Finding Jared

“Hello?” Tenley asked the darkness all around her and stopped dead in her tracks. She heard something. She could have sworn she heard something. A laugh escaped her lips and she shook her head. “It’s nothing, Tenley.” She said to herself and was overcome with relief. She continued to make her way towards the exit, but she barely moved an inch before she heard it again. It was faint, but distinct. The blonde listened intently in an attempt to realize exactly what the sound was. The sound was familiar. It was the same sound which followed the end of a toast. It was the sound of champagne glasses which meet briefly, but quietly as they tap against each other elegantly.

The blonde reached for her mobile phone as she slowly sauntered over to the storage room. She established the origin of the sound most definitely came from this specific room. She hesitantly wrapped her fingers around the doorknob despite the fear she felt within herself. Every part of her wanted to leave rather than face the alternative. She wanted to know whether or not someone was here, but she also wanted to know whether or not she would be able to live another day.

But before she could gather the strength to push open the door, the door was pulled open from the other side and she came face to face with someone. “Holy hell,” The person exclaimed and Tenley felt herself place a hand on her chest as she exhaled loudly. There was no reason for Tenley to feel any fear. There was no reason for Tenley to fear her. Tenley almost immediately recognized the blonde even though she slightly altered her uniform. The girl was simply a waitress. Tenley saw her several times throughout the evening. The girl no longer had her white button-up shirt tucked in and her hair hung freely on her shoulders as opposed to earlier the evening. “You literally and very nearly almost scared me to death.”

Tenley took a deep breath before she spoke up, “I can say the same about you.” She said somewhat angrily and momentarily lowered her head as she reminded herself this was no one’s fault. “I startled you, I am sorry. It was not my intention.” She said sincerely and in order to avoid any further conflict added, “As I am sure it was not yours either. I was not aware anyone else other than myself was still here. I’m Tenley Chase,” She introduced herself to the blonde and shook her outstretched hand.

“I’m well aware,” She informed Tenley and nervously ran her hands through her hair as a way to calm herself down. “It’s Skyler. Skyler Drake.” She exhaled loudly and briefly glanced back at the contents of the storage room. “There is a perfectly good reason why I have never done stocktaking at night…” Tenley saw the crates of champagne glasses and realized this was what she heard. “But if the boss snaps his fingers at you…you’re not left with much of a choice.” Tenley smiled warmly at her unsure what the appropriate response would be. Skyler covered her mouth with a hand as she yawned and glanced down at her watch, “I didn’t realize it was this late already. It was nice to meet you, Tenley. Fortunately, I can leave and take off these horrid shoes. They’re absolutely killing me.” Skyler stated jokingly and Tenley smiled. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Tenley said herself as she watched the blonde leave. It was late and time for her to leave as well, although her reason to go home was better than Skyler’s reason to relieve her feet of pain. Tenley could go home to her fiancé and his daughter. She glanced down at the gorgeous Harry Winston engagement ring and butterflies attacked the insides of her stomach. Alexander was perfect for her and she would never let him go. He was everything she ever wanted in a man, in her husband. His daughter, Chelsea, was very kind to her and incredibly accepting of her father’s new love. Tenley couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard it must be for Chelsea to watch her father move on after the death of her mother.

The blonde let her hand fall to her side and glanced up at the exit sign above the door. She was more than ready to leave and return to her fiancé, but she heard something. She slowly turned around and stared at the storage room. The door was shut and the blonde was able to remember neither Skyler nor herself closed the door. She was paralyzed with fear. Her lips parted as she was ready to demand who was there, but she pressed her lips together and turned around. She was not too far away from the exit. She only wanted to make it to the exit. She only wanted to make it out of here. She would make it out of here.

She heard a door creak open, but she couldn’t bring herself to glance over her shoulder. She could scream for help, but would it make a difference? Skyler would already be gone and there would be no one else to hear her desperate screams for help, except for the one who would cause her pain. Silence surrounded her and she felt her palms sweat. She stood there with her eyes fixed on the exit. She could run, but would she be able to outrun whoever stood behind her? She would have to if she ever wanted to be seen walking down the aisle in a beautiful white wedding gown.

She picked her feet up and with everything in her ran as fast as she could to get out of here, to get to safety. She could hear more than her own footsteps and it scared her. It scared her more than anything ever has in her life. She tripped and fell to the floor. But she would not give up. She clung to the hope of survival. She placed her palms to the floor and was ready to push herself up. She was ready to get back on her feet and ran to grab hold of life. But she felt a hand on her shoulder and life merely slipped away.

Tenley could feel the warmth which radiated from this hand which belonged to someone who was the complete opposite, someone who was so cold. Tears fell on the floor in front of the blonde and she was beside herself with fright. “Please, please don’t do this,” She pleaded even though within herself she knew it would be pointless. She needed to do whatever she could and whatever it took to leave, to see Alexander again. But what could she do? She didn’t even have the slightest clue. But she would not give up. She would not give up on Alexander.

The person turned around and groaned in aggravation, “No…” The person’s voice was unsteady and without authority, barely audible. Tenley blinked several times and glanced around for a way to survive. The person sighed loudly out of anger, “No…no, this…this is not happening. I won’t let it happen, I can’t let it happen.” Tenley carefully reached into her envelope clutch and was as quiet as she could be in the situation. “No…just no. Please, please don’t do this. Please don’t do this to me.” The person requested and Tenley’s hand left the envelope clutch. “You do not deserve to make this any harder for me than it already is.”

The person turned to face Tenley and the blonde decided it was now or never for her. She slowly rose to her feet and knew so much could go horribly wrong, but she needed to try. She needed to know if there was a chance of survival for her. She needed to know whether or not it was possible for her to make it out of here. She needed to do everything in her power and she would. “If I deserve to be able to do anything, I deserve to live my life.”

She held tightly onto the nail file in her hand and forced it to pierce the skin of the person in front of her. The person glanced at the nail file which was inserted in the chest before the person glanced back at Tenley. She could see the shock and hurt in those eyes, but she couldn’t afford to feel a hint of sympathy. She shoved the person back and the person tumbled into a pile of chairs stacked upon each other. The blonde turned around and ran towards the exit. She ignored the sounds of agony which came from behind her and refused to glance back. The person saw her run and decided it would be best to leave the nail file in place. The person stood up and quickly sprinted after her.

Tenley pulled open the door and was overwhelmed by the fresh night air. But before she could run over to her car a pair of arms wrapped around her and she was lifted and carried back in. It was so close. Survival. But she watched it slip away as the door closed. The person pushed her with her face against the wall and held a hand against her back to keep her in place. She started to sob uncontrollably and needed to face despair. She would never be able to say goodbye to the man she loved with every part of her. She would never be able to apologize for not leaving earlier the evening. She would never be able to have children of her own.

“Shhh,” The person whispered in her ear and the voice made her shiver. “Please don’t be scared. I promise it won’t hurt.” She felt the person’s hand on her back move up and along with the other hand wrapped around her neck. “I promise.” The person said again and started to tighten the grip around her neck. Tenley couldn’t breathe and gasped for air. The person looked away but didn’t loosen the grip around her neck. Tenley’s hands reached up and tried to stop it, but it was too late. She was already far too weak to truly try and it wasn’t much longer before her hands fell to her sides. The person slowly lowered her lifeless body onto the floor and tucked the blonde strand of hair behind her ear. The person wiped the last tear off her face and closed her eyes.

The person glanced down at the nail file and a tear fell on the handle of the tool. The person would have to deal with the wound alone. The person knew it would be stupid to seek medical attention at a hospital. The person sat down on top of the bar and found a vein on the right arm. The person’s left hand took hold of the syringe and injected the fluids directly into the bloodstream. The person started to feel the effects and stood up. The person sauntered over to the exit and briefly glanced back at Tenley’s corpse. The person bit the lower lip before the person left with a lowered head.

It would be another six hours before Tenley’s body would even be discovered. It would be another six hours before her fiancé would discover he lost her. It would be another six hours before the police would start their investigation. But six hours was plenty of time for Tenley’s murderer to disappear and treat the wound she caused. But would six hours be long enough for her murderer to feel remorse for the actions which took her life?