Reward

I sat in my car in front of the old abandoned farm house at the end of the street. The house sat vacant as long as I had lived in this neighborhood, which was going on 15 years now. The house had been abandoned by its owner and left to the elements. Its white paint chipped away and large windows boarded up, only a glimmer of the beauty it once held. A chill ran down my spine thinking about what was happening inside the house now. My eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of life.

Only a moment passed before a light flashed inside the basement. I held my breath, praying I remained unseen in the darkness. I couldn’t help but feel exposed even though my car was hidden among the trees in the wooded lot across the street. But I wanted to see them one more time, to make sure I had it right. Deep down I knew that the people I had seen enter this house a few hours ago were the same one’s pictured on the reward and missing posters I held in my hands.

The flyers had been handed out to every resident and posted all over town. April Knight had been missing for two weeks now. She was last seen being led away by a man at the gas station outside of town, a man no one seemed to recognize. Half the town was still out searching for her, the other half believed her to be dead. I knew if I waited much longer to call the police, she might be.

I stared at the police sketch for a long moment. There was no name listed, the only hint of her kidnapper was a vague description and a haunting picture of a man with lifeless eyes, face hidden behind his ragged hair. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my phone out and dialed 911.

The silence was deafening, I prayed the police would arrive before he had the chance to leave, or worse the chance to kill her. After what felt like hours but was only minutes, dark police cars crept down the street. Terror and relief coursed through me, one way or another this would all be over in a few minutes. Aprils family would finally have her back, or at the very least, justice.

They parked their cars a few houses down and silently made their way to the house, wearing all black body armor, completely concealed in the shadows. It was silent for a long time as the officers moved silently forward, surrounding the house on all sides. Allowing no room for anyway to slip away.

In an instant the officers began shouting commands and entered the house with brute force from every angle. The yelling continued inside, until finally the sound of gunshots cut through the cold evening air.

I couldn’t stop the scream that escaped my mouth and instinctively threw my hands up to my face. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. I sat and waited and prayed that the shots had come from the right side of this. Guilt coursed through me, I had caused this. I was responsible for whatever was happening inside.

It was quiet for another long moment. I tried to focus my vision in the darkness looking for any sign of movement when a shadow in the backyard caught my eye. The figure darted from the yard into the woods. It was hard to tell if it was an animal, a person, or the darkness playing tricks on my eyes.

A cold chill ran down my spine. Figures emerged from the front of the house, pulling my attention back, making me forget about the shadow in the darkness. Two officers exited the house. I was frozen in anticipation, my knuckles white as I gripped the steering wheel.

Sirens sounded in the distance and a parade of flashing lights followed, the ambulance pulled up to the front door blocking my view. I only caught a quick glimpse of April, she was wrapped in a blanket and being helped by officers from the house. She climbed into the ambulance looking like a ghost, and no longer the beautiful, innocent girl whose photo was on every news station.

The ambulance pulled away swiftly, sirens blaring. I watched the scene closely, completely entranced by what had unfolded. It was something I could never have imagined, even in my wildest nightmares.

Shortly after the ambulance left, the next vehicles to arrive were the medical examiners and the coroners. I knew then that Aprils kidnapper was dead, and that the shots that had been fired were not in warning. A tapping on my drivers window startled me and another scream caught in my throat. The tall officer held his bright flash light in my face, for the moment blinding me.

“Ma’am can you roll down your window,” his firm voice requested.

It took my brain a moment to register his command before I forced my hands to move.

“H…hi,” I stuttered as I awkwardly rolled down the window.

“What are you doing out here,” he questioned, eyeing me suspiciously. Words refused to form in my mind as I stared at the officer, my jaw hanging open.

“Ma’am,” he said, his voice laced with frustration.

“Yes, sorry. I…I was the one who called. I just wanted to see, to make sure,” I stuttered.

“Well we appreciate your help. But you shouldn’t have stayed here, you could have been injured.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” I responded, my face flush from embarrassment.

“We’re going to need you to come down to the station to get your statement. And there’s the matter of the reward,” he continued.

“What? Oh right, of course,” I replied, realizing I was shaking.

“Are you alright to drive?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll head down now,” I rolled up my window and gave him a quick wave before leaving the grizzly scene behind me.

The night passed in a blur, the town was filled with the flashing lights of the news reporters. Inside the police station was buzzing with commotion. I overheard an officer say April was brought directly to the hospital. She was alive, badly beaten, but alive.

I gave the police my statement on why I had called and what I had seen, and begged them to leave my name out of it. I was beyond relieved April was safe, and happy for my part but wanted to do nothing more than to put this whole terrifying experience behind me.

The next day I returned to the station. Aprils parents had requested to speak with me privately. They were desperate to voice their thanks, and forced me to take their check for $20,000. The reward they had promised the public for help finding their daughter.

I couldn’t help the guilt I felt after taking the money. The only thing I had done was make a phone call after being at the right place at the right time. Something that seemed unworthy of $20,000. I wanted no part in this story. I couldn’t stand to be questioned by everyone I knew or become part of the town gossip.

The days that followed the town was still fixated on what had happened. I couldn’t escape it, no matter how much I tried. But besides the reward I received from April’s family and the terror I now drowned in, no one around me knew any differently. I was determined to never speak of it again and to push that horrifying night from my memory. It had all seemed like a nightmare, and one I was glad was over.

The following Monday I returned to work, desperate to jump back into normal life. I sat at my computer, looking aimlessly through vacation packages. It was the best way I could think of to spend the money I had earned for helping save April. I wanted to get away, needed to get away. A coldness seemed to linger from that night and I continued to feel the presence of that house and the horrible events that unfolded there.

I opened my desk drawer looking for my pen, but instead found a small black notebook. One I had never seen before. I was just about to open it and look for a hint to who it belonged to when Debbie from accounting popped her head in my office, her shrill voice startling me.

“Hey did you get my email,” she asked. “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. What’s got you so jumpy?”

“I guess I’m still just freaked out by everything that’s happened,” I said.

“I hear you, I haven’t been able to sleep since the day April went missing. But at least they got the creep and it’s all over.”

“Yeah,” I trailed.

“Did you see anything? They said the person who called in the tip was someone familiar with the neighborhood. Must be someone you know or maybe even one of your neighbors.”

“No I have no clue. I never saw or heard anything,” I lied. I was terrified to admit my involvement; I knew it would change everything. I just needed it to really be over. “Listen I have to get back to work.”

“Yeah of course, see you later,” she said before turning to leave.

I turned my attention back toward the notebook, and slowly opened it only to discover words so aggressively written they had torn through the pages.

YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE CALLED…YOU KILLED HIM…NOW I HAVE TO KILL YOU

I dropped the notebook on the ground, and remembered the shadow I had seen that night. The person who I now realized was fleeing from the scene, the one who was still free. And wanted revenge.

“No, no, no,” I muttered, my voice shaking.

Things had been so terrifying and that night was such a blur, I had never thought to mention the person I thought I saw to the police. The person I wasn’t even sure at the time was real.

I closed my eyes and tried to steady my breathing. They knew where I worked, they had gotten into my office. The hair on my arms stood on end. I knew I needed to go to the police, but I was too terrified to move. What if they were still here? Watching me, waiting to catch me alone.

“No, it’s the middle of the day, in a building full of people, I’m fine,” I whispered, trying desperately to convince myself.

I tried to busy myself with work, but every sound sent a fresh wave of terror through me. I couldn’t do it. I had to leave and tell the police, before I was the next victim. I gathered my things slowly trying to steady myself and made my way through the office trying not to meet the gaze of my coworkers.

“Hey, I’m not feeling great I’m going to head out early,” I called to Tammy in HR, trying to make my voice sound tired and raspy.

“Oh okay, feel better,” she replied, without turning from her laptop.

“Thanks.”

Once outside I closed my eyes and let the cold rain fall on my face and tried to force myself to relax. I was on my way to the police, they would help me. I would be safe, everything was going to be okay. I repeated it to myself over and over as I made my way through the parking lot. I quickly climbed in my car and turned the heat on full blast, trying to force away the chill that refused to leave.

A soft sound from behind me made my eyes shoot up to the rearview mirror. My gaze quickly met the icy black eyes of the person sitting in my back seat, the same person from that night. They lunged toward me as a shrill scream pierced the air.