Lights | A Forever Fanfiction

Chapter Thirteen: Bloodstained Snow

It was like paint. Red paint.

The blood was all over the walls - smeared and splattered, like a Jackson Pollock painting, all in scarlet and crimson, juxtaposed against the whiteness of the alabaster walls. A desk and bookshelf were shoved against the wall, untouched.

"Is this a crime scene, now?" I asked quietly. "Should we call Jo? What do we do?"

"You should call Jo," he decided.

"Why me?"

"Because you got us into this mess," he replied. "With blood-encrusted rooms and... creepy plots."

"This isn't a book. A person would almost think you were squeamish," I said, trying not to betray the slight nausea and panic consuming me as he passed me my cell phone. I flicked it open and hit the re-call button.

"I am not squeamish."

"Right."

"Hello? Mike, I'm really not in the mood-" Jo began.

"Jo, it's me."

She paused. "Lights? Okay, seriously, where are you?"

"My apartment. I- I don't know! Help me, Jo. There's a box and a room and blood, and- Help!"

"Okay, calm down, Lights. I'm going to call my boss. You remember Lieutenant Reece, right? I'm going to call her, and you stay put. Where are you?"

"At my apartment, in the pantry there's this thing, and I- I dunno-"

"Okay, breathe. Is anyone else with you?"

"Dr. Morgan," I said quietly. "He's here, too."

"Okay, turn me over to him quickly. I'll get the nurse to call the precinct for me, all right? Just calm down."

"Okay," I breathed. "Okay, okay, okay." I handed the phone to Dr. Morgan.

"Hey, Jo. I'm sorry. Yes, I know. I'm so sorry." I leaned backwards against the rungs of the ladder. "Judging by the colour it's only a day or two old. No, Jo, that doesn't matter. There's a-" I stopped listening, staring at the papers on the desk. I carefully got up, manoeuvring around the dried blood on the floor to examine them.

"Wai- hold on one second, Jo." Dr. Morgan put down the phone. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I said, except it came out as more of a whine. "Looking. Seeing. Observing." I picked up the thick sheaf of papers and tucked them into my pocket.

"No, just wait until the police get here!"

"No," I said. "You would have missed the secret room if I weren't here. You will miss something else, too."

"No-" He was cut off by the sounds of shouting and yelling.

"We're in the kitchen!" I yelled. "Past the pantry, there's a door thingy!"

"Amazingly descriptive," he said. Banging noises erupted from the tunnel as police started swarming in. I was led away by someone, who helped me through the tunnel and back into the kitchen, where questions were tossed back and forth, and panic engulfed the already disorderly space. Finally, Lieutenant Reece arrived.

"What the hell happened here?" she demanded.

"You should see for yourself, ma'am," one of the officers said. "There was a lot of blood." Reece glowered at the officer for a moment before clambering down the tunnel and into the room. She and Dr. Morgan spoke - I could hear them. I sat still, musing at the chaos, before an officer took me by the hand and gently guided me to her car and drove me to school, the papers from the desk still in my pocket, safe and sound.