forty three
Everything happened at once.
“Look out!” Jason yelled and sprang forward.
Before I could get my feet to move, his hands were on me, yanking me back. The cold steel of his blade, pressed against my ribs. “We have to get out of…”
A shot rang out.
“Amber…” A bewildered expression came over his face and his knife clattered to the ground. A dark wetness spread across his shirt. “Please…” He pulled in a ragged breath and blood slipped from his mouth. “Don’t let them get you too,” he said and collapsed to the ground.
Ken staggered out from the shadows and lowered his gun.
Sirens rang out in the distance.
I didn’t realize I was screaming until Ken grabbed hold of me and pulled me into his arms. “Shhh,” he said, holding me closely. “You’re safe now.”
Lights flashing, sirens blaring, police cars and an ambulance careened into the parking lot and came to a skidding halt behind us. Billows of dust flew up in the air. “I need to talk to the guys from the station,” he said, and ushered me toward the back of the ambulance.
“I’ll be right back,” he said and sat me down on the bumper. The medics swarmed.
I looked for Viktor through the throngs of officers and the medics, but he was gone.
epilogue
“Amber!” Mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
“Coming,” I yelled back. I shut my journal, tossed it into my nightstand, and closed the drawer. Tinkerbelle wobbled on top and then settled back down.
I moved E. “Keep your good eye on the place, E,” I said and grabbed my jacket off my bed and headed downstairs.
“You ready,” Mom asked, waiting at the door.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She reached out and touched my arm. “Let’s go,” she said and lifted the keys from the hook.
“Okay.” I turned back and looked at the living room, feeling like I was forgetting something.
“Did you forget something?”
“I’m not sure…” I looked back towards the kitchen.
“Well, we can always get whatever it is on the way.” She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.
“I’ll meet you in the car,” I said and ran back down the hall to the kitchen. A bouquet of flowers sat on the counter. I lifted up the flowers and looked around for anything else I might have forgotten. The phone rang. I walked over to it and lifted the receiver. “Hello?”
The phone crackled.
“Hello,” I said again, and shifted the flowers in my arms. I heard breathing. “I don’t have time for this,” I said and then phone went dead. “Stupid.” I hung the phone back up and left the house. I locked the door behind me and headed out to the car. Peggy Sue was running and Mom sat behind the wheel. I climbed in. Elvis was blaring out of the stereo.
Mom reached over and patted my leg. “You ready,” she asked again, looking concerned.
“Yep,” I said and gave her a reassuring smile. And this time I meant it.
Mom put the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway, singing.
I turned and looked out the window, towards the woods. A lone figure was standing under the canopy of trees watching us. I pressed my hand to the glass as we pulled away.