Chapter 8 Two Hundred and Sixteen Miracles
Beth and Morgan took their seats in the lobby as a reporter started talking about the man who had attacked Beth in the bathroom. Her voice could be heard through the open door as they carried his body out.
"Elizabeth Michaels, a survivor of today's earlier gas station explosion was attacked today in the police station bathroom by the man who has been labeled as Jacob Moore. Moore was a suspect in an earlier rape case in the city and had disappeared from his home earlier today. The irony of it all is that he sat in the police station for what the office workers said was two hours and claimed he was waiting for someone upstairs. Elizabeth shortly after saved her friend Morgan Greene from a falling light fixture. Both refused to be interviewed," the reporter said.
Beth looked at Morgan.
"We're getting more attention now," Beth said.
"Do you think they've connected it yet, that this could be like the Clear River's case," Morgan asked.
"I highly doubt it, I mean the police didn't notice a sex offender in their midst – the reporters can't be that much more intelligent," Beth answered.
"Do you think," Morgan started.
"What," Beth asked.
"Nothing, it's a crazy thought," Morgan answered.
"The situation's crazy Morgan," Beth said.
"Well, do you think we were supposed to be brought here. Everything falls into place with us coming here, had the man not attacked you the lights wouldn't have flashed. I mean everything falls into place a little too easily," Morgan said.
"I hadn't thought of that… but, maybe," Beth started.
The elevator doors opened and out walked the familiar looking officer Chase.
"Maybe you should try a little harder to stay out of the way of danger," he said.
"We've been here for an hour, the desk clerk wouldn't let us come up to your office and then," Morgan started.
"And then death took over," he said.
"Yeah, wait how did you know," Beth asked.
"The whole office heard about the accident, but the truth of the matter is it was no accident," he said.
"No shit Sherlock we figured that out on our own," Morgan said.
"Well what did you come here for then," he asked.
"Morgan thinks that maybe the others are in danger too and that maybe you can help us find them so we can save them too," Beth said.
"Come up to my office, we keep all the paperwork on the incident up there," he said.
The three walked to the elevator. Beth and Officer Chase stepped in easily while Morgan looked at it for a moment.
"Afraid," he asked.
"You can't be too careful, Clear thought she was safe too when she died," Morgan said.
Beth looked at Morgan. The morbid statement she had just made set her at unease with herself and the situation. Beth remembered hearing about it on the news and shows like Dateline. Clear thought they were safe when a woman gave birth to her baby and she went to see another person in the hospital. An oxygen leak had occurred in the room and when she opened the door a cord got pulled. The little spark incinerated her and the other occupant.
Morgan finally walked in setting Beth's mind at ease for a moment but she couldn't help but think that so many people had died, would they ever be safe? Would they ever be able to have a normal life?
The elevator doors slid shut and the elevator went up opening at the third floor. The three walked out the elevator and down the white walled hallway. At the first door on their left was the familiar sitting room and the doorway that led to Chase's office, but rather than going into his office they continued down the hall and into the next door down which led to a large room with computers and officers. The murmuring, their words, filled the room with white noise.
Chase led them across the room and over to a computer which already had a newspaper article on it.
"You want the names," he asked taking a seat in front of it.
"Yeah, it would help," Morgan said looking at Beth who nodded in approval.
"Alright, here goes," he started.
The names were listed off in alphabetical order. Chris Cutler, the man in the car driving, Diana Douglas, the elderly woman, Aisha her husband Bryan and their daughter Toni Jackson, Michael Jacobs the man in the car, and Mallory McDermott were the only people besides Morgan and Beth who had survived.
"You think they're in danger," he asked.
"I know they're in danger. We were the last people who were going to die in my vision, Beth was the first to go and there was a car thing… a detour and she tried to kill herself but we evaded it. Then there was me downstairs with the light but the radio and Beth was attacked… I don't know how to explain it," Morgan said.
"There were signs, they weren't obvious but they were there. Songs, electrical faults, things no one would think of but they were there," Beth said.
Officer Chase laughed. Beth and Morgan looked at him sickened.
"What the fuck is so funny," Morgan yelled.
"You believed me didn't you, about that Clear Rivers case," he laughed.
"I don't understand, you told me that and it helped me," Morgan said.
"Look the Clear Rivers case is a crock of shit. They saw a vision and they all died of accidents. Even the crime scenes came up as accidents. Do you need explanations," he said sarcastically.
"There were signs! Alex saw a bus in the window when Terry got hit," she said.
"Buses pass by that street on the hour. Terry was fuming at her boyfriend and Alex and then she backed into the street yelling. A bus was coming down the street, there was brake failure, it couldn't stop and she was just in the way," he explained.
"No… no! This is real! This happened to us," Beth said.
Morgan finally noticed why Beth was holding so tightly to this explanation. It was the only thing that made sense to her. She had cheated on Peter to pass a class earlier in the year while he had remained faithful. He had worked hard his whole life and yet she survived. The girl who had sinned, the girl who had passed up true love to pass a class so she could go into a good school. This explanation gave her a reason to continue, and not think that she had killed them.
"Who else? Alex? Clear? Cat? Who do you want to know about, there are explanations – logical explanations to all of them," he said.
Morgan looked at him.
"I've gotten all I wanted here," she said.
She turned and started out the door followed by Beth. He stood up in the background.
"Do you think anyone will believe you," he yelled.
Morgan turned.
"They believed me before. They believed me when I saved them," she said.
Beth approached her and touched her hand looking back at Officer Chase. Their beacon of hope, he was supposed to help them – he was supposed to help all of them and now he treated them as if they were psychotic.
"You stupid little girl. You just want something to believe in – a reason for you to wake up in the morning, a reason for you to keep going. You want them to look up to you – so maybe you saw something and you did save them. You want to know why I called you back into my office. You and your friend are pretty little numbers and you're desperate," he said.
"You sick bastard," Beth screamed.
Beth's voice silenced the room and she dove towards the officer. She grabbed a gun off the table and pointed it at him.
"Shoot," Officer Chase yelled.
"No," Morgan screamed.
The officers pulled out their guns and fired. Morgan closed her eyes and looked away. There were clicks from around the room. Hundreds of clicks at Beth pointed the gun at the officer. Point blank range she stared him in the eye.
Sometimes there are miracles. Eighteen officers were in the room armed with full pistols. They fired until the gun stopped firing and just locked up and through it all Beth stood fearlessly in front of Officer Chase pointing the gun tears running down her face.
Eighteen guns…
Twelve bullets in each…
"Do you believe me now," Beth said.
Beth and Morgan took their seats in the lobby as a reporter started talking about the man who had attacked Beth in the bathroom. Her voice could be heard through the open door as they carried his body out.
"Elizabeth Michaels, a survivor of today's earlier gas station explosion was attacked today in the police station bathroom by the man who has been labeled as Jacob Moore. Moore was a suspect in an earlier rape case in the city and had disappeared from his home earlier today. The irony of it all is that he sat in the police station for what the office workers said was two hours and claimed he was waiting for someone upstairs. Elizabeth shortly after saved her friend Morgan Greene from a falling light fixture. Both refused to be interviewed," the reporter said.
Beth looked at Morgan.
"We're getting more attention now," Beth said.
"Do you think they've connected it yet, that this could be like the Clear River's case," Morgan asked.
"I highly doubt it, I mean the police didn't notice a sex offender in their midst – the reporters can't be that much more intelligent," Beth answered.
"Do you think," Morgan started.
"What," Beth asked.
"Nothing, it's a crazy thought," Morgan answered.
"The situation's crazy Morgan," Beth said.
"Well, do you think we were supposed to be brought here. Everything falls into place with us coming here, had the man not attacked you the lights wouldn't have flashed. I mean everything falls into place a little too easily," Morgan said.
"I hadn't thought of that… but, maybe," Beth started.
The elevator doors opened and out walked the familiar looking officer Chase.
"Maybe you should try a little harder to stay out of the way of danger," he said.
"We've been here for an hour, the desk clerk wouldn't let us come up to your office and then," Morgan started.
"And then death took over," he said.
"Yeah, wait how did you know," Beth asked.
"The whole office heard about the accident, but the truth of the matter is it was no accident," he said.
"No shit Sherlock we figured that out on our own," Morgan said.
"Well what did you come here for then," he asked.
"Morgan thinks that maybe the others are in danger too and that maybe you can help us find them so we can save them too," Beth said.
"Come up to my office, we keep all the paperwork on the incident up there," he said.
The three walked to the elevator. Beth and Officer Chase stepped in easily while Morgan looked at it for a moment.
"Afraid," he asked.
"You can't be too careful, Clear thought she was safe too when she died," Morgan said.
Beth looked at Morgan. The morbid statement she had just made set her at unease with herself and the situation. Beth remembered hearing about it on the news and shows like Dateline. Clear thought they were safe when a woman gave birth to her baby and she went to see another person in the hospital. An oxygen leak had occurred in the room and when she opened the door a cord got pulled. The little spark incinerated her and the other occupant.
Morgan finally walked in setting Beth's mind at ease for a moment but she couldn't help but think that so many people had died, would they ever be safe? Would they ever be able to have a normal life?
The elevator doors slid shut and the elevator went up opening at the third floor. The three walked out the elevator and down the white walled hallway. At the first door on their left was the familiar sitting room and the doorway that led to Chase's office, but rather than going into his office they continued down the hall and into the next door down which led to a large room with computers and officers. The murmuring, their words, filled the room with white noise.
Chase led them across the room and over to a computer which already had a newspaper article on it.
"You want the names," he asked taking a seat in front of it.
"Yeah, it would help," Morgan said looking at Beth who nodded in approval.
"Alright, here goes," he started.
The names were listed off in alphabetical order. Chris Cutler, the man in the car driving, Diana Douglas, the elderly woman, Aisha her husband Bryan and their daughter Toni Jackson, Michael Jacobs the man in the car, and Mallory McDermott were the only people besides Morgan and Beth who had survived.
"You think they're in danger," he asked.
"I know they're in danger. We were the last people who were going to die in my vision, Beth was the first to go and there was a car thing… a detour and she tried to kill herself but we evaded it. Then there was me downstairs with the light but the radio and Beth was attacked… I don't know how to explain it," Morgan said.
"There were signs, they weren't obvious but they were there. Songs, electrical faults, things no one would think of but they were there," Beth said.
Officer Chase laughed. Beth and Morgan looked at him sickened.
"What the fuck is so funny," Morgan yelled.
"You believed me didn't you, about that Clear Rivers case," he laughed.
"I don't understand, you told me that and it helped me," Morgan said.
"Look the Clear Rivers case is a crock of shit. They saw a vision and they all died of accidents. Even the crime scenes came up as accidents. Do you need explanations," he said sarcastically.
"There were signs! Alex saw a bus in the window when Terry got hit," she said.
"Buses pass by that street on the hour. Terry was fuming at her boyfriend and Alex and then she backed into the street yelling. A bus was coming down the street, there was brake failure, it couldn't stop and she was just in the way," he explained.
"No… no! This is real! This happened to us," Beth said.
Morgan finally noticed why Beth was holding so tightly to this explanation. It was the only thing that made sense to her. She had cheated on Peter to pass a class earlier in the year while he had remained faithful. He had worked hard his whole life and yet she survived. The girl who had sinned, the girl who had passed up true love to pass a class so she could go into a good school. This explanation gave her a reason to continue, and not think that she had killed them.
"Who else? Alex? Clear? Cat? Who do you want to know about, there are explanations – logical explanations to all of them," he said.
Morgan looked at him.
"I've gotten all I wanted here," she said.
She turned and started out the door followed by Beth. He stood up in the background.
"Do you think anyone will believe you," he yelled.
Morgan turned.
"They believed me before. They believed me when I saved them," she said.
Beth approached her and touched her hand looking back at Officer Chase. Their beacon of hope, he was supposed to help them – he was supposed to help all of them and now he treated them as if they were psychotic.
"You stupid little girl. You just want something to believe in – a reason for you to wake up in the morning, a reason for you to keep going. You want them to look up to you – so maybe you saw something and you did save them. You want to know why I called you back into my office. You and your friend are pretty little numbers and you're desperate," he said.
"You sick bastard," Beth screamed.
Beth's voice silenced the room and she dove towards the officer. She grabbed a gun off the table and pointed it at him.
"Shoot," Officer Chase yelled.
"No," Morgan screamed.
The officers pulled out their guns and fired. Morgan closed her eyes and looked away. There were clicks from around the room. Hundreds of clicks at Beth pointed the gun at the officer. Point blank range she stared him in the eye.
Sometimes there are miracles. Eighteen officers were in the room armed with full pistols. They fired until the gun stopped firing and just locked up and through it all Beth stood fearlessly in front of Officer Chase pointing the gun tears running down her face.
Eighteen guns…
Twelve bullets in each…
"Do you believe me now," Beth said.