THE MURDERER AND I

chapter three: the old lady

I woke up at the next morning, my body sore from the fall. I got ready quickly, remembering I couldn't stay here for long. I got dressed, fixed my hair, and packed my bags before I headed down to the lobby.

There was a complimentary breakfast set up, and I figured I might as well eat since I'd be on the road all day. There were barely any people, except for a middle aged couple, and an old man sitting by himself. I got my food and sat down, smiling awkwardly the old lady who had checked me in yesterday. It was quiet, except for the sound of forks clinking against plates.

The old lady turned on the TV, I guess to ease the silence. It took a while to turn on, it was a pretty old model. It switched on, but a little laggy. No one was paying attention to it except for me and the old lady.

Suddenly, I swear my heart stopped. It was me. On the screen. On the fucking news.

"Yesterday, it has been reported that the infamous couple behind the recent "teen suicides" have ironically, taken their own lives when faced by police." The female reporters voice echoed in my head. "17 year old Bella Lauder and Dean Castor are now reported dead by authorities."

I got up quickly, before making eye contact with the old lady. I stopped and looked into her frightened eyes. She was completely white, scared out of her mind. Fuck.

"It's you...." She cried shakily. "But you're supposed to be dead..."

Her voice drew the attention of the couple and the old man, who were now staring at me in disbelief.

She reached for the phone, her hand shaking like crazy. Jesus christ. She's gonna call the police...

I ran out of there as quickly as I could, and I could hear people scrambling inside. Making sure I had all my bags, I jumped into my car.

I ripped out of the driveway, almost crashing into everything in my way. My engine roared, but I didn't look back. I stepped on the gas pedal aggressively.

I smiled, thinking they were far too late. They were far too late. I was gone. But I could hear faint sirens in the distance.