They tipped their hats at me and quickly disappeared, leaving me with what felt like nine dead bodies in my living room. I stared at them until my vision grew blurry.Then, I reached for one and lifted it above my head slowly. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I couldn’t have these here. Not taunting me, as if the deaths were my fault. I hadn’t killed anyone.
Blinking rapidly, I went to my front door and ripped it open. With a scream of pure anguish, I flung the beautiful arrangement over my head and let it crash into my yard with a shattering scream as the glass collided with the cold hard ground.
I ran back inside and grabbed another and another. The more flowers I threw out, the better I felt. I didn’t know who was doing this to me, taunting me, threatening me, but I was done! Once all nine vases were out of my house, I slammed the door and pulled out my phone. If nine people were dead, in this town, everyone would know about it.
I pulled up my apps and went to our towns page and the blood drained from my face. I clicked on the article our local newspaper put out and after I read through it, my phone slipped out of my hands and landed on the hard floor.
The documentary crew.
Nine of them.All lined up like they were found ten years ago.
My hands shook as I bent down and retrieved my phone. I went upstairs and got dressed, putting on my only pair of sweats and a hoodie. I put my hood over my hair and stormed out of the house, walking past the mess in my yard, and got in my car. I had to talk to someone about this. Maybe Rem was right. The flowers were a sign.
On the way, I tried to call my friends, even Therese, but no one was answering. Micah’s rental was closest to my house so I stopped there first, knocking quickly. He answered, but when he looked down at me, his face furrowed in confusion.
“Yeah?” he snapped.
“Micah, did you see what happened? The documentary crew is dead.”
He stepped out into the yard and shut the door, which was odd for him. Micah was always so friendly. He normally would have welcomed me in.
“Yeah and so is my girlfriend. And my best friend and his girlfriend.” He shook his head. “What’s your point? Why are you here? Eisley, right?”
“What?” I blinked. Did he… not remember me? “Micah, it’s me. I’m Emi’s best friend.” I pointed to my chest.
“Emi’s best friend is dead.” He waved his finger at me and snapped them. “I know you. You’re that crazy goth chick from high school who’s a cam girl now. I don’t know what you want, but I’m not interested in being one of your clients or whatever. I’ve got bigger problems right now.” He turned to go, and despite my tearful protests, he shut the door in my face.
I sat in my car for a long moment before steeling myself to try Therese. It was now or never. I had to confront her about what she did so that we could help each other. If someone was killing us one by one, we couldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves.
I took off toward Therese’s place. I knocked and tried to explain to her that Micah was being weird and the recent murders, but she simply stared at me. She let me cry and go through my entire speech before shaking her head and laughing.
“Who the hell are you?”
“What?” I paused. “Therese, it’s me. I saw you just last night.”
“I was with my boyfriend all night. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her eyes then lit up. “Wait, I do know you. You were the girl Spencer was obsessed with! Is that why you’re here? Is Rem one of your Onlypics clients?”
“No. Therese, we’re best friends.”
“I remember you in school. You were a freak then too. I’m not your fucking friend.”
I took a deep breath. If that’s how she wanted to play this fine, but I couldn’t walk off her porch without warning her.
“Rem thinks you’re being targeted. I think he’s right.”
“Why would people be after me?” She gave me a once-over and smirked. “Maybe you’re in trouble. When you’re letting creeps watch you naked, eventually one is bound to come try to find you. Might want to take some of Spencer Foxworth’s money and get some professional help.”She reached for her door knob and before she went inside, she turned one last time. “Get the fuck off my porch, whore, before I call the cops for harassment.”
I didn’t bother trying Rem’s door. Micah and Therese had probably already talked to him, and I couldn’t bear to see another person act like they didn’t know me. Did they all think so little of me? I sat in my car in my driveway, sobbing, and sometime later a familiar silver Chevy Nova pulled in beside me. I lifted my head as Constantine rounded his car. I rolled my window down and sniffled. He leaned over to meet my gaze.
“Why are you crying?” he demanded. “Those documentary guys were assholes.”
“No, it’s just… My friends. I went to see them today and they pretended they didn’t know me. Therese and Micah said some really shitty things.”
“About what? You?” His face contorted from concern to rage.I shrugged and sniffled.
“About my job. Micah told me to go whore around somewhere else.”He raised his eyebrows.
“This is why you’re crying? Because some guy called you a whore?” he snapped back and went to his car.I stiffened and opened my door.
