1 Prologue

March 14, 11:45 pm

Wednesday

A loud echo broke the silent night. Being in the living room, cleaning in the kitchen, I figured it was just thunder in the distance when another boom followed. I rose off the ground, sensing the familiarity of the sound. A chill ran down my spine, my heart sank towards my stomach, all while trying to keep my hands from shaking. A sound, despite the heavy rainfall, was something I wished I never heard again.

A gunshot? It came from Anna's house, I thought, clenching my fists. I peeked over my shoulder to see her peacefully sleeping on my couch.

Without hesitation, I ran barefooted through the saturated grass connecting our yards, I was quickly drenched in mud and rain. As I approached the front door, wide open and I saw mud on the ground. Footprints? I wondered, slowly entering the house. Following the foot prints to the kitchen, it was a disaster. Cabinet doors were ripped off the hinges, the pots and pans that were out, scattered all on the floor, plates and mugs in pieces, and blood...?

Another gunshot fired from upstairs. My body fell to the ground, my hands shaking over my ears, the sound only brings be back to the time of the turf war just one year ago, "Damn it, Nole, get ahold of yourself. Anna's mom is in danger." I told myself, patting my cheeks. Still shaking, I got back to my feet, around back to the front and made my way up the creaking staircase. Dread washed over me, wondering what I will see. Walking up to the first room on the right, I pushed the door open, taking a quick peek in the room. Nothing.

Where is she? I must find her, or could it be that she's... I shook my head, tossing out the negative thought. "No, she can't be," I spoke, still holding on to the possibility. Each room I passed by, empty. Forgetting I was barefoot, my toes stepped on a wet spot, but it wasn't water. "Blood? Wait, there was blood in the kitchen, which means..." I dashed towards the final room, where I spotted her, Trisha. She laid still, gasping for air. A clear gun wound visible on her chest, a pool of blood forming behind her back, staining the hardwood floor and another at her leg. Standing frozen, unable to process thoughts, emotions, the metallic smell jolted my body from my frozen state. Grabbing the towel from the hamper, I hurried to cover her wound, trying to find a way to cover the exit wound as well.

"Hold on, Trisha," I pleaded, scanning the room for any phone. I didn't see a landline phone downstairs when I first came in. My hands trembled, afraid of losing her.

"Nole...I need a...favor," She faintly spoke.

"Shhh...save your strength, we can figure something out. Please...you can't die like this," A stream of tears ran down my cheeks, my heart sinking further and further down, knowing how powerless I am, unable to save her.

"Please,"

I bit my lower lib, nodding to hear her last request.

"Take care...of Annabel," She said, lifting her hand to my cheek, wiping the tears from my face. "Save her..." I took her hand into mine, watching her smile until her hand went limb.

"No! Trisha!" I called. "Please, wake up. You can't," Her hand slipped from mine and on to the floor. "You treated me like your own son, even risked your job to save my life, twice. I never told you how grateful I was during my orphanage life; you just can't leave like this..." Her breath subsided as I lifted her lifeless body to mine. I wrapped my arms around her, crying on her shoulder. "Please, someone, anyone...save her,"

No matter how many times I begged or pleaded, this nightmare was real. A woman, kind and generous in every way, gave me a house to live in, besides that old burned down building I once called home. Her body was still warm against mine, holding on a little longer, praying for a miracle.

But I knew that miracle was out of reach, by the time I laid her down, pounding footsteps echoed from the stairs towards the room. "What the hell happened here?!" A thunderous voice shouted, coming from the person I didn't want to see.

"D-Dan...I mean, Officer McCain, it's not what it looks like,"

"It looks like my wife is dead, and her blood stained all over you. How is that not what it looks like?" Dan towered over me, making me feel even smaller than ever. Let's face it, Dan is an average size man, six-foot four, broad shoulders, and even that god-like voice, but what really made him scary, was the fact he could look just like a beast, nostrils flared, eyes quivering, and his face consumed in a fiery rage.

After all that I've seen, he is by far the most frightening man, leaving anyone with a spine-chilling feeling. I held my hands up in defense, trembling still. "P-please let me explain-"

"Don't bother," He roared, cutting my sentence. "You are nothing but a nuisance and my wife is dead," With him still in uniform, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "You're under arrest."

I ducked under him and trying to glide down the flight of stairs. I heard him shouting just before I left the front door. "This is the reason why I hate you! You see what you done now! Your rogue son has taken everything from me!" What does that mean? Am I really hated because of his past? I had no time to think on that as I ran out towards my home, just as Anna woken up.

"Oh my! What happened? Why are you covered in blood?" She freaked out.

"It's...your mother...she's gone,"

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Her body began to tremble, her heart knowing that answer. Her nose and eyes were just beginning to turn red from the emotions building inside.

"She was murdered..." I said. Dropping to my knees, falling apart. Anna knelt down and pulled me into a gentle embrace. The endless tear came crashing down, as she just held me, hushing and rubbing my back. All this time, I never knew what it was like to lose the very person who gave you everything of them. Trisha was the mother I never really had. I wanted to pull my hair out, just as my thoughts came back to reality as the door starts to shake, violently underneath the pounding of fists. A voice boomed, "There's no point in hiding, boy!"

"Your father's gonna arrest me now." I held on to Anna's shoulders. "You have to help me. I have to find out who killed her and why."

"W-What!?" Anna looked at me with wide eyes, as her beautiful face, drenched from tears. She stood up and took a few steps from me and I felt she might not trust me. She put her hands on her ears, shaking left and right. "No, no, no." Just by watching her actions, she had nasty thoughts rolling through her innocent mind. I've seen it one too many times before. Yet, her movements slowed down, as she finally patted her cheeks and her composure straighten up.

"I won't think that!" She shouted, making me jump in my skin. Her eyes held more confidence as she spoke, "I should be able to reason with him. I can't see her death caused by you, we show him you didn't..."

"He won't listen-" I cut off my sentence and rushed to my bedroom and grabbed a pair of shoes, I headed towards the back door.

"Nole!" Anna stopped me from leaving. "You can't just leave like this, not when you asked for help. How does running away help you? I'm sure I can reason-" Her words were razor sharp and dug at my guilt as I turned to face her, cutting her sentence short.

"I care deeply of what you and your mother have done for me but...I can't have you 'talk' things out with him," I paused. "Your mother wanted me to save you, but I don't know how. Would you run with me?" I held my hand out.

Anna glared at me. "You can't expect me to leave, just like that. What about my life, school, and my friends? What do I need saving from?"

"I don't know!" I snapped. I felt like I needed to give Trisha that much, fulfill her dying wish.

Lifting her hand up in the air, Anna slapped me. "Get out then! Run away for all I care. You're just a coward who runs when things look bleak." The razor words cut in deeper.

I held my cheek as I clearly could see her heart breaking before me. Without another word, I ran out in the pouring rain. "Please Anita, guide me out of this mess." I prayed. I couldn't do anything. Trisha died under my arms and Anna's heart broke from my action.

#

Within a matter of minutes, Dan had called for backup. Or at least I believe he did, since there were a suitable number of officers out patrolling, searching for me.

"Don't let him escape!" Thunderous voices shouted. Chaos descended all around me as the police began to close in within the Old Town homes behind me.

"This way!" Nothing but the sound of sirens in this once-silent night. The lights shining around me, threatened to reveal where I hid.

I huffed trying to catch my breath. I was miles from the crime scene, yet far from being safe. My destination was the forest since no one hardly goes there because of an old myth. The myth began with the death of a man riding a motorcycle. One day, much like this night, he lost traction of the tires and fell to his doom. Since then, folks claim to have seen the man or heard his motorcycle.

"All clear." I told myself.

I bolted to another building for cover as it was the last of Old Town right at the city's boundary line. I pushed my legs across the field, hoping to get to the forest before they reach me. I stopped to catch my breath, turning around, hoping I had lost them.

A surge of pain clawed at my leg causing me to fall to the ground. "Shit!" I cursed. I felt where I was hit. The wound was small but didn't feel an exit. I grabbed a sharp rock, quickly ripped off the sleeve and bandage the wound. How did they get this close in such a brief time? Quickly, I glanced at how they could get closer since this forest only has three paths. Could they of them found a faster way? Ignoring the pulsing fire, I waddled towards the trees for some sort of cover from the fast approaching voices.

Quite a few more shots fired, most of them missing. One finally met the mark, but only scrapping my arm thus causing my foot to slip on the muddy ground, down the steep hill, aka Dead Man's Drop.

#

"Hold up!" An officer shouted. All the men who followed came to a halt, the mud mushing under their feet. "It's pointless to follow him,"

"But sir, won't that give the suspect a chance to escape completely?"

"I understand your concern, but I recently got word from a marksman, he managed to shoot him in the leg. The suspect's movements will be slower than an average man. We'll catch him, that I guarantee." The man looked at the rookie. "Or unless you wanna break your neck climbing down this vast hill with mud, rain, and dark as an obstacle."

"Sir, I found a path down the hill."

"Alright men, move out!"

"Sir!" They all shout as they made their way down the safe pathway down towards the bottom.

#

I opened my eyes, seeing I managed to survive that treacherous drop, two figures hovered over me, just before I shut them again. Everything turned black and cold as the silence became long as the midnight hour rang.

A murder and becoming the only prime suspect, it's not what you think; let me explain the earlier details of how this all came to be, as I tell you my ghost tale.