“Good, then it’s time to get out of here,” Ness said and checked the time. It was well after 3:00 A.M., and they had to get moving before someone noticed their presence here.
“You’ve done well, grasshopper. You were far more capable at killing than I ever thought you would be. You have turned out to be one of my greatest students,” Eddie said as they walked to the door.
“Students?” Ness asked, surprised.
Eddie smiled at her. “It’s time to go,” he said walking out of the apartment.
What have I got myself into? Ness suddenly felt terrified. She had an ominous feeling growing in her mind. What was Eddie really up to?
18
Ness drove for home after she and Eddie returned to his house in Northbrook. They drove in silence as they sat together. Ness had a sinister feeling about how Eddie mentioned that she was one of the best of his students. The reason for this is because either he had trained up several serial killers that were now running rampant in the country, or he built them up for another reason entirely. After they returned to the house, they went through the same cleaning ritual that they did previously, and now Ness’ skin truly did feel like she scrubbed off several of the outer layers.
A honking horn brought Ness out of her daze as she drove. She was struggling to keep her eyes open—even though the bright sunlight was already pouring through her window as she drove. Only a few more miles, Ness. Utica is practically in view, and then you can pass out for a few days, she laughed at the thought that popped into her mind because she could just imagine how worried Wyatt would be if she was ‘comatose’ for that long. Ness opened her window and allowed the cool air to rush over her face and through her hair. She wasn’t sure what emotions she was supposed to be experiencing, but at this very moment, she felt completely liberated. She had rid the world of three horrible men, and even though they met tragic ends, the world was a safer place without them in it. Ness could see the exit for North Utica coming up. Almost home, Ness.
10 minutes later, Ness pulled into the Wyatt’s driveway and parked in the shade. She had a look at the time on her car’s clock and saw that it was already 8:30 A.M. No one will be home at this hour, so I can head straight to bed. Ness unlocked the front door and walked inside. She peered through to the kitchen, and it definitely appeared that she was alone. She went upstairs and collapsed onto the bed.
Finally, Ness thought to herself and expected to be welcomed by sleep’s welcoming embrace; however, 10 minutes went by and sleep hadn’t come yet: “Come on, Ness. Just breathe and calm your mind. Sleep will come.” But no matter what Ness tried to do to relax her body and her mind, she was plagued by a feeling of unease. She didn’t feel safe where she was. Something felt different. Something felt wrong. She looked around the room, and everything appeared to be in its place. She got up from the bed and walked downstairs. She double-checked that she locked the front door—she had, and she walked through to the kitchen and checked the back door. Everything appeared to be in order. Ness! Stop freaking yourself out, she shook her head, went back upstairs and laid down on the bed.
After about an hour of tossing and turning, Ness finally fell asleep, but the feeling of unease hadn’t left her during that time. It was like a sixth sense telling her that she had to be on guard. It’s strange how one’s mind can be sensitive to things that one isn’t physically aware of, and Ness’ was becoming more sensitive with every passing moment. Once a person takes the life of another human being, they will forever be different—they will forever be wary of others. It’s a feeling that Ness hadn’t learned to fully understand yet.
Though Ness slept with her bedroom door open, from the shadows of the main bedroom, he stood silently and watched her sleep.
Ness awoke at around lunchtime, and though she was pretty ravenous, she figured that she might as well get out for a bit after sleeping. She thought she’d go into town and say hi to Lindsay. She leaned over to her bedside table to grab her phone, but her phone was out of reach. It was on the other side of the bedside table. Ness knew that she hadn’t put the phone there because she had checked the time right before turning in. She grabbed her phone and walked to her door. She looked into the main bedroom and down the stairs. Everything appeared to be quiet, but her sense of paranoia was building in her mind. She needed to get out of the house just in case. Ness grabbed her car keys and her purse and walked downstairs with her phone in her hand. She unlocked the door quietly and went outside. Once she was in her car, she called Lindsay.
“Hey, stranger,” she answered. Ness could hear that she was smiling.
“Hey, Lindsay. Have you had lunch yet?” Ness asked.
“Nope, why?”
“Because I’m going to grab us something and pop in at the shop. See you soon,” Ness hung up. She watched the house for several seconds longer before starting the car up and driving away.
20 minutes later, Ness walked into Lindsay’s shop with a bag of sandwiches from the local deli. She could see that Lindsay was busy talking to a customer, so Ness walked around and
