I watched over the house in slow mo. People with coffee and
cameras took pictures for once with everything but me. It was a far and few
between when I wasn’t the soul ring leader. I think I’d feel better about had I
not seen the body outside. A body just like mine at the time. White cotton
dress, ring leader hair and all but sleeping if it wasn’t the extra awkward smile
that had a home on her neck. I remembered this place too well. It was that last
place I was alive.
“Why am I here Brandon?”
“They’ve been a lot of these happening and they thought
maybe it could help you to remember and you could remember something.” I put up
my finger.
“”Follow up question beloved, why am I here sober?
“you know the answer to that one already. If you were drunk I’m
pretty sure I would have your hands on my neck. At least here I have officer’s
protection.”
“And me in a weakened, hung over state.” I stepped away going back toward the woods. He
could have prepared me. He didn’t need
to take me out and surprise me with this.”
“you really can’t be too mad at the guy.” A voice came from
behind me.
“so, I have my own escort now do i?” I pulled a cigarette out of my
jacket pocket. “Lucky me.” I lit it causing an eerie fog around me. The officer
strode up took the cigarette out of my hand and snapped it in half. My beloved
smoke screen gone. “what the fuck?” I looked at him with a screwed up face.
“don’t contaminate the scene, please.” It was the please that
caught me. Most suits just demand. Manners of any sort seem to evade them. “
You don’t remember me, do you?”
“I’m not going to lie, no but you do seem familiar.”
“I’m officer browns. I found you on our stairs. Back then I
was just a security patrolman coming in from a late shift.”
“But you used to have a different one,” I recalled. Everything
was so foggy that night.
“When you are promoted you have to use your last name.” the
night was getting dark quick as I glanced at the torn up chunk of filter. “If
you want I can escort you off grounds to have one. Wouldn’t want you to inflict
on me.” He chuckled deeply. He was rewarded with a half-smile and light laugh.
“Funny thing is I don’t actually smoke.” Brown eyed me skeptically. “Okay, well
sometimes I do but 90 percent of the time, I don’t. People just seem to leave
you alone if they see you smoking. I like being left alone with my thoughts.” He
motioned for me to follow him.
“What kind of thoughts do you want to be alone with?”
“Anyone that could help me, help that girl. If I could just
help that one girl…” I trailed off. A few feet away we stopped.
“That’s where you are wrong Ms. Rose. It isn’t that one girl anymore. It’s several and as it
stands you’re the sole survivor.
