DELUSIONS (Sample) [PUBLISHED]

THE INTERROGATION, PART ONE

She remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Meanwhile, the detective scrutinized her. As she watched him, Abigale felt as if he was dissecting her flaws, so he could find a weak point to exploit her.

He has many to choose from, she thought. A humorless laugh echoed in her head as she thought of all the ways he could charge her with murder. Abigale didn't think she could have murdered anyone, but the evidence and confession from her almost-killer made her second-guess herself. If the cops were to dig into what happened to her friends and loved ones, there was no doubt in her mind they'd go straight to her.

"He will never leave you alone, don't you understand?" Detective Collins said, snapping her out of her thoughts once again. There was an eerily calm edge to his tone that caused a shiver to run down the length of her spine.

"I've seen guys like this," he continued. "You may think you are safe because he's no longer here but trust me when I say that he will return. If you don't tell me what happened that night, you'll never find peace. That's exactly what he wanted to accomplish when he hurt you. Please, don't let him win, Ms. Fern. Let me help you."

Inside, the detective had broken her. In her mind, she cried. She cried for someone to purge her of the memories, of the pain. On the outside, however, she remained passive. Abigale couldn't speak of what happened, not after what he had done to the people she cared about. Even in this room, he still had control over her.

When she didn't answer the detective for the fifteenth time that day, he stood up. His face was contorted in aggravation, and he paced the room like a man making an important decision in front of his conference room.

Abigale lowered her gaze and followed the intricate patterns of the grains in the worn table. She felt tears threatening to surface, and a burning sensation in her throat that didn't help matters as she tried to suppress the urge to break down.

But neither did the detective's burning gaze.

By this point, he had stopped pacing. Abigale watched the detective as he placed his large hands on either side of his chair and used the table to support his weight. He looked like he wanted to say something, but if he was going to, he decided against it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, she admitted, "I'm scared."

The frustrated look on the detective's face crumbled when Abigale spoke. He took a seat again, folded his hands on the table, and scanned her eyes intently. She couldn't help but wonder what he would think if she had finished her sentence. Would he question why? Or would he simply know? Maybe he'd lock her up without hearing an explanation. Perhaps he'd think she was just scared of the person who put her in this position in the first place, but Abigale wasn't scared of her dead stalker.

She was scared that the detective would find out her horrifying secret.

"Ms. Fern, I know this is hard for you," he paused, pursing his lips together, "but I need to know what happened. You're the only one who can tell me."

She nodded, but still didn't speak. Abigale didn't want to tell him anything, but even if she did, she knew she could never tell him the whole truth. Not without implicating herself in the process.

"Please," she whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She'd always been told she was a good actress, but it made it more convincing to harness the traumatic experience she'd been involved in. "Don't make me do this. I can't do it."

The detective seemed pained by her words. "I'm sorry, Ms. Fern," he muttered. "You have no choice."

Bowing her head, Abigale felt the first of many teardrops roll down her cheek.

Omit what you have to. Those were the words she'd carry with her until the very end.

Omit what you have to.

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Hi everyone! Long time, no talk! Something amazing has happened over the past few weeks. "Delusions" is currently in the process of being published by Limitless Publishing! This is why only a sample of the story will remain on Wattpad. If you would like to read the whole story once it is published, please keep this story in your library and follow me on my social media platforms listed on my profile for updates! I look forward to sharing future updates with you!

To clear up some confusion: This story is going to be told in the past, and these snapshots in the interrogation room are going to be of what is occurring in the present. So, you are going to find out exactly what the detective is talking about with our main character as the story goes on.

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Amy Crandall

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