Headlines

Bloody Tapestry

  You finished typing your frenzied article at nearly three in the morning, your hair messily tied in a bun behind you. You chew on your lip as you review the words you had frantically written down in your stroke of desperation. Desperation? Or obsession?

  Ever since the attack last week, the serial killer had been the only thing on your mind. The mask haunted almost every moment of your thoughts; the only time you were spared was while working. And even then, the last two things you had written for work were about that very thing. You felt as if you had no escape, only focusing back in when your phone pinged. 

  A smile fans over your face as a message from Abby is displayed across your screen.

   "You're going to the mural painting thing this Friday, right?" A rush of serotonin makes its way through your body at the mention of the mural event. You had forgotten about it completely until she had mentioned it.

   "Yeah!! I'm super excited to go and paint with everyone. Why?"  Your enthusiasm poured through the text, causing a smile to spread across Abby's face.

   "Well, Jed wants me to take photos, and I wanted to make sure I had a friend with me. I guess I'll see you Friday and Saturday." You beamed at her terminology; it had been a while since you had been called friend. Speaking of, you really needed to text your best friend. You bit your lip as your anxiety kicked in; maybe you shouldn't. They were enjoying themselves globe-trotting, and you didn't want to break their stride. 

   "Oh, for sure! See you then." The smile remained on your face as you turned back to your article. You opened your email and typed something short and sweet, linking your event analysis with it. You hovered your cursor over the send button as an intense debate rand through your head. You shook your head to warrant the bad thoughts away, finally deciding to send the email. A sigh slips from between your lips as you look back at the time. 2:53 is displayed at the bottom of your laptop screen, causing dissatisfaction to course through your body. 

  Your sleep schedule had been awful lately. There was a routine of sleep for a couple of hours until you woke up in a cold sweat, your heart hammering as you clutch your chest. No human being was meant to function like this, but apparently, that was just your life currently. You get up out of your writing chair and stretch; the ungodly position you were in did not help your already aching back. You massaged your neck as you closed the laptop, clicking the lamp off beside it. You tossed yourself down on your bed with a groan, the comforter muffling the sound around you. 

  You flipped your body under the cool sheets, a dreamy smile resting on your face. Maybe you would manage a little more sleep tonight. Just as the warm embrace of sleep started to overtake you, your phone pinged to your left. A single message was displayed on the screen as you squinted in disdain.

  "Y/N L/N,

        Thank you for the email. Your writing is fantastic and your work ethic is admirable, although I don't know if I can condone it. Although you did not bother me in the slightest, I do recommend you get some sleep.

       Your boss, 

              Jed Olsen :)"

  A tired laugh was barely suppressed into the form of a snicker as you finished reading the email. The words had been so professional until the end, a single smiley-face signing his name. With that, you rolled back over and went to sleep with a smile on your face.

-------------------

  The week had gone by in a blur, a frenzy of papers and information flying onto your desk. As the newest journalist, you had been working your tail off trying to please Jed. He had stuck his neck out for you to give you this job, and you weren't going to let him down. You still edited papers, but it was only for Jed's articles; the other editors had been given raises and promotions to take your place. Every time you were assigned an article, you made sure the work was done as quickly and efficiently as possible, always earning an affirmation from Jed.