A Killer Among Us
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I was still in bed, lying on my stomach. My back felt like it’d been pounded with a hammer and I wasn’t too happy about the idea of trying to sit up yet. So I just lay there waiting for whatever had happened yesterday to get itself over with. It wasn’t a pleasant time of day.
The room was bathed in grey light from the single window that looked out into the courtyard where all of yesterday’s excitement took place. It made me feel trapped and depressed and lonely, and the only comfort was the warmth of the sun on my face and the fact that it was so very quiet. I tried to focus on the sound, but it kept sliding away into nothingness.
Then there was a knock at the door and I groaned as I pushed myself up onto my elbows. “Come in,” I called without moving. I didn’t have to worry about someone barging in; the doors were locked and bolted from the inside. But I didn’t want whoever it was coming to any closer either.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” came the voice from the other side of the door. I rolled over on my back and propped myself up with a pillow. “My name is Alex.”
He hadn’t actually said anything, but he knew my name, which meant someone had told him who I was. There are times when being invisible really sucks ass.
“Alex?” I asked. “What do you want?”
There was another pause, then, “Is it possible to ask why we can’t meet somewhere else? Like a hotel or something?” He sounded nervous, but his words seemed more for himself than me. “You know how much trouble that sort of thing brings down upon us?”
That was the best part. No one here cared what happened around them. They never bothered looking around them or asking questions.
“So what did happen yesterday?” I asked, deciding to take this conversation outside. “Did you find her?”
The silence stretched between us for another minute before Alex spoke again. “Yeah, well… we think she might be alive.”
“How do you mean?” I sat up in bed and swung my legs over the edge. My head swam a little but I didn’t let that deter me.
“It’s all very hush-hush, but…” He hesitated as he waited for me to fill the space.
“Go ahead,” I said impatiently.
“Someone found her.”
“Who?”
“No one will say. But they’ve been searching the city for her. Her picture is everywhere now. They’re even putting out posters. She’ll soon be missed if she hasn’t already.”
“Why haven’t they contacted me?” I asked, confused. And irritated. This wasn’t the first time people had come forward and given me false hope, and it would be the last if it happened again.
“They don’t know you exist, so—”
“Bullshit.”
The moment I heard those words come out of my mouth, I regretted them. I’d just accused this man of being a liar, which he might be, or he might not be. Either way, he had no reason to believe that I was telling him the truth about anything. But it didn’t matter anymore. Because Alex—or whoever he was—had stopped talking. I’d been wrong; the conversation was over. So I went ahead and shut the door behind me.
I wanted to see Alex, or whoever he was, right then, but I knew better. The last thing I needed was some stranger walking into the house while I was naked in the shower.
As I turned toward the bathroom door, it opened from within and Alex stepped through.
He froze, as though expecting me to attack him at any second. “Are you serious?”
“About what?”
His eyes darted around the bedroom as if trying to find an escape route. Then he moved forward and dropped to the floor next to the bed, staring at me with big, scared eyes.
“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking clearly,” I told him. “Can I help you?”
He looked at me blankly for a second, then shook his head slowly from side to side.
“Well, damn,” I muttered under my breath. At least there was one thing I could count on when it came to dealing with strangers.
I got out of bed, pulled on my jeans, and grabbed my shirt. “Do you mind waiting in the living room while I put on clothes? It might be a little weird otherwise.”
When I walked into the living area, Alex was sitting on the couch looking miserable.
“Have a seat,” I offered, patting the empty spot beside me.
Alex looked as though he couldn’t make up his mind whether to take me up on it or not. He finally gave in and took the place opposite me, facing me as he fumbled in the pockets of his pants for his cigarettes. We both lit up almost simultaneously, and Alex blew out a cloud of smoke in front of his face before looking back at me.
“Where is she?” he asked quietly.
My eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“But—”
“If I did, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
I’d seen the pictures of my sister all over New Haven; she’d been missing long enough that everyone assumed she must be dead. If anyone still suspected she might be alive, I’d never hear it from them. Not to mention, I couldn’t imagine any good that would come from telling a stranger such information.
“Okay,” he said. “Then what have you done since she disappeared?”
“Tried everything.”
“Anything new?”
“Just that someone found her.”
There were several long moments of silence. “So you haven’t searched anywhere else yet?”
“Not really.”
“What about your family?”
“They know nothing. And neither do I.”
We smoked in silence for a few minutes until Alex finally spoke again. “Is there anything you want to ask me?” he asked.
“A question is a gift, Alex. You should consider yourself lucky.”
“You mean like this?”
And before I had a chance to stop him, he reached out and touched my hand. His fingers curled around mine, and he held them gently. When he brought our hands together, we stared at each other for several seconds before either of us spoke again. “How old are you?” he asked softly.
“Twenty-eight.”
He nodded. “Do you remember how you died?”
I didn’t understand why he was asking. “Of course, I do.”
“Really? Because most spirits seem to forget what happened before their deaths.”
That made sense, but I didn’t know how to respond without lying. “I don’t.”
“Interesting,” he murmured as he let go of my hand. “Would you mind coming with me to see your parents?”
I thought about it for a couple of seconds and then shook my head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t trust you.”
“I promise you won’t hurt them,” he assured me. “Or leave again.”
“Then why?” I demanded. There was something about his demeanor—and his touch—that seemed familiar, even though he hadn’t touched me very much at all. Something that felt as if it had once belonged to another soul in my life.
“Come with me.”
The End