Chapter 16: CHAPTER:16
AFTER A WEEK
I went to the grocery just to buy two bottles of orange juice and a pack of cigarettes. When I saw many people gathering together at the fountain park near the grocery store, they were all wearing white t-shirts, with a white candle each and a paper. I wonder why they are gatherings? I parked my car near the grocery store and went down to buy what I needed, but before I went inside the grocery store, I heard a rumour that there was a killer on the loose in our place and called everyone to be aware and to keep themselves safe. That gave a scare to everyone, and the last victim was the Husband and wife in South St. The killer burned their car while they were inside the car. I take the paper from the young man who is wearing a white t-shirt too. Standing beside the door of the grocery store.
“Excuse me, what is going on here?” I asked him
“We will have a prayer and a group search for those missing people,” He said while pointing at the paper I was holding. He wants me to look at it. I looked at the paper, and I was surprised when I saw Belinda, John, and the girls. The group prayer and the search are for them. I saw their names and information about them with their photos in the paper that I was holding.
MISSING: John Cruise Age: 25
Wearing a white t-shirt with a logo, with tattoos
Last seen July 27
Who rides in a black car in Blue avenue
MISSING: Shirley Mondes Age: 21
last seen: Monday around 1:00 P.M.
Long, black, straight hair, brown complexion
Height: 5 flat
MISSING: Jean Andal Age: 32
Last seen: Monday around 1:00 P.M.
Thin, short hair
MISSING: Irene Beech Age: 42
Last seen: Monday around 1:00 P.M.
Thin, tall, white complexion
MISSING: Belinda Fargo Age: 47
last seen: At the grocery store dated: July 15
Six months pregnant
“If you know any information about them, don’t hesitate to tell us,” He said while looking directly at me. His eyes are full of life and positivity. I like it.
“What is your name by the way?” I asked him
“I am Christoff, and I am a member of Hawk’s eye organization, An organization who is giving free help for those who are in need such as this” He proudly answered.
“So if ever you heard or know something about the missing persons, please contact us… every little detail would help a lot” He added. He is a young man who is about my age and looks like Echo. Tall with a nice body built and he is wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and wristwatch that match his outfit.
“Okay, sure,” I said while holding the paper that he gave me. I went inside the grocery, got the things I needed to buy, and went to the cashier to pay for them. I look at Christoff outside when he talks again from all the people passing him.
“Lock your doors and stay indoors, don’t let the killer get you. The killing must stop now,” He said and I can hear his voice from inside. He is so very determined to help to find those missing persons. That is actually they are not missing and they are not dead.
I put the two large bottles of orange juice about one litre in size and the cigarette pack at the front of the cashier. She’s an older woman like nanny Silva with silver-grey hair, and she’s wearing eyeglasses.
“What is happening in our town?” I asked her to try to make conversation because I wanted to know if they already had an idea about the killer.
She looked at me and, “I don’t have an idea,” She answered.
“Do they have an idea about the killer?” I asked her.
“They are still clueless, my child,” She answered while punching the things I bought to know the costs.
“One hundred dollars, please,” She said, and when I was about to pay her, the girl who just went inside started yelling at me.
“You are the psycho who burned my parents!” She shouted at me. I looked around to check if the scared people heard her shouting and “I am sorry?” I asked her, pretending that I didn’t know what she was talking about.
“I saw you are there watching us while our car with my parents inside was burning”, She continued. Her tone is mad and ready to create a fight.
“I recognised your car”, She added, still mad.
I look around to check the people, and they are all watching us. As if they are excited about what will happen next. They start to gossip and bring their cellphones out. Waiting for a fight. A catfight.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I denied, and I gave my payment to the cashier.
“Liar!” She shouted and waited for the people to react to what she said, but nobody reacted because they were busy gossiping to each other and waiting for the fight to record and show the whole world about it.
“You are a liar! I saw you there while we were panicking!” She shouted again, this time. I was losing my patience because she was embarrassing me. She is taller than me, wearing a blue doll eyed contact lens and underestimating me.
“Don’t deny bi***!” She shouted again, and everybody laughed, which provoked the demon in me. I crumpled the paper I held to her face when the crowd cheered because this is what they wanted and what they were waiting for. A fight!
I know they are recording our fights, but I don’t care as long as I teach this bi**** a lesson. She grabs my hair and while I am punching her face. I know she’s taller than me, but I can beat her ass up until she learns a lesson. I sat on top of her and kept on punching her while she was still holding my hair. I saw her mouth bleed, and my fists were bleeding too until Brother Ven went inside the grocery store with Christoff who was standing beside Brother Ven to stop our fight. She pulled me away from the freak and he stood between us. I saw her mouth was still bleeding. She wiped it and gave me an angry look. I didn’t say a word because I am trying not to laugh after I saw her bleeding mouth. I know she is not going to take it as a lesson but that is okay because I can teach her the hard way she wanted.
“You’re a killer” She accused me but I didn’t react because I need to look good to Brother Ven.
“Stop,” Brother Ven told her.
“I know her. She’s a member of our church and definitely, she is not a killer,” he continued. “So stop your accusation we can sue you for that” He added. The girl with a bleeding mouth looked at me again and walked away. The people stopped recording us and one by one they left because the fight was over and thanks to Brother Ven. He saved the girl’s ass from beating.
“I am sorry for the mess,” Brother Ven told the cashier and grabbed me in my arm and we went out to the grocery.
“What happened?” He asked me. “She accused me that I am the killer, that I am the one who killed her parents and burned their car and she embarrassed me” I answered. I look at him and “I am sorry” I added. He takes a deep breath and “Alright, fix yourself and join us in the search” He said.
I joined the prayer and the search even though I don’t want to join. Holding the photocopy of the missing persons. I walk with Brother Ven. We searched everywhere inside the subdivision with a police mobile following us. We went to the next subdivision too. Hoping that we can get information about the missing persons.
“I hope they are still alive,” Brother Ven said. Trying to be hopeful even though he is losing hope already.
“It’s been a week now that John is gone and now the girls,” He said.
“I hope we can find them,” I said pretending that I didn’t know where the missing persons were.
“I hope too because the church is not complete without them,” He said.
I continue searching with them even though I am tired already because I don’t want to give Brother Ven a single chance to think that what the girl is accusing me of is real.
“Please, contact the numbers written on the paper once you have news about the missing persons,” He said talking to the woman while giving the paper that he was holding to her. The woman looked at the paper and said “Okay”
“They were church members,” He added with a desperate voice. The woman looked at him and nodded.
After two hours of searching. They decided to continue the search by next week and they will not stop until they find the missing persons. Thank God because I am already tired and I know Echo is waiting for me. I know that they report those missing persons to the police but I don’t know why they are not letting the police do their job. We went back to the fountain park near the grocery where I parked my car.
“Thanks, Helena for joining the search,” Brother Ven told me. Though he’s smiling I can still see the worries on his face.
“No problem,” I said and he hugged me and I hugged him back.
“Be safe while you’re heading home” He said
“I will, thank you, you too be safe heading home,” I told him
“Thank you,” He said, still hopeless because after the search, still no news and no progress from the missing persons. I watched him walk away before I went inside to the grocery store and took the bottles of orange juice and a pack of cigarettes that I bought. It good thing that the cashier kept it.
“I am sorry awhile ago we mess your store,” I told the cashier
“Well, expect the unexpected,” She answered with a smile. It seems that she is not mad and it is okay with her.
“Be safe while you are heading home” She said exactly what Brother Ven told me. Weird.
I went out, rode my car and drove away. They said that I needed to be safe while heading home because they didn’t know who the killer was. Well they didn’t know that there is no killer so they don’t need to scare themselves. I am not a killer. I am a punisher but not a killer. I reached home and I am not mistaken Echo is already waiting for me. I got out of my car after I parked it inside the garage and hugged him.
“What took you so long?” He asked me and I know he is just concerned and worried why it took me so long because I told him that I will only buy two bottles of juice and a pack of cigarettes and the grocery store is not far from home but I am gone for almost three hours and I will go home with a bruised in my hands. I have it from punching the bi*** who accused me of killing her parents and a little blood-stained in my dress I got it from the bi*** who embarrassed me at the grocery store.
“Because there is a freak who accused me of killing her parents then we had a fight inside the grocery store. This bloodstain is from her” I told him while showing him the stain on my dress so that he would not worry and rub my hands because it hurt a bit until now from punching the bi*** face.
“Good thing is Brother Ven went inside to stop us but the bad thing is he asked me to join in the prayer and search for the missing persons” I stopped and took a deep breath and looked at him and asked him “You know who are the missing persons?” He didn’t answer but I guess he already knew.
I looked at the dining area and “They are John, Belinda and The girls” I answered my own question and I looked at the girls and John and told them that they don’t need to party because they will never be found. No matter what so I continue my story to Echo.
“So I joined the search so that Brother Ven will not have an idea that I am the killer because I am not” and then I smiled at him. He looked at me. Waiting for me to continue.
“Good thing is Brother Ven doesn't have a single idea about the killer,” I told him.
“Because there is no killer,” I said and then I laughed and took a deep breath again and looked at him still quietly, looking at me and listening to me. Waiting for my story to finish.
“Going back to the girl who accused me. I have a perfect plan for her” I said while he was still looking at me as if mesmerised by every word that I am saying.
“I will go to her house and kill her because she really pissed me off,” I told him and gave him a lovely smile while watching the scenes in my head about the plan that I am going to do with that bi*** who embarrassed me at the grocery store awhile ago is priceless.