Lurid Tale of Bradley

Chapter 13

IN A meanwhile, Cara tried to call Bradley through the phone but he didn't answer. She felt so uneasy that the feeling of her heart never stopped on thumping so fast. It had been one whole week and he never appeared, that made her yesterday to come to the police. They came in his house, but he was nowhere to find.

As she sat on the chair while thinking about him, Jessie came in from her bedroom. It was past midnight, and she can't sleep due to Bradley's disappearance.

"Why are you still awake?" Cara asked in a tired voice as the girl sat beside her.

"I saw the lights in the living room, so I checked if you were awake." Her brows furrowed and the softness of the kid's eyes glimmered with sympathy. "Are you okay?"

She wanted to fake a smile, but she can't do it. It was as if all the energy that had left in her vanished away and was replaced with anxiety.

"I-I don't know if I'm really okay, Jessie," she said, shaking her head. "I shouldn't say this to you. You're just eight years old."

The girl raised her brow. "So? You can tell me everything, Cara. I'm eight, but I can understand you." She let out a small sigh and stared down the floor. "I had even witnessed my mother's death."

That caused her to widen her eyes. Jessie never brought up that word ever since the death of her mother, but now, it seemed so unusual for her.

"I . . . was in my room that day, and I woke up because of a scream. I got–got curious so I peeped through the door and saw a girl, stabbing my mom," she confessed as a light sob escaped out of her mouth.

She noticed that tears emitting out of her eyes, too, when the girl told her what she had seen. Pity was all she felt that made her hug the girl while rubbing her hair.

"Ssh... I'm so sorry, honey."

"I was such a coward, I didn't protect my own mom!" she hissed with a mixture of sobs. "I saw the way my mom stare at me as the girl kept on stabbing her. She was giving me a look that I should never walk out of my room."

She pulled away then cupped her face, wiping the tears on her cheeks. "It's not your fault, okay? If any, it was that girl—wait. The murderer was a girl?" she suddenly asked when she realized that it was a girl who killed Julia.

The girl nodded while sobbing. "Yes. Actually, I-I saw her face. She has blonde hair and pale skin, with her ocean eyes."

A thought came in her mind. A girl that would kill a woman? For what reason?

These questions rumbled in her head, and that made her curious. Bradley went in her house before she died, so maybe, the killer had connection with either Julia, me...

Or Brad.

"Her name is Maddie."

She remembered him telling this to her before he got missing. The way he acted with sweats on his forehead seemed like he was holding something.

"All I have to say is, she was my crazy stalker who wouldn't leave my side. I–I just want you to be safe that's why I am avoiding this kind of conversation,"

After that thought, she suddenly felt herself shaking. That Maddie he was talking about was a stalker—according to him. He wanted her to be safe because she was . . . crazy.

"OKAY, JESSIE, I want you to describe this girl's face and I'll draw it, are we clear?" the police said to the girl.

They were sitting on a chair as Cara stood beside her. They started while she waited for it.

As it ended, the police showed it to the girl and she nodded. When Cara looked at the sketch, she memorized every inch of her face.

Two days later, the police had informed her to visit the station. She quickly said yes and headed toward the said location.

"We gathered some researches, Ms. Wilson," Mr. Winn said, looking at her in an intent way.

She looked at her surroundings then to him. "What is it? Tell me."

"Well, based on here, it says that her name is Maddie Walter. I got it from an institution wherein people who have mental issues were," he said, giving her the paper.

"So, you are saying that Maddie is the name of the murderer?" She, then took the paper from his.

He nodded.

"Then, that girl has something to do with Bradley's disappearance," she added, staring at the paper.

Later that night, she went home and got to her bed as she placed the heavy book she was reading. She knew that this girl was the one who made him swim in misery.

As she closed her eyes, a loud thump was heard by her ears. She got up from the bed and looked at her surroundings.

When she noticed that there was nothing wrong, she went to sleep once again. She felt as if the bed dipped, that made her eyes open.

A dark figure was on the bed, looking at her with those eyes. She gasped when that person pounded her on the bed and started choking her neck.

She squirmed and yelled as she tried to get out of the person's grip. She was a hundred percent sure that it was a man, because the strength he was giving was strong.

Her eyes shifted aside and saw the bedside table, and the book. Without any doubt, she grabbed it and slammed it onto the man's head repeatedly. A groan emitted out of his mouth as he loosened his grip from her neck.

Then, she kicked his groin that made him stumble aside. She stood up from the bed while coughing to catch her breath.

Her eyes spotted the door, then she sprinted out of it. She kept reminding herself not to stop and keep going, and she succeeded. As she opened the door, she looked behind only to see the hooded man running toward her then tried to grab her head, but he failed as she dodged it.

She strode out of the house and locked the door. Afterwards, she ran as fast as she could, heading toward the nearest police station.

When she finally spotted it, she went inside and banged her hands on the table.

"Are you okay, ma—"

"I'm not fucking okay! There was someone inside my house and he tried to strangle me!" she yelled with sweating face, shaking in pure nervousness.

The fat officer stood up and tried to calm her, but she glared at him. "Go to my house now!"

"Before we do that, let us give you a first aid, ma'am," he said with sympathy lacing his tone as he eyed her ear.

That's when she noticed pain on her right earlobe, and then she remembered the man trying to grab her earlier.

"Don't mind me, officer. Just freaking inspect my house first!"

To be continued...

A/N: Hello there, my lovely readers! Hope you enjoyed reading my book! Love you.

Vote and comment if you want.

Truly yours,
creepy_stalker199