Haven

16. Senseless

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

The track came into view and she thought she would start panicking, that the flashing of police lights would meet her - but there was nothing. She reached the spot where the car had been left and stopped, climbing out.

The white vehicle was gone. There was no police - no yellow investigative tape, just....empty space.

What...

She walked up the hill, confusion slowly being replaced with fear until she was running, trying to run from the panic that threatened to break free. Reaching the top, she looked around, breathing heavily.

Still nothing.

Her blood roared in her ears as she stepped towards the edge, hesitating before she looked over, to the rocks below -

"No no no."

She stepped back and bolted down the hill, all rational thought fading. It wasn't possible. Her sandal slipped off but she didn't stop until she reached the bottom. All was quiet apart from the crash of the waves against the cliffs. Climbing over the rocks, she started hyperventilating as she found the spot where he had fallen. She knew because it was still dry - too high up for the tide to wash a body away - and blood stained the spiked stone.

A strange hiccupping noise reached her ears and she realised it was herself, the panic starting to set in. Where were the police? Why was no one hanging around and collecting evidence?

She glanced at her watch. It was only early in the morning, they couldn't have finished an investigation this early on.

"I'm going mad," she whispered, staring at the blood stain.

God she hated blood.

The hiccupping sobs eventually stopped and like a zombie, she made her way back to her car.

"This can't be happening," she whispered, hands trembling as she turned the key in the ignition. She decided they had to have finished their investigation and had just packed up early. She would just go to the police station and turn herself in.

A strange calm settled over as she drove back into town, parking in her usual spot outside the Twilight cafe before she realised. Hopping out, she stared at the people walking by, listening to their conversations in hopes of hearing something that would prove she wasn't going mad.

A man spoke of walking his dog, another the wrong bait resulting in no catches for the morning. A young girl screamed for ice cream -

No one was gossiping about a potential murder.

"Norah!" A hand grabbed her shoulder and she was spun around. Olivia glared at her. Norah didn't think she had ever seen the young girl so angry before. "What the hell is your problem? Rylan told me all that crap you threw at him yesterday. He has saved your life countless of times and this is how you repay him, by being a bitch? I thought you were a good person, Norah. Boy was I wrong."

The words rolled off her, she felt guilty about Rylan but that guilt couldn't break through the shock.

"Has there been any police about today?" Her voice sounded strange, almost detached from her body and Olivia jolted.

"What? No, only the sergeant who gets his morning coffee."

"Did he talk about anything happening at the beach?" she pleaded.

"No, only about the amount of tourists - what the hell is wrong with you? Where is your other shoe?"

Norah glanced down and saw she had forgotten her shoe. It was still up on the cliffs - but she couldn't go back there.