In His Refuge

Chapter 2: Followed

Those soulless eyes stared back at her for a moment longer before he turned around and disappeared inside the apartment and that's what snapped Ellie out of her shocked trance.

She made a run for it, almost stepping on the blood pooling around the woman who laid there wide eyed and gagged but successfully avoiding doing so.

Adrenaline was coursing through her body as she thought of the killer right behind her, her pulse racing like a freight train as she heard quick footsteps behind her but she didn't dare to turn back to take a look as she raced down the street.

Everything seemed to be closed since it was late at night but to her luck she finally saw a diner with the lights still on and she made it her goal to get there.

Her feet hurt as she ran down the street towards the diner but she could hardly register that pain when she could hear the footsteps nearing behind her, only encouraging her to go faster as her survival instincts kicked in.

Through some miracle she was able to reach the diner and wasted no time in pushing the door open with all the force in her as she rushed inside, letting the bells ring upon entering.

"Hey! We're closing!" The boy who seemed to be cleaning up told her but she hardly heard him as she blocked the door with the nearest chair she could find and quickly made her way toward the confused boy who was standing there with a broom in his hand.

"Hey what..." before he could finish she cut him off.

"Come with me! Come with me!" She grabbed his hand dragging him into the kitchen of the diner as she saw the killer trying for the door that was only blocked by the chair.

She quickly locked the kitchen door behind them as soon as she was inside with the boy.

"What is wrong with you? Who are you?! Let me out of here crazy lady!" He let out exasperated as to what was happening as he tried to get out but she stood in front of the door blocking it.

"Shhh shhh, look you can't go out there, I saw this guy kill this lady and he saw me and now he is after me and he is out there, I ran away from him but he followed me" she quickly explained and the workers' eyes widened.

"What! This is crazy! Did you call 911" he exclaimed out but his voice hushed now.

Before she could do or say anything, kitchen door started rattling indicating that the killer was trying to get the door open.

They reacted quickly by pushing the heavy table in front of it and piling up chairs on it.

Anything to not let him in, to stall.

"I haven't, didn't get the chance but I am now" Ellie said, already dialing.

The boy gulped, waiting impatiently.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"There is a man, he is trying to kill us, I...I... saw h..Him kill a woman earlier a...and now he is after me" she stumbled over her words as the rattling hot more frequent.

"Alright ma'am I need you to calm down and tell me where you are?" The operator asked.

"6th lane, Hampton street umm..." she realized she didn't know the name of the diner and looked at the boy beside her expectantly.

"Desi diner" he answered quickly.

"Desi diner, we're Locke in the kitchen and he is trying to get in" she explained.

"There is a car dispatcher your way already don't worry they'll be there in no more than two minutes, a patrol car is already in that area ma'am , I'll stay in the line with you till then" the operator said, her voice calm.

"Alright, please make them grey, he seems to be attempting to break the door" Ellie said, she hadn't even realized that she was crying till she felt the wetness on her hand.

She took deep breaths as instructed by the operator to calm her nerves down as best as she could.

The rattling and the attempts to break down the door came to a halt but the two didn't dare to try to open the door, for all they knew he was outside and baiting them.

In no time the sirens of the police car could be heard, true to the operator's words.

"I hear sirens ma'am, I believe the patrol car is already there, they'll take care of the situation now, take care" with that the operator hung up.

The two of them looked at each other, a little relieved and walked towards the door but still didn't open it till they heard knocks on the door.

"NYPD, we're here to help open up!" The police standing outside the door called out and it was like Ellie could finally breathe.

They had help, she was safe.

The boy quickly removed the chairs they had stacked up in the table as well as the table out of the way of the door and then opened the lock on the kitchen door, finally pulling it open.

There were two police officers standing outside, weapons drawn.

"Don't shoot, we're the ones who called" the boy said, hands in the air, with Ellie right behind him.

The officers lowered there weapons giving the space to step outside.

"You gush okay?" One of them asked.

"Yes" the boy answered while Ellie could only nod, not trusting any words to come out of her mouth at the moment.

The two officers made them sit before taking a look around and outside the diner before returning to them.

"Whoever it was, is gone now. What exactly happened now?" The officer asked and Ellie finally snapped out of it, remembering the dead body of the woman in the street.

"You have to come with me, h...he k...killed a woman, she's on the street, I saw her and he was there" she couldn't form a proper sentence as she stumbled over the words to explain them what happened.

"Hey hey hey, calm down, take a breath and tell me where did you see this dead woman you're taking about" officer Clivewhose name Ellie finally saw on the badge asked.

"I'll show you, just down the street" Ellie said.

"Alright both of you come with us then" officer Jenkins said and they both nodded.

"What are your names?" Officer Clive asked as they walked towards their police car.

"Tobby Simmons" the boy answered.

"Ellie... Ellie Summers" Ellie replied as well.

They all got into the car and Ellie showed them the way down the street where she had left the dead body of the woman after witnessing her murder.

It was a very short drive before they stopped in front of that apartment building.

"The body is right there behind that car, in front of the apartment building" Ellie told the officers as the car came to a halt.

"Stay with them, I'll go check it out" officer Jenkins said and Clive nodded as he got out of the car.

Just moments later Jenkins came back, his face serious and all business.

"There is a woman's dead body here, we have to tape this area and call for back up, this is a crime scene" officer Jenkins informed was he reached the car.

Ellie gulped hard.