Killing The Killer

Chapter 5

 She turns her body towards me, her back faintly leaning against the island's sturdy figure. I put my hands on the countertop behind her, caging her between my arms. She's still smiling, so, leaning down, I kiss her neck. As soon as I withdraw, she leans into me, hugging me loosely around my neck, my hands find their way to her head and I brush my fingers through her hair, before planting a kiss on the crown of her head. She stays put, so I snake my hands down her body until they are entwined around her waist. 

The front door opens, and Hazel's mom enters the foyer, we hear her clamorously put her purse and jangly keys down, before kicking her shoes off and dropping them into the neat pile by the front door. "I'm home!" she announces, in a sing-song voice. 

"Is a friend over?" she questioned, "There are some shoes I don't recognize by the front door."

"Hi Anna!" I respond, cheerfully, as she walks into the door frame. I'm still hugging Hazel but it's more of a sideways hug and we're both looking at her, as she walks towards us and grabs a cookie

"Oh! My favorite daughter," she says, winking, before taking a bit out of her cookie, "did you get new shoes? I don't remember those."

"Yeah, I got new shoes," I say, smiling as Hazel rolls her eyes.

"What about me?" she asks, "Am I not your favorite daughter?"

Anna feigns a gasp, responding, "Oh my goodness, I didn't even see you there, second-favorite daughter!"

Me and Anna laugh, while Hazel tries to keep a straight face. Soon enough the kitchen is echoing with all of our laughter. After we stop laughing, Anna asks, "Are you staying the night?"

I look at Hazel, and she quickly responds, "Only if you're ok with it, mom."

"Of course I'm ok with it," she says, then turning to me she asks, "do you want me to call your mom for you?"

"Yeah, sure," I nod.

Hazel unwraps herself from my arms and grabs my hand. "We are going to be in my room. Can you tell Eli not to bother us?" she asks, pulling me into the hallway. 

"Yeah, sure, but I don't want any funny business, I just cleaned the sheets," she twitters at us.

"Mom!" Hazel calls exasperated, "seriously?!"

"Yes, seriously!" she calls after us. 

I laugh as Hazel pushes me back into her room. "I guess no fun for us," I say, still giggling.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" she asks, looking disapprovingly at me as I bounce on the bed.

"We can't watch a movie and eat popcorn while sitting in your bed!" I respond, chuckling at the disappointment on her face.

"I'm still doing it, no one can stop me," she said, prancing towards the bed and throwing herself on it beside me.

She grabs the remote, and turns the TV on, then she hands me the remote, "Here, you choose a movie, I'm going to get popcorn."

"Ok," I say watching her spring off the bed and dart down the hall.

Flipping through Netflix, I settle on a movie. The thumbnail shows a shadowed face, with a shining keyhole where the person's eye is supposed to be. I look down at my hands, and my vision flashes to the man from earlier, he's staring right into my eyes, and there's splattered blood on his hands and face. Tears start spilling from my eyes and I hold my knees tight up to my chest with my arms. 

"Can you pass me the sweater?"

"Here."

"Thanks," I say slowly, "It'll be over soon, I promise."

I take the sweater and prop Marion's head up with it, sitting back, I look at my friend as he shallowly breathes. Screams and gunshots echo off the halls and doors, creeping into the locked bathroom.

Moments later, sirens bounce off the walls too, accompanied by the sounds of first responders footsteps echoing through the bloody halls. A swift knock bounces on the locked door, and me and Hazel look at each other silently crouching deeper under the bathroom sink.

"Is anyone in here? We are first responders, and we are here to help you. We won't hurt you. Please come out of the bathroom."

"Livvy," Hazel looks at me as I walk over to the door, "it could be a trap...."

As I reach the door, I unlock it, and open it widely. The first responders look at my face, the blood and tears mixing. They look at my shirt, once blue, now soaked through with blood. My jeans, too, specks of blood splattered on the shins and thighs. They then look past me at Hazel, who was standing beside me. The blood mixed with saltwater slowly rolling down her cheeks, her blood stained shirt, and leggings. They look past both of us at Marion, who's leaning up against the wall, recently pressed bloody paper towels on his right shoulder, while he fights to breathe. 

The seconds it takes the medics to call in a stretcher feel like hours for the three of us. EMTs roll it up next to him and collapse it. They lift Marion onto the stretcher and pop it up while other responders assess me and Hazel separately. 

Slowly me and Hazel along with other uninjured survivors walk out to the front lawn. Injured students rolled out stretchers, while deceased ones carried out in body bags. 

I look around me and name all of the things on Hazel's dresser, I name the colors of the posters on her wall. As soon as I start breathing normally again I wipe the tears off my face and curl onto my side, facing the door. Hazel bursts through the door carrying a huge bowl of popcorn and two sodas. She looks at me and then at the screen, "You ok, darling?" she asks.

"Yes, I'm fine, and I chose a movie for us," I smile, sadly, taking the bowl of popcorn and a soda from her as she sits down.

"Is it a horror?" she asks, frowning at the picture.

"No," I respond, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

"Ok, then. Let's watch it!"

My thumb fumbles over the remote's buttons, until it finally hits play. I throw it onto the table beside me, and cross my legs at the ankles.

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-S.M. <3