Chapter 79 – The Fate You Can’t Escape – Erica Henson

Nyx finally managed to give me something of substance through an anonymous ChatCat ID. At first I almost dismissed the message as spam because of the nature of the ID involved. It was just a random string of numbers as the screen name. The only way I knew it was Nyx was because it referenced our earlier conversation. It couldn’t be someone faking it because I never told anyone the story of meeting the doll. That would be a difficult story to convince someone of anyways.

I was casually lounging on the living room couch while snacking on a bag of chips. Jackie just finished getting dressed for the night and was preparing to go out. She wasn’t the only one, but I couldn’t afford to leave until she did. She came into the living room while she was getting her jacket on. She checked her watch.

“It’s time for me to go. I don’t want to be late and it’ll be a long drive.” Jackie said.

“Where was it you said you were going again?” I asked, trying to hide my deep interest.

She looked at her cell phone casually.

“I’ll just be out of town for a little, that’s all. I just need to meet up with some old acquaintances.” She said, swiping on her phone, “I’ll be back before you know it. You said you were planning to go out tonight too, right?”

“Yes,” I said, “I’m planning to go over to a friend’s house for a get together between a few of us from school.”

I didn’t have to worry about her seeing through my lie. She was so consumed with whatever she was planning that she was willing to overlook my flimsy alibi. It wasn’t like I went to visit a friend’s house often. The last time was when I went to Zoe’s place months ago.

“In that case, who knows, I might be back before you.” Jackie said. “Do you need anything before I go? Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“I’m fine.” I said, “I still have plenty of money on the card you gave me. It’ll be enough to get a ride there and back. I should have everything I need.”

She walked over to plant a kiss on my forehead and gently rub my hair.

“Good, then I’ll see you tonight or maybe in the morning.” She said. “If you need anything…”

“I know. I’ll call.” I said.

She smiled at me.

“Then I’m off,” She said.

“Bye!” I said.

She moved over to the door at a pace that felt more like a nervous jog rather than a brisk walk. Her behavior this afternoon was suspicious since we got home. She had a series of phone calls after phone calls until eventually she came to me talking about a quick ‘meeting’ outside of town. Knowing everything that I knew, I realized that she had to be up to something nefarious. What was the nature of this so-called meeting? Why the urgency?

I watched her leave from the window beside the front door. Within moments of her exiting the driveway I turned away to make preparations of my own. My plan was to keep a low profile during this entire operation. My long coat, beanie, scarf, and gloves would help to conceal my identity somewhat. Since it was chilly outside my inconspicuous clothing wouldn’t draw any negative attention. I wasn’t sure who I was meeting yet so this was a necessary precautionary measure.

Nyx, staying true to its nature, wasn’t up front with the details of this meeting. It only assured me that many of my questions would be answered at this meeting. Was the doll’s owner finally willing to speak to me in person? That was my expectation. They were too cowardly to show themselves at school, but were willing to have this meeting off campus. That was fine by me. I didn’t want a doll to intermediate our conversation like something out of a kid’s show.

My driver fortunately didn’t ask me about the nature of my trip across town this late at night. Normally people under 18 were supposed to be accompanied by a legal adult when using this rideshare company. I must’ve looked close enough to 18 to not be asked. Given the fact that we were now in the shady part of town it was a miracle that the driver didn’t ask me my age. While looking around at my surroundings I was beginning to have second thoughts. It was only when I saw my goal in sight that I committed to seeing this through.

My driver let me out of the car about a block away, at my request. I wanted to analyze the building from the outside before just rushing in. This apartment building was a high-rise whose best days were behind it. Maybe 10 or 20 years ago this place and the surrounding area were far more desirable. However, when the company managing these estates went through turmoil during a recession they sold all the properties to a new company. The new companies essentially let the area go to waste in an attempt to save money and recoup costs. Jackie told me all about it, citing a report she wrote back in college.

This building didn’t suffer from as much maintenance neglect as the school, but it had some unfortunate quirks of its own. The building was mostly intact, save for some cracking in the concrete surface. Beyond that trait were only negligible structural blemishes. The thing that was really getting to me was just how spotty the lighting was. I could tell that the building seemed to suffer from some sort of faulty wiring due to the intermittence of street level lighting. The meeting spot was the dark alley on the side of the building. I got the impression that Nyx must’ve known about the poor lighting and chose this location accordingly.

My anxious walk across the street to the meeting place was slow. I pulled out my phone and considered sending a message to Zoe just in case something happened to me. By the time I made it to the alleyway I had decided to go through with it and began a message to Zoe. I’d at least tell her where I was and what I was doing. I wouldn’t tell her that it was a doll that sent me here, rather that I was chasing down a lead connected to Malorie. She’d probably be upset that I didn’t tell her ahead of time, but I could deal with that later.

While I was texting I heard footsteps from behind me. By the time I started to turn around this person had me by the collar of my coat. They forcefully shoved me against the concrete wall behind me. I turned my head to try to get a look at the assailant! I felt the blood drain from my face as a pistol was aimed right at my head.

“Just take my money and leave me alone!” I shouted. “I don’t have much! It’s in my coat pocket!”

“I don’t want your god damned money!” The woman shouted, “I want to know who the HELL you are and how you know about me!”

“What?” I asked in confusion.

She aggressively turned me around and pushed me back against the wall so that I could see her face-to-face. This woman wasn’t someone I had ever seen before. Or so I initially thought. There was this strange feeling in the back of my mind like I had seen her from somewhere, yet I couldn’t place the exact connection. It was difficult to place this woman’s age, but I wanted to say that she was in her 30s, maybe early 40s. That could’ve been a false impression, however. This woman looked to either be an alcoholic or on hard drugs. She didn’t look to be in the right mind, which made me more worried.

“I don’t know you.” I said.

“Liar!” She practically screamed into my face, “Liar! YOU called ME, threatening to tell the world everything you know about Malorie!”

“I…”

“You thought you could just waltz up to where I live and blackmail me?” She shouted.

“That’s not what I…!”

“Tell me the truth!” She shouted. “Tell me or I’ll put a bullet right through your pretty face!”

“I wasn’t the one that called you!” I shouted. “I was told to meet someone here by someone I go to school with! That’s all!”

She brought her face close to mine while pushing me against the wall even harder. She glared at me intensely.

“Which school do you go to?” She asked.

“Meredith’s School for Troubled Girls,” I said, “I’m in my senior year.”

The stranger pulled away slightly and blinked.

“Meredith School for…” She started to say.

She didn’t even finish her sentence. She just stared at me like the gears in her brain weren’t even working. Then something inside her snapped and she went back to shoving me against the wall.

“What do you know about someone named Abigail Logan?” She asked.

“Ms. Logan…” I said. “I knew her well enough when she was still alive. I used to help her clean her classroom from time to time.”

This stranger’s eye’s widened and her jaw fell.

“Tell me…” She said in a pleading voice, “What do you know about her death?”

It was hard to say how much I should tell this person. She did have a gun in my face after all. There was no telling what would set her off, or why. However, considering she was having a kinder reaction now, I decided to just tell her the truth. It seems like she had questions also.

“A lot, actually…” I said. “I was with her that night. I tried to prevent it from happening.”

The stranger took a step back in admiration. It was clear now that she had sympathetic feelings for Ms. Logan. I gestured my head towards her weapon. She nodded and lowered it. She let go of me and took another two steps back. I brushed myself off.

“Who are you?” She asked calmly this time.

“I’m Erica Henson.” I said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Vivian Hale.” She said.

I knew this name! I realized where I remembered seeing her now! It was difficult to place before because of her aged face and graying hair. She was in a picture with Malorie and Ms. Logan on the Immortal Diary website. Looking her over again, she aged dramatically compared to Jackie and Ms. Logan. She was definitely struggling with something.

“So you know Jackie also, right?” I asked.

She looked at me with newfound curiosity.

“You’re telling me that you know Jackie Sampson?” She asked.

“Know her,” I said, “I live with her!”

“What…?!” She shouted, “She never mentioned… I don’t understand… Why did she send you to…?”

“She didn’t send me!” I said. “I sent myself! Someone told me they could help me find information. They told me someone would meet me here. I thought that I was going to be talking to another student my age. I wasn’t expecting to meet you. Jackie doesn’t know I came here. I went out secretly.”

Vivian smirked.

“Serves her right…” Vivian said. “That’s what she gets for not inviting me to the meeting.”

“Wait, you know about this meeting that she went to?” I asked.

“Of course I do. I was kept in the loop at least that much. The others have been trying to distance themselves from me because they think I’m a liability. The idiots…”

“What do you mean ‘The others’?” I asked.

Vivian studied my face seriously. She put a hand on my shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s get out of the cold. We’ll talk about this in my apartment upstairs over some hot coffee.” She said.

“That sounds much better than this dark alleyway.” I said.

We went into the apartment’s lobby floor. There was a stall for staff but no one was there. The inside of this apartment building looked more put together than the outside. We walked into the elevator together and Vivian selected the 12th floor. She leaned against the back of the elevator, stared up at the ceiling, and sighed. She looked drained. I could see that this confrontation was as painful on her as it was on me. I was warily keeping my distance from her, but I somehow felt sorry for her. She looked like an absolute wreck.

“Sorry for jumping you like that.” She said quietly. “I thought you might’ve been someone else. It seems like whoever sent you to find me has a tasteless way of pulling pranks.”

“You aren’t kidding.” I said flatly.

“Who was it that sent you to me anyways?”

“Would you believe me if I said it was a toy doll?” I asked. “Like you said, this person is tasteless. I was expecting to properly meet them for the first time today… I guess they weaseled their way out of it.”

“It doesn’t matter I guess.” She said. “I actually think we can help each other. Jackie’s been keeping a lot of information from me over the years and I wasn’t in contact with Abby before she died. I’m thinking that maybe you can answer some of my questions and I can answer some of yours.”

“That sounds like a good deal.” I said.

“You’ll have to excuse the mess inside my apartment.” She said, “You might legitimately be the first visitor I’ve had in a year that isn’t with law enforcement.”

“Anything beats the cold alleyway.” I said.

She laughed.

“That’s really all that can be said about my place I guess.”

On the 12th floor I took the time to scan my surroundings before stepping out of the elevator. There wasn’t much to be said for the hallway area other than it looked somewhat retro. Its tacky wallpaper really gave the feeling of a designer trying too hard beneath the weak overhead light. Maybe if the lighting situation were better, then the place wouldn’t look so dull. There were only a few doors on this floor, each of them lit by their own light. The lighting was completely out of service in the distance, but I could make out the dark silhouettes of furniture surrounding a window area.

We stopped in front of the first door in the hallway, not far from the elevator.

“It’s not much to see, is it?” Vivian asked as she pulled out her keys, “This was really all I could afford on the monthly stipend I get from my sister.”

“Does anyone live in those other rooms down the hallway?” I asked.

“Not that I know of,” Vivian said, “I never see anyone coming or going on this floor. Most of the people that live here live on the lower floors. No one trusts that dingy old elevator. They tend to prefer the stairs from what I’ve seen.”

Vivian put her keys into the door and unlocked it. She casually pushed the door open and we both heard a strange noise. There was a winding sound like something was whirring up. It was only when it was too late that we both noticed the metal cable attached to the other side of the door handle. Opening the door caused a box beside the door to spring open, releasing a yellowish gas. Vivian looked so stunned by the suddenness of all this that she clearly didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what the gas was but it couldn’t be good.

“Don’t breathe that in!” I shouted and took a step back.

Vivian’s eyes sharpened and she pulled her gun back out.

“Someone’s been in here!” She shouted, “They must’ve known that I’d go outside to…”

“Look out!” I shouted.

I pulled Vivian away from an incoming attack, but not fast enough. The hand she was holding her gun with was hit by what looked to be a knife of some sort. She immediately dropped the gun, crouched to the ground, and screamed as her hand began gushing blood! I held onto Vivian’s shoulders and tried to help her back up. The attack didn’t come from inside the house. It came from…

There was a dark silhouette of a person walking towards us from down the hall. This was a set up.