Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > Strangeland
Chapter Seven
0 reviewsJared tries to find some comfort being alone and goes to see what's happened to a girl he once knew
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Chapter Seven
Shannon had told him that it was paint. Nothing but red paint on the stone that had come crashing through his bedroom window. Sure he had convinced himself of it last night as he dumped the stone into the trash but now thinking back he found himself questioning it. That red had been really dark, warm even. It looked a lot more like blood.
His mom had told both him and Emma to take the day off today but he had insisted he was going in. Emma had stayed which allowed him a few moments to fear and not be as strong as he wanted her to think that he was.
Two years. That was how long it had been since the last time he had felt any kind of fear. He had been living quite an easy life until this had all started. All those phone calls, that black car driving past his house every night. But now it was going in a whole other direction. It was starting to get more than terrifying. All he could think of was that red stained stone, that knife plunged deep into the door, and those pictures where Emma had been blacked out.
Everyone in their cubicles knew of the police visit to Emma’s house and although all of their facts were severely misinformed he didn’t correct them. He wanted to forget it, pretend just for his eight hour work day that everything was going to be alright.
Something was nagging at him though. Alessandra Niven, the girl who usually worked right next to his desk hadn’t shown up. Everyone said she was probably sick but the thing was the girl never missed a work day. He wanted to call her but he had lost her number the night after they had grabbed some Italian and he had taken her home. They barely spoke after that but he knew that her work record was perfect. Why the hell wasn’t she there?
The clock was pulling past noon and he figured now was as good a time as any to take his break. He could drop in on Alessandra- getting her address from someone in the office- and clear all this out. He didn’t want to continuously feel like it was all connected. Why would she have anything to do with any of this anyways?
He clocked out for his break and dragged himself out of the office. He was hoping Shannon hadn’t seen him. He really wasn’t in the mood to see him. This morning at breakfast Shannon was the most exuberant he had ever seen him, bright eyed and full of laughing. Emma had seemed thoroughly entertained and their mom had enjoyed it. Jared had felt completely out of it, having gotten little sleep and his mind being crowded as it was by fear. He had withdrawn into himself, trying to understand everything and piece it all together.
He got into his car, typing out Alessandra’s address into his GPS and pulled out of the parking lot. It wasn’t too far a drive to the small place. He vaguely remembered her telling him that she shared the house with a roommate.
Lightly he knocked realizing only then that he hadn’t decided on what he was going to say. He was just concerned is all, maybe someone had sent him from the office? Again he knocked but still no one answered. He had the thought to go back but something told him to just stay. No one ever got anywhere with impatience.
“I think Ale is at work.” Said a cheery voice from behind him, the dangle of keys sounding at her side.
He turned around to face the woman who approached him, smiling a little at her. “No she didn’t show up…we were all just a bit worried. She’s never missed a day.” He had the thought then that he should get the hell out of there. Maybe Alessandra was the one doing all of this to him. Maybe after he had dismissed what had happened between them she had gotten angry and maybe this was her way of showing it.
“That’s weird…” She said as she began to unlock the door. “..Ale?!” She called out once she was inside, gesturing him to follow behind her.
He listened to her call out her name as he threw a few glances around. A normal house, nothing that would make him suspect anything but was there ever really evidence just laying around?
The girl screamed from one of the back rooms catching Jared’s attention. He ran to the room she had gone into and he saw her roommate standing there, her hands clasped over her now paled face. Her eyes were wide with stunned terror and tears fell from her lashes.
He almost didn’t want to look but he did anyways.
“No one can have you Jared” was marked on the walls above the bed where Alessandra was laying. Lifeless and bloodied.
Shannon had told him that it was paint. Nothing but red paint on the stone that had come crashing through his bedroom window. Sure he had convinced himself of it last night as he dumped the stone into the trash but now thinking back he found himself questioning it. That red had been really dark, warm even. It looked a lot more like blood.
His mom had told both him and Emma to take the day off today but he had insisted he was going in. Emma had stayed which allowed him a few moments to fear and not be as strong as he wanted her to think that he was.
Two years. That was how long it had been since the last time he had felt any kind of fear. He had been living quite an easy life until this had all started. All those phone calls, that black car driving past his house every night. But now it was going in a whole other direction. It was starting to get more than terrifying. All he could think of was that red stained stone, that knife plunged deep into the door, and those pictures where Emma had been blacked out.
Everyone in their cubicles knew of the police visit to Emma’s house and although all of their facts were severely misinformed he didn’t correct them. He wanted to forget it, pretend just for his eight hour work day that everything was going to be alright.
Something was nagging at him though. Alessandra Niven, the girl who usually worked right next to his desk hadn’t shown up. Everyone said she was probably sick but the thing was the girl never missed a work day. He wanted to call her but he had lost her number the night after they had grabbed some Italian and he had taken her home. They barely spoke after that but he knew that her work record was perfect. Why the hell wasn’t she there?
The clock was pulling past noon and he figured now was as good a time as any to take his break. He could drop in on Alessandra- getting her address from someone in the office- and clear all this out. He didn’t want to continuously feel like it was all connected. Why would she have anything to do with any of this anyways?
He clocked out for his break and dragged himself out of the office. He was hoping Shannon hadn’t seen him. He really wasn’t in the mood to see him. This morning at breakfast Shannon was the most exuberant he had ever seen him, bright eyed and full of laughing. Emma had seemed thoroughly entertained and their mom had enjoyed it. Jared had felt completely out of it, having gotten little sleep and his mind being crowded as it was by fear. He had withdrawn into himself, trying to understand everything and piece it all together.
He got into his car, typing out Alessandra’s address into his GPS and pulled out of the parking lot. It wasn’t too far a drive to the small place. He vaguely remembered her telling him that she shared the house with a roommate.
Lightly he knocked realizing only then that he hadn’t decided on what he was going to say. He was just concerned is all, maybe someone had sent him from the office? Again he knocked but still no one answered. He had the thought to go back but something told him to just stay. No one ever got anywhere with impatience.
“I think Ale is at work.” Said a cheery voice from behind him, the dangle of keys sounding at her side.
He turned around to face the woman who approached him, smiling a little at her. “No she didn’t show up…we were all just a bit worried. She’s never missed a day.” He had the thought then that he should get the hell out of there. Maybe Alessandra was the one doing all of this to him. Maybe after he had dismissed what had happened between them she had gotten angry and maybe this was her way of showing it.
“That’s weird…” She said as she began to unlock the door. “..Ale?!” She called out once she was inside, gesturing him to follow behind her.
He listened to her call out her name as he threw a few glances around. A normal house, nothing that would make him suspect anything but was there ever really evidence just laying around?
The girl screamed from one of the back rooms catching Jared’s attention. He ran to the room she had gone into and he saw her roommate standing there, her hands clasped over her now paled face. Her eyes were wide with stunned terror and tears fell from her lashes.
He almost didn’t want to look but he did anyways.
“No one can have you Jared” was marked on the walls above the bed where Alessandra was laying. Lifeless and bloodied.
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