Page 107 of The Tattoo Artist

“No,” I whisper, the word catching in my throat as I stumble forward, my bag slipping from nerveless fingers to thud against the pavement unable to tear my eyes away from the gruesome scene. “Maxine!” I pull myself together, rushing towards her as my mind reeled with disbelief. I fell to my knees beside her, the cold asphalt biting into my skin through the fabric of my pants.

With trembling hands, I reach out, fingers brushing against her skin, still warm but growing colder by the second.

“Maxine, wake up…” I choke out, the name a desperate plea on my lips as I search her face for any sign of life.

But there is none to be found, only the vacant stare of her unseeing eyes, fixed on some distant point beyond the veil of consciousness. Terror coursed through my veins. This couldn’t be happening.

Not to Maxine.

She just wanted to see her son walk…

“A very good book, had to test it out—what do you think?” A voice speaks, my head raises and my eyes locks with his. Luca. He stood in front of me with a bright smile, as if he did something he should be proud of. “Lost for words, Alexandra?”

My voice trembles as I respond, “who-what have you done?”

He smirks, his expression chilling. “Isn’t it obvious? I wanted to see how it feels, how it looks in reality. This book really delivers, you know.” He turns it around, “ten dollars. Good price.”

My body begins to shake from fear, and I slowly rest Maxines head back down onto the ground.

I stand up.

I take a step back, trying to distance myself from him.

“It also says to never leave a witness behind, run Alexandra.” He whispers. “Run before I catch you.”

My heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing loudly in my ears as I sprint with all my might. It feels like the road has turned into quicksand, pulling me down with every step I take. The tears stream down my face, blurring my vision, but I push through, fuelled by the sheer will to survive. I reach for the keys in my pocket, my trembling fingers fumbling to find the right one.

Panic courses through me as I struggle to locate the key for the library’s front door. “Please, please,” I mutter under my breath, desperate for a stroke of luck. I look behind me and see Luca casually strolling in my direction, a chilling smile on his face, and a gun glinting in his hand. Fear surges through me, and I force myself to focus on the keys.

I frantically flip through them.

Come on, come on!

My breaths come out in shallow gasps as I find the right key. With trembling hands, I insert it into the lock and twist, the door opens, and I rush inside, slamming it shut behind me. My back pressed against the door, I struggle to catch my breath, trying to make sense of the nightmare I’ve found myself in.

I hide underneath the desk, and I dial Ares’ number.

I pray he picks up, and relief washes over me when he answers.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late, had to drop Atlas-” he begins.

“Help me!” I whisper into the phone urgently.

“Alexandra, what’s going on?” His voice is filled with concern.

“There’s a man trying to kill me, Ares, help me, please…”

“Where are you?” I hear him fidgeting, probably rushing to get to me.

“The library... he-he’s holding a gun...”

“I’m on my way, alright, I’m coming right now.”

“He killed Maxine…” I cry out, covering my mouth as the tears fall down my eyes. I lift myself up and peer over the counter, my heart racing as I see him standing outside the glass door. His face twisted with malice; he taps the door with the barrel of his gun.

Thuck.

Thuck.

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