Dancing with the Dead ✔

Chapter Fifteen - Shallow Grave

I snap back to reality and quickly follow him.

"Hmph. He's always in a hurry," Jude mumbles. I glance at the kids who are now sitting on the floor with their feet dangling through the railings, their gazes fixated on the man who's already reaching the first floor.

"Jamie's a superhero now, Jude. He has lives to save," June replies, concluding it with a heavy sigh.

Ask them about it, Alexis. Ask them!

I shake my head quickly, wiping all traces of curiosity. Those kids sure have a lot to tell me; but for now, I have a dead body to find.

***

"Blood," he mutters to himself.

"Come again?" I say.

"Blood! Here!" The light from his flashlight shines on the red flowers. "Isn't that how you know a murder took place here?"

Wow.

"Yeah." I nod.

"So? Where do we go from here?" He flashes his flashlight to the woods.

"Let me lead, will ya?" I say with a proud smirk on. I open my hand, asking for the flashlight. His unwillingness when he hands it to me makes my smile grows bigger.

I shiver a little as I step into the woods. The dark atmosphere, the lack of lighting and the sound of crow cawing up in the air make a walk in the woods too creepy even for me.

"So, what were you doing out here searching for dead bodies? You have a death wish or something?" the man walking beside me says.

Shit. What am I supposed to say?

Just make something up!

"I was sightseeing," I blurt.

"Sightseeing?" he raises his voice with disbelief.

"What can I say? I'm an adrenaline junkie," I say, not entirely lying.

He sighs. On my peripheral vision, I can see him shaking his head.

"Who were you with?"

Oh shit. He couldn't possibly overhear me talking to John earlier, could he?

"Wh- wh- what do you mean?" I stutter, hiding my face to prevent him from seeing my anxiety.

"The muddy footprints back at the house," he continues, his voice calm.

Oh. That.

"Obviously, there were two footsteps overlapping. One is a size 10," he explains. I turn slightly and see him glancing at my shoes. "And I doubt a tiny girl like you is a size 10," he concludes with his usual aggravating smirk.

Unsure if it's a compliment or an insult, I frown a little.

"So, who was it?" he repeats his question.

"It was just a crazy kid. The missing girl's boyfriend, I think."

"Let me guess. Head too small for an overly huge body, super paranoid, about this tall?" He raises his hand to just below his ear.