Torturous

Police

•Y/N: Your Name
•E/C: Eye Color

Your POV:

Violent shakes send vibrations through my body as I slowly rock back and forth with my blanket draped over my body to keep me calm. From the bed, I watch the bedroom door as though my life depends on it, and it just might. I just sat there, waiting for what feels like forever. Sooner or later, someone will come to that door. I just hope it'll be the police, not the killer. Relief washes over me the instant the sound of sirens reach my ears.

'They're coming. The police are coming,' I repeat over and over again in my head. Minutes pass of me rocking and waiting for something to happen until a firm knock comes from the door. I jump and instinctively back away towards the window, which is where I'd make my escape if it's the mysterious caller. The fall would likely hurt, but I'd be able to escape.

"Y/N, this is Officer Hampton. We've searched the house. It's empty. You can come out now," the familiar voice of the police officer claims, nearly making me collapse.

'Thank God!' Still nervous, I approach the door and unlock it before opening it a crack to see who's on the other side. A lean, but muscular male with dark brown hair and brown-hazel eyes comes into view. In an instant, the door is thrown open and my arms are wrapped around the figure's waist tightly. Michael takes a step back in surprise as I cry on his uniform while trembling. Gentle hands are placed on my shoulders, but he doesn't push me away. He allows me to hold his body even though I'm sure my grip feels as tight as a snake's coils that have ensnared its prey.

"It's all right now, Y/N. You're safe."

Sniffling, I wipe my eyes while still holding his clothes with one hand.

"Let's go outside, okay? Get some fresh air." The man guides me out of the house, but, on our way out, I spot a few officers looking around . The crisp, autumn air fills my throat when we step outside as the cold breeze blows against us. An ambulance sits outside along with the rest of the squad cars, which is where I'm led to. Seeing as I'm not injured, they only covered me with a weighted blanket to help me feel secure. To keep my thoughts away from the recent panic, I focus on the orange and yellow leaves that float onto the street from the trees. After some time passes, Michael walks up to me and meets my reddened, E/C eyes.

"So, I've called your parents and asked them to meet us at the station. I'll drive you there, and, then, you can tell me what happened, okay?" He explains in a soft, comforting voice while gently rubbing my shoulder. I nod my head and remove the blanket before hopping out of the back of the ambulance. On the way to the car, I grip his gloved hand with both of mine, standing behind the officer as I look around in paranoia. Thankfully, the man was understanding of my behavior and didn't mind.

'Maybe they ran off after hearing the sirens? Or, was he even here in the first place? Maybe he's still out there, watching from afar for the right time to strike.' The very thought makes me gulp and tighten my hold on the brunette at my side. The drive to the police station was silent, but comfortable. Being around an authority figure certainly helped me feel safer. When we get there, we find my parents already waiting for us in Michael's office. The instant I saw them, I ran up and embraced them, which they didn't hesitate to do in return. They must've been scared for me judging by the looks of relief they gave.

"We're so glad you're all right." A cough interrupts our touching moment, causing us all to look back at the officer waiting to question me. We all take a seat, sitting across from the male, before we start. I explain everything from the beginning, from the news report all the way up to when the police came. I even showed him the messages on my phone from the mystery caller.

"Well, I'll have to take the phone as evidence. That way, we can track the phone that was used by the caller and, hopefully, get to the bottom of this. Perhaps we'll get lucky, and he'll still have it on him. We'll be able to pinpoint his location that way. We will catch him, but, until then, I suggest you spend the next few nights elsewhere, seeing as he might have your address. Is there any family you can stay with?"

"I'm sure we can come up with something. Thank you so much, officer."

"I'm just doing my duty." Michael smiles before his eyes land on me. "Stay safe, Y/N. Don't worry. We'll catch him." I nod and thank the nice man before we all stand. We're done here.

"I'll call my sister. Maybe she'll let us stay with her for a bit?" Mom says while pulling out her phone to call my aunt, who will likely take us in with open arms, especially after what just happened. As she speaks to the woman, we walk outside towards my father's white Chevy until a familiar voice reaches my ears.

"Y/N!" I turn around upon hearing my name and am surprised to find Richard waving at me from across the street. I tense some upon seeing him as a thin line forms on my lips. We didn't exactly leave off on the right foot. I did call him a creep. Granted, I wasn't in the right state of mind when I said it. I was just so panicked when he kept pushing to take me home. For all I know, he really was just trying to help. The slightly older male runs over to me, clearly not as concerned about our meeting as I was. I back up when he comes closer to me, worried that he might be upset after the last time we met. Rich's smile drops upon seeing my frightened expression.

"Hey, you okay?" The blonde sounds genuinely concerned, which eased my mind a bit. Perhaps he forgot or possibly forgave my previous behavior? Before I can say a word, a hand is placed on the man's shoulder directing his attention towards my glaring father.

"Who are you?" He asks in a firm voice that would scare the hell out of anyone, but Richard didn't seem very affected by such a tone. He smiles, but before he could give an answer, I respond for him.

"He's one of my... friends," I mutter, knowing that'd ease dad's mind. I've only known Richard for a short time, but I feel like he means well. I don't think he meant to come off as pushy last time. If he really was a creep, I'm sure he would've followed me home regardless of my shouting, which I'm pretty sure he did not do. The older man relaxes and releases the blonde, but keeps his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Aren't you a little old to be in high school?" He questions.

"I graduated. With high honors, actually," Richard responds proudly with a smug smile on his lips. "I was just out for a walk and spotted Y/N. I figured I'd come say hi, but it looks like I came at a bad time." Light brown orbs catch my gaze before a soft smile pulls at the corners of his lips. "I hope everything's all right?" I look down, unable to maintain eye contact with the blonde.

"T-there was another m-murder." I have to bite my bottom lip to prevent myself from crying again, but my body decides to betray me by shaking. "I think I might be next."

A deep frown etches onto Richard's face as he steps forward to wrap his arms around me. I flinch and my heart raced from the suddenness of the action, but welcomed the hug moments later. I rest my head below his chin and hold him tightly with closed eyes. I needed this. Warm breath hits my left ear before the man softly whispers,

"Come talk to me if you ever need it. I'll be available at anytime." A paper is slipped into my hand after I pull away. I assume it has a phone number on it to reach him. "And, don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine." He steps away from me with a confident smile on his lips. "I'll see you around, rose girl. Stay safe, all right?"

I nod, feeling a little better now, before uttering a small goodbye. Rich waves his hand before walking away with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat.

"I have a bad feeling about that one," dad mutters as I stuff the paper I received into my pocket.

"He's okay, just a little weird, that's all." I walk past my father and get into the back seat of his car before buckling up. Soon enough, my parents join me, and we set off towards my auntie's house. I imagine that we won't be going home for a long while, not until we're certain everything is going to be fine.

But, will things ever be okay again?