Hayden

I was in a daze, my vision blurry. It was so dark I couldn’t see anything, but I could smell the antiseptic. The floor was hard against my back, my head throbbing as I tried to lift it. I couldn’t move.

“Sleeping Beauty finally awake?”

The voice was taunting and cruel, a tone I’d never thought possible from Jeremiah. My mouth was so dry. I wanted to scream and yell at him, claw his eyes out for doing what he’d done, but I couldn’t. He’d drugged me and I was afraid of what else he was going to do.

He turned on the hallway light, allowing a terrifying glow to seep into the lab. I could see his shadow from across the room and held back my tears when he approached. In his gloved hands, he held a knife; it reflected the light and I had to close my eyes. I didn’t want to imagine what he was going to do with it.

Lifting me off the floor, he roughly slid me back to the wall and I banged my head. I wanted to rub my skull, but my limbs were too heavy. “Why?” I croaked.

He tilted my chin up with the knife; the blade was cold and I shivered. I didn’t want to look at him, but I had no choice. No amount of drugs could take away the fear I felt when I looked into his eyes. They were empty, detached.

“Why?” he repeated, spitting the word at me. “For six years, I’ve worked my ass off at this clinic. It should be me Wilford gives it to, but yet he turns around and stabs me in the back. This place is mine.”

I felt sick to my stomach and tried to take in a deep breath, but the effort was fruitless. My whole body was weakened. “I don’t understand,” I cried. “I thought you…”

He chuckled darkly. “That I what, had a thing for you? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted that pussy of yours since the day you started working here.” He brushed his fingers along my cheek and I cringed. “But you kept pushing me away, and when I finally started making ground, that worthless fucking cocksucker got in my way.” His eyes darkened and he stood, scowling down at me. “I had it all planned out. You were supposed to fall in love with me and we’d both run this clinic, but you fucked it all up by coming here. Better yet, you might have saved me. I had no idea Wilford had security cameras in this place. I’m just glad Kellie left before I had to drag her down with you.”

My eyes widened and I gasped, the words hard to form on my tongue. What the hell did he give me? “How…did…you…know?”

A slow smirk spread across his face. “I came here to cover my tracks and dispose of the sharps container, but you almost beat me to it. I was home free until you decided to be a sneaky bitch. I can’t have you telling everyone what I’ve done, now can I?”

“How could you…kill them?”

He snorted. “Simple, just put a needle in and let ’em go. It had to be done.” He pulled out his phone and sighed. “Looks like I’m running out of time.” My body felt like it was running down, but I had to keep my eyes open. Jeremiah typed something on the computer, and then the printer roared to life.

“What…are you…doing?” I asked, dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

“Reading your suicide note. It’s kind of sad how emotional you get over these animals. You were so distraught after losing your job and killing those innocent pups that you couldn’t live with yourself anymore.” He frowned at the letter and then laughed. “Such a tragedy.”

Fear overwhelmed me, and my heart rate spiked. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, but my attempt at escape was futile; I didn’t get very far before he pulled me back, holding the knife at my throat.

“Please don’t do this,” I begged.

He shrugged. “It’s too late, Hayden. You already know too much.” The knife lowered and he grazed it across my chest on down to my thigh. “Although I do have to say I’ll miss this body of yours. It’s a shame to waste it.” Holding me in place, he closed his lips over mine, forcing his tongue inside. I tried to fight him off, but I couldn’t. When he pulled back, he licked his lips and smiled. “Goodbye, darling.”

Straddling my waist, he held me down with his weight and grabbed my wrist. “Stop,” I cried, feeling the edge of the knife dig in to my skin. I screamed with the pain and felt the blood dripping out of my veins as he sliced me open. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I choked on my breaths. He was going to slit my wrists and leave me for dead.

“Hayden,” a voice shouted.

Jeremiah jerked his head and glanced behind him. “Fuck,” he hissed angrily. It was Derek. Jeremiah hurried off and I didn’t see where he went, but I knew he was still there. I could hear Derek kicking the back door and then the sound of it bursting open. He rushed in and saw me. I could barely see him through my tears.

“Holy fuck,” he growled, racing over to me. He saw the letter and a terrified look crossed his face. “What the hell did you do?” Ripping off his shirt, he wrapped it tightly around my arm.

I shook my head. “Not…me. Jeremiah.” My voice was so low he couldn’t hear me.

His gaze was frantic as he looked me over and pulled out his phone. He called for help and hung up. I was close to losing consciousness, but over his shoulder, I could see Jeremiah coming closer, the knife poised high.

With every ounce of energy I had left, I grabbed Derek’s hand. “Behind you.”