𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐊𝐇𝐈

40. | T E S T I F Y

C H A P T E R | FORTY
TESTIFY

ANOTHER one of those nights. The thunder was roaring outside the window and the rain was pouring down in buckets. It had been about three months since Carter's death but she couldn't sleep and she hadn't been able to since what happened - - since she knew that she'd played a direct part in it all. Slowly but surely she was losing grip on things and seeing Carter come to her more and more frequently - - he was haunting her. She'd tell herself that it wasn't real - - that he was dead and he wasn't coming back but it seemed so realistic every time she talked to him.

Sometimes Carter was angry with her and when he was he appeared in the gruesome state she'd identified his body, she could see the bullets, the blood, everything and then other times he was sweet and apologetic and he looked like he did when they were teenagers - - when they fell in love. It all just seemed so lifelike but scary at the same time - - unbelievable to anyone besides herself. Judas thought she was losing her sanity and he was growing more and more concerned for her but then Judas, she knew she couldn't trust him either.

"I swear to you I saw him - - he was here Judas and he told me that if you and I don't stop lying about it he's gonna do something bad to us," Destini said pacing back and forth in the bedroom as Judas stood by the door annoyed with her antics, "I'm scared, Ju. I'm scared that something's going to happen - - what if something happens to the girls?"

"Destini," Judas walked over and grabbed her shoulders, "You took too many sleeping pills," he said calmly, "Carter is NOT here. He's been dead for three fucking months. What the fuck is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?"

"No!" The lightening struck and he looked out to the window quickly as she screamed out, "No I haven't lost my mind. Judas I swear to you Carter was here and he was in the bedroom and he was bleeding and - -," she covered her mouth, tears coming from her eyes, "He looked just like he looked when I identified his body. It was so bad, Judas," she cried, tears flowing down her face, "Ju, it was so bad. He looked like a monster."

Judas sighed and grabbed her, pulling her close to him and kissed her forehead, "It was just a dream," Judas whispered, "I shot his ass in the head and I stood there and watched him die, Des - - right thea' on the pavement in front of Juno's. There's no way he's alive, love. He's dead as a doorknob buried six feet unda'. He's not gonna hurt you, me, or the girls. He's gone, ma," Judas leaned down and grabbed her chin, brushing his lips against hers, "I'm here now," he kissed her but didn't get very far before the crackling sound of thunder and the blinding flash of lightening startled her and she could have sworn she saw Carter's face behind Judas.

"Stop," she bit Judas's lip roughly causing him to groan in pain and pushed him away, "Judas we can't - - we can't okay. I saw him - - he's watching us," she started to shake, scared out of her mind, "You can't do things like that."

"Oh yeah? Well what can I do?" Judas chuckled, "Destini you weren't saying shit when I was there for you all those years! When Carter wasn't here who was here for you? Huh? Who was holding you and telling you everything would be okay? I did all the things that Carter was supposed to do and this - - this is how you treat me? I helped you even the score, Des - - I gave you revenge, didn't I?" She swallowed hard and saw something behind him but he grabbed her face roughly and squeezed her jaw, "Destini," he looked her in the eyes, "I asked you a fucking question."

"Don't fucking touch me," she pushed him away from her, scratching his neck in the process with her nails, "Don't put your hands on me, Judas. I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything - - I didn't kill anyone. You did."