As Evil As Murder

20 | Well, that happened.

I gripped the blanket around me, looking at the chaos in wonder. Paramedics, cops, reporters, kids with nothing better to do -- everyone seemed to be rushing in and out of the house. I saw it all without blinking, an endless chain of events that seemed to be a reminder that I wasn't in some nightmare.

I didn't know whether I was shivering. The only thing I could distinctly remember was the sound of the gunshot and for some reason, I had looked at Lucas first, making sure he wasn't the one Marisa aimed for.

It seemed silly really, I saw her put it in her own mouth but when the gunshot rang through the air, like it would in my head for the rest of my life, all I could think of was to keep Lucas out of harm's way. He was completely fine, but the way he stared straight ahead at the woman with pale, fear-stricken eyes was not something that would disappear from my mind anytime soon.

By the time I had looked at her, she was already on the floor, and the gun lay beside her. Her eyes were still open, but the rest of her body was very much dead.

Everything after that went like a montage from a movie; the cops came in, the corpse was taken out, Lucas and I were given separate medical care, though I suspect it's more for specific interrogation.

Rex, Hawkins and a lot more cops asked me tons of questions. I answered most of them and Hawkins waved off the rest, saying that I needed rest. He was the only good presence I felt in that house other than Rex. He was angry I went behind their backs, that was very much evident from his eyes, but he didn't say anything about it, probably because I had already gone through enough for a lifetime.

And as it turns out, someone gave them an anonymous tip that something was going on on this street. Not knowing what to expect, Rex and two of the cops had come with sirens on, which spooked Marisa, and the rest you know.

Someone gently pulled me up from the couch, murmuring about how I could use some quiet. I reluctantly followed, my feet dragging in slow motions behind the person I recognized as Rex. He opened a door and I went in, not caring to look at the details of the surroundings.

I trembled slightly and he pointed towards the chair beside the bed. He stood opposite me with a sorry face, leaning back against the wall.

I knew he was going to give me a speech on careless I had been, so I took the opportunity to look around the room, possibly Heath's because it certainly didn't look like a room of an old lady. There was a red beanie chair beside Rex, as well as some papers scattered across the room. The curtains were a striking color of violet and books like The Great Gatsby were lined alongside the desk to my right.

"Hey, you okay?" Rex whispered, sitting down on the beanie chair with concern and exhaustion, both spread vividly across his face.

I was going to reply but I heard a familiar voice outside the door. Rex got up and opened it to see what the commotion was on about.

Someone pushed through him and when his eyes found mine, he let out a sigh of relief. I stood up unconsciously, my blanket falling back down on the floor, long forgotten.

Lucas attacked me with a hug. It wasn't warm or intimate, just too tight. It was like he knew how close to death one of us was and didn't want to let me go.

"Sir, you have to rest, you are in shock!" A stunned paramedic appeared behind him, the lady's heavy panting indicating that she was chasing Lucas around the house.

"I thought you died." Lucas broke apart from me, but his hands still gripped my elbows, as if I was an illusion.

"Why would you think that?" I laughed for the first time, feeling brave. His eyes held no humor.