Carvings That Bind

The Killer's Newest Victim

Alyssan

I walk around the small town I've grown up in for the past seventeen years of my life. The town where I was born. Where my life inevitably started and where it inevitably ended, too.

I'm alone and bored out of my mind. Sawyer is at school. We'd argued about it earlier this morning, but he'd said he had to go, no matter what. I found it stupid and was completely caught of guard considering in less than two hours another body is supposed to be surfacing.

"How is school more important than stopping another girl from being killed?" I muttered under my breath and kick a stone out of my way. I sigh and look up where I'm walking only to stop dead in my tracks, pun intended.

A large, dark red house house sits before me. A wooden wrap around porch with stairs leads to the front door and, from the looks of it, the whole building hasn't been maintained for some years. My eyes continue their examination of the home only to stop when they reach the highest window of the house. It's stained glass with a picture of a cross.

I can feel my eyes widen as I look between it and the carving on my bone.

"Oh my god." The words fall slowly from my mouth as the realization sets in. "Oh my god! Oh my GOD!" I turn on my heel and start running towards the school to find Sawyer.

It isn't a church or a graveyard. It's a house. It's his house!

I sprint faster and faster to get to Sawyer and search just about the entire school for him to let him in on the new bit of information I've stumbled upon. He's nowhere to be found, though, and I groan in annoyance as I head for his house, only to find it empty and dark inside.

"Come on, where are you Sawyer?" I just about yell in annoyance as I head back towards the school since I've no idea where else he could be. When I walk through the front entrance of the building I find him coming out of the mens bathroom. His eyes widen when he sees me.

"Alyssan?" He does a quick scan of the area around us making sure no one is around. "What are you doing here?" He asked quietly.

"I know what my carving means! I found it, the building it pertains to. Sawyer, it's his house." Sawyer's eyes just about bug out of his head at that and he grabs onto my arm before quickly dragging me into an empty classroom.

"You didn't go inside, right? Not alone?" He asked and I shake my head, still jittery from my excitement.

"No, I didn't, but we have to go back there, now Sawyer. We don't have much time before the next body shows up and there could be something there. Something to point us in the right direction." Sawyer bites down on his lip and doesn't meet my eyes after that. "Sawyer, what's wrong?" When he continues to remain silent and I push him slightly. "Answer me, what's going on." Sawyer sighs and scratches the back of his head.

"The new body has already been found." My arms fall limp at my side and I begin to feel colder than I've ever been.

"What?" I asked and Sawyer looks back at me. There's a pity in his eyes that I know is directed at me and I hate it with my entire being. I don't want his pity. I don't want any pity. I want my body to be found. I want to be alive again. I want the killer to be found.

"It's a girl who goes to this school. Sarah Lee."

Sarah.

We'd be classmates this year, in the same grade, had I never died. I knew her. We weren't friends, but we'd talk every once in a while. She's kind and sincere and a really nice person.

Was.

I corrected myself.

She was kind and she was sincere and she was a really nice person. All she is now is dead. Just like me.

"Where was she found?" I asked and Sawyer sighs once more.

"She was found in the graveyard by the groundskeeper a little bit ago. I received a text from my dad about it. I guess he's keeping me updated on the going ons of the case since I showed an interest in it last night. Not a whole lot of people know yet, but I'm sure it'll be made aware to the public in a matter of time. This's a small town, after all." I nod at that and look away from Sawyer.

"Did she," I pause and swallow a lump in my throat. "Does she have a carving?"

"An angel, on the back of her hand."

An angel. What could that mean?

I try to figure it out in my head, but it only serves to make me more confused than what I already am. I sigh and look up at Sawyer who looks just as confused and worried as I am.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, my voice full of defeat. Sawyer reaches out and places his hands on my shoulders for comfort.

"Don't worry, we'll figure this out. I promised that I would help you and I plan on keeping that promise. We'll go check out the house after school today, alright?" I start to protest that we should go now, but he stops me. "No arguing. I know you want to go right now, but I can't. If I go and start skipping my classes both my step-mom and my dad will get suspicious of what I'm doing and that wouldn't be of help to anyone right now." I bite down on my bottom lip and nod in understanding, because he's right. His parents hindering our search would suck and only slow things down in the long run. Sawyer smiles. "Good. I'll meet you at the house after school, alright?" I nod once more just as the class bell rings.

Nostalgia blossoms to life within me and I wish I could be one of the students rushing to make it to their next class once more.

"I'll meet you after school, then." He said, dropping his hands from my shoulders and backing out of the classroom. He doesn't turn and leave until I say,

"Yeah, sure." Once he's gone, I'm left standing in a dark and empty classroom.