Pink Lilac

Chapter Six

Everyone woke up in Carson's room and the events of the night flooded back to them. After they got Wendys they went to catch a midnight movie and talked through the whole thing. They went back out for more food from Waffle House and everything seemed perfect. Carson couldn't wish for better friends, or a better place to be then where they were.

But the night is often deceiving, Carson learned. Because in the morning Ryen and Dalton left, and Lila didn't say a word to her. She silently thanked her and left.

Carson wasn't alone for long because her phone rang.

"Hello?" Carson asked.

"Ms. Laine," The voice said on the other end. "The killer struck again."

"When?" Carson asked.

She ran around her room trying to find her shoes and keys but was too high strung to think clearly. She did know for a fact that it wasn't any of her friends, she was with them all night.

"Sometime last night." The detective said. "Come on down to the scene, we are right outside the woods in Richville Park."

Carson gave her mother a kiss and ran out the door, straight into the scene of the crime. Again she wondered what psycho would kill someone for fun. There has to be a motive, right?

As soon as Carson showed up she regretted it. Face up in the dirt was Tara MacBeth, her wrists bound and scratches all over her body. It seems as if Tara was fighting with the murderer, only the people who were murdered knew the killer and Carson was jealous. She wanted to put this sicko in jail.

"Tara MacBeth," Carson heard herself saying. "Why would someone target her?"

"There was a note," Detective Lynn spoke up. He passed her the note and he let out a small cough. "This one is more gruesome than the last."

Too little, too late. Step up your game or you might be next. I screamed when I died, but it doesn't mask the person I am inside. Someone tried to warn me, but I didn't listen. Learn from my mist-

Carson felt as if all of the wind was knocked from her chest. She couldn't bring herself to hand the note back.

She brought her attention back to the body of Tara MacBeth. Her blood was pooled around her and a couple of her teeth were broken. It was as if the murderer got into a fist fight with Tara before brutally murdering her. She saw the carvings in her skin and Carson ran to the furthest bush and threw up.

"Can someone please take Ms. Zaine out of here?" She heard Lynn ask. "A teenager does not need to see this."

Carson didn't remember going home or how she got there. The last thing she remembered was throwing up at Tara's crime scene. She looked outside and her truck was there. She must have driven, right? Trucks can't drive themselves. Carson was pacing around her room, putting sticky notes all over her wall. The brightly colored squares held some of the most violent things she has ever seen. Nothing would have been able to prepare Carson for this.

At school Carson sat with her friends and she noticed a small bruise on Lila's arm.

"What happened to your arm?" She asked her girlfriend.

"Oh!" Lila laughed. "I ran into the doorway to the kitchen this morning."

Carson laughed and patted her arm. "It'll be okay."

"Ow," She winced and pulled away. "Be careful."

"Sorry."

Lila shrugged it off and picked at her salad. She brought a small bite to her lips and just as she was about to eat it Emmalee came over.