Chapter 26
Harper
When the house is quiet, my imagination runs and never does me any good. Only takes me to places that lead me bawling on the couch for the rest of the day. So, I try to keep music or the tv going at all times, so there isn’t a single moment of complete silence in the house.
For the first few hours, I just clean up the bedroom, do a couple loads of laundry, and sweep the floors. I want to go back to work, but the school district wants me to take a minimum of three months leave to make sure I’m mentally ready to come back and not jumping the gun.
My phone beeps, and I have a few missed texts from Liam.
Liam: Just checking in.
Liam: What are you up 2
Liam: You asleep in the middle of the day?
He must be worrying about me, texting me that many times in succession.
Me: I’m fine. Listening to music and cleaning the house to keep myself busy. Can’t wait to see you later.
I slip the phone back in my pocket, and start dancing around the living room, mopping, when a hand comes around and covers my mouth.
“We gotta stop meeting like this, Harper.” The sinister voice sounds making my stomach turn. “You know... you made this too easy with that music blaring like you’re at a rock concert.”
I’m screaming, but his hand muffles the sound. Struggling isn’t going to help. Why am I so stupid? Blaring this so loud no one is going to hear my cries for help, and this might just be my last breath. He’s here to finish the job, and there is no one coming to save me. Maybe I can keep him talking, buy some time when his hand comes off my mouth. “Why do you keep coming after me? What the hell did I ever do to you, huh?”
When he comes around for me to see his face, I go ghost white, finding myself standing in my parent’s house in California, surrounded by cops asking me a million questions. “Stop. Leave me alone... please.”
There is blood on my hands, spread all over my clothes, and my parents are lying dead on the floor. “It was you,” I yell, coming back to reality and seeing his face in front of me. “You... you killed them.”
His fingers slowly make their way up my arm. “Did you really think I’d let you live after everything you did?”
It’s all coming back to me, how I know him, and the awful things he has done. “Why did you kill my parents? They did nothing to you. They were innocent.”
“Far from it. They took you away, told you not to go near me, and then had the audacity to go to the school administration,” he says whispering in my ear from behind with a knife grazing my throat, leaving behind a trickle of blood. “They ruined my life... got me kicked out of college... and all because you thought you were too good for me, when in fact, you were just a slutty whore.”
I slam my foot backward into his kneecap to get free. In attempt to get my cell phone out of my pocket, it falls when he knocks me down. “Help me.”
“No one can hear you with the music.. Although, you were never that intelligent, were you?”
“Help me. Help me please.” In the back of my mind, Liam reminds me all I have to do is say it two times, and the police will be on their way. However, I didn’t think about that when turning the music up so loud. Did it even pick up my screams? The realization that my stupidity might be the reason I die today hits me. Why did I have to turn it up so damn loud?
His hands are on my wrists, pushing down hard, while he sits with his knees on each side of my body. “You ruined my life and could send me to prison. I can’t let that happen, you screwed enough things up for me. Now it’s your turn.”
This man is out of his fucking mind. He brought all this on himself. He took my parents’ lives because he’s a psychopath who can’t handle consequences for his actions.
“I’ve dreamed of this day since slicing up your parents. Tell me, where would you like to be cut first?” The knife spins around in his hand, with a sick smile on his face that makes me want to vomit.
“What made you this way? Did someone hurt you as a child? Beat you? Something had to turn you dark. Tell me. What was it?”
Honestly, I didn’t give a shit, but if my calling out worked, then the police would be on their way and I just have to stall until they get here. Just keep him talking and not hurting me for as long as I can.
“Maybe I’m the one that’s normal, and you’re the fucked up one. Ever thought of that? Flaunting yourself, teasing me, and then making it seem like I’m crazy.”
“You’re pathetic.”
“You’re just begging me to put this knife in your heart, aren’t ya? Were you planning on dying today, Harper? I've been waiting for my moment ever since I followed you here from California. Joined the force, and bided my time until we could meet again. Today is the day, I get to slice into you and hear your blood curling screams until the light goes out in yours eyes.”
Just as he raises the knife over his head, the front door flies open, and a shot goes off. Instead of looking at who comes to my rescue, my eyes slam shut, hoping this isn’t going to be my death. A familiar voice is barely sinking into my brain, and the shock begins to take over. I almost died.