I'm Sorry, Stefan

Chapter 9

 They rode for a surprisingly long time, out from the edges of town where Stefan lived, and into the big and bustling city centre. They biked through busy streets, with skyscrapers casting their shadows above them. Stefan followed Darcie wordlessly, winding and twisting a path through downtown. After what seemed like forever, Darcie pulled off the main road, into an alley, pulling to a stop, and jumped off her bike. Stefan did the same.

The alley was thin a tiny sliver between two huge buildings, busy roads were visible through the ends, cars flashing by. It was dark; the alley was hidden by the shadows of the two buildings. The ground was dirt; dust swirled up whenever either of them took a step. It smelled disgusting, and Stefan was glad he couldn’t see what the walls were surly coated in. Dirt? Grime? He was afraid to find out. Along the walls, he could hear small scuttling noises, and see flashes of movement. Mice. He wanted to leave this alley fast.

“Why are we here?” he choked out, a cloud of dust swirling around him as he stepped of his bike. He grimaced, as dust stung his open eyes, blinding him.

                “Gross isn’t it?” Darcie said quietly, next to him. They both stopped moving, and the dust settled, Giving Stefan at least a little bit of visibility. “But, if you took the city bus home from my school, you could cut through this alley way to change buses.” Darcie met Stefan’s eyes, waiting to see if he understood. “Which is what Maya did every day.” She finished. Stefan gasped, understanding.              

                “What happened to her in here?” he asked, horrified. Terrifying possibilities occurred to him. Raped? Mugged? Why hadn’t she told anyone?

                “Well, nothing actually happened to her, the first time…” Darcie started to explain, But Stefan cut her off.

“The first time?” He exclaimed, furious. Darcie glanced at him quickly, looking surprised by his outburst. To his frustration, she didn’t say anything. His anger grew. “Would you just talk to me!?” he yelled at her, his voice echoing through the tiny alley. “You keep avoiding this. Just answer me!” He screamed at her. He would have continued, if he hadn’t seen that Darcie was crying. Her cheeks were wet, and her eyes were rimmed with red. She glared back at him through her tears.

“It’s harder than you think!” she said, beginning to sob, placing her face in her hands to muffle her cries. Stefan felt a kind of pull in his stomach, an impulse, and before he knew what he was doing he had taken two steps towards her and wrapped his arms around her. She pressed her face into his shoulder, her tears soaking into his shirt. He patted her back soothingly. She took a calming breath, and said quietly, still tearful,

“Did you hear about William Grey? It was just after Maya died that he was on the news.” Her voice was quiet, and Stefan just barely caught the words.

“No,” he told her, softly, “I wasn’t paying much attention to the news then.” She nodded, understanding, on his shoulder. She wiped her eyes with one hand, and took a shaky breath.

“William Grey was accused of the kidnaping and murder of a young woman. They caught him only a couple of days after Maya died.” Darcie said. Stefan felt a chill creep up his spine. Where did he fit into Mayas story?

“What does that have to do with Maya?” he prompted her. Darcie continued.

“I believe it was a little bit over a month before her death, when she was walking through this alleyway to get home.” Stefan could picture the scene in his head, Maya walking through the alley, her steps cautious, her eyes wide and scared.He felt a painful stab in his heart, and forced the image out of mind, focusing on Darcie’s words.

“She entered the alley, and saw him, in here, dumping a garbage bag into the dumpster back there,” Darcie motioned behind her, and Stefan saw a small, unassuming green dumpster perched in the corner. “Apparently he slammed the lid shut, and they just sat there, staring at each other…” Darcie trailed off, sounding disgusted, and Stefan tasted blood. He realised just how hard he had been biting his lip, and forced himself to stop.

“They met eyes, and then, after a second, he took off, out of the alley way and down the corner. “Darcie leaned away from him, and Stefan released her, allowing her to wipe her eyes. Darcie looked up at him, her brown eye still glazed with tears.

“She went to the dumpster, because at that point she was suspicious, and she opened the lid…” Darcie trailed off, and Stefan felt sick. “Apparently, the smell was awful, with the bag right there, so she slammed the lid, ran to the bus stop, and jumped on  her bus as fast as possible.” Darcie described her voice ominous in the empty alley, the scene of the crime.

“Obviously she was scared, and she wasn’t sure what to do, so she didn’t end up calling the police right away. Eventually, she just decided to tell her parents when they got home. “ Stefan nodded, understanding her reasoning.

“So where’s the problem? She tells her parents, who call the police, and they arrest this guy. I don’t understand why this is so awful.” He said, confused. Darcie sighed.

“Stefan, it isn’t just that.” she said, patiently. Stefan felt the anger rise up again, frustration and fear bubbling up into one.

“Then just tell me what else there is then!” he exclaimed. Darcie paused for a second, closing her eyes and breathing slowly in.

“When he ran from the alley, Maya only saw him sprint around the corner. “ Darcie began again.

“Yes…” he said, prompting her.

“She turned the other way, and went straight home. She must not have looked behind her.” Stefan felt a chill, a creeping up his spine. Suddenly he was very cold.

“What happened, Darcie?” he asked his voice hollow. He was almost certain that he already knew what the answer was. He braced himself for her response.

“He followed her home.” She answered. Stefan felt sick; he almost thought he would throw up.  Darcie looked no better, she looked faint, and was as pale as a sheet, she looked like a ghost in the dark alley.

“And?” Stefan asked, desperate. “Then what?”

“That’s when it gets worse,” Darcie replied.

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

Hello!

Hehehe I feel evil for leaving it at another cliff-hanger. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and another one will be coming shortly!  Pretty please, if you liked it, comment, vote, or fan! If you see any mistakes, please comment and tell me. You guys are the best!!! J

-purplecat