...Wee woo Weee wooo...

An annoying alarm sounds from above as I run though the halls of an evacuating office building. Pushing past people, I'm like a salmon swimming upstream, going against the current.

The bodies are hot and are hard to slip through. But I know if I stop, they'll catch me.

"Oi! Get back here!" A deep voice calls from behind me.

Shit. They found me.

"Theif! After her!" Another masculine voice calls out. I cringe at the pronoun.

It's them. T.H.EM. Sigh. And I'm no thief, you just don't have the full story.

I roll my eyes, but I'm not going to stop to tell them that. Surely they'd catch me then.

I glance behind me to see five bobbing heads of the men that were chasing me through the thinning crowd. Their police uniforms made it harder for them to slip through, slowing them down as well. I snicker at them before facing forward again.

I can see the exit.

I'm almost in the clear.

And then he steps in my way.

A man with shimmering, slick, black hair that's pulled all the way to the right side of his head and nutmeg toned skin, stands with his legs shoulder width apart before me. He holds out his stun gun at me as his chief badge sheens with light.

I slow my speed a bit before noticing his reflection in the tiled floor. The corner of my mouth curls up and I pick up my speed. Charging towards him as fast as my feet can carry me.

There's no going back now.

His grip tightens on his gun as our eyes meet, both serious and dead set on our decisions. His finger slowly moves to pull the trigger and that's when I take my chance.

Just like the movies. I ease up on my right side and lean solely on my left, attempting to slide under the man who blocks my path and through his legs to my freedom.

But that's not the case this time.

Instead of gliding gracefully out of harms way with that slow motion magic, that all action films usually have in great situations like these, I slid a bit before falling onto my back hard. Stopping right in front of my blockade.

His unamused and stern appearing eyes stare down at me as he places his hands onto his hips rather casually.

"Now tell me, what were you trying to accomplish by doing that?" He asks, a bit of a sarcastic tone peeking through as his left eyebrow raises.

"Oh, you know...," I pause for a moment, placing my arms behind my head in a brief attempt to get comfortable. "Just trying to get a better angle of you. For personal reasons." I quickly give him a slightly awkward wink, while replying with a sarcastic tone as well.

He sighs and then rubs his head.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave the investigating to the professionals?" He bends down and helps me up, before forcing my arms behind my back and cuffing them.

"And how many times do I have to ask you, how am I going to become a professional if you never let me help you?" I sigh and hang my head low, my parents aren't going to be happy to hear that I got arrested. Again.

"You know the drill." He says with little to no enthusiasm. I roll my eyes and walk out to the squat car that's parked outside the office building.

Onlookers gaze upon the sight of me getting into the back of the police cars. Some glare, the older ones who've seen this scene many times often shake their heads with disappointment. The ones seeing this for the first time, look with excitement, for nothing really exciting happens in our little dull town. Well, except when I decided to help in investigations, as he would say.

I lean back into the seat and stare out the darkened window. The dull grey skies above twin with the dull grey buildings that line the streets of the town of Grenro. Although most of the buildings here were either demolished or abandoned, some still held offices and many employees. Few trees stood tall among the sidewalks, barren and naked, shivering with the winds that blew past.

My head presses against the cold window as the car turns left onto my street. My lids grow heavy and hang halfway closed, I was not looking forward to explaining the situation to my parents again.

My body slides forward a bit before laying back again as the cop car eases to a stop. I peel my face from the window and look around.

"This isn't my house." I utter, confused by the unexpected stop.

"I know." The officer gets out of the car and walks over to my door.

"Then what are we doing here?" I ask as the officer opens my door and helps me out of the car. 

"I'm letting you go free." He unlocks my cuffs and slips them off my hands. "But I'm warning you, I might not be so nice next time." He warns, stepping out in front of me.

"Thank you." I fake a smile while trying to come off as sincere. I was glad he was letting me go free, but I also knew that I would be in the same position again. So I couldn't be that greatful to him. Not yet at least.

I step up onto the sidewalk and watch as the officer returns to his car and drives away. Probably back to the station to lie about dropping me off and everything else they have to report.

I sigh and turn towards the North. "Time to head home." I mumble lowly before making my way home.

***

The grey skies above thicken as crows fly overhead, cawing as if warning me of something. The trees on either side of the path were barren and shook with each passing breeze. The cracks in the sidewalk became more frequent the closer I got to the old school house.

I had to pass through it to get home. People think I'm crazy for going that way, but I don't believe any of the rumours. Besides, if they were true, I'd probably be gone - since I pass through it almost everyday.

As I approach the supposedly haunted building, I stop and gaze up at it.

It's tainted scarlet bricks are worn from enduring various extreme weather incidents. It's wooden trimming, bent and dances with any gust of wind, creating a slightly chilling tapping sound. It's paint job is slowly peeling off, revealing its nude under coat. The old rickety, metal fence sways with the wind, casually pulling itself out of the ground where it stands. The gate is rusted, and screeches as I push it open.

I have entered the schoolyard. The place where no one dare to go. My fate now lies in the hands of the spirits.

As I walk in further, a jingling sound catches my attention and I jerk my head towards the source.

A small black cat sits, perched upon the rusted fence and then meows at me.

Instinctively I meow back, because that's what you do when a cat meows at you. Common knowledge really.

Apparently it didn't like it, because it then leapt off the fence and scurried away.

"Bye." I say, rather sadly. Not wanting to see the cat go. But I shrug it off and keep going.

Jingle.

I turn around to see the same cat, sitting behind me.

It blinks. I blink. It runs off and I continue onwards.

Jingle.

"What?" I turn to look behind me, but before I reach all the way, something in the distance catches my eye. I didn't look to see if the cat was in fact standing behind me, I just started walking towards the thing.

My eyes widen as I finally near what had caught my eye.

A young woman in a long white dress lays flat upon the ground. The black cat sits gently upon the woman's body, it's charcoal fur tainted with a crimson liquid. A maroon mishaped stain is apparent near the young woman's abdomen. I kneel down and place my pointer and middle fingers at the base of her right wrist to check for a pulse.

My heart sinks as no pulse is found.

"I'm too late." I look to the cat who now has its chest puffed out and a rolled up piece of parchment paper is visible, tucked behind the cat's collar. "May I?" I ask before reaching for the note and pulling it out gently.

I unscroll the paper and hold it out in front of me so I can read it. The paper is thin and almost seems too fragile to hold it.

But my curiousity got the better of me and my eyes began to scan the handwritten note.

"Dear Red,
I'm sorry."