Chapter Ten
|Together|

Unedited

Annie rushed Elizabeth out of the Victorian house as the neighbors and many other people started filing in to witness the murder and sympathize with a shaking, petrified and blood-covered Elizabeth.

She hurriedly took the poor, shocked, befuddled and thoroughly heartbroken girl to her car, carefully tucking her inside in the passenger seat, securing the seatbelt tightly over her petite frame.

Shutting the door that made a click sound, she went to the other side of the car, getting inside and fastening the seatbelt to her body.

With one push to the accelerator, the car roared to life, it's engine snorting loudly like a dragon clashing its tail as Annie dashed the car out of the neighborhood.

Elizabeth's body was still shaking violently as she tried her hardest to control the tears pricking at her eyes. Annie let her hand brush off Elizabeth's long golden hair as to create a feeling of comfort, holding Elizabeth's hand in her own, trying to calm her friend.

She herself tried to control the upcoming tears. No matter how much she hated Aunt Edna, she was a crucial part of Elizabeth's life and now that she was gone, Annie was afraid that Elizabeth would collapse.

Annie was driving straight, taking a few turns here and there, wanting to get to her home as soon as possible. There she would be finally able to nurse and comfort Elizabeth.

The sun was peacefully setting over the horizon, it's scarce rays giving the surroundings a deep shade of hue and dust. The meagrely sparse rays soon disappeared somewhere in infinity as darkness began its rule.

Elizabeth was still shaking violently, though her sobs were now barely perceptible. She sat on the car seat like a wall as she stared into space, the numbness within her deepening by each passing minute.

Darkened was her heart now, with the wickedness that was slowly starting to latch itself onto the pages of the book of her life.

With her unblinking eyes and face as cold as the frost that was slowly moving towards their town, anyone could have mistaken her for a dead body.

Annie's car moved smoothly across the concrete floor, with the muffled sounds of small rocks and pebbles crushing under the tires' weight.

The darkness masterly combined with the black-grey roads as the eerie yet calm silence hung in the hollow air inside the claustrophobic walls of the car.

A scream of horror perceived Elizabeth's ears as the car skewered right. She was brutally jerked towards the passenger door. The loud, clangor thudding of her head against the window was one of the numbest yet painstakingly horrible sound she had ever heard in her life, next to her mother's last words to her.

Slowly enough, she slightly moved her head away from the door.

Her hand moved to the corner of her forehead where blood was spilling from the burning gash cast darkly on her ghastly pale and brittle face. Her eyes wandered everywhere by themselves, unable to focus on anything as she spun momentarily like a pendulum.

Blurred and mirrored images of things nonsensical to her brain passed through her sight. The fog shed upon her vision slowly dispersed as the mirrored images marring her view no longer appeared.

From her blurred peripheral vision, she saw a body lying unconscious next to her.

Annie.

Hastened, she untied her seatbelt.

The door made a creaking noise as Elizabeth weakly scurried out of the passenger seat. With feeble hands, she almost managed to unlock Annie's belt and drag her out from the passenger seat.

Annie's warm face was stained with sweat, a few cuts and scratches scattered over her face.

The car beside them looked desolate and broken. The front metal was now scraped out, the vibrant colors now peeled off from the edges. It looked just as smashed as a crumpled ball of paper due to the harsh impact it had suffered as it came crashing down the huge brick wall.

The wall looked unaffected though, wearing a proud smile of victory as it held its ground. With its chest put forward in a manner of appalling boldness, the wall boasted silently of its strength and brutality.

The air was now thinner than a sheet of aluminum, the shades of gloominess and obscurity lurking beyond the veils of countless errors bundled up together in the crepuscular alley.

The two desperate, helpless and disheartened girls sitting on the dirty floor looked indistinct and vaguely detectable in the pitch-black darkness surrounding the foreboding, musty place.

Elizabeth, with frantic movements, tried to bring a peaceful Annie back to the mortal state of senses and pain, to the world of momentary gains and losses by tapping lightly on her chin again and again.

Annie slowly stirred in Elizabeth's embrace, a soft moan coming from her mouth. Twitching her eyebrows forcefully, she slowly tried to open her drunken eyes.

As Elizabeth gashed face came in her blue vision, she wriggled out of Elizabeth's grasp, frantically forcing herself to sit.

She opened her mouth slightly but closed it again, unable to form coherent words. A mixture of sweat and tears covered her face as she stared at Elizabeth with her wide broken eyes.

"I... I am so... sorry Liz," she apologized, choking on her words.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Annie's preposterous words.

"I... The car... it hit something... I tried... I tried to control... but it won't stop... the wall... I'm so sorry..."

Before she could've muttered another word, Elizabeth's fingers moved to Annie's lips. She felt Elizabeth's warm hug followed by muffled sobs of her own.

"How will we... reach home now? I... I don't even have my phone... I left it when... I was at your... home. Do you... have your... phone, Liz?" She asked countless questions as she continued to sob against Liz's shoulder.

"No, I don't have my phone. Don't worry, Ann, we will be okay. You see that warehouse?" Elizabeth said, pointing towards an abandoned warehouse, "We are going to stay there tonight. We will figure out what to do in the morning."

Elizabeth stood up; dusting the dirt particles from her clothes, she reached her hand towards Annie.

With shaking fingers, Annie took Liz's hand and got up. Her feet were jelly. Barely able to stand, she grabbed ahold of Elizabeth's arm for support.

The soft sounds of their feet were heard moving towards the old, abandoned warehouse.

The warehouse didn't look appealing with its color being a distasteful brown. The roof was uneven and some bricks were missing atop. From a stranger's eyes, it would've made the perfect setting for a horror movie.

A loud creak welcomed them as Elizabeth fumbled with the lock. The warm scent of coffee assaulted their desperate souls, meeting them inside.

Annie weakly wobbled inside. Elizabeth watched carefully as Annie made her way inside. She fished out the phone from her pockets while keeping a strict eye on Annie.

A bright light came across her eyes as she tapped the screen. She typed a message and placed the phone carefully in her pocket once again.

She silently ran towards Annie so that they were close to each other. Annie's black hair bounced slightly as she turned towards Elizabeth.

A weak smile broke out on Annie's lips as she drank in Elizabeth familiar features.

"God! Something is absolutely wrong with me. I'm becoming way too paranoid these days," she said in a whispered tone.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nothing. I just thought that you weren't behind me. See, I am overthinking things."

"Don't worry, I'll always be there for you, I promise."

They were distracted as another wave of warmness hit their worn souls.

Elizabeth walked towards the source of the heavenly smell, with Annie following behind. They had reached a kitchen-like room.

Elizabeth let her hands roam against the wall. Her hands finally reached a tiny pull handle. She let it pushed it in upwards direction.

Dim light flooded the room as the orange bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered, opening and closing vigorously. The illuminating orange rays hit the wall, making them appear like walls of flames dancing in midnight.

The reflection was thrown on the black counters where the coffee maker sat patiently, waiting for someone to make some use out of it.

[Annie limped her way towards the door attached beside the counter. She let it open as she entered the huge mast of darkness. As she placed her hand on the wall for support, her hand found the light switch. She let the switch slide up.

Bright flicking light filled the cramped space inside the room as the bulb glowed in a bright shade of fiery orange.

Scattered files brilliantly sat on the old metal table filled with a hundred drawers containing files, papers sticking out of the surface placed in between. Two chairs were sitting near it facing each other. The wall behind it was covered with pictures of various murder cases that had been taken in town, a web of threads branching them together.

Annie's mouth was wide open as she stared at the newly added pictures of the mutilated girls across the city.

Holding the two clean and warm coffee mugs in her hand, Elizabeth's feet carried her towards the door. Her face transformed into a mixture of confusion and distaste as she looked at Annie's back that was blocking her way.

Her body went rigid when she noticed the reason for Annie's sudden shift in behavior. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she stared at the webbed disgusting pictures.

Beads of sweat started to form around her hands. The mugs clashed with the floor as they slipped out of her fingers, spilling the boiling liquid on Annie's legs.

Annie fell down on the floor from the burning sensation. A painful moan escaped her lips as she held the back of her thighs.

Elizabeth hurriedly crouched down and helped Annie to stand up. She made Annie sit on the chair she had barely managed to pull out with her free hand.

A loud cry escaped Annie's plump lips as she held onto her legs.

Elizabeth tried to nurse Annie as she tore the lining of Annie's jeans from the knees.

"Ann, I'm so sorry. I..."

"It's okay. Umm... Liz... is there a washroom here? Could we search for it please?" she pleaded as she held her face in pain.

"Okay. Let's go. Would you be able to walk or do you need me to hold you?"

"No, I will walk myself."

Annie placed her petite hand on the back of the chair as she stood on her legs. The burning sensation had now ceased but the hot searing pain in her burned red flesh was still there.

Both of them walked through the kitchen. The pitch darkness greeted their vision as soon as they left the dimly lit kitchen.

After a few minutes of countless feeble walking, they reached a doorknob. Elizabeth turned it around and with Annie limping beside her, entered the room.

Elizabeth felt squishy liquid run down her bare arm, sending cold shivers in her warm skin. She shuddered as her eyes slowly moved upwards. This time, she felt the liquid fall on her forehead, and then her hand.

She brought her hand closer to her nose. The strong scent of iron nipped at her senses. A gag escaped her lips as she tried to wipe off the droplets from her hand and face.

Annie started at Elizabeth; who had been moving her hands absentmindedly in the air for a long time, confused at her strange behavior.

She soon felt something squishy on her face. She looked upwards where the liquid was dripping from.

The floorboards above them whispered and creaked, as more of that squishy, slippery and distasteful substance fell through the holes and empty spaces on the roof. The creaking grew louder as the pieces of wood snapped, the liquid falling on the girls getting thicker.

A loud snap reverberated in the air as the roof came crashing down in front of the girls. Their screams mixed with the devastation as they backed away. Annie ran back as far as possible, screaming.

Her back touched with something solid and pointy. She screamed more loudly as the old pointy thing harassed her from behind.

The dim light bulb suddenly came to life, flickering with the burning ambers growing proudly inside it.

A synchronized scream of pain and horror came from the girls' mouth as their hands flew to their mouths.

Elizabeth gulped, tears coming from her eyes as she saw the devastating view laid in front of her eyes.

There, in a pool of blood and vomit, was a stale body of a girl. The body had a knife passed through her heart.

Elizabeth turned around to run out, her hair falling on her sweaty, bloody face. A cry escaped her lips as she felt the cold blade pierce through her right ear. Blood spewed from the wound inflicted on her from nowhere.

Her own blood.

A moan came from her lips as her knees buckled down, with a soft thud, she collapsed on the slippery, wet, damp and dismal ground.

Annie rushed towards Elizabeth, covered in a distasteful shade of crimson from head to toe. She distracted her eyes from the body whose blood was now spilled over both her and Liz.

She held a shaking Liz in her hands, her own body trembled along with Liz. Tears escaped her own eyes as she saw Liz moan and thrash in her embrace, the knife still stuck in Liz's ear.

"Liz..." She whispered, her voice barely reaching her own ears.

"Liz," She said more firmly this time, "I...I am going.. to be taking this knife out... If I don't... remove it, you'll... catch an infection. Stay still... please."

Her voice croaked as she looked at Liz's face filled with an ugly mixture of blood and sweat. Dry blood stuck to her blonde hair.

Annie knew that Elizabeth's state perfectly reflected her own.

Liz silently blinked her eyes, too afraid to open her mouth as she struggled with words to find to describe her pain.

"It... it hurts," she mumbled as more tears flowed out from her eyes. She wiped her nose with her bloody hands and sobbed.

She winced, her mouth partly opened, creases decorating her forehead as she felt Annie's hand slide to the freezing metal.

With one gentle squeeze, Annie pulled the knife out in a quick move. Elizabeth flinched and let out a cry.

She kept crying as more blood spilled from her ear. Her sobs died down as a few minutes passed away in Annie's warm, red embrace.

Annie choked and gulped as she saw Elizabeth quiet down. The blood from Liz's ear was a waterfall in its own, not expecting to stop at any moment.

She needed to do something before it was too late.

"Liz I am going to bring the first aid kit from the car. Wait here...and don't... I repeat...don't close your eyes no matter what happens."

Annie got up from the floor as she unfolded her legs. The ground seemed to stir as she drunkenly made her exit through the door.

Elizabeth perceived the sound of the door closing with a soft bang.

Ann left her, alone.

Elizabeth sat silently surrounded by a pool liquid of crimson, her clothes splattered and stained by her blood, her blonde hair soaked with a mixture of dried crimson red as she remembered the knife that appeared so quickly from within the darkness filling her with terror from within the washroom which was only dimly lit from the kitchen and the dampness of water droplets thick with the smell of iron.

From the sharp pain of a knife piercing her right ear, to the warmish, hot blood spilling endlessly to what appeared never-ending. Then lying on the cold floor was the sight of a girl's body decapitated. It all seemed like a nightmare. Maybe if she only closed her eyes, it all would disappear and she could finally wake up from this hellish nightmare and find herself home knowing it nothing but a bad dream.

Her eyes slowly started losing sight as her blinking pace slowed down.

Her eyes flew open as Annie's loud shriek started to echo down the warehouse. Annie burst in through the room as her face came into view.

Even though Annie's whole face was covered, Elizabeth didn't fail to notice the gash running through Annie's cheeks.

"Liz..run..she..she..is here," She said, out of breath

Annie's knees buckle down as they start losing weight, her bones started crushing under each other as she slowly collapsed on the floor.

Elizabeth's eyes widened, a sweat of trickle ran down her forehead, her hair now dried tickling with blood. On wobbly feet, she got up at a rushed pace, falling once again on her knees.

She dragged herself out of the room with the help of four limbs. As she burst out of the door she slowly got on her feet, running outside, her feet making weird noises as they tapped on the floorboards.

Elizabeth put a hand on her head; covering her huge dent placed in her head, where fresh blood was gushing out through her hair making them damp once again.

Crimson coated her vision as the blood stuck at her long lashes, contrasting with the black in them.

Elizabeth's eyes eventually closed on their own; as she stirrer momentarily. Dark red covered her vision, with a hand placed on her head, she collapsed to the side.

Her eyes started to open slowly, her eyebrows creased, a premature swell set on her angelic red face.

All the blood had dried up, her dry hair sticking out of her face and ground, her clothes stuck tightly to her body like bodycon.

The surroundings turned into one scenic void; the colors of the darkness and deceit micing together to make a peaceful tapestry of screams and pain that was scaring to squeeze out of her pulsated veins as she blinked her eyes rapidly.

The obscure spots around her perception cleared away as she slowly dangled up from the dark flooring. With a hand put on her head and the other on the passageway of the foreboding alley, she pulled herself to sit.

Her eyes zoomed in as they focused on the hazy figure with long dark hair blowing back and forth as the soft wind buzzed down the alley.

Her own breath hitched when she felt the wind gently tickling her neck, sending a quiver through her body.

"Our little princess is finally awake," a womanly voice blooms while cackling loudly.

A voice she recognized well enough since forever.

"Wh...why?" she cracks, a fresh tear escaping her dark circled pieces of her sight.

The woman stifled a laugh at the silly question of her destined victim.

"You know why," The lady whispered in a low voice, her hair falling in front of her, covering her face as she lowered her face towards Elizabeth. The gash was still prominent on her evil face.

"All my life, I've been told how unworthy and useless I am. How I am nothing compared to you, or Marina, or June. You're more beautiful than me, Marina was kinder than me and June was smarter than me. I've been compared with almost every girl in the town and you know what Liz? It doesn't feel good at all."

Annie says as she looks at Elizabeth with a wicked grin plastered on her face.

"I...how...did?"

"How did I manage to do all this? You see Liz, it was all very easy, too easy if you ask me. You had given me a spare key to your house two years ago so entering and leaving your house on my will wasn't a problem at all.

"As for the others, yes, I killed them. I killed them all because they were better than me, much better. Don't worry though, I'll make your death very special since you're my best friend.

"This time, even that detective friend of yours won't be able to save you because he is too busy pulling off the case close and grieving over poor Aunt Edna."

Elizabeth stared at Annie with petrified blue eyes. She opened her mouth but closed it once again.

"I...did you, kill my mother?" she asked, hate gleaming in her crystal eyes as she stared at the traitor, anger set on her red lips.

Annie sighs as she intently dozed off while staring at the foggy atmosphere, the wind playing with her long dark hair.

"I never wanted Aunt Edna to die. I didn't even know you had a father but I am kind of glad he killed Aunt Edna. It made my plan much easier."

Tears dotted Elizabeth's wide round eyes. She blinked rapidly as the tears threatened to spill from the ravaged action of misery and hurt.

She took in a deep breath, the tears lurking in the shadows of those dark droopy bags surrounding her eyes.
She let her eyelids blink back to darkness, her lips curled upwards, despite the lump building in her scratchy throat.

Annie moved her hand to her jeans back pocket and pulled out the strange metal had been resting there. She held it as if it were light fur.

The metal gleamed in the dark as Annie moved forward towards Elizabeth, her footsteps reverberating in the alley.

Bending down towards the ground, her fierce eyes met Elizabeth's dark closed ones.

"You asked me once to complete your story without realizing that you gave me permission to end it myself. This is the end, Liz, the end that you wanted, the end you craved for," she whispered in Elizabeth's ears, her long hair brushing Elizabeth's cheeks.

Annie's grip on the gleaming, polished metal tightened. She traveled it lightly over Elizabeth's legs, careful to not hurt her.

The knife moved across Elizabeth's bare arms, tilting towards her chest.

Annie's knuckles turned white as she let out a shaky smile.

The knife plunged into Elizabeth's heavily breathing chest. Her breathing ceased as her lips parted slightly, her eyes wide open.

Blood gushed out from the gleaming weapon, inking Annie's hand

Elizabeth's blood.

The watery feeling tickled her legs as she felt the blood spreading further on her legs. The warmth returned to her body as the crimson liquid splashed on her face.

Annie jerked away from the knife, a tear escaping her eyes. Shaking violently, she got onto her feet and looked at Elizabeth's disheveled-haired wide-eyed, terrified corpse lying on the floor.

She had killed Liz. It was her fault.

She gulped the bile rising in her throat.

She had won.

Annie's hair hit her face as she turned around. Her feet paddocked the asphalt as she frantically tried to make a distance between her and Liz.

The screeching loud metal echoed in the air as Annie's legs forced stop, her feet unmoving and rigid. Quivering like a sick person left out in the cold with her chapped lips opened, her lashes fluttered down to her stomach. Blood came out from the small hole in her stomach where the small bullet had just pierced her skin.

She felt it all. The way her tissues contracted as they tore apart, the bundle of the nerves breaking away as the bullet twisted and turned inside her skin. Her organs betraying her as they paused their work. The way her heart slowly deadened, her chest rising and falling, the motion getting slower by each second.

Her hands touched her belly trying to lighten the pain of the metal ripping at her flesh.

Her knees gave away as she collapsed on the floor, her blood-stained hands were set at weird angles, blood spilling from her stomach where the cold metal had destroyed the flesh.

In the far corner of the alley Detective Ricosta was standing, the gun sticking out of his hands.

He had seen that dark figurine fall on the ground after he had fired the shot. It was so dark that he was barely able to make out the girl's face except for her long dark hair.

It was not Elizabeth.

He knew something was wrong with the moment he got the strange text from her saying goodbye.

Detective Mary was standing by his side, trying to tell him something but he was too busy searching for Elizabeth to listen to her words.

He ran towards the girl he had just shot. He switched on the flashlight of his phone. A surprised expression marked his face as he saw himself standing next to none other than Annie herself.

The sweet girl Elizabeth had befriended.

"Alex!" bellowed Detective Mary in horror.

He looked around in the dark. Squinting his eyes, he noticed Mary standing farther away, holding her own mobile, it's light flashing violently on him.

He ran towards her, Detective Mary diverted the flashlight to the ground. A gasp escaped his lips as he stared at the seventeen-year-old girl whose wide blue eyes and golden hair didn't fail to make his heart beat faster.

She still looked so beautiful.

Detective Mary called the whole team to come as soon as possible while Detective Alex was unable to do anything but stare at the innocent girl.

He was remembered of her words at the meadow.

"Don't worry about me, detective. My fate is already decided. Think of yours rather," She had said in her honey-like voice.

How could have she not know that he had chosen her as his fate already?

He closed his eyes as he zoned out, trying to deafen the sound of heavy footsteps and police sirens.

Alex rummaged through his chest, trying to find something to wear. He picked up a white shirt. The sound of something light weighted as it fell on the floor was almost negligible as the enveloped paper fell on his toes.

He looked down at the enveloped letter.

Elizabeth's letter.

A sense of nostalgia and regret filled his mind as he bent down to pick up the letter.

Elizabeth had asked him to not open the letter until she told him to, but now that she was gone, there was nothing holding him back from opening it.

He took out the folded piece of paper from the torn envelope attached with another piece of paper. With much creasing of his eyebrows, he slowly unfolded the paper.

His gaze went to the inked words written in an overly graceful manner. He read the letter, again and again, unable to believe his eyes.

He gripped the frame of his bed. Crumpled was now the paper as he threw it on the floor.

Elizabeth did not just unravel a secret among those pages, she had managed to write a truth hidden amongst the mist he had failed to disown in the case he wanted so badly to solve.

In the far corner of the tiled bathroom of Elizabeth's room, lied a dustbin. There, inside the dustbin, laid a curtain, its blood bold red letters shining inside the thin black sheet.

Dreams are not what you say they are.

4576 words

***

Question Time

Q.1 Elizabeth is dead. Could you believe it?

Q.2 Annie was the killer. Did you expect it to be her?

Q.3 How did you liked the ending?

Q.4 What do you think was in that letter?

Q.5 Is the letter of any great importance? What are your thoughts about Alex?

Author's Note

I'm so happy and sad at the sad time. The book is coming to an end. I'm thankful to all you readers who have followed this book. I know this chapter was a bit long, but I believe that it was worth it.

Stay tuned for the epilogue!