Page 70 of Freshmeet
He raised his gloved hand in the air, and there was a flash of a large blade before his arm swung down across her stomach. Hailey screamed, clawing at the rope around her neck as if getting loose would save her.
“Oh my God, Hailey!” Sarah screamed, her hands covering her mouth.
Hailey’s organs spilled from the gaping wound, splashing on the ground at the man in black’s feet. Never looking back, he stepped through the gory mess, calmly walking into the forest.
“We have to help her,” Sarah said, throwing her car door open.
“Wait,” I yelled, struggling to unbuckle my seatbelt. “Perfect time to get jammed,” I grumbled, then practically dove out of the car after her.
A few feet away from Hailey’s lifeless body, Sarah bent over and violently vomited. The sound of her retching and the horrid smell of innards, blood, and puke triggered my gag reflex, but I covered my mouth and took a deep breath. Swallowing down the two s’mores I’d eaten, I gathered Sarah’s hair in one hand and rubbed her back.
Her heaving slowed until she was just spitting.
“Uh,” she groaned, turning away from the pile of Hailey’s intestines. “We need to call the cops.”
Sarah wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then took her phone out. Sniffing, she dialed and brought it to her ear.
She looked at me with watery eyes, her whole body shaking. I wrapped my arm around her and shouted down to the people still partying by the lake.
Leaning against me, Sarah said into her phone, “We have an emergency out at Thousand Hills.” She swallowed heavily, shifting on her feet. “Someone’s been murdered.”
FOURTEEN
A SECOND MURDER DOOR
SARAH
“I can’t believe she’s dead,” Carter said, gazing off into the distance where the police were still questioning our friends.
Red and blue lights flashed up the hill where the cops had the area taped off. Hailey was already gone, but the police were still combing the area for evidence.
“Yeah,” I murmured, sitting on the picnic table next to him. Despite my best efforts, my eyes were drawn to the spot where Hailey had been killed. It was probably my mind playing tricks on me, but the foul smell of blood and bowels lingered in my nose no matter how many times I rubbed it.
And her killer is still out there.
I looked over to where Connor was standing with his brother, waiting for his uncle to show up. While I called 9-1-1, he called his uncle, which was pretty weird. The police questioned us and told us we were free to go, but he insisted on waiting until his uncle showed up.
Carter leaned on my arm, his thigh brushing mine as he collapsed into me. “I should’ve been with her.”
“It‘s not your fault.”
“I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.” The water bottle in his hand crinkled in his grip. “I shouldn’t have gotten so drunk.” His chin dropped to his chest, and he choked out a sob.
Rubbing his back, I let him cry. I’d known Carter for a long time, and I’d never seen him get so emotional. Despite having lost Emma just a few months ago, I was no better at dealing with loss. Add to the fact that I watched Hailey get gutted, and I had no words for Carter.
Our friends silently passed, casting uncomfortable looks at Carter. Not one of his brothers offered to take him home. Instead, they bailed, leaving him drunk and with me.
Kat joined us at the picnic table, expressionless and quiet. She had been the first to reach us after hearing my screams for help. She was also the one who kept her wits about her and helped Connor lead me back to the party to wait in the safety of the crowd.
Mona walked Blake and her sorority sisters to their cars, then came back to us. “This is going to be a million times worse than Emma, isn’t it?”
“Ya think?” Kat scoffed, glancing at our cars. “What are we waiting for?”
As the words left her mouth, an enormous truck pulled up, and a large, blond man hopped out of the cab. Adjusting his baseball cap, he scanned the scene before casually walking over to Connor and Jamie.
“Uncle Rick,” I said, watching as the middle-aged man hugged his nephews and pulled the sheriff into a conversation.
“That‘s the mayor,” Carter said, hiccupping as he wiped his eyes. “What‘s he doing here?”
