The Seer 6

                                                                           Chapter 6

   "Why are you here?"

   

   The old lady's husband held the shotgun at Jane's head. 

   "We need food, medical supplies, look your wife said that we can have three chicken. So can we take them and go?"

   He finally lowered the gun.

   "Oh, go on. Don't let me see your faces around here again."

   Opal pulled Jane up and they ran out with three chicken in the back of the truck.

   "I'll grab the steering wheel, you do the rest."

   Opal felt guilty about the gunshot wound. Her vision never failed her. 

   They stopped at the pharmacy. It seemed empty. Opal tried the door handle. It was open. There was a faint smell of disinfectant mixed with dust and lipstick. The old fashioned kind.

   She grabbed a green basket and emptied as many shelves as she could. In a second basket, she filled it with skincare.

   A German Shepherd growled at her when she made her way to the door. A boy no older than ten years old stopped in his tracks when he saw Opal.

   "It's you!"

   She blinked at him. Dropping the baskets, she closed her eyes. The dog stopped growling and went to his owner.

   "You may come with us."

   She picked up the baskets and walked out with the boy and his dog.

   

The Black Rose 6

                                                                     Chapter 6

   DI York parked her Audi across the street from Jane's flat. The windows were curtainless. She dug out her binoculars. The TV was on. Jane was watching Pretty Little Liars. 

   York zoomed in on the coffee table. A bowl of popcorn was over flowing. Next to her, Rose was whispering into her ear. They laughed and munched on more popcorn. 

   In a house on a hill, Amelia was taking vodka shots with her husband. The kids were fast asleep. They laughed quietly before kissing each other. She pushed him back and gripped the edge of the kitchen table.

   A persistent knock on the door drew her husband's attention away from her. She collapsed on the floor and vomited. The door banged open. DS Scott barged in. 

   "Who are you?"

   Her husband bent down to help her. She was shaking violently before clutching her chest and passing out.

   "I'm a detective, here's my badge. Call 999!"

   He performed CPR, but he couldn't save her. There was no pulse. Her husband threw up in the sink just as the ambulance arrived. 

The Seer 5

                                                                      Chapter 5

   In the distance, Opal seemed to shimmer in the heat. Her brown eyes became molten when she  recalled a time when life seemed simple. A time when she was a part of a family. She didn't cry anymore. It was time to be a leader.

   Climbing into the front seat, Jane slammed the door shut and turned the engine on. She was one of two grown ups who could drive. At the age of twenty, she and her two younger sisters were the only survivors in their family.

   "Ready Opal?"

   "Ready Jane."

   Opal closed her eyes. 

   "Where to?"

   "Just keep driving. I'll let you know when we get there." 

   The engine whirred in an ancient blue truck. Images flashed through her mind. A petrol station. Deserted homes. An abandoned farm.

   "Stop at the farm around the corner from the pharmacy.

   "OK."

   Supplies were running low. They need tinned food, medicine and more petrol. Jane pulled a pair of black Ray Bans from the glove box. She put them on and hummed the song One Kiss by Dua Lipa. Opal opened her eyes. Anxiety plagued her when they pulled up by the barn. There was no sign of life except for half a dozen chicken pecking on the ground at the back of the house.

   "Something's not right."

   Opal felt like they were being watched. They jumped out looking for the cause of her anxiety. In the house, everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. Jane got to the kitchen and started searching through the cupboards. 

   The creak of the back door made her stop. A gruff voice demanded that she turn around. A tall thin woman with skin the colour of leather pointed a shotgun at her. 

   Who the hell are you? "

   "I'm. .."

   Opal stormed into the kitchen.

   "Lady, drop the gun."

   She pointed it at her. Jane stood between them.

   "She's only a girl. We're only here for supplies."

   The woman aimed the gun at her forehead. 

   "Get out of here!"

   Her arms shook and the gun went off injuring Jane in the thigh.

   "Ah!"

   She fell to the ground with both hands on her left thigh. Opal went up to the woman.

   "We have kids to feed. What can you give us?"

   The woman collapsed in a chair. She held her head between her hands.

   "The chicken, you can have three."

   "Thank you. What about medicine?"

   The woman shook her head. The front door swung shut. An old man in blue overalls dropped a bag he was carrying.

   "Irma, what did you do?"

   He picked up the shotgun and aimed it at Jane. Opal lifted her up.

   "We were just leaving."

   They walked two steps towards the door.

   "No you don't."

   

The Black Rose 5

                                                                          Chapter 5

   Claire's heart pendant lay in an evidence bag on DI York's desk. Amelia and her two kids Leah eight and John 6, were sharing a chair. 

   "What do you mean it's a homicide? 

   "I mean, she didn't die of natural causes. Now please answer my question. Where did you get that bottle of rosé from? 

   She blew her nose and fixed her pony tail in her reflection on the desk lamp.

   "I got it from Waitrose."

   "Right."

   She stood up. 

   "Is that all?"

   DI York stood up too.

   "One more question. Where were you on the night that Claire died?"

   "I was on a date night with my husband. You want to know what else we did that night?"

   The detective folded her arms before speaking.

   "If you can remember what else happened on the night of the party, that would be helpful."

   Amelia pulled her bag over her shoulder. 

   "Sure, I'll remember to call you if I do. Come on kids, dad's got ice cream."

   She flicked her pony tail at DI York on her way out.

Three Books I Finished Reading

Here are three books that I finished reading. I really enjoyed them and loved Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

The Seer 4

                 Chapter 4

   A bonfire roared in the middle of a circle. Laughter and music brightened the young faces who were eating the last of the harvest.

   Annie placed a plate with a single tangerine in front of Opal. With so many mouths to feed, there was very little to go around.

   "Opal, your tangerine is here."

   She placed her hand on the fruit. 

   "Thank you Annie. Are you enjoying the harvest dinner?" 

   She pulled a blue knitted blanket around her shoulders.

   "It's the best harvest ever!"

   She kissed her on the cheek.

   The fire pulled her attention to the dancing flames. Through what little vision she had, light and shadows were her world.

   A couple of older kids ran off into the school. Jade and Art locked the door in the makeshift clinic. Art pulled her into a corner and they started kissing. Jade pushed him away and started going threw the drawers.

   "Come on Art, help me find it."

   He kissed her.

   "In a minute."

   She pushed him away again and started crying. 

   "Why aren't you taking it seriously? I'm terrified, Art. I need you right now." 

   He pulled her close.

   "I'm sorry, I'm also scared. We'll be OK as long as we're together. I'll help you look for it."

   Looking through all the drawers, he found a box of two pregnancy tests.

   "Here, I'll wait for you."

   She grabbed the box and hurried into the bathroom next door. A few minutes later, she walked back in.

   "We have a wait for three minutes "

   "OK."

   Art held her close. At seventeen, he didn't expect to be a father. He was grateful that they were atleast the same age.

   "It's time."

   She flipped the test over. Two lines made her cry. His emotions confused him. He was happy, really happy. Pulling away, he kissed Jade again.

 

  "It's OK Jade. I'll look after you, after us."

   "Us?"

   "Yes, we're a family now."

   She smiled brightly. They placed a hand on her flat stomach.

The Black Rose 4

                                                                         Chapter 4

                                                                           Claire

   DI York covered her mouth with a handkerchief and used a pen to lift up Claire 's upper lip. A black rose was in her mouth. She stumbled backwards and threw up in the toilet bowl.

   DS Scott handed her a tissue.

   "Come on Hannah, get some fresh air with me."

   "Alright."

   They walked along the pavement breathing in as much fresh air as possible. 

   "I see you noticed the black rose."

   She retched at the thought of the smell. 

   "Yes, didn't the last case have a black rose too?"

   They headed into Sainsbury's. 

   "She did, the coroner is about to release the cause of death."

   After paying for a couple of bottles of water, they returned to DS Scott's car parked across the street from Claire 's flat. 

   DI York lit a cigarette and took a long drag. She looked at Sarah's file. 

   "Both female, both black roses. They were friends. Perhaps a common enemy?"

   "Perhaps."

The Seer 3

                                                                 Chapter 3

A handful of lavender was being pummelled in a mortar. Annie passed me a small muslin bag. She filled it with the ground lavender and tied the top.

"Tom, smell this. "

Tom's breath was ragged. When he started smelling the lavender, his breathing calmed down. 

"Keep it under your pillow. "

He nodded.

"Thanks Opal."

She hugged him before picking him up and laying him down on the bed. 

"Rest for now and we'll talk during the sharing circle. OK?"

"OK. See you later Opal."

It was hard to look at him with that haunted look on his face. Most of the kids had this look.

"Come on Annie, let's prepare for the harvest dinner."

The Black Rose 3

                                                                      Chapter 3

                      

                                                                        Claire

Claire perched her laptop on a chair near the bathtub. She tapped on season one of the Big Bang Theory. She slipped into a bubble bath with candles and pink rose petals. 

Today was the first anniversary of Terry 's death. She clutched a bottle of half drunk rosé from the floor and gulped the rest down. The bottle floated on the bubbles before bubbling on the way down to the bottom.

She slid down and closed her eyes. A deep sob broke out of her and she cried out loud, her face streamed with snot and mascara. 

Her breathing became shallow and her heart slowed down. When her throat constricted, she tried to grab the sides of the tub, but she hit her head and lost consciousness.