Manchester Park

Chapter 13-TheMurder

I wake up all sweaty and exhausted. Have you ever had a really bad nightmare to the extent that you couldn't even remember what it was, even after after waking up?
I just had one right now. One thing for sure, I can't go back to sleep after having a bad nightmare. I checked my phone and found that it was almost 5 in the morning. Getting out of the bed, I grab my coat and running shoes. Nothing clears up my mind better than an early morning jog.

I pass the gates of Anne's mansion. The air was a bit foggy, but it was alright. I went offroad into one of the woods, but made sure to stay on the outer side of it. I didn't want to get lost in some strange forest. I wasn't too far from the mansion when I saw a familiar figure standing a little too into the woods. He was facing the other side so he couldn't actually see me and was poking something on the ground with a stick.

I got nearer to him to see what he was doing. I was being as silent as possible but unfortunately my foot stepped on a dried twig and snapped. Cory turned around.

"Um, Hi Cory" I say sheepishly, my hand half raised for a wave.

"Oh, Hi. What are you doing here?" he looked a little shocked to see me there at first but then returned to his normal cool stance.

"I was going for an early morning jog."

"Yeah, I have seen you go for a jog every morning back in Springdale."

Cory watched me go for a jog every morning? Creepy stalker!

"What about you? What are you doing in the woods all alone?" I ask.

"Well, the woods were lovely, dark and deep." He says quoting Robert Brown.

"Really?" I ask folding my hands over my chest.

"No" he laughs as he leans back, takes an aim and throws away the stick in his hand.

"I couldn't sleep. So, I came out here to do some thinking. Oh, but don't worry, I already texted Parker that I am out here so that he doesn't wake the whole house up on the plea that I went missing again"

Cory walked further into the woods and I followed him.

"What were you thinking about?" I ask him after sometime.

"Huh?"

"You said that you came here to do some thinking. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh that. It's just about some silly things. You wouldn't want to know them, trust me."

"Why? Is it about your secret girlfriend or something?"

Cory laughed as he went around a tree branch. He turned around and put his arms over the branch as he faced me.

"The last thing I need in this world right now is a girlfriend" He says looking at me in the eye. He was smiling and it took me all the mental strength I had, to stop gazing at him.

"Well then, what were you thinking about?"

Cory let out a sigh and looked down.

"My life" he says.

His life? A very explanatory answer indeed!

Cory looked back up and smiled at me again. Aww! My poor heart!

"I was just worrying about college next fall and things like that. Thank goodness you came, else I would have drowned in my worries and died."

Is he making fun of me now?

Cory resumed his walking and I followed.

"Can I ask you something?" he asks.

"Sure, anything."

"Do you hate me?"

Oh my gosh. This is about the conservation I had with Isa back in the car, isn't it?

"Well, maybe a bit" I say honestly. "Remember the one time in Miss Geoffry's class when we were assigned to work together? You mocked me infront of the whole class when I didn't know the procedure for the experiment."

"That was like three years ago."

"Yup and I have been hating you ever since."

"Well, I guess you do have the right to hate me. I had been mean and had not even apologized to you that day. I got into an argument with mom and dad that morning and everything that happened later in the day seemed to piss me off. But honestly, I never meant to do that on purpose, I am sorry."

Cory stopped and said these words looking into my eyes. His apology was sincere.

"It's alright. I forgive ya" I say with smile.

Cory smiled back and my heart skipped a beat.

"So, you won't hate me from now on?" he asks with puppy dog eyes and I laughed.

"I won't." I assured him.

We walked a little more into the woods and my phone starts jingling inside my pocket.

It was Isa. I guess sleeping beauty had finally woke up.

"Hey Mel, where are you?"

"I just came out for a morning walk."

"Can you please come over here? My arm is hurting again and I think I need to see Dr.Landon."

"Stay right there. I'll be right over." I say in the phone.

"It's Isa" I say and Cory nods understanding.

"I think there is a shortcut to the mansion right through these woods." He says pointing out a path.

"Thank you. I better get going." I say as I take off from the place.

"See ya" said Cory behind my back.

I was running back to the mansion but something on my path made me stop and turned my blood cold.

I inched slowly towards it. It was the body of a woman covered in blood. Not just any woman, It was Anne.

I screamed my head out.