One Tiny Secret

by Adam Kunz

  “Okay…condensed version. There’s someone killing people in our town and they’re using me, and now Parker, as pawns. Those pictures you have are a part of this whole effed-up scenario,” I say, and then realize how ridiculous it must sound.

  I can tell it’s taking a few seconds for it to sink in, but when it registers with her, it registers hard.

  “Wait, what? You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this some kind of Halloween prank or something?”

  “No, she’s telling the truth. Gunnar, Mr. Whitman, Janice—all murdered and not accidents,” Parker interjects.

  Her eyes are huge. “You’re not joking, are you? And this killer is still out there stalking you? And then you came to me? Holy shit.”

  “And this is why we didn’t want to tell you. We really need to see what else is on those pictures.”

  She draws in a deep breath, probably to calm her nerves, before she turns to face the tray again. “Congratulations. You two have successfully freaked me out.” I see her hand shaking as she moves the picture over to the next tray. The moment I turn to talk with Parker, Phoebe whimpers behind me. “Oh my God! It’s a guy’s head. It’s Kevin’s head. The picture is of Kevin’s fucking head!” she shouts, bending down toward the ground while taking in a few deep breaths.

  I rush over to look at the photo. A gasp escapes my mouth before I can cover it with my hand. Staring back at me from the tray is a picture of Kevin from the neck up with his eyes closed.

  “No. Kevin,” I whisper. I feel Parker touch my back and begin to rub side to side.

  “I’m sorry,” he says, moving his hand up to rest on my shoulder. “I don’t think you need to develop any more pictures, Phoebe. I’m pretty sure we've seen what this psycho wants us to.”

  “We need to take these to your dad ASAP,” Phoebe chimes in after regaining her composure. She scrambles to collect them all and stuff them back into the folder.

  A phone’s ping fills the small room. I look down and see the light from Parker’s phone shining through his pocket. My stomach drops at the mere thought of what the message says.

  He takes the phone from his pocket and reads the message out loud. “Three go in…only two get out.”

  “Who the hell sent that? Are they talking about us?” Phoebe asks in a squeaky voice, rejoining us after collecting the pictures.

  “We just need to calm down and stick together, okay? It’s three against one,” I say, hoping I sound confident. On the inside, I’m scared senseless.

  “Isn’t there an exit door down the hall from this room?” Parker asks.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I answer and make my way to the door. “We should probably hurry.” Both Parker and Phoebe nod.

  I slowly open the door leading back into the classroom and all is silent. I can tell from looking out the windows that night has fallen. We’re probably the only ones left in the school, outside of a janitor or two and Unknown. I motion for Parker and Phoebe to run ahead of me to the entrance of the classroom.

  Parker peers out the little window in the door. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s out there. Let’s go,” he states, turning the handle quietly. He leads the way to the double doors just to our left. Pushing on the door, he says, “Shit. It’s chained.”

  “Chained? When do they ever chain the doors?” Phoebe asks, her voice shaking.

  “Something tells me it wasn’t the janitor who did this.”

  Parker pushes harder on the door, eating up all the slack in the chain until he’s able to get it open far enough for someone to slip through. “Hey, I should be able to get through this opening. Then when I’m outside, I’ll have better leverage to pull on the door from the other side so you two can get out after me,” he explains. Then he attempts to fit his built frame through the gap between the doors. When he reaches the outside, he jumps to his feet and turns to look at us through the window in the door.

  My eyes fill with horror when I see someone in a red reaper hoodie come up behind him. Something in the person’s hand glimmers in the light shining from just above the door, and I realize it’s a weapon. Its curved blade resembles a scythe, the tool used by the Grim Reaper.

  “Parker! Behind you!” I scream, followed by Phoebe.

  I watch on as Unknown plunges the blade into Parker’s side before he can turn around. The look on Parker’s face as it presses up against the glass destroys me. I feel like I was just stabbed right in the heart.

  “No!” I cry, touching the window where his face is.

  Phoebe stands next to me, frantically banging on the door with tears in her eyes.

  As blood dribbles from Parker’s mouth onto the glass, he falls to the ground. He’s replaced by Unknown waving the curved blade in our faces. He taps on the glass two times, slow and methodical, before disappearing from view.

  Phoebe tries to push open the door to get to her stepbrother, but I have to pull her away. “We have to get out of here, Phoebe,” I tell her, shaking her firmly in order to snap her out of it.

  “But my brother,” she cries, resting her head on my shoulder.

  “I know it’s hard, but we have to go,” I say through the tears that flow from my eyes.

  “I’m so scared, Dani,” she sobs.

  “Me too.”

  I take out the small POS flip phone my dad gave me and call him. Thankfully he answers almost immediately.

  “Hello—”

  “Dad! Come to the school, now! Unknown’s here, and Parker’s been stabbed! Just come—hurry, please!” I yell into the cell, and hang up before he has a chance to reply.

  I grab Phoebe’s hand and run down the hall, turning the corner to head back toward Mr. Whitman’s office. We both scream when we skid to a halt as we’re confronted by Unknown, blocking our way into the next building. He brings the hand scythe up and shakes it back and forth menacingly.

  Phoebe pulls my arm, dragging me back down the way we came. Instead of turning right, we take the left hallway this time. I hear the running footsteps of Unknown behind us as we hurry toward another set of double doors leading outside. We both shove into them full force, but they’re also locked with a chain.

  When we hear the footsteps encroaching on us, I grab Phoebe and pull her into the classroom on our right. It’s the biology lab. I scramble over to the oversized metal cabinets near the back of the room and fling the farthest one open.

  “Get in and be quiet, okay?”

  She nods and steps in amongst the many jars of specimens on the shelves. I follow her in and ease the door closed behind me. Standing in the cabinet, we both try our hardest to suppress our labored breaths. When we hear the door to the classroom fly open and slam violently against the wall, I have to reach over and cover Phoebe’s mouth to stifle her whimper.

  Our hearts are beating so loudly it seems like they echo inside the cramped space. We both flinch when we hear the doors to the first cabinet being jerked open. I even have to cover my mouth in case a squeak of fear pops out of it.

  There are only two cabinets left before he gets to ours. As the next set of doors swing open and crash into the cabinet next to us, the loud sound of metal on metal, causes us both to jump.

  When he opens the next one, a crazy idea pops into my head. I push Phoebe to stand behind me, giving me a little room to move around. I grab a specimen jar from the shelf, then I take in a deep breath when I see the handle on our cabinet start to turn.

  The moment the doors open, my vision is filled with the bright red color of his mask. He goes to swipe at me with the blade, but I dodge to the side. Releasing a throaty scream, I smash the jar over his head as hard as I can, causing him to stagger backward. Before he has a chance to shake out of it, I kick him right in the balls, sending him to his knees. The moment he keels over to the side with an intense groan of pain, I grab Phoebe’s hand and run for the classroom door.

  We retrace our steps back to the double doors leading to Mr. Whitman’s office, heading to the front of the school. Passing the office, we hurry t
oward the school receptionist’s desk. When we finally reach the front doors, we push against them.

  “Shit! These are chained too,” I shout, digging deep down to shove harder, trying to widen the gap between them. “Go, get out of here!” I scream at Phoebe.

  She ducks down and begins to wriggle out through the space. I suddenly feel the door being pulled from the other side and I look out to see Parker helping me. I hear Phoebe call out his name and relief courses through me. That feeling is quickly pushed aside when I realize I still need to get out.

  “Hurry, Dani. I can’t do this much longer,” Parker yells. His face is pale and I know he’s in pain. Phoebe tries to help by pushing in on the opposite door, but she’s nowhere near as strong as Parker.

  I squat down and put one leg through the gap, followed by the other one. I grab Phoebe’s hand when she reaches out to me. She tugs on me, making me feel like I’m playing limbo with the chain as I try to maneuver underneath it. Emerging outside, I release a heavy breath and move closer to Parker.

  I let out an agonizing shriek as I’m suddenly pulled back by my hair toward the door. I flail about, trying to rip out of Unknown’s grip. Phoebe grabs my hands and frantically tries to pull me away from him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Parker lunge forward and shove the door on Unknown’s arm. A yelp of pain resonates behind me. My hair’s released from his hand. I quickly crawl away from the door and spin around to find he’s gone.

  The flashing lights and sirens of an ambulance and deputies’ vehicles assault our senses as they pull up to the front of the school. I turn to see my dad rushing over to us. As I make it to my feet, I find myself wrapped up in my father’s arms. I begin to cry uncontrollably.

  “Everything’s okay now, Dani. I’ve got you,” he whispers in my ear as he gently strokes the back of my head.

  I know he’s wrong, though. After all, Unknown is still out there.

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Phoebe and I watch as they load Parker into the back of the ambulance. She wraps her arm around me and gives me a light squeeze. I rest the side of my head on her shoulder and savor this brief moment of safety.

  “They’ll allow one of you to ride with him if you want,” my father says, walking over to us.

  I’m kind of surprised he’s even entertaining the idea of me riding in the ambulance with Parker, especially after he punched him. I turn to look at Phoebe. Before I can tell her that she should go, she pipes up.

  “You should go. I’m just his stepsister. I think he’ll want you there more, anyway.”

  “That’s not true. You should be with him,” I reply with a wan smile.

  She releases a hollow laugh. “Don’t argue with me, okay? Just go.”

  I give her a full-on hug and she completely embraces it. Pulling back, I see the strained smile on her face.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Dad?”

  “Well, he did just help save my daughter, so I think he’s redeemed himself,” he replies, ushering me toward the ambulance.

  I grab the handle at the side of the door leading into the back of the vehicle and climb aboard. “Looks like I’m coming with you,” I say as I take a seat next to Parker’s stretcher. He just smiles at me through the oxygen mask hugging his face.

  Looking back out the doors, I see my dad still standing there with a worried look.

  “I’ll see you at the hospital, Dani,” he says just before the paramedic closes up the back.

  I feel Parker reach for my hand. He interlocks his smooth fingers with mine and I see him smile again through the mask. A tear rolls down my cheek, but I don’t say a word. I just keep gazing down at him, so thankful that we get to have this moment together.

  When we reach the hospital, I don’t even have a chance to say a proper goodbye to Parker. They immediately unload and rush him through the emergency room doors. One of the paramedics stays behind to take me into the waiting room, which is cold and sterile-looking.

  As I sit down in the chair closest to the entrance, my eyes scan the few people seated in the area. I’m quickly reminded of why I hate hospitals. They’re always filled with heartbreak and worry over loved ones.

  I find myself counting down the minutes until someone I know shows up to keep me company—either that, or the call to go up and see Parker. I fidget in my seat, unable to sit still. The uncomfortable waiting room chairs probably aren’t helping much in that department. My nerves are shot, and I try to clear my head and not think about anything. This is the worst thing for me right now, being alone with my thoughts. Any one of us could have died tonight, and I wonder if Unknown’s pissed off because he didn’t succeed.

  The picture of Kevin’s head seeps into my mind, and I try to shake it, not wanting to relive how I felt when I saw it in the dark room. I’m not sure I can endure this for much longer. So many people are dying around me—people I care about.

  Giving into my thoughts, I rest my head in my hands to take advantage of a quiet moment to myself. My hands move to cover my face as I cry.

  “There you are, Dani.” I hear my father’s voice come from near the entrance.

  I raise my teary eyes to his and see his concern. He moves to sit next to me, taking me in his arms. “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. I’ve completely failed as a father—and a sheriff. I’ve been so stuck on your mom leaving that I ignored the one thing I shouldn’t have,” he says, pushing me back to look at my face. “You.”

  I pull him in for a tighter hug and squeeze as if this is our last chance to do so. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted you to believe me this whole time,” I reply, ugly crying into his sheriff’s jacket.

  He shushes me while brushing my hair with his fingertips. “I know, Dani. I know you have. And I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I could’ve lost you tonight—and it would’ve been my fault,” he says, emotion filling his voice.

  I feel a drop of liquid on my forehead and turn to look into his eyes. They’re watery with tears. He releases me and digs into his pocket.

  “Before I forget,” he says, “I brought you this. You got a message from an unknown number while I was at the station. We tried to track it back to the sender, but couldn’t. The person must be using an untraceable phone.” He hands it over to me. “We did find some encrypted data and a few of the texts you swore to me that you received. You were right, Dani. They’ve been using a phone app to erase the messages. I felt like complete shit when I found out. If I hadn’t had my head up my ass, I might’ve been able to stop all of this sooner.”

  The simple fact my dad just uttered the words “shit” and “ass” is proof that he’s feeling quite low right now. “I forgive you,” I choke out.

  He takes in a deep breath and exhales just as heavily. “Thank you.”

  I turn on the screen to look at my texts. Sure enough, there’s one from Unknown staring back at me when I press the messages icon. It reads:

  Things are far from over, bitch…

  “Do you have any idea of who this guy could be?” he asks when he sees my reaction to the text.

  “No. I have absolutely no idea.”

  “We’ll catch him, Dani. I promise.”

  I nod, hoping against hope that he’s right.

  “Hey, how’s Phoebe doing?”

  “She’s adjusting. I took her to the station since her parents are gone for the next few days. She didn’t want to be home alone right now, which is understandable. Samson should be bringing her around in a little while,” he says with a tired smile.

  I go quiet for a moment and glance down at the phone in my hand. “Did you find anything at the school that can help you get this guy?”

  “We found that folder you mentioned, but the pictures were gone,” he explains. “But other than that, no.”

  “Figures. I’ll give Unknown one thing: he’s pretty damn good at covering his tracks.”

  “Yeah, that he is,” my dad agrees with a nod of
his head. “But criminals tend to slip up. That’s one of our saving graces in law enforcement.”

  I want to believe him, but find myself tipping over onto the side of doubt. “Do you think they have coffee? I could use a little caffeine kick right about now.”

  “You and me both,” he says. “I’ll see if I can scrounge up some for us.”

  I lean back in the chair and rest my head on the wall behind me while watching him walk over to the nurse’s desk. After chatting with the nurse for a moment, he turns to me and gives a thumbs up, clearly scoring us some coffee.

  The emergency room doors slide open, drawing my gaze to them. I see Samson stroll in with Phoebe close behind. She looks like I feel…frazzled and completely out of it. When she sees me, I send her a little wave. She returns it and heads over to sit next to me.

  “Any news on how he’s doing?” she asks. She fiddles with the latch on her purse, showing her distress.

  “Not yet. I’d imagine he’s still in surgery.”

  Phoebe exhales slowly before she speaks. “This is insane, Dani. Things like this aren’t supposed to happen in towns like ours.”

  I reach over and take her hand. Squeezing gently, I say, “Hey, listen to me. We’re going to make it out of this, okay?”

  “I hope so,” she replies, but her voice wavers.

  “Got some good news,” my dad announces, approaching us with two cups of coffee in hand.

  “Is it about Parker?” I ask with a hopeful smile.

  “Indeed it is. While I was getting our coffee, I bumped into Dr. Davis, the surgeon working on Parker. After his long spout of medical jargon, he finally got to his point. Parker’s going to be fine. Surgery went well, and he’ll be ready for visitors in a few hours,” he explains, and smiles when he sees both of our faces light up.

  The hours tick by as we wait for any news on when we can visit with Parker. I’ve grown tired of playing Angry Birds on my phone, and have moved on to other forms of distraction, trying hard not to allow any bad thoughts to enter my mind. I’ve probably walked around the emergency room a million times already.