She was defeated, and she finally accepted her fate.
Knowing what she must do, Kelsey placed enough cat food and water for Tom to last him at least a week. Through her sobs, she picked him up and gave him a tight hug.
“Thanks for being my buddy, Tom. I’ll miss you. I promise you’ll be taken care of,” she whispered.
After dropping him, she wrote a quick note and sealed it in the envelope. She then taped the envelope to her front door. The note basically stated that her cat was alone in the apartment, and she left Tina’s contact information to get him. She knew Tina loved Tom and trusted she would take great care of him. Since rent was due the next day, the owners would come knocking when she didn’t pay it on time. She had planned for this for years.
Now, she was ready.
Six
As she stood on the ledge, she knew death would come fast. She only hoped it would not be painful. The wind had picked up, and she inhaled its scent. She was ready to leave this world. Five years of the torture was enough. It was time to go find her family.
She inched closer to the edge, refusing to look down. She knew she would chicken out if she saw how far the fall was. She also knew Death was waiting to catch her.
Kelsey wondered how long it would take for somebody to find her. She almost felt bad for the first person who would see her splattered body. At least she was glad the museum was closed on Sundays. That way, none of her colleagues would have to witness her dead body.
She took one last look at the city. Since it was just past midnight, The Big Apple was still alive. Luckily, the museum was away from all of the action, and the street it sat on was isolated, especially at this time of the night.
Although Kelsey was trembling from fear, she had to end this agonizing pain once and for all. Knowing it was now or never, she extended her arms, closed her eyes, and leaned forward so gravity could swallow her.
The wind hit her like a ton of bricks. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Time stood still as she waited for the impact.
There was nothing but darkness.
Something soft was rubbing on her face. What the hell was that? Kelsey forced her eyes open, feeling completely disoriented.
She stared at Tom as he purred and cuddled with her. She was in her room, under her warm blanket. But nothing seemed right to her. As she lay on her bed, wrecking her brain, the memories came flooding back. Clearly remembering the fatal leap off of the museum, she flung out of her bed.
“What the hell?” Kelsey said out loud, terrified she had completely lost her mind. “Is this real?”
She stood in the middle of her room with her legs trembling. Glancing toward the time, she noticed it was just after three in the morning. Did she dream all of it? Could that be possible? Was she more screwed up than she realized?
Kelsey took some deep breaths, trying to think clearly. She needed to make some sense out of all this. She looked at the digital clock once again on her bedside table, trying to remember the time she had fallen asleep. That’s when she noticed the folded white piece of paper. Slowly walking toward it, she picked it up and opened it.
“Not your fault. It’s time to let the past go. Your future awaits.”
The paper slipped out of her hand as the room began to spin.
“Damien,” she whispered. How could that be? But he was here. He was clearly here because those were his words.
Completely baffled, she slipped into her winter boots, grabbed her coat, and ran out of the front door. She needed to find some answers.
Kelsey must have flown down the six blocks to the museum because by the time she reached the top, she was gasping for air. Once there, she searched for clues…anything that would give her some answers. She ran from one edge to the other. She even forced herself to look over the ledge to see if there was anything on the cement ground, a couple of hundred feet below her.
“What is going on?” Kelsey screamed.
Frustrated, she sat down, leaning her back against the statue of the gargoyle. She was positive she had jumped off of the building. She should have died. Somehow, though, she was still here, breathing and very much alive. Releasing a deep sigh, she contemplated how she could have possibly survived that fall. And the most confusing part of it all was she had no recollection. Her only memory was actually taking that leap.
She was supposed to end it all tonight. She was so ready, but for some reason, it didn’t happen. Some phenomenon, more powerful than she could possibly comprehend, had somehow intervened. It made no sense at all, but the bottom line was, miraculously, she was still alive.
Maybe she was supposed to live. Maybe she was alive for a reason. Maybe she was supposed to do more. She didn’t have any answers, but in that instant, she knew that Damien’s words were right.
Yes, she would always grieve losing her family. This was not what they would want from her, though. They would want her to be strong and to live.
“Mom, I am so sorry I didn’t stay home that night. I’ll never know if I could have saved you guys from that fire. I guess I’ll have to live with that the rest of my life. Ryan and Tori, I miss you guys so much. Just know, I always loved you guys and always will. Please forgive me.” The tears trickled down her face as she tried to find her closure. “I am letting you guys go now. Don’t worry about me anymore. I will be okay. I promise I will take better care of myself. One day, we’ll meet again. But it’s not today. You will all always be in my heart. Be happy and at peace, my beautiful family.”
Wiping her tears, Kelsey stood back up. She could feel the strength within her. She felt different and more optimistic.
Staring up at the gargoyle, Kelsey said, “Well, Mr. Gargoyle, I have no idea what actually occurred tonight. You probably witnessed it all.”
Kelsey reached to touch his lifeless hand. That’s when she saw it. There was a stone ring on his finger. Although Kelsey couldn’t see the design on it too clearly, it had the same unique look about it as the one that Damien was wearing. She caressed the ring, wondering if she was completely losing her mind.
Shaking her head, Kelsey smiled. “Okay, I have to get a grip here. My mind is playing tricks on me. I’ll see you around, Mr. Gargoyle.”
Kelsey held her coat tighter and strolled away from the statue and toward the stairs. This time, she didn’t leave with a heavy heart. This time, she left with a smile.
No, she didn’t have all of the answers. But, she was alive for a reason, and she was determined to find her fate.
After all, her future awaited.
Time
To
Live
Seven
Kelsey had desperately tried to look for Damien initially. Having no luck for months, she finally decided to join the police force after finishing her studies in criminal justice. Kelsey knew she needed answers. She wanted not only to locate Damien, but she had to know what happened the night she finally had jumped off of the museum. She reasoned being a police officer may give her access to resources she might need to find her answers.
Now, four years later, Kelsey was on night patrol in the NYPD squad. Being a cop for less than a year, Kelsey was still considered a rookie. Her partner, Samuel Jordan, had been on the force for three years. He had been an accountant prior to becoming a cop, but that line of field became too boring and monotonous for him.
“Since we have next weekend off, you coming to dinner? Sofia and Samantha would love to see you,” Sammy said, taking a bite of his sandwich.
“I miss them, especially Samantha. I haven’t seen her in over a month now,” Kelsey replied, thinking about his wife, Sofia, and his ten-year-old daughter, Samantha. Kelsey was instantly welcomed into their family, and through the months, Sammy had taken the role of a protective, older brother to her.
“So, that settles it. I’ll let Sofia know.”
Kelsey scanned the area for any suspicious activities as their patrol car remained parked on a small side street. It was almost two in the morning, and they typically
stayed in the rough parts of the city. Neither could afford to let their guards down in this area.
“Jason had called and wanted to do something next weekend,” she said.
“You can bring him. What’s going on with you two anyway? You’ve been dating him for like four months now, right?” Sammy turned to look at her.
“We’re not dating, Sammy. Sure, I’ve gone on a few dates with him, but it’s nothing serious. Trust me, I don’t want anything serious.”
“My dear Kelsey, what are you waiting for? Or who are you waiting for? Jason seems like a cool guy. You’re not getting any younger, you know,” Sammy teased.
“What? I’m only twenty-seven years old! Just because you’re over the hill.” Kelsey laughed, punching him in the arm.
“I’m only thirty-four, but I was twenty-two when I married Sofia. Everybody thought we were too young, but I’ve loved every minute of our married life.”
“That’s because you found your true love. Not all of us can be so lucky, Sammy.” Kelsey rolled her eyes, exaggerating her words.
“Yes, I’m very lucky. My wife and my daughter are everything to me.” Sammy took a sip of his Diet Coke. “You’ve never been in love?”
“Love is a strong emotion. Like I said, you’re lucky. Let’s not talk about this anymore. What did you think about the meeting earlier? Do you think there’s a serial killer on the loose?”
Sammy turned to look at her. “There have been three murders in the last four months in the area. All three victims have been runaways or prostitutes. They were all killed the same way. After he had his way with them, the bastard killed them slowly with a knife. We definitely have a serial killer.”
Kelsey shuddered, remembering the pictures that were flashed on the screen earlier at the meeting. The young girls had bruises and swollen faces as if they were beaten up first. They each had gashes from the knife throughout their body, and a fatal one to the neck.
“They have no leads,” Kelsey said, shaking her head. “He’s left no evidence behind. There’ve been obvious sexual assaults, but no semen. It kind of freaks me out.”
Sammy flashed her a cocky smile. “What are you worried about? You got your big, strong bro to protect you.”
Kelsey laughed. “I don’t need any protection. Just take care of yourself, will you? Your wife and daughter need you to stay alive.”
Just then, their radio went off. “Calling all units. Robbery in progress…”
Immediately, her senses went on high alert. Realizing they were only a few blocks away from the location, she quickly called in that they were on their way. Turning on the emergency lights, Sammy screeched toward their destination.
The dispatcher informed them the gas station owner called 911 after a young, white male with all black on ran out after robbing the cash register at gunpoint. Pursuing a desperate man with a weapon was always dangerous, but Kelsey was ready for the chase. With her adrenalin pumping, she was about to jump out of the car as soon as Sammy stopped.
“Look! There he is!” Kelsey yelled as soon as she saw a young man fitting the description running several blocks down.
Sammy swirled the car around to try to trap him, but the suspect sprinted into an alley. Screeching to a halt by the alley, Sammy and Kelsey darted out, pursuing the suspect. They got a visual on him again, but he jumped the fence and turned the corner.
“I’ll chase him! You cut him off from the other side!” Kelsey yelled, running toward the fence.
Sammy hesitated for a split second, but since Kelsey was already jumping the fence, he raced out of there to trap the guy from the other side.
For a brief second, Kelsey wondered if they should have stayed together. Knowing they couldn’t make any mistakes, she ran even faster. A nagging thought came to her whether they should have waited for a backup.
Pushing the thought away, Kelsey remained focused. She knew she was fast, and soon, she spotted the suspect again. “Stop, or I’ll shoot!” she yelled.
He didn’t even slow down. Instead, he turned and disappeared into another dark alley.
Kelsey couldn’t see anything down the alley and realized it was a risk to enter blindly. He could just be waiting in there and start shooting as soon as she entered. With her gun in her hand, she called in her location and where the criminal had disappeared.
“Wait for me! Do not pursue him further. Do you copy?” Kelsey heard Sammy’s voice, but ignoring it, she entered the shadowy alley, ready to shoot at a second’s notice. She could feel her heart beating way too fast, but she maintained her focus. One little slip could be a fatal mistake.
“Come out! I know it’s a dead-end alley, so you’ve got no choice. I won’t hurt you. Just drop your weapon and come out with your hands up!” Kelsey forced her voice to stay strong. There was no sound, no movement, nothing from the darkness. Slowly, she kept inching forward, her every sense on high alert.
With no warning, she saw a figure running toward her at full speed. “Stop! I’ll shoot!” she warned, aiming her gun. When she got a better visual, the guy’s hands were up.
“Don’t shoot!” he screamed. “I’m surrendering. Please, don’t shoot!”
Kelsey maintained her gun aimed at him. “I said stop where you’re at!”
“I’m not stopping. Just get me out of here! Please! Take me to jail, but I’m not stopping.” The guy’s voice was shaking, and when she could see him better, he looked like he was seventeen or eighteen. She didn’t want to shoot a kid, especially since he appeared to be scared out of his mind, but she couldn’t tell if this was a trap.
“Stop, or I’ll shoot!” she repeated and released a shot, purposefully not aiming at him.
Realizing she was serious, he stopped in his tracks, his arms still raised. “Please, Officer, just get me out of here. We have to get out of here.”
Puzzled at his strange behavior, she demanded, “Drop down to the ground, face down!” Her gun remained pointed at him.
Visibly trembling, the guy yelled, “You don’t understand! There’s a monster in there. It’s gonna get us both. We have to get out of here.” As if freaking himself out, he started sprinting toward her again.
“Stop where you’re at. I’ll shoot!” She tried again, but knew she was left with no choice but to take control of the situation. The last thing she needed was to have him lunge toward her. Squeezing the trigger, she released the shot, careful to aim at his leg.
Just as the kid tumbled to the ground, Sammy reached them. He immediately had the suspect down with his face down, bringing his hands behind his back to put the handcuffs on him.
“She fucking shot me! We have to get out of here! Don’t you guys get it? There’s something in there. Something big and scary that’ll kill all of us.”
Sammy threw Kelsey a perplexed look as he finished cuffing him.
Kelsey shrugged her shoulders, trying to look past them into the dark alley. What the hell was this kid talking about?
By then, their backup also arrived, and they called in the paramedics.
One of the officers approached her. “Since the suspect was shot, we’ll need your gun, Taylor. You know the protocol. They’ll investigate the incident, and you’ll get it back once you’re cleared.”
Kelsey nodded, handing him the gun. “I understand.”
When she finally got a moment to herself, Kelsey decided to go deeper into the alley, compelled to investigate on her own.
“You know that kid was probably strung out, right?” Sammy’s voice from behind startled her, and she whirled around.
“Shit! Don’t do that, Sammy!”
“Why are you in here? Are you looking for monsters?” Sammy chuckled.
Rolling her eyes, she headed back out of the alley. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m sure they’re waiting on us at the station to complete the investigation.”
“Yeah, you know how the captain can be. Get all the paperwork done right away. Nice, clean shot by the way. That kid is going to be fine, bu
t you should have waited for me. You took too big of a risk. If he wasn’t hallucinating, he could have shot you dead.”
“I got saved by the monster, I guess,” Kelsey joked, heading back toward other emergency personnel.
“I’m being serious, Kelsey. You got lucky this time. I swear you have a guardian angel watching over you.”
Kelsey took a deep breath. Could he be right? Since she was somehow saved after she had jumped off of the museum rooftop, there were other incidences where she felt that she got “lucky.” She didn’t believe in guardian angels or anything, but she wasn’t naïve enough to recognize that she was still searching for a lot of unanswered questions.
Eight
The next day, their captain wanted to meet with them. Kelsey was asked to go into his office first. She couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, knowing Kevin Braken was a tough boss. She knew he was upset with her decision to not wait on backup.
“Hi, Captain,” she greeted, almost too cheerfully.
Captain Braken was sitting at his desk, his head buried in his laptop. At the age of thirty-eight, he was physically fit and a very attractive man with his brown hair, dimples, and gorgeous brown eyes.
“Sit down, Taylor.” Kevin stood up and approached her once she took a seat. “I read over your report. You have anything else you’d like to add?”
“No, sir,” Kelsey mumbled, bracing herself.
“You mind telling me why you didn’t wait for backup when you were clearly instructed to do so?” Kevin folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her response.
Clearing her throat, she finally replied, “Instincts, sir. My instincts told me I had it under control.”
“You got very lucky. That’s what happened. I do hope you realize that. Next time you’re instructed to do something, you better follow the orders. Do I make myself clear? You’re still a rookie, for heaven’s sake.”
Fate's Cry Page 4
