7. - – Clara
CHAPTER SEVEN
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CLARA
No sooner than I had fallen asleep, my alarm was going off. It was the one thing that sucked the worst when it came to my career. I couldn’t help but to feel like I needed to be doing more.
I slid out of bed, the floorboards groaning under my weight like a warning.
My muscles ached as I stretched on my way to the kitchen.
The water hit the coffeepot with a hollow, echoing splash that seemed too loud in the stillness.
Glancing out the window, my hand paused over the tap.
The world was quiet… Too quiet. I could feel it in the low thrum of my pulse.
It was going to be one of those days. The kind that changed everything. I just didn’t know what.
While the coffee brewed, I got dressed. The routine was familiar, but the air in the room felt thin.
I hope Elias is okay. I pulled my hair back tight, my bangs falling naturally against my forehead.
I had never seen the point in a full face of makeup.
A little eyeliner and mascara were enough to make me feel human.
I finished with a clear gloss, a habit born from a compliment Elias gave me. I love the color of your lips.
I grabbed my bag and filled my thermos with enough caffeine to bridge the gap between consciousness and collapse. A thirty-six-hour shift loomed ahead of me and I knew I’d have to run on stolen naps and adrenaline. We were chronically understaffed which made making mistakes inevitable.
Despite the dread of the long hours, I felt a flicker of something else. The need to see Elias. I’d find time to sit with him, tucked away between rounds, even if the rest of the world was falling apart. He needed me as much as I needed him.
The drive to the hospital was a blur of gray pavement and low-hanging clouds.
Every time I checked my rearview mirror, I saw the same pair of headlights three cars back.
They didn’t pass, but they didn’t fall behind either.
They just hovered there, a constant shadow in the morning mist. By the time I pulled into the employee lot, my grip on the steering wheel was so tight my knuckles had turned white.
Surely I had been seeing things, or maybe it was another hospital employee.
I tried to get a grip on reality. No, they followed me from my house.
I shivered, convinced I was losing my mind.
I just needed Elias to bring me back to reality.
I sat in the car for a moment, the engine ticking as it cooled, as I tried to shake the feeling of being watched.
Sleep deprivation did strange things to the mind, but my shift hadn’t even started yet.
I glanced up at the rearview mirror and suddenly a car slowed as it drove past. My heart began to throb, pounding against my chest. You’re fine, Clara, you’re just being paranoid. Why would anyone be following you?
Slowly, I exited my car and looked around the parking garage. Whoever had been following me was nowhere to be seen, and all apprehension left. I opened the trunk of my car and began to gather my things when suddenly everything went dark.
ELIAS
Something's not right. My eyes shot to the clock the moment I woke up. I glanced out into the hallway to see the same nurse from the night before. Clara was supposed to be here by now.
The nurse’s eyes met mine, and I quickly looked away. It was too late, she was already headed toward my room. Her eyes were dark and she looked pissed.
She opened the door and closed it quickly behind her. “I don’t know how you managed it, but you need to let her go,” she raged.
Confusion and panic clouded my mind. “What are you talking about? Where’s Clara?”
“You tell me.” She looked around the room like she was searching for a clue. The look on her face grew more frustrated with me. “Her car’s here, but no one has seen her.”
I chuckled, a reaction probably not appropriate for the situation but I couldn’t help myself. “Did anyone check to see if she fell asleep in her car?”
“Shut it.” She glared at me. “Of course we checked the car, there was no one in it. The only reason we suspect anything is because her trunk was left open and we found her phone with all of her things inside.”
Clara.
My heart sank. They couldn’t have her taken from me, too. “I have to get out of here,” I pleaded with the nurse.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Her response was stern. “I’ve called the detectives. They’ll be here in a bit for questioning.”
His response sent me over the edge. “How dense are you people? You’re so focused on me you’re going to get someone else killed and the actual murderer will get away. Again.” I paused. “Please, you’ve seen me with Clara. You can’t seriously think I’m the one who is behind it.”
For a brief moment, her eyes came into focus and I thought I had gotten through to her but then everything shifted. “She’s at least the second person in your life who has disappeared.”
I stared at her blankly. Apparently, she hadn’t heard I was allegedly the reason a slew of women had disappeared.
Of course I wouldn’t get through to her, or anyone at this point.
They’ve all been so focused on me, no one would even dare to think anyone else could be behind this. “Well, then her clock’s ticking.”