Lungs burning and all, I stopped at his house and knocked on the door.
"Levi!"
His mother came instead, "Hello?"
"Mrs. Bradford! Is Levi home?"
"Sorry sweetie. He and his brother just left with their father. They'll be back soon. You can wait on them if you'd like. No thank you ma'am, but if you could tell me where they went, that would be very helpful."
"I think they were driving over to the police station. Levi's car was stolen yesterday."
That wasn't the reason.
"Thanks Mrs. Bradford."
"No problem."
And I ran again, my adrenaline rush slowly fading. This time I had to stop for a breather. I realized that the police station was too far away for my imagination to consider walking there on foot. The cold finally sunk into my skin, a left cruel marks as I shivered walking the direction of the station still.
"Alexis!" Dad's voice rang.
"What!" I cried.
"Get in the car!"
"No!"
I fought to outrun the vehicle, only falling to the soft snow instead.
"I have to help her."
I lay sobbing on the ground, the frostbite creeping onto my open skin and stinging me like bee needles. Mom, Dad, and Serena all got out of the car and picked me up, and put me in the backseat.
"Please, at least take me to the police station," I pleaded.
"Why?" Mom said, "So you can run off again?"
"No, I promise I won't. I just need to go."
"I'm not gonna do it," Dad said, the one behind the wheel of the car.
"Please!"
In the corner of my eye, I saw something, "Oh no!"
They stopped the car.
"Levi! I screamed.
A fiery blaze lit the streets in red flickers. His father's car was the source, crashed into a lone tree on the side of the road.
I got out.
"Alexis!"
Someone called my name, someone called the police, and someone got out with me. I didn't know who did what, or care just the same.
I finally made it to the car, and the first body I saw was his father's. It was nothing but a skeleton. His brother's body was thrown out of the passenger window. He was burned, but skin was still there. And Levi was thrown out of the car, on the ground in a mangled black pile of soot. I crashed to his side and cried on his hot back.
That's when I heard muffled and congested breaths.
"He's alive! He's alive!"
* * * *
His mother sobbed violently in her chair as we all sat in the waiting room. Her eyes on fire just as the car was; burning with tragedy. No one was allowed to see him in the ICU yet until they were ready, and even Regen they were is would only be members of the family. In his case, member of the family. After she got done, it would be my turn, or the friend of the victim. After that he'd have to rest. But after an hour of sitting in the hospital, the nurse only came out to tell us he was in a medically induced coma.
"When will he wake up?" His mother cried.
"It won't be long, but at least a month or two."
She went hysterical, and my mother and father tried to hold her and calm her down.
I sat, still thinking about it all. I didn't know which point to think about, but I thought of them all. Was he gonna be okay? Who tried to kill him? Where was Alice? Why couldn't it be easy!
I cried in my chair, but no one came to my side. I hadn't lost a son and a husband; my problems were invalid at that time. Lily, Damian, Dewy, and the others came to the hospital as well.
I'm sorry. Is he okay? What happened?
I wiped my face clear as Lily approached me, "We're you there?"
"No. We found them when we were driving down the street. . . I knew it was coming."
"What?"
"Alice isn't dead."
She said nothing, but her soft eyes lowered, and her face worried, "Lexi. You know that's not possible right?"
"You can say whatever you want, but I know. That's why Levi and his brother were targeted, Anastasia, they were the only ones close to her and would know where she went. But the guy, I think he might have something to do with it. I just don't know who he is."
"What guy?"
"In her diary she talked about him. She was meeting a new guy. She must've run off with him, or he kidnapped her. It would have to be the case."
Her silence gave away her inner thoughts, doubting my sanity.
"What are you guys talking about?" Dewy said as he walked to the remote chair I sat in.
"Nothing," Lily said.
"There's a killer on the loose," I said.
"What?" He chuckled.
"Nothing. She's just going through al lot."
"It is. I'm telling you!"
My tone grew.
"Calm down," Lily said.
"I can't! Not when no one is smart enough to see what's plain in sight! Someone's trying to kill off everyone who knows about my sister! They're all connected!"
"Alexis! That's enough!" Mom screamed from the hall, walking in the room, "Show some respect!"
"I can't when no one is respecting the truth!"
"Stop it!"
"No!"
I stormed into the bathroom down the hall.
"I'm so sorry. She's just upset about what she seen."
I watched my reflection. My eyes inflamed from tears, staring back at me. I conversed with her.
I know you've seen the connections. You must be right. Right? Why won't no one see them? You're probably just making it all up Alexis. You don't know what to believe anymore. It's all fake. She did say it's not what it seems. What if what you're thinking isn't what it seems.
I couldn't take all the thoughts rushing through my mind. I turned on the sink in from of me, and let it run for a few seconds before dipping my hands into the running water, and catching some; then splashing it on my face. Someone walked in, and rushed to my back, "I believe you."
It was Lily.
"What do you mean?"
"I think that she is still alive. And I think that someone is trying to make sure nothing gets out. Who that is, I can't say now. But I have an idea."
"Who?"
She turned to the door, as if the person would burst in and kill her right then.
"After school tomorrow, meet me at my car. I'll drive you to my house and tell you. Don't tell anyone, and make sure the others don't see you go to my car."
"Why can't you tell me now?"
"It would be best not to right now. But trust me when I say you can't let anyone know."
"Okay."
She walked out. I shortly followed after thinking about it all. Things were only getting bigger, and I couldn't handle it as well as I thought. But I had to. I had to know what was going on.
* * * *
The late night snow on the morning ground has slushed over, and left patchy spots of clear grass and sidewalk. It wasn't coat weather, but I had to wear a thin wind breaker for the constant breaths of the air. It was just the beginning of the day, but I only though about the end. How would the journey end. Would it end? I had to wait and see.
Dad was driving me in his car despite my attempt to let him and Mom know I was fine enough to walk, and that Serena and Claire were walking with me. But, he didn't listen. I sat my head against the window, and stared at the wet soil in one neighbors' yards. They had a flower that grew for some reason. It was dead of course due to the cold weather, but usually the always picked them from the garden months before, and had did so this time, yet it remained. Why was it the only one left?
We drove past the spot of the accident as well, police tape blocking it from everyone. For the first time I actually thought deeply about Levi as a person himself since the accident. Or planned attack as I saw. Not about his possible connection to anything. His smile, laugh, personality. Maybe I was upset about him too.
I did like him. Love him?
"See you after school."
"I'll be home a little later. I have to do something after school."
"What?"
"My friend has something for me."
"Who?"
"Someone. Don't worry, they're cool. I'll be fine."
"Don't go anywhere alone."
"I know."
"Be careful."
"I will."
"Love you."
"Love you too.
I walked into the building, that was filled with chatter, gasps, murmurs, people running, and screams.
"Alexis!" Sam screamed. She ran over to me.
"What!"
"Someone killed Lily."
"What!"
I ran the direction that everyone was avoiding. With Sam latched onto my arm running with me.
There she was.
In the girl's restroom in the lockerroom, she sat. Blood splattered over the walls. Her blood. Deep maroon splodges. Everywhere.
"Oh my gosh," I whispered.
"Move back ladies! Nothing to see here!" The gym teacher screamed to the girls in the locker room that were changing into gym clothes for first period,"You two too."
She stood in front of us. The police finally began to pour in with EMTs following behind. The pushed the rest out as they set up investigations. The entire school was riled in an uproar. Kids panicking, trying to run out of the school, parents coming back.
"There isn't going to be any school today I can see," Sam said, "I'm just gonna sleep I guess."
I wasn't going to be able to sleep for days. I might not wake up the next morning.