Beth's Eyes

by A J Estelliam

  I slowed a little for a brief moment, holding my stomach and gasping air into my desperate lungs.

  ‘Beth! Fuck sake,’ she panted, reaching me and grabbing my arm.

  I wrenched it away and turned and ran again, hobbling almost with the difficulty it took me to keep moving at speed.

  I reached the small wooden gate and pushed it open. The graveyard stretched out before me, creepy in the pale moonlight.

  ‘Beth! What the fuck are you doing?’ Anderson breathed, her voice strained with exertion. ‘Why the hell are you running to a graveyard in the middle of the night?’

  ‘I had a vision,’ I said, turning to her, wild-eyed and stunned. ‘She’s here,’ I said, clutching my stomach where the wetness told me I bled again. ‘She’s here,’ I repeated.

  ‘Who is here?’ Anderson asked, completely baffled.

  ‘He…he…’ I stumbled over my words, unsure of how to tell her what I had seen. ‘Just follow me,’ I said, turning.

  I ran through the graves and towards the church wall. I knew where she rested, I knew how she had been left. He was long gone; I knew that. What I didn’t know was how I would stop him. I was going to-that was why I was back-but I didn’t know how.

  Chapter 7

  I led Anderson around the church walls to the South end. When we reached the scene, it was worse than I had even expected. Seeing the vision in real life was so much worse than in my head. I turned into the nearest grass and falling to my knees, threw up. I retched again and again, even when there was nothing in my stomach left.

  ‘Beth? Beth?’

  I coughed and spluttered in the grass, clutching my stomach.

  ‘Beth. We need to call this in.’

  Alarm bells ran through my head and I pulled myself together, sitting up and wiping my mouth. ‘We call the police for her but we can’t be here when they come,’ I told her. ‘I need to catch him. He killed me and now this poor woman. Who knows how many more he’ll destroy?’

  ‘You’re right, Beth, but this isn’t for you to solve. This is a job for the police. You’re not trained to do this. It’s dangerous and you could get yourself killed in the process.’

  ‘I already did. The fact I came back is testament to the fact that I am supposed to stop that man. It’s why I’m having these visions.’

  ‘That wasn’t a vision,’ she argued, ‘you were having a fit!’ she exclaimed.

  ‘I might have been fitting but I saw this!’ I told Anderson, staring at the poor woman who lay against the church wall cut, dismembered and gory.

  ‘I…I can’t do this with you, Beth,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I’m not…I don’t…’

  ‘Don’t do anything then, Anderson. Go home…go back to your job. I’m going to phone this in from a payphone and then go back to the cabin. I need to find him and stop this. It’s what I’m meant to do.’ With that, I turned and trudged away through the graveyard, heading for the nearest phone. I would call in and then run back to the cabin I told myself. Without Anderson it would be harder, but that was something I would just have to accept.

  As I reached the gate leading away from the church, I turned to see Anderson following me.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I asked her, shocked.

  ‘What do you think I’m doing?’ she grumbled.

  ‘You’re coming with me?’

  ‘Yeah…can’t let you do this alone, can I?’ she said, her eyes full of concern for me.

  ‘Well, you could…’

  ‘But I won’t,’ she told me, her blue eyes holding mine captive. ‘I care about you, Beth. I don’t want you putting yourself in danger.’

  ‘I can’t promise that,’ I murmured, ‘but I would appreciate your help,’ I told her.

  She shook her head in resignation. ‘I don’t know how anyone would ever say no to you with your incredible, luminescent eyes, Beth.’

  My mouth almost dropped in stunned surrender to her. ‘I…my eyes? What about yours?’

  ‘What about them?’ she asked with a gentle frown.

  ‘They’re beautiful,’ I told her. ‘I could stare at them for hours.’

  She smiled at me and reached a hand to touch my cheek ever so gently. ‘I’m here for you, Beth. Whatever it takes; I’ll help,’ she told me huskily.

  I didn’t have the words to thank her. I felt so much more than simple gratitude. As I nodded, swallowing hard, I felt a connection between us which was electrically charged. The way she looked at me was so intense that it was impossible to ignore, even in this most extreme of circumstances.

  ‘Come on,’ she instructed. ‘Let’s go.’

  We jogged at pace to the nearest pay phone and I listened as Anderson briskly phoned in the murder anonymously. As soon as she had given the police the details of where the poor woman lay, she hung up and we left. I took the lead and began running back towards the cabin. I led us back over the field, back down the small lanes and then eventually to the forest. Once we reached the forest, I slowed, holding my stomach as I walked.

  My breath came in short, swift pants and I felt light headed and dizzy.

  ‘You okay?’ Anderson asked by my side.

  ‘I’m just…’ I bent over, clutching my stomach. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered with blood.

  ‘Oh Christ; you’ve broken your stiches,’ she complained, lifting my t-shirt to see my cut which was open and bleeding badly.

  ‘I guess that’s why I’m feeling a bit dizzy.’

  ‘Oh, for goodness sake, Beth. You should have told me ages ago.’

  ‘I just wanted to get back,’ I told her.

  ‘Come on,’ she said, extending her arms.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m going to carry you.’

  ‘I’m not completely unable to walk.’

  ‘Yeah, but if you carry on, you’ll bleed more and become more unwell, which will hinder your recovery time,’ she told me briskly.

  ‘So, you’re planning on carrying me?’ I asked her, weakening by every second that passed.

  ‘Yes; unless you’ve got any other ideas?’ she muttered.

  Without anything else being said, Anderson lifted me easily into her arms and carried me effortlessly through the forest. The only sign that she was struggling was the change in her breathing pattern as we progressed further. Not once did she complain or object though, nor did she speak or utter a sound.

  Before long, we had reached the cabin. After unlocking the door, Anderson lifted me again and quickly took me up the stairs and laid me down on the bed. Disposing of my jacket and t-shirt, she surveyed the damage to my cut with narrowed eyes.

  ‘You’re going to need the stiches redone.’

  I watched as she scowled down at my stomach.

  ‘They’ve ripped and the bleeding is constant.’

  ‘Whoops,’ I said quietly, trying to make light of the situation.

  Her eyes flew to mine. ‘This isn’t funny, Beth.’

  I nodded slightly, dropping my gaze with embarrassment. ‘I, uh…sorry, Anderson.’

  She sighed. ‘No, I’m sorry,’ she said, lifting her eyes to mine. ‘I shouldn’t have been short with you. I’m just…’

  ‘What?’ I asked, concerned at her expression.

  ‘I’m a little…I’m just…’

  ‘What?’ I repeated.

  ‘I’m worried,’ she blurted, full of anguish. ‘I’m worried that there’s a woman dead in a graveyard, I’m worried you knew where to find her, I’m worried about your safety, about mine and also your health,’ she said, indicating my stitches.

  ‘Oh Anderson,’ I said softly, lifting a hand to gently cup her cheek. ‘Stop.’

  ‘How can I?’

  ‘Just stop,’ I repeated. ‘What does worrying do aside from self-inflict pain? Come on…I’m fine. You’re fine. We’ve contacted the police. We’ve got to safety.’

  ‘But…’

  ‘No buts, Andi. You need to stay with me in the here and now, because if you stop coping, I’ve
got to handle this on my own.’

  She stared at me for a long moment.

  ‘Do you think you can hold it together?’ I asked her.

  ‘You called me Andi,’ she said slowly.

  ‘I did, yeah…if you’d rather I didn’t…’ I began.

  ‘No, no,’ she said softly. ‘I liked it,’ she said, her wonderful eyes dropping to my mouth.

  ‘I…’ I began to speak but then didn’t know what to say. Her eyes were so intense and the connection between us sizzled, despite the cold air.

  Anderson cleared her throat. ‘No,’ she said, almost to herself. ‘Let me start sorting this wound,’ she said, averting her gaze from mine.

  I watched her as she worked, flinching occasionally as the stitches were reinserted using carefully controlled skill.

  ‘I think you’re about done,’ she told me a little while later.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Yes. The bleeding has stopped; the stitches are back in place. All we’ll need to do is keep checking the wound and keep it cleaned regularly. I’ll do that though, so don’t worry.’

  ‘I don’t,’ I told her smiling gently. ‘Not with you around anyway.’

  She smiled, a gentle curve without humour. Her eyes lifted to mine and there were questions in her eyes.

  ‘What is it, Andi?’

  She shook her head, in awe. ‘How do you do it, Beth?’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘You’ve been to hell and back. Literally. You almost died and here you are, being supportive to me and telling me not to worry. Who on earth are you? And how can I become more like you?’ she asked with a teasing smile.

  ‘I’m no-one special, Andi. In fact, I think dying has been something of a gift.’

  ‘How so?’ she enquired.

  ‘Well; I now know something I didn’t know before.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘That life is worth living,’ I said in a low, husky voice. ‘That there are people out there for me to meet; experiences to have and a future to enjoy. It wasn’t my time.’

  ‘And so you’re going to spend your time doing everything you haven’t done yet?’

  ‘Sort of,’ I nodded, eyeing her closely. I didn’t want to say too much to her but I knew deep down what it was that was missing in my life; and also the fact that I suspected she may be sat right in front of me. ‘I just want to live life to the full now. It can be taken away at a split second; and for no reason! I don’t want to let that man take any more…’

  Anderson’s eyes dropped momentarily. ‘It was pretty horrific, wasn’t it?’ she said quietly.

  ‘It was awful,’ I breathed, only now letting myself respond to the scene we had found earlier.

  ‘Try not to think about it.’

  ‘I know, but easier said than done, right?’ I murmured.

  ‘Absolutely…but you can’t let it consume you. Otherwise you’ll go under.’

  I shook my head, looking to the ceiling. ‘How do I stop this man, Andi?’

  ‘I have no idea, Beth, but I do know it’s not your job.’

  ‘But I’ve been given some insight, Andi. Surely that puts the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. Why else would I be seeing his heinous acts of cruelty?’ I asked her.

  She shook her head, looking confused. ‘I don’t know…but I don’t want you to get hurt, Beth.’

  ‘He can’t do much worse to me, can he?’ I questioned.

  ‘Well no…but we both know what he’s capable of and why put yourself back in that kind of danger?’

  ‘Because I owe it to the women he’s going to murder if I don’t,’ I said simply.

  Anderson’s frown said it all. She didn’t want to agree with me but she knew I was right.

  ‘We should sleep…we don’t know when we’re going to be needed next,’ I said, speaking in low tones.

  ‘I am tired,’ she said, conceding defeat.

  ‘Sleep,’ I encouraged, patting the bed beside me.

  Anderson climbed over the end of the bed and lay down beside me, releasing a sigh of exhaustion as she did so.

  ‘You must be knackered,’ I said quietly.

  ‘Yeah. You?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I whispered. Staring at the ceiling, I reached for her hand and gently took it into mine. ‘Thank you, Andi.’

  She turned her head to look at me in the darkness. She said nothing, just squeezed my hand in response. Electric chemistry rushed through my system and made me shiver with anticipation. Our eyes met and held, lit only by the moonlight. My breath hitched in my throat and I felt myself swallow involuntarily. As she turned away from me and closed her eyes, I lay in the darkness willing myself to sleep. The only person I could think of in that moment was lying right beside me and I wasn’t sure why she moved me so much. There was something about her which beyond intrigued me. I just wasn’t quite sure what it was or what to do about it. I fell asleep with her smiling eyes dancing before mine.

  Chapter 8

  When I next woke, light streamed through the gaps in the curtains. I shivered against the cold air and then turned to see Anderson lying beside me, wide awake.

  ‘Hey,’ I murmured, shifting to my side slightly. I winced in pain as the wound on my stomach tugged and elicited shock waves of pain.

  ‘Hey,’ she replied. ‘Pain?’

  ‘A little,’ I replied, down-playing my injuries.

  She chuckled, amused. ‘A little?’

  I shrugged, unable to help a little smile as I stared at her wonderfully gorgeous eyes. They were luminescent in the light and they turned up at the corners, smiling at me.

  ‘Can I check it?’ she asked, her eyes still bright.

  I nodded and then swallowed as she shifted closer on the bed to me. She lifted the t-shirt I wore and gently looked under the bandage she had covered the wound with.

  ‘How does it look?’ I asked, trying to ignore the way my stomach was trembling inside from her touch. Her gentle fingers on my skin made goose pimples appear on my flesh.

  ‘Sorry; cold hands. It looks okay, all things considered.

  ‘Well that’s good,’ I replied, clearing my throat. ‘It feels a bit better.’

  ‘And everything else? The rest of your injuries?’ she asked.

  ‘I feel a bit battered and bruised, but I’ll live,’ I said, smiling at the irony of my words.

  ‘You most certainly will,’ Anderson replied, easing back to lie beside me, propped up on her elbow, her head leaning on her hand.

  I looked up at her, aware of the chemistry in the room. It was absolutely undeniable now and electrical. I could almost feel the sparks of awareness darting through me.

  ‘So, what’s the plan?’ she asked, her eyes scanning my face.

  ‘I don’t know,’ I replied, glancing away from the intensity of her gaze. It was almost too much with those incredible eyes.

  ‘We just stay here and wait?’

  ‘No…but I need to think.’

  ‘Think about what?’ she wondered.

  ‘I need to think about all of this; about why I’m involved. What made me become his target? Things like that…’

  ‘What can I do to help?’ she asked softly, her eyes once again scanning my face.

  ‘I’m not being funny, but the thing you could do to help is go to another room. You’re too distracting,’ I said, without thinking.

  Anderson’s eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘I’m what?’

  ‘I, uh…what I mean is if you’re here, we’ll talk and I need to think.’

  She smiled knowingly, her eyes holding mine captive. ‘That isn’t what you meant,’ she replied, her voice low, husky.

  ‘It isn’t?’

  ‘No. I think you meant something else entirely, but are too scared to admit it.’

  I swallowed, unable to reply.

  ‘But whatever you need,’ she said, rising from the bed. ‘I’ll leave you to your peace and quiet. Call me if you need anything,’ she said softly, giving me a wink and a knowing s
mile.

  Alone in the bedroom, I lay there staring at the ceiling. I was trying to think about the man murdering local women and why I felt like there was some kind of connection I wasn’t seeing. I thought back to the night of the crime and couldn’t quite remember what had happened. I closed my eyes and tried to picture the scene but it just wouldn’t come. I went onto who would possibly want to hurt me and couldn’t come up with any kind of answer. Frustrated, I clamoured out of the bed and headed down the stairs.

  ‘Not enjoying your peace?’ Anderson asked from the kitchen where she was making a cup of coffee.

  ‘I’m getting myself all wound up. I think it might help if I talked it out,’ I said, eyeing her closely.

  ‘Oh really? I thought I was a distraction,’ she commented, her eyes holding mine.

  ‘Well I…I just…’

  Anderson burst out laughing and walked towards me with a jaunty walk. ‘I’m just teasing you, Beth. Come and sit down. We’ll talk it all through.’

  On the sofa, I sat down cross-legged and laid my hands gently on the wound on my stomach. It ached with pain and I felt worse than being pulled through a hedge backwards. Looking at Anderson, who was composed, dressed and wide-awake, I wondered at my emotions. Why on earth would she be interested me at this time in my life? I was in a complete state-both mentally and physically. I shook my head, wondering why on earth I was contemplating getting involved with someone when I was in the middle of a murder investigation and hunting for my own killer. It was ridiculous.

  ‘You look…perplexed,’ Anderson decided.

  I looked up, frowning heavily. ‘I am.’

  ‘So, let’s think about this like the police would. This was the first crime by this killer that we know of, right?’

  ‘Right,’ I nodded.

  ‘So, you were the target…’

  ‘Clearly…’

  ‘Do you have any enemies, Beth? Or anyone who could have a problem with you.’

  I shook my head, thinking. ‘I don’t think so…I mean, I have very little family and few friends as I’m quite a loner. Certainly no-one who may wish me harm.’