Dark Visions by Jonas Saul Read Free Book Online Page B

from the loss of hair caused
her to wince and reach a hand back to the injury in reflex.
    That left one hand on the steering wheel.
Not enough to complete a small turn. She saw the corner of the car
clip the guy who'd been standing in front.
    His head bounced against the hood like a
basketball. Then he disappeared from Sarah's view. She hit the
brake pedal and stopped the car.
    She couldn't quell the shaking. A part of
her reasoned she would be safe now. No one would try to hurt her
with all these witnesses.
    She could feel something dripping on her
shoulder. She pulled her hand away from her head. It was covered in
blood from where the hair was missing.
    The guy she'd recognized walked past the
open driver's side door. His interest in her died off for the
moment. His face was a mask of shock like he was dreaming in
silence.
    Sarah eased herself out of the car. People
had stopped their vehicles. Pedestrians were coming off the
sidewalks. Someone yelled for someone else to call an
ambulance.
    Sarah came around to the front of the car,
still holding her head where her hair had come out. Her vision was
blurred by the tears the pain was causing.
    The man she hit was on the ground. His eyes
were open wide. As far as Sarah could tell, he was dead.
    She'd killed him. Her stomach started to
rebel. She felt faint.
    A man was now dead because of her
actions.
    She doubled over, nausea coursing through
her.
    A dead man. She was supposed to help people,
not kill them.
    She did it.
    From the corner of her eye she saw someone
materialize next to her. She turned to look at him.
    He was holding a gun.
    "Who are you?" he asked.
    Sarah couldn't answer. She wondered if her
legs could hold her any longer. She leaned on the car.
    "Where did you come from? Why did you show
up again? Who the fuck are you?" He was shouting now.
    He walked around his partner's body, knelt
down and felt for a pulse, the whole time keeping his gun trained
on Sarah.
    "Whoever you are, you will die for killing
my brother. You just made Heaven's most wanted list."
    He stood up and stepped closer. "I wonder
what you would look like with half your face missing."
    His eyes were wide, swishing back and forth
in their sockets.
    "My gun is loaded with hollowed out bullets,
which causes the exit wound to be a gaping hole. A small entry in
your cheek, half your brains on the street. Now, move, get in the
car before these crowds get bigger."
    Sarah couldn't move. Her feet felt rooted to
the ground. She wondered if this was what it felt like when shock
set in.
    The gun was a foot from her face. It moved a
little to the right and discharged. The loud report made her jump
and blink. The 'whoosh' where the air was torn to allow the bullet
passage rang true in her ear. She could faintly hear people
screaming. Someone ran past her so close they bumped her arm.
    The world had gone crazy.
    "I won't waste another bullet. Talk to God
about it or get in the car."
    Sarah went to move, but felt too weak.
    Then darkness.
     

Chapter 13
     
    Esmerelda scrunched down against the kitchen
cupboards while she waited for the police to arrive, rolling pin in
hand. After ten minutes she could hear people talking outside. It
sounded like the guard, which meant the police had shown up.
    She relayed what happened and both officers
walked around her trailer, inspecting it for signs of attempted
entry or damage. After finding nothing amiss, they told her they
would swing by on an hourly basis for the rest of the night and
reminded her that she was in a gated area, guarded by security. She
reminded them of just how easy it was for someone to breach
security, such as the example provided earlier today.
    An hour passed. The police had come and
gone. Esmerelda fixed herself another cup of tea and scanned the
windows to make sure all the curtains were pulled shut. She took a
sip from her mug and wondered if she should call Sarah now or
tomorrow. No doubt she would have gotten into trouble from her
parents when