Walking in the Shadows (32 page)

When we got to
Jaz
’s house Brad’s car was parked outside.

“I d
idn’t know Brad was coming over,
”
Jaz
commented
looking down at her cell phone
.
“He didn’t text me.”

“Maybe he called your house phone
and your m
om invited him over for pizza?”
I suggested as we got out of the car.

“I hope so…”

Once we
were
in
side
the house we found
Jaz
’s parents and Brad sitting at the dinner table in silence.

“Is everything okay?” I asked
.
I could tell they didn’t know anything yet from the way they were seated, but it was obvious that we all felt the impending doom.

“Oh, yes, of course dear. We’
re all so famished
that
we didn’t know what to say
to each other,
”
Jaz
’s m
om announced
with a smile.

I looked over my shoulder at
Jaz
who had her eyebrows raised as she s
aid
,
“Okay…”

The si
lence only continued as we ate.

“Maybe we should turn on the TV?”
Jaz
’s d
ad suggested
,
coughing.

“Sure
, dear, the remote
’
s right there
.
”
Jaz
’s m
om pointed to the counter
.

“Just in
,
breaking news
.
”
T
he newscaster’s voice echoed through the room and e
veryone’s
eyes were on the screen
as their
bodie
s went rigid
.
“The body of the missing teen, Mike Crowley,
has been found.”

“
Body?”
Jaz
stuttered
beginning to hyperventilate. Brad was at her side in an instant.

“The teen has become another victim on the growing l
ist of people who have died because of the
Crimson
Reign
effect,
”
t
he newscaster spoke with
her
face contorted in false sadness
.
“
T
o this date the police have had no significant leads. If you have any information on the murders please call the Massachusetts State Police department at 508-555-1693.”

“This is
not happening…not again…” I muttered
to myself
,
ignorant of what was going on around me
.
Jaz
was shakin
g so much that Brad could
n’t
hold her still.

“
Jasmine!
Jasmine!
” h
er m
om yelled out with
Jaz
’s face in her hands
.
“Greg, I don’t know what’s wrong with her!”

Her dad
was standing motionless with
his eyes wide. “I…I don’t know what to do.”

My body went on auto pilot
.
I knew I was moving, but I couldn’t really feel anything. There was no panic, sadness, or even worry for my ill friend. I just knew what I had to do.

“She’
s having a panic attack,
” I stated
,
and it was apparent
that
everyone had forgotten I was there from the astonished looks on their faces.  I grabbed my glass of water and splashed it over
Jaz
’s face. The shaking stopped and
Jaz
blinked but said nothing.

“
Jasmine, are you okay?” h
er mom asked.

She nodded her head
,
looking up at Brad’s tearstained face.

“
Yeah…Brad, are you?”

He nodded his head as she wiped away his tears.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you all…it was like I knew what was going on
,
but was h
elpless to stop myself,
”
Jaz explained
,
wiping her face.
I was feeling the same.

“How did you know she was having a panic attack?”
Jaz
’s m
om asked
,
looking at me.

“My m
om use
d
to have them after her parents died. They died in a car accident, so she had panic attacks any time she got into a car for a while. It’s not permanent though, they went
away after a few years,
” I explain
ed.

“Didn’t your parents—”
her m
om began.

Jaz
cut her off
.
“No, Mom
.”

Her m
om looked confused for a second and then she saw Brad.
I realized that Jaz must have told her parents about how I had no one.

“Oh, yes, yes
,
sorry
—
I
don’t know what I was thinking,
”
h
er mom started as she shook her head.

Jaz
’s d
ad had sat back down.

“Who will be next? How do I keep you all safe?”
h
e mumbled to himself.

“Greg, please don’t worr
y
;
everyone will be fine,
”
Jaz
’s m
om reassured him as she regained her composure
.
“He was
alone and
Ja
smine
won’t be alone ever, right?”

“Yeah,”
Jaz
answered
,
looking at Brad.

“I should get going…my parents have probably heard and wil
l want me to be home,
” Brad commented
,
nodding to the door.

“Of course, let us know
the second you get home?”
Jaz
’s m
om demanded
,
and Brad nodded
,
giving
Jaz
a final kiss before
heading for the door.

My cell phone began ringing.

INCOMING CALL
FROM TAD

“I need to take this?” I
explained
. I
walk
ed
out to the porch
within sight
but out of hearing range
.
“Hey.”

“Did you see the news?”
Tad asked
,
and his voice was stoic.

“Yeah, I know.
Jaz
just had a panic attack over it,
”
I replied.

“I wasn’t aware
that
she was
so
close to Mike?”
Tad asked
,
and I could tell his brow was furrowed from the sound of his voice.

“H
e was Brad’s best friend
,
and I’
m sure plenty of people who don’t know any of the victims are having panic attacks
. Everyone is scared to death
.
”
I c
ould
feel my body shaking from nervousness.
All I needed to feel again was Tad. The fear started to build as I thought about losing him.

“Are you?”

“I’ve been living with this thing for a lot longer than everyone else—I think fear is constant in me
,
so I’ve forgotten what it feels like,
”
I explained as I took a
breath of the chilled night air
.
Now
I was starting to remember.

“Will you come here tonight
—w
here I know you’r
e safe?”
Tad asked.

“I don’t think they’
ll let me leave knowing I live alone
.
I walked to work from my
apartment and
Jaz
picked me up
,
so I don’t have my car?
”
I said
,
wanting nothing else
other
than to be in his arms.

“Tell them you’
re going to stay with your boss…that your boss called
and is coming to pick you up
…please?”

“What if
Jaz
sees you?”

“I’ll wear my hoodie.”

“What if she recognizes your car?”

“I’ll take
my neighbor
’
s
;
he won’t mind,
”
Tad rationalized
,
and I knew there was no fighting him on this.

“I’ll call you
back
,
” I
replied going inside
.
“That was my boss—she wants me to go stay with them until this whole thing blows over. Is it okay if I leave?”

“Are you
sure?”
Jaz
walk
ed
forward and squeez
ed
my hands.
I could tell that
she didn’t believe me.

“Yeah, I’ll b
e safe there…don’t worry,
” I confirmed
.
“
Her husband is
going to pick me up in a little bit
.”

She nodded and picked up her phone
.
“Hey, I’m glad you g
ot home safe… You too.”
S
he
closed her phone
with a heavy sigh.
“School is going to be hard tomorrow.”

I nodded my head and
jumped when I
heard a car honking.

“I guess he didn’t wa
it for me to call bac
k
,
” I commented
,
rolling my eyes, but I could feel a blush building as I thought of him sneaking to come to get me.

Jaz smirked at me and
shook her head.
I knew she didn’
t believe me.

I was standing
at my locker waiting for
Jaz
to stop making out with Brad when
the hallway went silent. It was always
so loud
that
I couldn’t hear
myself think
,
and now I could have heard the devil whisper six feet below. W
hen I looked
over my shoulder it felt as though the earth had stopped moving
. Everyon
e’s eyes were
following
the hollow echo of the two policem
e
n’s shoes
,
and the shoes of the man they had in hand cuffs. Tad’s eyes met mine
,
filled with fear.

“Move i
t
,
Knightley,”
one of
t
he policeman ordered
,
pulling at Tad’s elbow
.

The men dragging Tad gazed around the silent hallway at the staring faces, and then
in an instant the hallway was a beehive again and with each accusation I felt the stings.

I rushed forward. I didn’t
care if anyone could see what I was
feeling and f
or once I felt lucid. The world around
me did
n’t exist and most of all
, it
didn’t matter. All that mattered was the fear I saw reflecting in Tad’s
face
.

“
Vera
,”
Jaz
gasped
as she grabbed my elbow and held
it firm
, “d
on’t.”

“I have to! He didn’
t do anything—I know it!” I panicked as I tried to pull away,
only to feel her grip tighten.