Act 2 | Chapter 9

In the early days of the new year, my mom spent time dragging me down to the basement. She insisted to do as much of her body art as possible, which meant me having to sit naked on a stool for a week straight. Riley also ended up getting a cold. It started on the first day of school and got worse until reaching its peak on Thursday. I could only assume it was because she was wearing a lack of clothing in the cold weather. She preferred to wear her usual tank top around everywhere, and only ever wore her winter coat unless she absolutely needed to. Riley was sent home early, and I had to walk home and or ride the bus. I didn't have anything else to do that weekend, so my plan was to just go over to Riley's place and help take care of her. I know Miss Blackmar can't stay home all the time. She's a nurse and has an important job to do. So now it was my turn to be one. I let myself into the apartment. I've always had a spare key to get in, but hardly ever use it. Riley was in worse shape than I thought. Friday was when I went over to stay and help, and when I got there, she was continuously sneezing. A stack of new tissues was at her bedside, with an overflowing trash can beside them.

"H- Hey Zoe." She said in a raspy voice. Her nose was bright red, and her eyes looked a little watery.

"Hey, how you feeling."

"Like shit," Riley responded blandly.

"Huh, well no shit." I chuckled and sat down beside her. Riley tried to let out her own chuckle, but it came out as more of a violent cough. The two of us spent the rest of the day from that point watching horror movies on our phones. We alternated and would watch one of ours while the other would charge. It was late before I knew it, and Riley had passed out. She rested up against the two stacked pillows behind her head and was breathing loudly. I didn't mind if I got sick. If anything, it would mean my mother could body paint me this weekend, so I was banking on getting the flu.

I made my way out Riley's bathroom to wash my hands. It had been a stressful week for me. With the police have been at the school, and people actively searching for her, a part of me was wondering if something might go wrong. That they would find some kind of evidence I forgot about or perhaps someone would come out and say I looked suspicious while wheeling a trunk around town. Hannah wasn't making things any easier. She continuously stares at me all week. There was always this look of anger and frustration in her eyes like she was hellbent on me getting punished for Maria's disappearance. I turned the sink on and splashed some water into my face before wiping it off with a towel. I knew that there was a way to get rid of Hannah. A quick way to get rid of another problem, but I couldn't do it. I can't know. It would be too suspicious. The girl who blames me goes missing shortly after Maria. The cops would be led right to me. It was this weird feeling inside of me. I wanted to do it again. I wanted to feel the warm blood of a once-living person again. I wanted to hear them scream. I wanted to hear Hannah scream. "No, I can't."

Miss Blackmar had gotten back recently from her shift. She looked rather exhausted as she sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. She had already changed into her nightgown, and could now relax for the rest of the night. When she spotted me walking into the kitchen she gave me a playful wave.

"Hello, Zoey. How's Riley feeling?"

"She's doing fine. I think she just needs to rest a bit." I nodded my head and shrugged my shoulders. Just as I turned to open the fridge, Miss Blackmar whistled to get my attention. She patted the couch beside her, and I got the message. She waited for me to sit down before pausing her show to speak to me.

"So. You two are together right?"

My face turned a bit red. I should have known a conversation like this was going to happen at some point.

"I... I guess. Yeah."

"Mhm. How long have you liked my daughter?"

"It's one of these conversations. Might as well answer honestly. She'll know if I'm lying or not." I thought to myself. "Um. I guess a long time?"

Before Miss Blackmar continued, her face shifted to that of one more serious and stern. Her usual cheery tone vanished for a brief moment.

"And what are your intentions for my daughter hm? Don't tell me you only plan on using her for your own benefit."

"I, uh, n- no. I wouldn't use Riley like that... I wouldn't use Riley." I stammered. Miss Blackmar said nothing in response and simply crossed her arms and legs. "I- I just like her, I never intended on using Riley for anything." I tried reassuring her. A small feeling of doubt and worry filled my heart and I feared that I might say something to screw something up.

"Alright, then where do you see yourself in the future? Say... a decade or two from now?"

"What? Uh, hopefully alive." I tried joking, "I guess having graduated college... maybe married?"

Miss Blackmar smiled a bit and nodded.

"You don't have an eye for another girl, do you?"

"N- No... I like Riley."

Miss Blackmar let out a light chuckle.

"And now one last question: Do you plan on having kids?"

"One day," I answered bluntly.

"One day?" She giggled.

"Well yeah. I want to have a kid's one day. Not any time soon."

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two of us while Miss Blackmar stared me down. She soon smiled and gently pat my head.

"You passed."

"I passed?"

"Someone had to be the judgmental father." Miss Blackmar joked and giggled before adding, "I would've said yes regardless."

There was a brief moment of relief. Like another weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I knew Miss Blackmar well but never thought that her asking me those questions would stress me out so much. My heart was thumping and my face was a little red with embarrassment.

"S- So you approve then?" I asked, chuckling nervously.

"Of course."

"T- Thank you." A sigh of relief left me. "So, how are things going for you at the hospital?" I quickly tried changing subjects.

"Hectic.. people after the New Years went crazy. Drunken accidents, people being stupid, et cetera. It's gonna be a long month." She said slumping onto the couch

"I can imagine." I frowned a bit, "Has there been anything new on where Maria might be?"

"No one has been able to find her. Poor girl's parents must be worried sick."

"Mhm. Wonder why?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"No, I mean wonder why they haven't found her?"

"Oh, sorry." Miss Blackmar shrugged. "Who knows. They might be sending people to look across the nearby forests and parks soon. That's what the news says."

"They can't find her, right?" I wondered, "I buried her far from the county line, and made sure to cover my tracks. There were no landmarks in the area." I sighed, and nodded, "Mm. Say what do they actually have out there. I haven't gone into the forest's before?"

"Well.. there's a large lake near one of the parks. A lot of people go fishing there during the summer. Some bear habitats, there's also an old abandoned warehouse deep in the forest."

"Old warehouse?" I tilted my head.

"Yeah. No one goes there and the government is too lazy to tear it down."

There was another moment of awkward silence between the two of us before I finally spoke up.

"Well, I wanna say 'I hope they find her', but I really hope they don't."

"Zoey, I know how you feel about Maria, and I can't change your mind. I just wish it didn't come down to this."