Trigger Warning: death, violence against women

DIANA

THE DAY I DIED...

"What do you mean you're not coming to pick it up? I'm on a deadline." I spoke frustratingly into the phone.

The distribution representative repeated what he said to me earlier, "You need to drop it off at the center. We stopped doing late pickups."

"Fine, I'll take it." I hung up the phone and wrapped my advertisement design into a protective case.

Lifting my tote bag I scrambled out of the empty office building. I made my way across town watching the time on my watch tick by. I needed to get this new design in before Headre had my head, literally.

I shivered at the thought and raced up the concreate steps of Hedare Distro. My finger pressed into the button waiting for someone to let me in. I rolled my eyes seeing the front desk empty.

Truding around the building I found the side door ajar. Poking my head inside I saw no one.

"Hello?" I shouted stepping forward into the building.

My eyes scanned the doorway. Labs. Fuck, I wasn't even in the right side of the building.

"Hello?"

My voice seemed to carry nowhere.

I saw shadows from one of the offices. Mrs. Hedare was positioned in front of one of the Hedare Beauty security officers smiling. She kissed his lips while he held onto her waist. That was not her husband.

"Now that I have you, I want you to get rid of the scientist who's been studying Hedare Beauty." Lauren's voice came out seductive yet manipulative.

"Are you sure?" The man asked. I swore I reconigzed his voice before.

"He claims our beauty products turn people into monsters."

I gasped when she turned my way. Her smile seemed to fade when she noticed me.

I waved the design in front of them, "Sorry. I'm supposed to be dropping off this design to the art department. Rush order for Mr. Hedare."

She sent me a fake smile, it didn't reach her eyes, "Of course. Diana, is it?"

I nodded noticing the lipstick stain on the scientists white coat jacket. I averted my eyes to my shoes, "Yes."

"Just head down the hall and make a right. You'll find Kimi waiting for you."

"Thank you! Sorry to interrupt again."

Following her instructions were easy. Kimi was clicking away on her computer, "You're almost late."

"Sorry. No one answered the front door."

"Ah, must've gotten caught up with Lauren Hedare sexing it up with one of the security officers."

My cheeks felt hot at her sentence having no idea what to say, "Sorry?"

"Stop saying sorry, Diana. Do you have the mark ups?"

I handed over the package to her. She smiled taking a peak inside, "This is gonna eat on that jumbotron downtown. Nice job, Di. I'll be sure to have these submitted tonight."

Standing outside of the building I sighed. I could still remember the conversation Mrs.Hedare had with that man.

Was she really killing people? All because of some human trials and negative effects? What did I walk into?

Before I could order to ride back to the city a car appeared in front of me. With tinted windows, the figure was hiding behind the darkness.

"Oakley? You can't be scaring me like that!" I said seeing his brown eyes and curly hair.

He chuckled, "Sorry. You alright? You look a bit tense."

I relaxed my shoulders and swallowed my emotions, "I'm cool. I was just dropping off some work."

"Need a ride back in town?"

I wouldn't object to a free ride. I sat in his passenger seat and inhaled his smoky scent. I felt comfortable and at ease with him.

I glanced at his unbuttoned security uniform, "Finish your shift alright?"

He nodded and drove with one hand on the wheel and the other in the middle console, "Yeah."

"You work two jobs?" I asked trying to ease the slight awkwardness.

"Security detail is my side gig while I work my way up to detective." He seemed to tone down his usual upbeat self.

"Don't be coy about it. I think that's amazing. Detective's got a nice ring to it." I smiled earning a smirk from him.

His cell phone rang before he could answer me, "Hold on. This is my boss."

My eyes squinted at his dashboard seeing Lauren Hedare's name appear. I tried not to listen but I couldn't help it.

"I need you back on some security detail. I'll put it in as overtime."

I watched as he switched gears and eased back into the dimly lit city. "What's the detail contain?"

"I need a rat exterminated. Some lousy design associate walked in on a secure conversation." Lauren's words made my heart race.

I was the rat she was talking about.

"We all know what she heard." I could hear her whispers through the phone.

Oakley's car came to a halt as the call ended. I could see him looking at me from the corner of his eye. His service pistol sat on his hip.

"Oakley." I whispered allowing a stray tear to fall.

Oakley looked panicked. Like he was thinking about his next move. But I beat him to it and swiftly opened the car door.

"Wait! Diana!"

I ignored his shouts and ran through the city streets. My lungs burned as I ran away from Oakley. They were trying to kill me.

I screamed when a muscular man pulled me into a nearby ally. Covering my mouth he quickly pulled his gun.

"Shoot her already!"

POP! POP!

And so I laid there bleeding out onto the dirty ally floor. She stood over me. Mr. Hedare's wife. Standing over me with a knife in her hands.

"Diana, darling. You can't run from me."

She seemed like such a sweet woman. Her facade had crumbled and I stood victim. And that's when she plunged the knife into my chest. And it all went dark right after my life flashed before my eyes.

The cat watched as Diana laid dead in the cold. Her chest not moving and the blood began to dry. The cat etched it's way up Diana's body meowing aimlessly in distress. Pawing at the girls face, she got nothing in return.

A few other kitties began to linger around them. Surrounding Diana in a cirlce. The moon casted some white light above them.

The cat standing on Diana's chest looked around sensing her cat companions. And with one blink, she breathed life back into Diana.

Within seconds her eyes flew open.

Authors Note,

Hi lovelies! I hope yall had a great NYE. Cheers to 2025!

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