Chapter 7 Shocker
It was dark by the time the girls had reached the police station. The tall three story brick building loomed over them and seemed to disappear into the dark foggy sky. Lights were on and men were walking through, a police car sped out with it's alarm blaring and covered the car in flashes of red and blue.
Beth had remained silent since her suicide attempt on the bridge. Morgan hadn't started talking to her – realizing that Morgan was having a hard time dealing with things on her own, dealing with her sanity. Morgan and Beth had switched seats after leaving the bridge and Beth had been lulled to sleep by the pit pat of raindrops and the light 'oldies' music harmoniously seeping through the speakers.
The rain had stopped however when the girls got off the detour and continued down the highway. The cars seemed empty and lifeless, the whole perception of the rest of their trip was dreadfully dismal. There was no hope to be found anywhere, no laughable signs, no road stops, just headlights and tail lights, break lights and signal lights. An endless road leading to their final destination.
'Have we avoided death,' Morgan thought.
The signs had all pointed to Beth's attempt at killing herself and Morgan in the process, but would death count that as two attempted murders or one – and would Morgan be skipped or be sacrificed to complete Death's plan.
Morgan rubbed Beth's soldier. Her eyes opened and she looked over at Morgan.
"For a second, I thought it was all a dream," she said quietly.
Morgan sighed, inside wishing it was a dream. Wishing they were in Florida at that moment, at the night clubs, at the hotel, partying, living only for that feeling of today. Now they were fighting for a future.
"Are you gonna come in," Morgan asked.
"I don't have a choice, you wouldn't trust me alone in here anyway," Beth said.
"You got me there, come on," Morgan said.
Leaving the car, Morgan walked to help Beth to her feet. Beth fixed her hair to make herself look more presentable, and not the nervous wreck she actually was.
Inside the atmosphere was different from outside. Rather than the dark and imposing night it was rather bright and sterile, the atmosphere change wasn't much for the better but it seemed to take a little pressure off the race against time situation they were in.
The entrance room was large and open. A man sat in a chair waiting for something and bleeding a little from the corner of his mouth. Adjacent from him was the desk where an older stocky man with a blue shirt and a stern gaze sat. Morgan walked over and indicated for Beth to sit down. Beth took a seat far away from the bleeding man as Morgan approached the desk.
"Excuse me," Morgan said smiling.
The man had watched them come in, and there was no other noise in the room yet he acted as though she wasn't there.
"Hello, sir," Morgan said.
The man looked up at her.
"Waddya want," he said.
"Hi, I know it's late but my friend and I – we were in the accident at the gas station a few miles down the road and we were wondering if officer Harold Chase was still in the building, I believe he was an officer on the case," Morgan said.
The man looked down at a schedule and looked back up.
"Yeah, he is," he answered.
"May we, my friend Beth and I, please see him," she asked.
"Do you have information pertaining to the case," he asked.
"Well, we believe we do but it's more of something that we would like to ask him," Morgan replied.
"So you have information," he said.
"Yes," Morgan answered.
"Take a form, fill it out, and we'll get back to you in two to three weeks," he answered.
"Two to three weeks is too late," she said.
The man looked at her and handed her a form.
"I don't want a form, I need to talk to officer Chase now. This could save a lot of people's lives," Morgan said.
Beth got up from her seat and walked over to the desk with Morgan.
"Excuse me, do you have a rest room," Beth asked.
"Over there," he said pointing at a door at the end of the desk.
"Thankyou," Beth said walking over.
Morgan looked at Beth.
"You gonna be okay," Morgan asked.
"Yeah, you just wait for me if you go anywhere," Beth said.
"She won't be going anywhere until she fills out a form," the man said.
Morgan looked at the man and they started arguing. Beth walked down the desk, rubbing her hand against the desk. The lights flickered and she turned to look at Morgan. The light above her flickered twice before returning to normal. Beth brushed it off as nothing and continued down to the door.
It opened easily with a burst of cool air and some mellow music. Beth walked over to the sink and turned on the water washing her hands. She looked at herself in the mirror.
'I was so happy,' Beth thought.
The door slammed open and in walked the bleeding man. His hand wrapped around Beth's neck and held her tightly. Beth screamed and started kicking and attacking him.
"Stop it, stop it, it's easier if you're calm," he said.
"Let go of me you bastard," Beth screamed.
She reached around, her hand smashed the mirror. Shards of glass fell into the sink.
"Shut up, shut up and I won't hurt you," he said.
Beth reached into the sink and pulled out a shard of glass. She swung around and nailed him in the neck. His hand flung up and hit the light hard, it sunk from the tiles and fell in a little bit caught by cables. The lights flickered again.
The bleeding man fell to the ground. The light flickered, the music blasted. Alicia Keys.
"I keep on falling," the radio blared static.
"You bitch," he gurgled.
"In… you," the radio screamed.
The lights flickered. Beth put it together, and bolted for the door. The lights in the lobby flickered on and off. She ran down towards the desk. Morgan and the man looked around. The light above her flashed in a bolt of electricity. The glass cracked.
"Morgan look out," Beth screamed.
Morgan finally saw her in another flash of light. The light above her burst again with an electrical snap. Beth jumped with her arms outstretched. The light flashed again, pieces of glass fell, Beth's arms shoved Morgan and in a shower of blue sparks the two fell across the room. In darkness the sparks hit the ground followed by the light, smashing into the tiles, the wires snapped and flung about wildly almost alive.
The man at the desk stepped back. Morgan looked up as the wires dangled alive, reaching out for her. Beth rolled over onto her back and looked at the ground. The light had fallen fast, impaling itself into the linoleum floor. It glowed a hot and fiery red.
"Get back! Get back," the man at the desk yelled.
Morgan got to her feet followed by Beth as they watched the wires fling themselves toward Morgan. Beth grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way as one of the wires pulled itself further from the ceiling and slapped the wall sending out a burst of sparks and singing the white cement bricks.
Beth and Morgan backed into the far corner. The wires dangled and slowly fell, devoid of life but still sizzling and occasionally sending out sparks and showers of glowing embers.
The lights came on normally and the stereo came back on to it's normal lull.
"How did you know," Morgan asked.
"The lights flashed… the song in the bathroom, I was attacked and he hit the light and it showered down and then the electricity and…," Beth said shocked.
"It should have skipped me… I was in the car with you… it would have killed us both," Morgan said.
"No it wouldn't," Beth said.
Morgan looked at her.
"I wasn't going to kill you Morgan. I was just going to end it for me, driving over to the edge and leaping but you pulled the car out of control and I gave up," Beth said.
The bathroom door opened and a man bleeding profusely out of his neck emerged. He walked over towards Beth and then fell lifelessly to the ground as the man at his desk returned.
"What happened," he asked.
Morgan looked at Beth and looked back at the man.
"That's why we have to see officer Harold Chase," Morgan said slyly.
It was dark by the time the girls had reached the police station. The tall three story brick building loomed over them and seemed to disappear into the dark foggy sky. Lights were on and men were walking through, a police car sped out with it's alarm blaring and covered the car in flashes of red and blue.
Beth had remained silent since her suicide attempt on the bridge. Morgan hadn't started talking to her – realizing that Morgan was having a hard time dealing with things on her own, dealing with her sanity. Morgan and Beth had switched seats after leaving the bridge and Beth had been lulled to sleep by the pit pat of raindrops and the light 'oldies' music harmoniously seeping through the speakers.
The rain had stopped however when the girls got off the detour and continued down the highway. The cars seemed empty and lifeless, the whole perception of the rest of their trip was dreadfully dismal. There was no hope to be found anywhere, no laughable signs, no road stops, just headlights and tail lights, break lights and signal lights. An endless road leading to their final destination.
'Have we avoided death,' Morgan thought.
The signs had all pointed to Beth's attempt at killing herself and Morgan in the process, but would death count that as two attempted murders or one – and would Morgan be skipped or be sacrificed to complete Death's plan.
Morgan rubbed Beth's soldier. Her eyes opened and she looked over at Morgan.
"For a second, I thought it was all a dream," she said quietly.
Morgan sighed, inside wishing it was a dream. Wishing they were in Florida at that moment, at the night clubs, at the hotel, partying, living only for that feeling of today. Now they were fighting for a future.
"Are you gonna come in," Morgan asked.
"I don't have a choice, you wouldn't trust me alone in here anyway," Beth said.
"You got me there, come on," Morgan said.
Leaving the car, Morgan walked to help Beth to her feet. Beth fixed her hair to make herself look more presentable, and not the nervous wreck she actually was.
Inside the atmosphere was different from outside. Rather than the dark and imposing night it was rather bright and sterile, the atmosphere change wasn't much for the better but it seemed to take a little pressure off the race against time situation they were in.
The entrance room was large and open. A man sat in a chair waiting for something and bleeding a little from the corner of his mouth. Adjacent from him was the desk where an older stocky man with a blue shirt and a stern gaze sat. Morgan walked over and indicated for Beth to sit down. Beth took a seat far away from the bleeding man as Morgan approached the desk.
"Excuse me," Morgan said smiling.
The man had watched them come in, and there was no other noise in the room yet he acted as though she wasn't there.
"Hello, sir," Morgan said.
The man looked up at her.
"Waddya want," he said.
"Hi, I know it's late but my friend and I – we were in the accident at the gas station a few miles down the road and we were wondering if officer Harold Chase was still in the building, I believe he was an officer on the case," Morgan said.
The man looked down at a schedule and looked back up.
"Yeah, he is," he answered.
"May we, my friend Beth and I, please see him," she asked.
"Do you have information pertaining to the case," he asked.
"Well, we believe we do but it's more of something that we would like to ask him," Morgan replied.
"So you have information," he said.
"Yes," Morgan answered.
"Take a form, fill it out, and we'll get back to you in two to three weeks," he answered.
"Two to three weeks is too late," she said.
The man looked at her and handed her a form.
"I don't want a form, I need to talk to officer Chase now. This could save a lot of people's lives," Morgan said.
Beth got up from her seat and walked over to the desk with Morgan.
"Excuse me, do you have a rest room," Beth asked.
"Over there," he said pointing at a door at the end of the desk.
"Thankyou," Beth said walking over.
Morgan looked at Beth.
"You gonna be okay," Morgan asked.
"Yeah, you just wait for me if you go anywhere," Beth said.
"She won't be going anywhere until she fills out a form," the man said.
Morgan looked at the man and they started arguing. Beth walked down the desk, rubbing her hand against the desk. The lights flickered and she turned to look at Morgan. The light above her flickered twice before returning to normal. Beth brushed it off as nothing and continued down to the door.
It opened easily with a burst of cool air and some mellow music. Beth walked over to the sink and turned on the water washing her hands. She looked at herself in the mirror.
'I was so happy,' Beth thought.
The door slammed open and in walked the bleeding man. His hand wrapped around Beth's neck and held her tightly. Beth screamed and started kicking and attacking him.
"Stop it, stop it, it's easier if you're calm," he said.
"Let go of me you bastard," Beth screamed.
She reached around, her hand smashed the mirror. Shards of glass fell into the sink.
"Shut up, shut up and I won't hurt you," he said.
Beth reached into the sink and pulled out a shard of glass. She swung around and nailed him in the neck. His hand flung up and hit the light hard, it sunk from the tiles and fell in a little bit caught by cables. The lights flickered again.
The bleeding man fell to the ground. The light flickered, the music blasted. Alicia Keys.
"I keep on falling," the radio blared static.
"You bitch," he gurgled.
"In… you," the radio screamed.
The lights flickered. Beth put it together, and bolted for the door. The lights in the lobby flickered on and off. She ran down towards the desk. Morgan and the man looked around. The light above her flashed in a bolt of electricity. The glass cracked.
"Morgan look out," Beth screamed.
Morgan finally saw her in another flash of light. The light above her burst again with an electrical snap. Beth jumped with her arms outstretched. The light flashed again, pieces of glass fell, Beth's arms shoved Morgan and in a shower of blue sparks the two fell across the room. In darkness the sparks hit the ground followed by the light, smashing into the tiles, the wires snapped and flung about wildly almost alive.
The man at the desk stepped back. Morgan looked up as the wires dangled alive, reaching out for her. Beth rolled over onto her back and looked at the ground. The light had fallen fast, impaling itself into the linoleum floor. It glowed a hot and fiery red.
"Get back! Get back," the man at the desk yelled.
Morgan got to her feet followed by Beth as they watched the wires fling themselves toward Morgan. Beth grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way as one of the wires pulled itself further from the ceiling and slapped the wall sending out a burst of sparks and singing the white cement bricks.
Beth and Morgan backed into the far corner. The wires dangled and slowly fell, devoid of life but still sizzling and occasionally sending out sparks and showers of glowing embers.
The lights came on normally and the stereo came back on to it's normal lull.
"How did you know," Morgan asked.
"The lights flashed… the song in the bathroom, I was attacked and he hit the light and it showered down and then the electricity and…," Beth said shocked.
"It should have skipped me… I was in the car with you… it would have killed us both," Morgan said.
"No it wouldn't," Beth said.
Morgan looked at her.
"I wasn't going to kill you Morgan. I was just going to end it for me, driving over to the edge and leaping but you pulled the car out of control and I gave up," Beth said.
The bathroom door opened and a man bleeding profusely out of his neck emerged. He walked over towards Beth and then fell lifelessly to the ground as the man at his desk returned.
"What happened," he asked.
Morgan looked at Beth and looked back at the man.
"That's why we have to see officer Harold Chase," Morgan said slyly.