Chapter 12

MYSTIC HOLLOW

Homicide

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BY NAOMI INNOCENT

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CHAPTER 12

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"Are you sure we are going the right way? I think we lost track of them already" Laura suggested as she panted while they walked towards the cemetery.

"Let's just take this lane, I know they would be too scared to follow us to the graveyard" Peter said.

"Scared? Why would they be? They are security men remember? SECURITY MEN, which means they secure the area from bad things, they can't be scared" Laura expounded.

"Well you need to see their faces when the sound of the gunshot was heard" Elena said with a shrug as Peter nodded in affirmation to what she said as they kept walking.

"Everyone was supposed to react that way to a gunshot. It's normal" Laura sighed.

"Wait guys, there is no way we are walking through the graveyard home" Alex said stopping at their back as his friends did same.

"And plus, I think the gunshot came from this direction" Laura said seconding Alex.

"Seriously guys, we can't pass through the main gate because those guards would probably be at their duty post now and y'all know we definitely can't go there. This is the only way" Peter said.

"What about the gunshots huh? I believe it came from the cemetery" Laura said.

"Come on let's go, at least we might be able to come across something, like a dead body or someone unconscious that needs help and listen, can you still hear any other gunshots? No, the killer leaves the scene immediately he has gotten his prey. Don't you think so?" Peter asked touching his ear as they all pay rapt attention but couldn't get anything. Juts birds flying about and the sound of crickets.

"That's probably because the killer might have succeeded and has literally escape. Seriously, we can't be MYSTIC Hollow heroes if we keep behaving like cowards, its high time we take risks for the betterment of this town. We don't know, maybe the next Target might be Alex, Elena, Laura or even me. We can't just be a scardie cat forever, right?" Peter expounded.

"Wow Peter, this is the most loveliest thing you've ever said. I never knew there was something up there in your brain apart from playing video games" Alex commended with an applaud as Peter smiled.

"I'll take that as a compliment" he said and winked at him.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, shall we?" He said as he led the way towards the cemetery and his friends followed suit.

They walked pass some tombs and they saw flowers placed on some of the grave stones. Some flowers were fresh while others were dried up by the sun.

"Seems someone frequently visit the graveyard, don't you think?" Alex asked no one in particular as he observed the flowers with his friends doing same.

"In loving memory of Jane Phillips, Jack James, Finn Loix, Detective Phillips" Elena whispered to herself as she read the names on the grave stones that flowers are being dropped on.

"Guys, doesn't this seem strange? The flowers are only dropped on the stone of those that died through the homicide" Elena observed as her friends took notice of that too.

"Yh, you're right. Do you think it means something?" Laura asked squatting beside Finn Loix grave as she stared at the dried up flower.

"Guys! I think you might wanna check this out too" Peter said as he stared at the bullet penetrated hole on a stone.

"It's a bullet hole" Alex observed as they all gathered round it.

"I think whoever the killer was after, was sitting right here" Laura said taking pictures of the hole.

"What' are you doing?" Alex asked her within griited teeth.

"Obviously taking photos" she said as she continued with what she was doing.

"And why is that?" He further interrogated.

"For future reference" she said as they stared at the hole.

"Whoever the killer was after is still alive, there is no blood stain anywhere" Peter said scanning the cemetery with his eyes.

"The bullet came from that direction" Alex said pointing at the woods, where no one would dare enter in Mystic Hollow.

"And how do you know that ? " Laura asked dazed.

"Because my dad is a cop" Alex blurted out with a smirk on his lips as Laura rolled her eyes at him.

"Elena who's mom is the sheriff isn't acting all that cool is she? Such a show off” Laura said rolling her eyes.

"Seriously?" Alex said standing up as Elena had to come between them.

"Come on guys, don't tell me you both were bickering just now" Elena said out of frustration.

"She started it"

"Hee started it!" They said simultaneously pointing at each other.

"Well I don't Care who started it, I just want you guys to stop so we could concentrate, we might get somewhere of we observe closely!" Elena yelled at them.

"Guys! I think you might wanna see this" Peter called up to them as they raced to where he was, squatting close to a pathway that led out of the cemetery.

His friends joined him and squatted close to him as they stared at the journal. He was about touching it as Laura spank his arms.

"What are you doing? You saw a journal in the cemetery and you wanna pick it? What if it belongs to one of the dead? Can't you see how antiquated and ugly it looks like?" Laura asked rushing her words as Peter withdrew his hand immediately.

"Ouch, that hurts" he said massaging his arms.

"Its just a journal. There's no big deal about it. You're just being scared" Alex said picking it up as they stared at him, probably waiting for him to disappear or a ghost would come take him but nothing of that sort happened.

He touched his body and his head and smiled.

"You see? I'm alive" he said smiling as his friends heaved a sigh of relief together.

The place started getting foggier nd the crows sitting on the grave stones multiplied. It was seriously getting dark now, but they didn't take notice. The sun was totally down and the sky was pale gold in color.

He dusted it as they gathered around it, he turned the front cover and saw a name, boldly written in red ink, looks more like blood.

*SARAH BELLOS.

IN LIBRO DE MORTE*

"Whoa!" Elena exclaimed taking the book from him.

"It belongs to Sarah?" Laura asked as they stared at each other.

"Then Sarah was the one here and the killer was after her" Alex suggested with folded arms as he thought deeply.

"Let's get out of here, I don't like this fog and these crows, seems creepy to me. And hell, it's getting dark" Peter said as he stared at how foggy the graveyard was getting and they agreed to what he said observing the fog and the crow too.

"Let's go to my home, remember you guys promised?" Alex asked as he friends nodded.

They walked out of the cemetery without saying a word to each other. They felt tensed as they had Sarah's journal in their possession, they kept wondering what they would find out in it.

They got to Alex's house and the place was silent. His dad was still at work and his kid sister and Fay, her babysittee weren't at home.

He got to the living room and saw a piece of note placed on a table.

*We've gone hiking. FAY*

That was what the note said, after he finished reading, he placed it inside his pocket while his friends settled down on the couches in the living room

"Guys you care for anything?" He asked.

"No" Peter and Laura said simultaneously as he nodded.

"We haven't recovered from the meatloaf yet" Peter said as they all laughed except Elena who was engrossed in the journal.

They sat close to her on the couch as she traced the name on the journal, then her fingers were stained with a red substance.

"What's that?" Peter asked as she shook her head negatively.

"I don't know" she said lifting her fingers stained with the red substance to her nose.

"Its dried blood" she said as they stared at the journal.

"Why would she use her blood to write her name on her journal?" Laura asked sounding more confused than the others who had no idea too.

"She might be the one almost killed at the cemetery today. Remember those bullet holes we saw at the tombs?" Alex asked rhetorically again before his friends found meaning in what he said.

"And might probably be the one dropping those flowers on those gravestones because she is the only one who knows about the killings before they occur" Peter added.

"Guys, that's not the issue right now. This writing here, beside her name 'In Libro de morte' it sounds so familiar, its as if I've heard that name before" Elena observed as they tried recalling where they heard the name.

"De je vu" Alex said standing up to go get a glass of water from the kitchen.

"There's nothing like de je vu here. The name just sounded strange" Elena insisted as Alex walked to the living room with the glass of water as he gulped down and dropped the cup on a stool beside the couch.

"Should we open the journal?" Alex asked.

"Of course we would! What if the journal.... " Peter said without completing his statement as Laura cut him off.

"We can't just open someone's journal, we all know what a journal is and I believe each and everyone of us has one. How would you feel if someone have access to it huh? We were talking about being friends or drawing close to Sarah earlier today right? I think it starts now, let's return the journal back to her" Laura said as a matter of fact.

"We are not returning it back to her without checking it out. We are talking about a psychic here, someone that sees future deaths but doesn't talk. This is the only way we can access her thoughts" Alex suggested as Elena and Peter found meaning in what she said.

"Ok, let's do it this way, we're gonna return the journal after we might have gotten two or more thing from the book. How do you see it guys?" Elena suggested as they agreed and a knock was heard from the door.

They all stopped talking as they stared towards the direction of the door.

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TBC