See you at the bottom!
Previously…
You have two new messages, the woman's voice said. First message.
There were sounds of kept in sobs. "Vivienne?" It was Kristina's voice. She sounded like she was about to cry. "I… I found out about something. I remembered what happened! And if he knows that I know, he's going to kill me! I'm scared, Vivienne. I don't know what's going to happen to me! Vivienne… pick up the phone!" She was almost genuinely crying. "Where are you? Oh my god he's going to kill me. I don't want to die! I. Don't. Want. To. Die! Vivienne! Can you come over when you hear this? I don't want to be alone. I'm scared he's going to come and get me. Please come. Please, Vivienne! He's going to find out about what I know and he's going to come! Please!" The voicemail then ended with her choking sobs.
To erase the message, press seven. To reply to the message, press eight. To save it, press nine, the computerized voice said.
Vivienne was too shaken and scared to press anything. She was frozen, staring at nothing in horror. Kristina sounded so scared… she was even crying. Kristina never cried. And she was talking about him killing her? Suddenly, ice froze her heart and she felt chills up her spine. The last time she'd seen Darrion, he'd been saying the same thing – that he'd found out about something and he was going to die. It sounded like this was more like his case than anything. Finally, after the woman repeated her directions, Vivienne managed to press 9 to save.
Next message.
It was Kristina again. "Vivienne." She was gasping as if she were running and her voice still sounded like she was crying. "He found out already. And now he's going to come and get me. I'm taking money and some stuff and running away." A sob caught in her throat. "I'm going to go on a bus and stop somewhere. I'll try to stop at your house. If I don't, I'll go to some shop and hide out there. You have to wait for me." She started sobbing uncontrollably. "He's going to get me… he's going to fucking get me… Vivienne! Why aren't you picking up?" There were sounds like running footsteps. "Vivienne! He's close… I can feel it. Oh my god. I really don't want to fucking die! I'm too young to die… Please. Pick up the phone!" Her cries got louder. "Why did I have to remember? I don't want to… I shouldn't have remembered!" She suddenly gasped, and Vivienne's heart stopped. But she continued to talk after. "Vivienne, I need to tell you… if I don't live… I have to warn you. Listen to me. He's going to come after you after he kills me. You have to be careful. Shit, I can't even say his name out loud." She started hyperventilating. "I'm so sorry. But I'm scared that once I say his name, he'll appear right in front of me. I'm so sorry I can't tell you who…" Kristina's sobs made Vivienne cringe. They were so full of fear. "Oh my god… I can feel it. He's really close now. But I'm ready to go out… Fuck… You know what? I'm not even going to –" The sentence got cut off with a high-pitched scream that was filled with nothing but terror. It was the type of scream that someone lets out when they are faced with unimaginable horror, and they could do nothing but face it.
The scream went on for forever and ever until the message ended, with a sound of the phone dropping to the floor.
To erase the message, press seven. To reply to the message, press eight. To save it, press nine, the computerized voice said again, sounding strangely delighted.
Warmth in the Darkness, Chapter 14: Guilt. Enter Jeremy.
Vivienne's P.O.V
The phone slipped from Vivienne's fingers, landing on the bed beside her.
Kristina is dead.
And it's all her fault.
It was after dinner and she replayed the messages again. Vivienne lay onto her back, staring at the ceiling with an almost faraway look. If she didn't ignore Kristina's calls, then she could've been saved. She would be able to wear that black pencil skirt or whatever to the funeral and gush over how she should've worn the slutty dress after all.
If Vivienne didn't ignore her calls, Kristina could've gotten a ride to her house and stayed there. She could've been safe from whoever the guy is. Anything could've happened – anything that didn't result in her death. But now… her chest squeezed and she sucked in a big breath. Yet again, she searched for the tears she wanted to well up in her eyes, but she came at a loss. Where were they hiding? She needed them to release all the pressure … and the guilt inside her.
Vivienne rolled to her side, clutching her stomach. She closed her eyes and squeezed them tight, trying to cry. Yet no tears came. Her heart threatened to rip open in agony and never heal up again. But that was okay, of course. If it stopped beating, then she wouldn't have to face to pain of losing… losing two friends in three days. And she won't have to deal with her own problems anymore…
Sure, they weren't really the closest and best friends she got, but it made her realize how much she relied on them to be there. Now that they were gone, there were two gaps in herself, and there was nothing to fill it up again. As the shock of the new death faded, Vivienne was coloured with worry. So far, the killer has taken two of her friends' lives. With another death happen to another one of her friends? The thought of Penelope, Rachelle, Eliza, Tom, or Alex dying made her sick. Hell, even if Will or Keith died it would make her feel uncomfortable.
Gradually, she was touched with a crawling fear. In the second message she's gotten, Kristina said that the killer would come after her after she died. And now that Kristina's dead… when will he come to kill her? Vivienne shivered. Kristina was probably too messed up to think right. Her "warning" probably didn't mean anything.
Vivienne was suddenly hit with her own stupidity and she sat up. She should try calling Kristina herself. As she shakily pressed the numbers, she prayed to God that Kristina would pick up. Pick up…pickup… pickuppickuppickup…pick up… But she was left with a personalized voice message in Kristina's bright girly voice. Unsatisfied, she called Kristina a few more times. Vivienne groaned as she was greeted with the same message and flopped back onto her pillows. Was Kristina really dead? And was she really killed by that mysterious guy who she was afraid of?
Oh, and another thought – why didn't Kristina call the police if she was so scared? Why only Vivienne? After all, they can give better protection than her. The responsibility Kristina dumped on her… Wait. What was she thinking? She should call the police right now. Vivienne picked up her cell phone but her fingers started punching in Penelope's number instead.
"Hello?"
"Pentalope!" Vivienne was surprised to hear her voice shaking, still after all this time. "I have stuff from Kristina."
"Ugh. Finally. Where has she been?"
Vivienne paused. "It's not that," she said quietly. "I found some voice messages on my cell. I think I should call the police."
Penelope kept silent for a while. "What are you saying?"
"I think she's dead," Vivienne said almost inaudibly.
Penelope laughed unexpectedly. "No, really. Where has she been?"
"No. I really think she's dead," Vivienne repeated unhappily.
"Oh, so she's still not picking up?" Penelope asked.
"Yeah, cause she sort of can't," Vivienne said, frustrated.
"Oh, so you do know where she is." Penelope sounded accusing.
"I told you before – She. Got. Killed," Vivienne snapped.
"Stop saying that," Penelope snapped back immediately.
"It's true."
"It's only okay the first few times you say that," Penelope lectured. "After that, it becomes mean."
Vivienne wanted to slap her. "Fine. If you don't believe me, then first let me prove it to you," she said angrily.
"How?"
"Come to my place. Call Rachelle and see if she can come over too. I'll call Naomi… Eliza probably can't come since she's so far away."
Vivienne was surprised at her split-second planning. And after they listen to the message, they can all decide to call the police.
"It's too late though… I don't think anyone can go to your house," Penelope said doubtfully.
"Tell them all that we think Kristina might be dead or missing, and that I have evidence," Vivienne exploded. "Maybe they'll take you here then."
"Alright," Penelope warily said. "Bye."
After Vivienne hung up, she immediately dialed Naomi's number.
"Hello?"
"Naomi?"
"Vivienne?"
"Yeah. Umm… can you come over right now?" Vivienne asked quickly.
"Are you crazy? What time is it?"
"Really. It's Kristina. We think she's missing."
"Haha. Okay. Byebye," Naomi said, like all the other times she'd prank called her.
"No! I'm not joking," Vivienne cut in. She didn't want Naomi to hang up. "It's real. I have evidence and we might call the police."
Naomi paused. "I'll ask," she said, as doubtful as Penelope.
Vivienne heard the sound of a phone being dropped gently onto a table and the sound of Naomi's missing presence. After a while, she came back, breathless.
"My mom wants to talk to you."
"What?" Vivienne freaked.
"Hello?" It was Naomi's mom.
"Hello Auntie," she said uncomfortably, taking on her Hong Kong speech.
"So Naomi says you think something happened to Kristina?" She said, getting right to the point.
"Yes. We found her missing this morning. She wouldn't answer her phone and no one opened the door for Rachelle when she rang," Vivienne said rapidly. "Just now, I checked my voicemail and I found a message that umm… suggests the possibility of Kristina missing or dying."
Naomi's mom listened without interrupting. "We'll be there," she said briskly, and then hung up.
When Vivienne pressed the end button, she realized she was starting to get really scared. So scared that she was shaking and the room was closing in on her. Like she was back to being a three year old and she was scared of the monsters outside.
Her cell then buzzed in her hand.
"Penelope?"
"Yeah. I'm coming over. So is Rachelle. Uh… we'll be there in ten minutes?"
"Okay." To her own ears, she sounded weak and pathetic.
"Is Naomi coming?"
"Yeah. She'll be here in twenty minutes."
Penelope paused. "Your parents know, right?"
"Umm… yeah." She'll tell them later.
"That's good." Penelope only knew the good side of her parents – the warm, friendly side. "This better be real, Vivienne." Realizing what she said, she quickly revised her words. "I mean let's hope that nothing's wrong and Kristina's at home sleeping."
"Yeah."
"See you soon. Bye."
With the dead phone in her hand, she knew she had to face her parents soon or later. Standing up slowly, she stretched and went downstairs. She heard that the TV was on and they were talking again. When she entered the room, both of them looked up and then continued talking.
"Mom?"
Her mom looked up at her and stopped talking. "Yes?"
"Me, Penelope and Rachelle think something's wrong with Kristina." She had to start out slow, or else they'll just be like her friends – unbelieving.
"How?" Her mom asked, leaning back.
"We think she's missing or dead," Vivienne said, wincing at the word, 'dead'.
Her mom looked unconvinced. "Okay…"
"No, really!" Vivienne sat on the floor and explained the whole story to her parents. They started skeptical, but slowly turned believing. "And now they're coming here to listen to the message," she concluded.
Her dad put down the newspaper he was holding. "Why didn't you come to us in the first place?"
Vivienne shrugged, uncommitted. For some reason, she was unwilling to open up to them. She felt cold; frozen.
Her mom sighed. "What's done is done. Have you called the police?" She asked, anxious.
"Not yet," Vivienne said. "I wanted us to listen to the message first."
They paused and thought. "Are you sure?" Her dad asked. "When will they be here?"
"Naomi's going to be here in about twenty minutes and Rachelle and Penelope are going to be here in ten minutes."
They fell silent for a moment. It was her mom that broke the silence.
"Don't be scared, V. It's going to be okay." She looked at Vivienne with comfort.
Was it more like pity? Vivienne internally snorted with contempt. She didn't like being pitied. She made a sound of acknowledgment and then went upstairs to wait for her friends alone.
Ding Dong.
Penelope was the first to arrive exactly ten minutes later. She ran upstairs with Vivienne to her room while her parents stayed over, saying that they wanted to help in any way possible.
"We went over to Kristina's house and rang her doorbell, but no one answered," Penelope stated.
Ding Dong.
Rachelle was the second to arrive, almost five minutes after Penelope. Like Penelope's parents, her parents went to the living room to stabilize the growing fear and nervousness.
"My mom suggested that we should go over to Kristina's to check if she answered at home, but no one opened the door," Rachelle said.
Ding Dong.
Naomi was the last to arrive, but surprisingly quickly. Her parents stayed as well, and followed Vivienne closely to the living room, where all the adults were talking.
As Vivienne went upstairs to get the other two girls, she felt a little reassured from the amount of people who were there to deal with the messages, and perhaps the police later on. With her cell phone clutched in her hand, all four girls went into the living room. Vivienne mentally reeled back from the unusual amount of people in the room. It made her a little scared… but a stage fright kind of scared. The parents all smiled, trying to comfort them silently.
Vivienne's stomach suddenly dropped. She didn't have to host this, does she? But it sort of did make sense… considering it was her who called this "meeting" together. But there were so many people…
They made their way to the front of the room and folded themselves on the floor. Vivienne saw Penelope and Naomi exchange a look and she peeked at Penelope. She was looking at the floor.
"Say something," she muttered to Penelope.
Penelope looked up and shot a look at her. "Why?"
"Cause." She jerked her head at the audience.
Penelope rolled her eyes and started talking. "So… you guys know why we're here, right?"
The parents nodded. Rachelle's mom said, "Because you girls think Kristina is missing?"
Uncomfortably, Vivienne spoke up. "Actually, I think something happened to her." She spoke more to her friends than the intimidating adults. "When Penelope called me and said that Kristina seemed to be missing, I checked my phone. And I found these two voice messages. They seem to… um… prove that something really bad happened to her."
"And we're here because we need to hear those messages." Rachelle gave Vivienne a significant look.
Understanding, Vivienne dialed her voice mailbox, punched in the password and put the phone on speaker. With shaking hands, she put the phone in the middle of the room, on the glass table.
You have two saved messages, the computerized voice said. First message.
Vivienne shivered visibly. The woman's voice was no different from when she last heard it – robotic and eerily delighted.
The first sad message started playing and she was struck with a sense of déjà vu – the same horror as she was before. But being the one who had heard the messages already, she directed her attention to every else's expressions. However there was no need – they all looked like how she did – horrified, creeped out, and worried. Then the message ended.
To erase the message, press seven. To reply to the message, press eight. To save it, press nine. The woman's voice sounded like she was gleefully anticipating for the more horrible message.
Vivienne went up and pressed nine to save.
Next message, the voice sang.
Unable to listen to the second message again, she went out the room while everyone stared at the phone with the same frozen faces. She went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water to still her shaking fingers and gulped from it slowly. Her fingers tapped the countertop as she drank the last drop.
When she calmly went back to the living room, she was just in time to hear the piercing scream that restarted the fear in her heart. She saw that everyone looked stunned and filled with alarm.
To erase the message, press seven. To reply to the message, press eight. To save it, press nine.
Vivienne was almost certain that she heard the machine cackle. She went up to her phone, and again, pressed nine to save the message before hanging up. As she went back to her spot with her friends, she noticed that the atmosphere was stuffy and it was frozen; unmoving.
After a few moments of silence, Rachelle's mom finally stood up and broke the mood.
"We have to call the police," she said. "Where's the phone?" She looked around the room for the home phone.
Vivienne stood up and grabbed it. And then she stood there, uncertain of what to do. Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to call 911. But… she shrugged helplessly. She didn't want to be the one to do it, and answer to them.
"What are you doing?" Naomi asked, almost harshly. "Call them!"
"I…" Vivienne looked at her friends' faces.
"You know what?" Naomi held her hand out. "I'll do it."
Vivienne gladly handed he phone to her, thankful that the responsibility was taken off of her.
"I'm sorry," Penelope's mom cut in politely. "But shouldn't Vivienne do it? Since she is the one that received the messages."
"Yeah… that's true," the parents agreed.
Naomi handed the phone back to Vivienne, but she looked at it helplessly.
"What am I supposed to say?" She asked nervously.
"We'll tell you," Rachelle said. "Don't worry. Plus, it's not like you've got anything to hide, right?"
Vivienne nodded at typed in the forbidden "911". She'd never done so before, since she was a good girl, and she was taught not to.
"Do I put it on speaker?" She asked briskly. Her mind was set on acting mature and responsible, since all this was supposed to be done by her.
"Yes. Then we can listen it," Naomi's dad said.
Vivienne pressed the speaker button and held her breath. She sort of hoped that no one would pick up, but right in the middle of the second ring, a business-like male voice answered.
"911 emergency response. What is your emergency?"
Vivienne cleared her throat. "I think my missing friend is dead," she said as clear as she can.
Unlike the people she'd told earlier, the emergency operator didn't think it was a joke. "What is her name?"
"Kristina Keung," she responded immediately.
"What causes you to believe that she is missing, and dead?"
Vivienne hesitated and looked up at the faces staring at her. Naomi immediately took a random piece of paper and pencil and scribbled down something before holding it up for her to see. Just say that you and your friends have been trying to call her and have been ringing her doorbell but she never answered. And then just now, you got 2 voice messages from her, and she says things that make you think that she's dead.
Vivienne quickly read through her instructions and adjusted the words. "Me and my friends have been trying to contact her this morning and last night but she never answered. And then just this morning, I received 2 voice messages from her, and the things she said may have suggested her death."
"I see," he said, sounding strangely thoughtful. "Is there anyone around you who needs medical attention?"
"No… they're all fine." Vivienne glanced around at everyone.
"Are you in a safe place?"
This was probably a procedure, wasn't it? "Yes. I'm at home," she said easily.
"Is there anyone with you? If so, who?"
"I'm with my friends and their parents, and my parents." She purposely put her parents at the last place, seeing if they would notice.
But probably not.
The man's voice turned kind. "What's your name?"
"Vivienne Wu," she answered instantly.
"And how old are you, Vivienne?"
"I'm 14." She cocked her head at Rachelle as if to say, 'Is this necessary?'
Rachelle gave her a small smile and nodded.
"Are you afraid?" He asked warmly.
Her friends and family couldn't help her with this one. "No," she answered positively. She studied the phone as if it were really alive, and talking to her. "I think I'm alright."
"That's good. It's always good to not be a mess with these cases," She heard him mutter, probably to himself. "The police are coming, so if any of your friends are afraid, tell them not to worry," he said louder.
Vivienne raised her eyebrows at the four girls sitting around her. "Uh… okay."
They smiled slightly back.
"So you're going to high school next year, right?" He asked after a slight pause.
"Uh… yes," Vivienne answered, bewildered. Why did he need to know this?
"Are you ready for it?"
"I guess so."
"Come on, I need longer answers than that!" He teased.
Vivienne almost laughed. "Umm… not to be rude, but why do you need to know this?"
Penelope poked her arm. Vivienne looked up to see her giving her mild look of disapproval.
"Well," he said good-heartedly. "It's best if you don't hang up until the police arrive."
"Oh."
"So what high school are you going to?" He asked contentedly.
"St. Richard's."
And it continued like that.
"They're here," Vivienne's father said, opening the door that separated the room and the hallway. Her parents were at the other side of the house, looking out the window to wait for the police.
The operator heard. "Can you let me talk to the police first?" He asked.
"Uhh… okay?" Vivienne answered, handing the phone to her dad.
Ding Dong.
She saw in the cracked opening of the living room door her father opening the door with her mom behind him. The middle-aged policeman who stepped through had dark hair and a slightly creased face.
"You called the police?" He asked. His voice was familiarly deep and rich.
Her father nodded and held up the phone to him, probably telling him the operator wanted him. The policeman lifted the phone to his ear and went outside, talking quietly. As Vivienne heard her parents and him walking towards their room, she nudged Penelope and Rachelle.
"Did you see?" She whispered, almost excitedly.
"What?" Rachelle whispered back.
"It's Officer Cable!" She said happily. It was better to have a guy who she knew question her, instead of some stranger.
"Who?" Naomi asked. She was the only one, aside from Eliza and Kristina, who didn't meet him.
"He was the guy who questioned us about Darrion," Penelope whispered to her.
"Oh."
The footsteps got louder until the door finally opened to reveal Officer Cable in his glory. Behind him was another policeman, this guy in his twenties, probably, and then there were her parents. Both of them surveyed the room severely. Like last time, no one said anything in an awkward silence.
Her mom came up and gestured to an empty sofa. "Please sit," she said politely.
"Thank you," the twenty year old guy said. The two of them sat, and her parents did as well.
"Alright." Officer Cable rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. "My name is Cable Burke, and you can call me Officer Cable."
"My name is Ryan Daniels," the other officer said. "And you can call me Officer Daniels."
Huh, Vivienne thought amusedly. The Daniels guy likes to be called by his last name.
"So who is the one who received the voice messages?" Officer Cable asked.
Vivienne spoke softly. "Me." She saw Officer Daniels take a notepad and a pencil out from his front breast pocket.
"And your name is?" He asked.
"Vivienne Wu," she replied, wondering if she should tell him that they've met before. Whatever.
"He looked over at her parents. "Is there a separate room where we can, uh, ask our questions?"
Vivienne glanced at them to see her mom look at her dad.
"Absolutely." Her father stood up and led the way to the dining room, where there was a door that blocked all the sounds from the outside.
The officers settled down and Vivienne sat timidly on the opposite side. Before leaving, her dad gave her a squeeze on her shoulder. Vivienne looked up.
"It's going to be alright," he said in a low voice.
Vivienne nodded, with the new warmth of support in her. She watched her father close the door. He isn't that bad, she thought. He doesn't act really cold, actually. Was she overreacting?
"So what happened?" Officer Cable asked, snapping Vivienne's attention back at him. He looked over at Officer Daniels' notepad. "To Kristina, am I right?"
"Yeah," she answered. "So do I tell you the whole story?" She asked hesitantly.
"Tell us as much as you know," he said, with a hint of warmth. He took out the same voice recorder as before and placed it on the table, pressing the on button so that a light turned red.
Vivienne squeezed her hands harshly as she began the story. "So just yesterday, we, as in, Penelope, Kristina and I, were talking online about our friend's funeral." She looked at Officer Cable. "Darrion Ammon – you know him, right?"
He nodded, his eyes widening a little.
"So she kept on talking about what to wear, and it was really annoying, so I made an excuse to go off. After that, she called me… about…umm…" she squinted at the Guernica painting behind the policemen's heads. "She called me about four times? The first time, I picked up the phone and she starting talking about her outfit for the funeral, and I wasn't in the mood to talk about that, cause, you know, it's about a funeral, right?" She said, unintentionally asking them a question.
"Go on," Officer Cable said.
"So for the next three times she called, I ignored her calls," she said sheepishly. "I didn't want to hear about her pants that made her look fat, or the pencil skirt, or the slutty dress–" She defended, before realizing what she said. "Excuse me," she apologized.
Officer Cable and Officer Daniels had a small smile at their lips. "What happened after that?" Officer Cable asked.
"Then this morning, Penelope called me and said that they couldn't reach her, and asked me if I'd heard from her. So I told her about the calls… and then I sent her all the missed calls I got in my cell phone." She was suddenly very aware of the object in her pocket that was against her knee.
"Can we see your cell phone?" Office Daniels asked.
Vivienne nodded and handed it over to him. She silently watched as his fingers skillfully glided over the track pad. Officer Cable looked over his shoulder and nodded slowly. They seemed to have easily found the missed calls section. Finally, Officer Daniels looked up and gave her phone back.
"I have the same phone," he said casually. "It's very easy to use, isn't it?"
Vivienne nodded, trying to look young and confused. She knew what he meant. He wanted to tell her that she couldn't hide anything that was on the phone from him, since he knows more or less, everything about it.
"So after you sent the messages, what happened?" Officer Cable asked, nudging her on with the story.
Vivienne fiddled with the phone under the table. "After that, Penelope called me again to ask what I've found, and oh… that was the time when I sent the missed calls times." She felt nervous that she messed up the story.
"Continue."
"Then I started thinking about her disappearance… and then I realized I'd forgotten to check my voice messages, so I did, and… I found them," she finished off quietly.
She saw the two Officers exchange a look.
"Can we listen… to them?" Officer Daniels asked.
Vivienne nodded and mentally sighed. She'll have to listen to it for the third time. Her fingers quickly pressed the number, password and the speaker button before she put the phone on the middle of the table.
First message, the evil voice crooned.
Vivienne watched their reactions as she tried to block out the sounds of Kristina crying. They both had times when they glanced at the other, and times when they looked almost pitiful. Soon, it was time to press 9.
"Can I get a glass of water?" She asked abruptly.
The two officers looked at each other.
"It would be best if you stayed," Officer Cable said.
Vivienne tried not to show her frustration. Whatever.
The message ended at an agonizingly slow time, and Vivienne pressed 9 and the end button quickly. She didn't want to hear the robot voice.
"So when did you receive this message again?" Officer Daniels asked.
"Uhh… this morning. At about 2 pm, I guess?" She answered uncertainly.
"And what time is it now?"
"About 9pm? I don't know." She checked her phone. It was 9:24. Good enough.
"Why did you wait 7 hours before calling the police?" Officer Daniels asked.
Vivienne gaped. Did he think she did something to Kristina or something? "Because I didn't know what to do…?" Her statement turned into a question accidently.
He nodded.
"So you gathered all your friends and their parents here because?" Officer Cable plowed on.
"Penelope wanted to know what other things I found, so I told her I thought Kristina was… uh… because I think something happened to her. But Penelope didn't believe me… so I forced her to come and tell Rachelle to come. I called Naomi personally… and their parents stayed because they were kind of… unbelieving." Vivienne suddenly thought of something. "And Penelope and Rachelle told me that they both rang Kristina's doorbell before arriving, cause they lived close to each other, but no one answered," she added.
Officer Cable nodded and crossed his arms. "Did Kristina call the police?"
Vivienne shrugged. "I don't think so."
"Why didn't Kristina call us?" He fired.
"I thought about that too," Vivienne sighed. "But I dunno."
"Have you ever thought that she might've just been prank calling you because you've been ignoring her calls?" He asked sternly.
Vivienne felt uncomfortable. "But I called her later and she wouldn't answer…" she trailed off. "And the messages sound very real," she snapped as she saw the look on the two policemen's faces.
"About Kristina…" Officer Cable said, ignoring her outburst. "She goes to the same school with you and your friends?"
"Yeah. We're in Grade 8 at Hawthorn Public School," she said, calmed down. The looks were gone as well.
"Where are her parents?" Officer Cable continued to question.
Vivienne pursed her lips. "Kristina told us that they went to Shanghai on a trip, leaving her and her sister here."
"Her sister?" Officer Daniels looked interested.
"Yeah. She's in University. Her name's Veronica." Vivienne hardly glanced at him.
"Do you know anyone who might've had an intention to hurt her?" Officer Cable asked.
Vivienne cocked her head. "Well, not a lot of people like her. She actually made a lot of 'enemies' because of her attitude. And she actually picked out individual people in different friend groups, and tried to smush them together." She smiled to herself. "That's how she got us together. Anyways… she was that kind of girl who thought she was very ugly and the kind to always look at guys… you know?"
Officer Cable nodded, with a small smile on his lips.
"Well at school, she was basically this girl who a lot of people disliked, or wanted nothing to do with her. And in the inside, she disliked a lot of people as well," Vivienne summarized.
She then saw the two exchange a look. Officer Cable then turned to her and nodded to her.
"Thank you for your information. Remember, if Kristina calls you again, please tell us," he said, with a tone of finality.
"Excuse me, but what are you going to do?" She asked politely.
"We'll most likely file a missing report," he answered easily. "Officer Daniels," He turned to him. "Can you…?" He glanced at Vivienne and trailed off.
Officer Daniels nodded, stood up and gestured to the door. Vivienne knew what he wanted, but she suddenly remembered something she'd thought before.
"Umm… before I go," she said, catching their attention. "Officer Cable, I know that you were in charge of Darrion's case as well, right?"
He nodded. "That's right."
"I just thought that these two cases are kind of… similar," Vivienne blurted. "Like how they go missing and end up…" she hesitated. "Dead." Officer Cable nodded. "And they're both my friends, and their umm… cases happened at a very close rate…" she trailed off. "I'm worried that my other friends would get hurt." She looked at him straight in the eye.
Officer Cable seemed to consider her thinking. "I thank you for your words… but you should be careful," he said carefully. "In the message, she talked about this man coming after you."
Vivienne nodded and stood up to go out. But she paused as she touched the door handle. With the previous suspicions in her head, she turned around and looked at the two of them seriously.
"I hope you don't think this is a joke," she said, voice quiet.
Officer Cable smiled slightly, but seemed to understand that she was very serious. "We don't think disappearances and a possible death is a joke." He crossed his arms and leaned back.
Vivienne turned around with the same air, and put her hands in her baggy pockets, leading Officer Daniels back to the living room. She felt that the questioning had somehow drained her playfulness and put her as a more mature person. She sat beside her friends and gave a small reassuring smile to her friends.
"Can you come with me?" Officer Daniels asked Penelope.
Penelope stood up uncertainly and looked back at her parents. They waved her on encouragingly and she followed the Officer out the door.
The rest of the night was filled with the Officers' questions and a worried air.
The alarm clock ringed its aggravating sound, startling Vivienne from her tormenting sleep. Blurrily, she reached from under the warm covers and snapped the button to OFF. The silence released her from her consciousness and she quickly fell back asleep.
Before long, her cell phone sung her favourite Coraa Misora song, dragging her back. Vivienne patted the area around her blindly before finding the phone.
"Hmm?" She answered, too tired to answer properly.
"Vivienne?" The other person asked uncertainly.
Vivienne's eyes snapped open as she recognized the voice. She forced her brain to work in its foggy state. "Alex! What… what's up?"
"Are you awake yet?" He sounded amused.
"Of course," she said, unsuccessfully hiding a yawn.
"Liar. Anyways… we're almost at your house."
Shit. "Okay," she replied calmly while she bounced out from under her covers and started digging through her closet. ?
"So… get ready," he said awkwardly.
"Yeah." She was too busy to notice how uncomfortable he was.
"Bye."
"Bye." She hung up as soon as her ripped black skinny jeans were on.
Almost running to her bathroom, she pulled her hair into a messy bun to keep it out of the way. Shiiiiit. She was so screwed. They'll probably be here in a minute… she kept waiting for the fatal ding dong as she washed her face, brushed her teeth, combed her hair and dressed up for the funeral.
After she was all clean and stuff, she selected a random black shirt from the many in her closet and slid on a few black and silver rings. She tied her hair in the usual ponytail, and at the last minute, grabbed black fingerless elbow gloves. She slid them on, mentally hugging herself for putting on black nail polish a few days before.
Wait… why isn't Alex here yet? Vivienne thought as she looked out the window at the bleary sun. It seemed as though it was mourning for Darrion's death as well…
Ohgod. Kristina. She sat on her bed, staring outside. Last night's events filtered through her brain and she remembered how everyone, even the parents, had been affected. After everyone had been questioned, all her friends left shortly, hardly speaking. From the time when the message was heard out loud, Vivienne wasn't the only one who thought Kristina was… dead.
Visibly snapping her head the other way, she stuffed the memories behind a strong wall. Last night, it had been impossible to sleep, resulting in black circles under her eyes. After every thought she had, she knew it was her fault that Kristina was gone. If she listened to her messages earlier… if she hadn't ignored the calls… if she had more patience with Kristina's retarded babbling… If only…
Presently, she grabbed her phone and stuffed it in a butt pocket of her jeans, making sure it was on vibrate. She then looked around the room to see what she's missing. Spotting the invitation, she grabbed it, just in case, and wondered if she should've bought a card or present for the grieving family.
Too late for that.
Then she zoomed downstairs to pour herself a glass of milk. Weird… where is Alex? She pulled out her cell and checked the time. He said that he was almost there… what is taking him so long? Then Vivienne had a mini-heart attack. Did something happen to him? Was that why? Her mind instantly linked with Darrion and Kristina's case. She quickly dialed his number and clenched her phone when he didn't pick up. Wait, hold on. She quickly calmed herself down. Alex is with his brother, isn't he? If so, then he should have some protection. So he's probably stuck in some traffic. That's all.
Vivienne nodded to herself, finished her glass of milk and rinsed it in her sink. Should she eat breakfast? Since Alex wasn't here yet. She opened up her fridge and saw nothing that was quick to eat. Hmm… a yogurt will do.
But just as she was reaching in for the yummy blueberry yogurt, the doorbell rang. Vivienne felt herself sigh in relief. She hadn't noticed that she was still worried about him. As if on autopilot, her body made her kick the fridge door shut, grab the house keys that were on the table, run downstairs, slide on her black converse, and open the door.
Alex was there, clad in black, hands in pockets, and looking a bit embarrassed. He looked the same, except for his new brown hair. Vivienne let out a surprised sound.
"What… what… happened to your hair?" She asked softly. His black and gold hair colour was gone, but his hairstyle was still the same.
He swung his bangs out of the way self-consciously. "I uhh… dyed it."
Vivienne smiled to herself. She could hear the hidden, 'Is it okay?' question linger in the air. "It looks good," she told him. And it did. The warm brown made him look as friendly as he was inside, and he looked… brighter. Like he reflected his personality to the outside.
Alex couldn't help himself from grinning in relief.
Vivienne herself smiled back as she stepped outside and locked the door. The grieving sun was cold; its shine wasn't as warm as it appeared to be. She led him down the stairs and stopped cold as she saw the car in front of her.
The car was sleek; the sun's rays reflecting from the black surface of it. Its lights shone red in the back and a strange silvery blue in the front. Its silver wheels sparkled, showing signs of a fresh wash.
"It's a BMW 760li," Alex said behind her. "It's nice, right?"
Vivienne deliberated what to say. "I… uh… don't know cars."
She could basically feel his exasperation as she continued walking. "Well it's a very nice car," he grumbled.
Vivienne lightly stroked the shiny black door handle. "Okay?"
"Girls," Alex muttered. He opened the passenger side door and got in.
Vivienne rolled her eyes and opened her door, hearing its expensive muted clunk. Inside, the seats were as dark as its exterior; the leather a muted black. Everything was tidy and in place – though there wasn't anything that could be put in place – and if she didn't know before, she would've been expecting the new car smell.
"How do you keep this so clean," she muttered to herself, thinking back at her own car, with its messy footprints everywhere.
"It's not me who cleans the car."
Vivienne slightly craned her head to look at the person after she buckled her seatbelt. He was leaned towards the open window, head propped on his head, so she couldn't really see his face. He seemed to be looking at her through the rearview mirror, and from what she could see; he has the same jaw line as Alex. His short, messy black hair differed from Alex's new brown fobby hair, and from the lazy hand that was slung over the steering wheel, she could see thin bands of muscle on his arms.
She felt shy all of a sudden, and could only mumble a small "oh."
"So… Vivienne, this is Jeremy," Alex said.
"Uh… hi." Vivienne was, once again, stuck in the familiar situation of having nothing to say in front of someone new. Brilliant. She should just hit herself in the head so she can pass out.
"Hey. So we're going now, right?" Jeremy asked good-naturedly.
Alex takes after his brother, Vivienne noted.
"Yeah." Alex then twisted so he was facing her, his brown bangs hanging in his face. "Uhh… Are you okay?" He asked.
Vivienne looked away from his face as she felt Kristina's disappearance fill her brain. The guilt immediately escaped the wall and started to beat her brain to pieces. She forced a smile.
"I'm not really uh… upset about Darrion's funeral," she said truthfully.
Alex waited a beat. "Is there something else?"
Vivienne kept her face blank. Should she tell him about Kristina? Since he was a friend… oh why not? Maybe he'd heard from her.
"Kristina's… been missing… since yesterday-yesterday," Vivienne told him slowly.
Alex blinked. "What?"
Vivienne didn't know how to further explain it. "Kristina's be-" she flicked a glance up. "Been missing since yesterday-yesterday."
Alex opened his mouth, but closed it slowly. "She's… she's missing?"
Vivienne nodded.
"Shit. Like… how Darrion's missing?" Alex asked, slowly absorbing the news.
Vivienne nodded again. "We called the police last night." The guilt overwhelmed her once again.
"You're worried about her, aren't you." Alex made it sound like a statement.
Vivienne just nodded again. "When was the last time you heard from her?"
Alex sighed and turned back to face the front. Vivienne felt hurt by that meaningless gesture. Which is ridiculous, since he might be checking his phone or something. But Alex was never cold to her…
Spoiled brat, she thought to herself.
And then Alex twisted to face her again. "I haven't heard from her since Thursday after school," he said. "She didn't text me or anything after." He then saw the wall on her face. "Don't worry about her… she probably went to China to join her parents." He smiled crookedly, trying to reassure her.
"I know she's dead," Vivienne said emptily, while guilt was overflowing her body.
Alex then opened and closed his mouth several times. But he knew to not say or ask anything. "I'm sorry," he finally said, and smiled reassuringly one more time before turning around.
Vivienne smirked wryly to herself. She knew he meant well. But it wasn't as if she could forget the way Kristina had sobbed and screamed in her voicemail.
Then she caught Jeremy shooting Alex a glance. Their eyes met and they seemed to be glaring at each other, or perhaps giving warning looks. She laid a fresh mask across her face as she curiously stared at them, and sat silently at the back.
"Hey guys!"
Vivienne and Alex turned around to see Keith walking up to them. They had arrived at the church, and it happened to sit at the top of a huge grassy hill. There wasn't a road for cars to go, only a wide flight of stairs that were decorated with gentle floral decorations. But those were already filled with people, so many decided to just hike up the hill itself.
Anyhow, Keith's hair was tousled messily by the wind and his eyes were glowing in excitement. Vivienne felt herself getting unnecessarily nervous as he approached them. She fiddled with her gloves as Alex led her to Keith to say hi.
"What's up, man?" Alex grinned and punched his shoulder lightly.
"Nothing much," Keith answered, chewing gym. He looked around. "The funeral's sick, isn't it?"
Vivienne and Alex looked at the far away pristine white church behind them and at the floral decorations everywhere.
"I guess so," Alex said.
Vivienne didn't say anything. It wasn't as if it was hard to keep her mouth shut.
"So Vivienne," Keith said, calling for her attention. Not that he didn't have it already.
"What?" She asked, trying to make her words as cold as the wind.
"What's up with you these days?" He smirked. "I haven't seen you in a long time."
That was true. She'd been avoiding him around school, absolutely creeped out by the way he was… flirting with her. She shivered at the thought. It made her strangely disgusted, instead of making her feel delighted. After all, didn't she like him? If so, then why didn't she like it when he paid special attention to her?
Maybe you don't actually like him, the voice of reason said in her head. Plus, he's probably playing with you.
Vivienne thought for a second and searched her emotions. When she imagined her and Keith in a relationship, she felt strangely sickened. No… she didn't really like him… she just wanted to 'top him', so to speak. Well that's a relief, Vivienne thought. Anyway, she wasn't even in the mood to think these things. The guilt of Kristina's disappearance – death – was too much. It overwhelmed her, and she was constantly struck by it, every few seconds of the day.
"I've been avoiding you," she said bluntly.
"You don't need to avoid me," Keith said. Suddenly he smirked. "Hey, I have to tell you something. Why don't you and I go to the Starbucks near here after the funeral to talk?" He asked casually. "You girls love it, don't you?"
Vivienne froze. What was he saying? Was he asking her out? At a funeral? When Darrion's not even under the ground, and Kristina's missing? "What?" She blurted automatically.
Keith's smirk didn't waver. He took that as some sort of "opportunity" and went closer to her.
"I said, after the funeral, do you want to talk at the Starbucks near here?" His eyes glinted. "I'll pay."
Thankfully, Alex cut it. "Dude. Are you asking her out?"
Now Keith looked annoyed. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Vivienne felt pissed and revolted. "Yeah I have a problem with that," she snapped.
"What problem would you have?" Keith sneered. "You know you're going to say yes. Everyone knows what you think of me."
Embarrassed, she turned the new emotion into anger. "What problem do I have?" She hissed, each word biting.
"You can't ask people out at a funeral," she and Alex said at the same time.
"Dude, Darrion's memorial service hasn't even started. And you guys are best friends, man. Have you even thought of how… morbid that is?" He continued alone.
Keith looked at the two of them, excitement gone. "Why not?" He drawled. "It's not like you guys actually liked Darrion when he was alive. It's not like anyone actually liked him," he scoffed. "And you guys don't even look like you're mourning."
Vivienne felt like she wanted to punch him. A strange red haze went across her vision and her blood boiled. She felt so powerful that she could rip him to shreds. Okay, she didn't like Darrion too much, but how can a person say something like that?
"You –" She couldn't find any words to describe how she was feeling. "I would never go out with you," she snarled.
After that, she grabbed Alex's arm and towed him away.
"When you change your mind, tell me," Keith called behind them arrogantly.
Vivienne barely heard him. She gradually slowed her striding to a walk and calmed herself down by imagining herself stepping on him. And stabbing him. A lot. Then she noticed that Alex was still beside her.
"Sorry about that." She glanced at her friend apologetically.
Alex laughed. "It's okay."
Vivienne allowed a small smile to touch her lips and she closed her eyes, breathing in the cold air. The red haze she'd had across her vision had faded somewhat. She tucked her hands into her pockets and sighed quietly.
"You're not mad anymore?" Alex asked curiously as he trudged beside her… closely, but not touching.
"I don't think so," she replied. That was true… she'd pushed all the bad feelings behind the familiar wall inside her head again. It was also the place that held the constantly escaping guilt of Kristina, the emptiness of her thoughts about life, and her displeasures with her parents… and now her anger.
"Mood swings," he muttered.
Vivienne looked at him and playfully slapped him. "You have mood swings," she retorted, almost smiling.
Alex grinned.
They fell in a comfortable silence as they hiked up the hill that led to the church. Many people in black clothing were scattered around the grassy field and were like them – going to Darrion's funeral. Suddenly, she spotted a familiar cuddling couple ahead of them.
"Hey look. It's Tom and Eliza," she said to Alex.
"You wanna say hi?"
Vivienne nodded. Together, they quickly and silently approached them.
When they were at a close enough distance, she pounced on Eliza.
"Ack!" Eliza flung her arms out and narrowly avoided hitting Vivienne's face.
Tom smiled at them.
"Wussup guys?" Alex came up beside Vivienne and waved at the other two.
"Hello fair earthlings," Eliza said.
Vivienne had nothing to say. Suddenly, she spotted Keith and his "posse" in front of them. Rolling her eyes, she turned to Eliza. "Hey, you know what just happened?" She murmured, keeping her eyes on Keith's figure.
"What is going on, my darling?" Eliza asked.
Vivienne snorted. "Is she drunk?" She asked Tom.
"She's been like this since this morning," he replied, rolling his eyes.
Eliza laughed and held his hand.
"Okay." Vivienne looked away from their joined hands, secretly smiling. "So what happened was… Keith just asked me to have a cup of coffee with him."
"He what?" Eliza shrieked.
"He asked me to go to Starbucks with him after Darrion's funeral." She grimaced.
"My innocent child!" Eliza looked at her crazily. "You didn't agree to this madness, did you?"
"Hell no!"
Eliza nodded in approval. "That's terrific." She pondered on the topic. "But at a funeral? When Darrion was one of his best friends? And yours too? That's not very respectful for your feelings, is it, my child?"
"It isn't," Vivienne agreed. "Oh, and speaking of crazy things…" she thought of yesterday and linked her arm around Eliza's. "Yesterday, you know what happened?"
"What crazy thing happened to you, my darling?"
She looked around mysteriously. "Will texted me and asked if I wanted him to give me a ride," she said spookily, anticipating Eliza's reactions.
"Voldermort's nipples!" She shrieked at the same time Tom snapped his emerald eyes to Vivienne's face.
"He what?" The two yelled together.
Vivienne laughed, giddy because of the couple beside her.
"I didn't know you were into this stuff," Vivienne stated, looking at Tom with amused eyes.
His shock faded and he smirked. "Go on."
Vivienne followed his directions and turned to Eliza. "Okay… so yesterday, I didn't have a ride to the funeral, so I texted some people to see if they could take me." She suddenly thought of something. "Oh, and now that I think of it, it's weird, cause I never texted him about it." She shrugged. "Yeah, so then I got his text then. But! Alex called me before, so I could say no to him. Or else I would've had to say yes, cause no one else offered." She shuddered. Then she felt a strange thought came over her. Did she shiver in pleasure or disgust?
"Thank heavens," Eliza agreed.
Vivienen looked up to see Alex and Tom exchange a meaningful look. She quickly looked back down, feigning nonchalance. What did it mean? That look? She shook it off, even though he and Jeremy had just exchanged the same look before, and continued to climb the hill.
Thinking of yesterday, the guilt of Kristina escaped from the wall and she got hit in the gut. She realized she told most of her friends except Tom and Eliza. Her dull mood instantly dimmed furthermore.
"Guys… I have to tell you something else," she said seriously.
Her tone caught the attention of the two and Eliza "sobered up".
"Yeah?"
She put them to a stop, knowing that they still had time. "Yesterday, we found that Kristina is missing."
Eliza looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"We think she disappeared, like Darrion," Vivienne answered, wincing.
Eliza furrowed her brows. "You mean exactly like Darrion?"
Vivienne hesitated. "She's been missing for a day, and she's not at the funeral, either. We called the police yesterday... They filed a missing report."
"We?"
"Rachelle, Penelope, me and Naomi," Vivienne answered. "We didn't call you because you guys were too far away."
The two nodded in understanding.
"Don't worry," Tom said. His emerald eyes contrasted with his eyeliner. "They'll find her soon."
Vivienne nodded silently, to close the subject. She wasn't worried about her – Kristina was probably already dead. Killed. The police just had to find the body. No, she was flooded with the guilt for not answering her calls. That was all.
Oh, and there's the fact that I might get killed too, she thought.
Alex, Vivienne, Tom and Eliza continued to walk to the church slowly. The silence they carried was damp and the playfully somber mood was destroyed.
Now, they were in mourning mode.
"That was so sad and sweet, right?" Rachelle asked as she, Penelope, Naomi, and Vivienne walked through the long grass behind the church. The service was over, and everyone – or at least the family members – had exploded in tears at one point. Now, all the people who cared about Darrion immensely were talking to the parents, and the rest of the guests were scattered amongst the church's properties.
"Yeah," Penelope answered when Naomi and Vivienne didn't.
They headed to the small forest that was behind the church and surrounded with light green deciduous trees. Apparently they weren't on a small hill; they were on some kind of mini plateau, so the forest covered the rest of the place.
Vivienne sighed quietly. It was all she could do these days, it seemed.
No one said anything as they entered the sheltered light of the leaves. There was only the odd crackle of stepping on twigs and the quiet breaths to break the silence. Then the rustle of branches as birds took flight and chirped.
"Have… have you guys heard from Kristina yet?" Penelope asked as she went around a tree blocking their path.
"No," Naomi replied quietly for everyone.
They fell into a brief and somber silence after that.
Vivienne felt the urge to ask them if they would believe her if she said that Kristina was probably dead. Since she was one of Kristina's closest friends, shouldn't she be more optimistic or something? So would it be… improper to ask? She shook her head. She should just keep her mouth shut like always.
As they walked ahead, deeper into the pathless forest, Vivienne felt her hands clench and unclench. Half-moons were imprinted on her palms as she suffered from a sense of fear. A trickle of cold sweat ran on her back, despite the blowing wind. But when she looked over at her other friends, she found that they were completely calm, only looking a tad more worried than normal. Vivienne tried to shake off the continuous sensations as they continued to walk without a sound. The beautiful and sad forest seemed to grow taller and monstrous; the leaves turning black and ugly; the occasional gust of wind colder. Some trees seemed to creak and moan and the howling bursts of wind grew stronger and resembled the cries of a woman. Vivienne shivered and felt sick. She started to feel more and more scared of the forest and wanted to go out.
Don't be ridiculous, she chided herself. It's just your imagination.
But when she'd nearly tripped over a thick branch, she had enough.
"Guys?" She called shakily. The three turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Uhh…" She didn't know what to say. "Can we go back? I-I'm feeling cold," she lied weakly.
They didn't notice her lie.
"You should've worn something thicker," Naomi said.
"Sorry."
Her friends carefully went around a tree to go to her.
"Do you need my coat?" Rachelle asked.
Vivienne forced a smile. "No, it's okay. Let's go." She hugged herself and looked around at the menacing forest. Was it her, or was the tree above her slowly stretching its branches towards her?
Her friends went ahead of her, leaves crackling eerily loud under their feet. Each of them stepped over the thick branch she'd almost tripped over and proceeded to move forward slowly. They seemed to be detached from her – like they were an illusion, and she was actually alone.
As Vivienne felt somewhat reassured that they were going back, she neared the thick branch. Stupid thing, she thought. She sort of felt that she was leading her friends back into misery. It was that branch's fault, she thought. She kicked it, wanting it to roll across the leaves. But it didn't. She didn't even stub her toe.
Vivienne sucked in a breath and bit her lips to prevent herself from releasing a blood-curling shriek.
It flopped around. Like a fish on land.
She crept closer to look… to find that it wasn't a branch. She bit her lip again, hard enough to draw blood. No branch was blue-white, like the colour of an oxygen-starved creature. No branch had nails that were blue. No branch had a hand. She felt fear grip her heart as she followed the arm. Her breaths came in shallow gasps and she felt colder than she was before. The freezing wind blew across her face, like a slap.
The arm led her to a tree, where the base was covered by a large clump of dry, cracked leaves. She lifted a shaking hand to brush apart the leaves that lay at the base of the tree… and touched something cold.
Vivienne let out a blood-curling shriek. She screamed on and on and on, and didn't even gasp for air. At the base of the trunk, was a face she knew for four years. From what was left, Kristina's face was the same oxygen-starved blue-white as her hand, but a little shriveled up. Her open eyes were wide and staring and bloodshot; pupils dilated, like she was scared. Her mouth was parted, like she was still screaming, but someone had cut the corners of her mouth deeply, so she looked like she was wearing a grotesque smile. Sort of like the joker in Batman. Streaks of brown at the cuts marked the blood that had flowed there once, looking like rotted skin. The worst of all, maggots, leeches and beetles were covered over many parts of the skin, wriggling and squirming as one. A particularly fat yellow one poked through her left eye, and she could see the layers of muscle that made up the eye. White bone glimmered on one cheek, and some tufts of black hair seemed to be pulled out, revealing bugs crawling around.
Vivienne's constant scream grew in pitch, as she wiped her hand at the trunk of a nearby tree, scratching her palms. Her breath came in shallow gasps, as if she couldn't breathe. She should've known. She should've realized. Vivienne took a step back and felt like she was going to faint. Her eyes had imprinted Kristina's dead face, and every time she closed them, she could see the leering face.
Vivienne collapsed in front of the dead body and kept on screaming again and again... as if there was no end to this horror… and as if there was nothing else she can do.
Is it scary enough? ^^ I hope so. Reviews are appreciated~! I hope you do review. This thing was 21 pages! (In Microsoft word.)