A Smile to Hide (CYOA/WWYFF)

Chapter 6

    Seeing Quanisha's braid and hearing Father Gordon say he was praying for Quanisha's and your death sent you over the edge.  Him praying for it, and it being almost granted, he had to have some sort of ability!  You run to Father Gordon before he stands up, and start thrashing against his head with your brush, yelling with each swing.  He puts up his arms in to shield his face and then punches you across the face, causing you to drop the brush.  Before you could reach for the brush again, he shoves you to the side, making the pepper spray fall from the pocket.  Before you know it, he's on top of you again, but this time you see the glint of a knife.  You grab the spray and aim for his eyes.  He drops the knife and howls in pain.  You reach for the knife and stab him straight in the chest.

    Blood slithers down from his wound onto you, and blood dribbles from his mouth as he tries his hardest to breath, choking on blood and smoke.  You stab him again and again, even as he falls on his back, still, noiseless, and lifeless.  His eyes, still open, and staring at you, you take the knife and stab them, not standing to have them look at you.  The only thing that stops you from continuing on your mindless rampage is your lungs, burning from the smoke that is filling the room. 

    You leave the body.  The fire hadn't spread to the hatch yet, and just as you started to run down the stairs, you hear a great moan and a crack and a crash.  You don't stop to find out more and you race out of the closet.  You race down the church stairs and you race outside using the front entrance.  Once the cold, fresh, night air reaches your lungs, you turn around and stair at the attic burning.  You run away from the church, scared after hearing sirens and see Dr. Phillips coming out of a car that was parked a little downs the street.

    "Take me away from here," you cry out, sobbing.  "Please, take me away."

    Dr. Phillips' mouth drops open.  He carefully steps toward you and places a hand on yours, the one still clutching the knife, and the other on your back.  "Get in the car," he says softly, once he has the knife in hand.

    You both do get in the car, and he drives.  You're too busy crying and looking at your knees to care where he takes you, just as long as it's out of Winston-Salem.  After a few minutes of driving, he puts the car into park.  You look at him, and then look up to see that he had parked in front of the police station.  Fright squeezes your chest as you look at Dr. Phillips.

    "If you tell the truth, at best it'll be considered self-defense, and breaking and entering.  The sooner you tell the truth, and act like you have nothing to hide, they'll more than likely believe you if there isn't any physical evidence to go against it."

    "But it was—."

    "I know it was self-defense.  At first.  I'll come with you inside."

    You look down and finally see the blood all over your clothes, and splattered all over your arms.  The first couple of stabs would have been considered self-defense, but after that?  All of that and you can't even explain how Father Gordon killed Father Marlow and Quanisha.  You don't know what kind of ability Father Gordon might have had—that is, if you believed his story at all.

    Dr. Phillips guides you into the station.  At first, everyone is too busy to look up, but when one detective looks up and gasps, everyone looks up and stares, not knowing what to say.  Your father's partner is the first to recognize you, almost not believing that the Chief of Police's daughter is covered in blood.  He calls your name softly, but you don't react at all.  You don't speak.  It's almost like you can't, like none of this is happening.  Like the body you're in isn't your own anymore. 

    "Russell, she needs help.  Take her to her father's office and call him.  This is the knife that was used to kill Father Gordon in self-defense."  The entire station gasps as Dr. Phillips takes out the knife and places it on a desk.  "I'll be staying until her father arrives.

    Russell nods and orders someone to call your father on his radio.  He puts his arm around yours and leads you to your father's office.  "I'm sorry, but I have to take pictures for documentation.  It's part of my job."  Russell gets his camera and starts snapping pictures of your face, your clothes, and your hands and asks for you to slide up your sleeves so he can take some pictures of your arms.  Through all of this, you don't say a word.  Russell goes out of the room and comes back with a damp cloth.  "Here.  You can use this to wipe the blood off."

    As you start wiping your hands, feeling a few ounces of disgust, and maybe remorse, you think about your father, and what he'll think and say when he sees you like this.  When he hears that you killed Father Gordon. 

    "Do you want to talk about what happened?"  Russell asks behind you.  You can hear him filling a small paper cup of water.

    It takes a while for you to find your voice.  "I found proof."  You wanted to talk, even if it was against professional advice, but you didn't want to talk about killing Father Gordon yet.  It's still too surreal.

    "Of what?"

    "Father Gordon killed Father Marlow and Quanisha.  I know what happened."  You feel a sudden buzz, and hear a click.  When you turn around to look behind you, all you see is the barrel of a gun. 

    BANG!