The Corpse And The Crazy

Chapter 31 - 34

[ WARNING: GORE, BLOOD: I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BAD DECISIONS ] 

Chapter 31

"There's a fire starting in my heart

Reaching a fever pitch, it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go 'head and sell me out and I'll lay your shit bare
See how I leave with every piece of you

Don't underestimate the things that I will do."

- Adele (Rolling in the deep)

The chair scratches the hardwood floor as I jump up. How she escaped one of the most secure places in the U.S. is a mystery to me. But I don't have any time to think.

I feel the lack of rest and the need for blood weighing down on me as I walk to the dark brown double door. It's been a long night. 

'What happened,' I demand whilst I walk past Winston towards the garage. 

She follows, tucking her shirt back into her pants. 'All I know is that something went horribly wrong. What exactly, I don't know.' She grabs the keys to the Jaguar from the small locker beside the door to the garage. 

I slow down my pace and look at Winston, 'went wrong... doing what?' 

She shrugs and unlocks the car, 'not any of my business. Why? Do you have an idea?'

I sit down in the passenger seat, 'not much of an idea, more of a concern.'

She starts the car and we drive away. When we get to the main gate, we tell Aimo to get the dogs. If Julia were stupid enough to stay on the premises, they would easily track her down. Although she'd probably have no trouble killing them, at least we'd know where she is. 

'What's your concern,' Winston asks. 

'Well, I don't know how much you know about her, but let's just say it would be dangerous if people treated her in a way that triggered old trauma. If my hunch is correct, she won't just stand around sheepishly anymore when someone wants to capture her. Something's changed.'

As we pull up on the watchtower, in the middle of the forest surrounding the Duke's estate, we can see smoke rising from the top. 'Shit,' I mutter. 

We come to a screeching halt. 'Something's changed, for fucking sure,' Winston comments. 

We jump out of the car and sprint towards the watchtower. Before we enter, we listen attentively for any signs of a threat inside. In other words, Julia. There's no sound, yet Winston reaches for a pistol that's tucked into her waistband. 

I gesture to keep it holstered, and she hesitantly obeys. 'You better be right,' she mouths, before opening the door. 

Routine when someone escapes from the mansion is to go to the watchtowers first. Chances are that the fugitive will be visible from there, as there are several kilometres of the open field before the forest begins. And there's no way Julia beat a sportscar there. 

But watchtowers don't set themselves on fire. So maybe Winston wasn't as quick to discover her missing as I'd thought. She had a head start, however short. Or maybe some help even.