Unknown

The Announcement

I woke up unable to breathe. 

A thick tube in my mouth and the annoying sound of beeping. 

Blinking once, I felt myself begin to panic, at the idea of being trapped. I tried to swallow but the tube was preventing that. I coughed, choking on words I wanted to scream.

"Nurse!" Someone yelled. I moved my arms, desperately trying to find a call button.

"Calm down Sofia, hold on one second." Someone said to me. 

"Where am I?" I blurted out. sucking in a much needed breath as a doctor held the tube in his hands. I took a second to look around the room. A hospital, Sofia. You're in a hospital.

I turned my neck, "Why is there a police officer outside?" I croaked, "Where are my friends?" 

"What happened?" 

The doctor looked over at me sympathetically, "You were shot." 

Oh. I don't remember that happening.

"What do you remember from last night?" 

I tried to move, gasping at the shooting pain in my side, "Try not to move too much. Thankfully the bullet didn't hit any major arteries, but it did puncture your lower abdomen." 

I zoned out with the all the medical talk.

All I could think about was Mrs Brickerely. Why does she think we killed her daughter? What did we do? 

I remember her daughter but I don't remember her ever dying.

"I remember being in a church and Mrs Brickerely being there but that's all I remember, why?" I swallowed, "When you're feeling well enough, you'll need to give a statement to the police."

"I want to give it now." 

"Sofia we-"

"I said now. I want to give it now." My hands balled anxiously at my sides. The doctor gave me a curt nod before exiting the room.

+ + + 

"And that's all I remember." I said flatly, playing with the wrist band around my wrist.

"You remember your teacher facing you with the gun?" Detective Warren said. I nodded, "Yes. All I remember before waking up is being with my friends in the church and my teacher holding a gun to me." 

Detective Warren wrote down some notes on a very official looking notepad, flipping the page over before placing his pen down.

"Thank you Sofia." 

I sucked in a breath. Do I want to know the answer to the question I'm about to ask.

"Did you catch her?" I said, tears about to burst out of my body at any second.

Detective Warren smiled, "Yes. She's in holding at the moment before we get her statement. She'll be taken to prison regardless for several accounts of murder, stalking, aggravated assault, battery. That kind of stuff."

I nodded once, "Why does she think we killed her kid?" I sniffed, blurry vision from my tears, "We didn't do anything. I remember her daughter being alive."

Detective Warren sighed, "Tracy Brickerely's daughter is very much alive. She's eighteen and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her aunt and uncle. Tracy lost custody over her when she was deemed mentally insane after trying to drown her daughter in the bathtub." 

A hand flew over my mouth, "That poor girl. I can't even imagine." I whispered.

"After she was taken, Tracy tried to get her back but couldn't. And that's when the murders happened." He paused, looking at me directly, "You guys are lucky you told me when you did. I hate to freak you out more, but we investigated her place this morning. She was planning on killing all of you."