Watched (ONC 2021)

Chapter 7 - The Clinic

Photo by Clay Banks from Unsplash

***

Mike sped toward town, shirtless underneath his jacket like a sexy demon hunter from the shows he liked to watch if they wore dorky glasses and gripped steering wheels like the Hulk. It made me want to laugh, and by Mike's knitted eyebrows, I probably had.

"Hold that tighter! Your cut is deep." My hands did as he asked since his firm voice was so rare it unsettled me. The pressure and shot of pain caused me to cringe. "I should pull over," he muttered and eyed the road hardly wide enough for two vehicles.

As he slowed down, this afternoon's forest corpse flashed before my eyes, and I gritted my teeth. "No, we'll stop in town. It's not far."

His blood-crusted nails scratched his forehead. "Why did you have a knife?"

"For protection."

"From what?"

"From whatever was coming after us."

"Was someone in the house? I told you, you shouldn't have gone in there."

I wasn't sure what to call the voices and shadows. They weren't human since the knife didn't impact them. Were they a stranger's illusions fabricated to mess with me or my delusions? I couldn't tell what was real anymore, but I wouldn't reveal it to Mike and tangle him in my madness. He'd already called me crazy.

"No, but you never know." I studied Mike's chest, arms, and legs for injuries. He'd got me in the vehicle so quickly, I hadn't checked if he was alright after our collision. "I didn't hurt you with the knife, did I?"

"No, just yourself. Didn't you see or hear me coming? I was yelling your name."

I shook my head. "The adrenaline---I saw the empty car and...."

Mike squeezed my bicep. "I went looking for you. After that statue threw you and glowed, you weren't picking up your phone."

It was reassuring he'd chosen to save me despite the danger and that the statue's power had been legitimate. I smiled at him. "Thanks, Mike."

The corners of his eyes didn't crease like they normally did when he grinned. "I still can't believe you did this for Milo. We should have given that troubled cat to the police."

Milo hissed from the backseat. I had been a mess after my mother's death too. Sure, he was a cat, but Mrs. Crawford's madness reminded me enough of my mom to take pity on the furry guy. No one else understood.

"Hasn't he been through enough?"

"I refuse to let you put yourself in more danger for that animal. We're staying at a hotel until there's a better investigation into the statue."

I pressed Mike's shirt tighter to my leg.

"Is an investigation necessary?"

An investigation would mean they'd find the body. I'd been too shocked to make out any features beyond the milky white colour of the skin, the flat chest, and the crimson shoulder sockets. The scent of my metallic blood didn't help my nausea. I bit my lip. Would the police lock me up after discovering Mrs. Crawford and having a body in our backyard? I had a knife and was covered in blood, mine, but they didn't know that.

"Of course it is. If the statue connects these disappearances and it's on our doorstep, the police need to know. I'll call them now." Mike brought up his recent contacts on the dash screen.

I swallowed hard. I should have told him about the body, but maybe I could pretend I never saw it. If it was true, the officers would discover it during their investigation, anyway. It would keep my unstable mind under the radar in case I was hallucinating again.