Death and the Deeds ✔

SHOTS FIRED, LIVES TAKEN

Two mysteries might never be solved.

1. What does the fox say?

2. Why do people say "new year new me" when we all know nothing would change.

Trying to stay sober as everyone was busy drinking the night away, I searched for Rachel who was nowhere to be seen since the past half an hour. I scanned the crowd. My eyes darting more wildly with each passing second. Then I began calling her name out loud, earning a few head turns in my direction. A girl finally told me the she had seen her going out through the back door.

Without a second thought, I went out and since the party was at Sandy's farmhouse, there was a forest behind it. The light slowly drained away, causing the shadows to disappear. Darkness came and everything under it was hidden. My ears became sharper and my mind paranoid, every snap of a twig was a predator, even if it was a fawn.

Stumbling and staggering, I was able to take a few steps that brought a girl in my sight, with her back towards me and a gun tightly clenched in her hands.

"Rachel no!" I shouted.

She took no time to turn around and looked at me in bewilderment.

"What are you doing here?" Her eyes became two big balls of surprise.

Tears streaked my face as the realization of failing dawned upon me.

I felt my heart break like a glass vase falling down and shattering.

"Please don't kill yourself." I begged.

"I was not going to. This isn't for me." She said bringing the gun near her face.

I wiped my face, got up and marched towards her, leaving just a few inches between us.

"Why do you have it then?"

She sighed. "Remember I told you that Spear wanted to meet me?" I nodded.

"Well I thought I should meet him and set things right once and for all." She continued.

"With a gun?" I raised my brows.

"No by asking him what he wants."

"Where did you get the gun from?"

"Oliver. He told me I can't be trusted with a gun so I promised that I would make it back alive and return it to him."

"Okay. Better safe than sorry." I said rolling my sleeves up as fear warmed my body up. "But he's dangerous." I continued.

"I know. But I want revenge. From him and Veronica. They ruined everything for me." She took short quick breaths and then looked at me with an empty smile.

Revenge had no pity, no boundaries. It's flame could burn everything down. It could cause more destruction than one could imagine.

"I'm just glad you're okay." I smiled.

"I like you Hazel. You're that one person I can go to if I'm in trouble. So thank you." She placed her hands on my shoulder for a brief moment before taking me in a tight hug.

What a simple gesture a hug is. But at that moment, it meant everything to me.

"I like you too. That is why I want to save you from all the bad surrounding you." I pulled back.

"Why do you keep saying that you want to save me." Lines appeared on her forehead.

"Because you need to be saved." I gave her a slight gentle punch on her arm.

The silence amplified the sound of the footsteps approaching. Over the fallen leaves, each footstep crackled. Anxiety sat below my skin. A flashlight was turned on and my hands trembled beside my body as I saw Spear's face. Rachel did not seem to be much affected or she was hiding it very well.

Spear threw the flashlight at one side and it landed with it's light towards us, sweeping the darkness out of it's way. My eyes were fixed at the gun he was holding.

"Hello Rachel." He bowed his head slightly. He then looked at me and lowered his head, "the girl who was not supposed to be here. I hope I did not make you wait long." He said with an evil glint in his eyes.

They say that fear gives you strength. But at this very moment, I could feel it draining all the energy out of me. Rachel's hands were closed in a fist.

"What do you want?" She said. Anger clear in her voice.

"Darling, how many times do I have to repeat myself." He spoke with a smirk that did not quite reach his eyes. "Proofs."

"No." Rachel growled. But her shaky voice clearly gave away that she was scared to death. His eyes narrowed. Mouth set in a hard line.

"I don't have time for your shit. Just give them to and I'll be on my way." His voice was no longer sugar coated and his eyes were filled with rage, as if they would burn everything.

Rachel ran a hand over her forehead.

Just hand him the goddamn proofs Rachel. I thought.

"Giving them to you would mean letting you go away with all your sins." She snapped.

"And not giving them to me would mean it's over for you and all that you love." He shot a stare at me which shook me to the core. I was going to die soon anyway, why was I getting so scared?

Rachel took in a deep breath. "And if I do, would you take your filthy hands off me and all that I love?" Her voice cracked as she said love.

His face was unreadable. There was no fear, no hurt, no smile. Yet he gave off sinister vibes. Who would he fear anyway. A monster's work is to make others fearful.

"Yes my love." He raised his gun a little and ran a hand over it. "But can't say the same about this beautiful friend of yours." He said after a moment.

His words knocked out all the sense in me and if felt like I would black out. Every muscle of my body twitched and I could feel my forehead wet with sweat in freezing cold. Rachel looked at me and then at him. I took a step back and a twig broke under my foot, producing a feeble sound.

"These proofs are safe with me. And would now go straight to the police." She said as she came beside me.

"Oh love, you don't want to do that."

"Don't call me love." She exploded. "And you won't stop even if I give them to you. So forget it. If you want them so badly, you can take those from police soon."

"You do that and ya'll die." He said waving his finger in the air.

"At least you and your mafia would be behind the bars." Her voice grew more confident.

I knew there was no good end to this argument. But I did not know how to stop it.

"You can't do that." He said loud enough to make the hair on my arm stand.

"Suck it up loser. I can destroy you just like that." She said as she snapped her fingers twice.

"I won't let that happen." He said.

"And how will you stop me?" Rachel folded her arms.

"Like this." He said as he raised his gun towards me.

Whatever happened in the next few moments was beyond my understanding.

Shots were fired, lives were taken.