Cory and his inability to leave people alone working in her favour.

I briefly wonder if I should try to talk to her. I remember how scared I was when I found Karen. How scared I still am. Maybe talking to someone who understands would help her. Maybe it would help me.

Two murders in less than a week, I think, I wonder who's going to be next. I probably won't know until the person is dead. I will know when though. Cathy will make sure of that. I refresh the page, curious whether any new articles will pop up. Some do but they're not of any interest to me. Something about a new ice cream parlour in town.

I lean back against my pillow with a sigh. I should have known something was off about this town the moment I started hearing Cathy's voice. Mom and Dad would probably move me to another town in a couple of years but I wasn't sure if I would still be alive by then. One thing was for sure, if I wanted to survive, there was only one person who could save me, only one person I could count on. That person was me.             

For N, who's a great guy but still hasn't read my fucking book.