Blacken by Alandra Rankin (i love reading books txt) 📕

have them closed and locked at night, especially with the weather.”

“I understand, but could I at least have it opened just a little bit? I can’t even move to cause any worry.”

“I’m really sorry ma’am, but like I said it is still a hazard.”

“Listen, I get you’re just doing your job. But I need this. I was in a serious car accident coming into Blacken, and now my best friend shot me in my own home. All I am asking for is a little bit of fresh air with my shitty luck.”

A brief silence hung in the air, before a sigh filled her ears, “Alright, but just a crack!”

The nurse came and opened it in a pinch, having it cracked just enough that anyone could pry it open further, if the rather inconceivable circumstance should arise.

“Anything else I can help with?”

“You have helped so much, thank you.”

The redhead didn’t know what she really expected. Maybe others had been able to open up their windows, but she imagined, maybe hers was open in comparison to the other closed ones—and maybe Rhulle could at least use it as a sign.

She wasn’t even sure if he could get close to the building, all she wanted was to be with him, to have his comfort. Avie cried; Owen shot her… tried to kill her! Wanted her dead, for what reason, exactly? Because she was in love with Rhulle and not him? Because she wouldn’t help him expose Rhulle? Because she was involved more heavily in the mystery with Rhulle than she was with Owen?

How were any of those reasons enough to take someone’s life? Eventually she passed out again, her mind a cacophony.

Avie awoke early in the morning, finding Dr. Miller checking her dressings and temperature, sharing that she had visitors.

“They’re here on your case. Are you feeling well enough?”

“Sure, yeah that’s fine,” she said, still drowsy.

Two men in dress suits entered, showing off their badges, “Miss. Conrad, I’m Detective Arcand, this is my partner Detective Cooper. We would like to ask you a few questions about what happened, are you able to do that at this time?”

His voice was raspy, low as though he was a smoker. The detective was on the short side, potbelly protruding with dark grey hair slicked back. His partner was younger in comparison, thinner and taller with a beauty mark drawing her eye to his olive cheekbone, long jet-black hair styled in a similar fashion.

Avie adjusted her bed, sitting up more proper to join the conversation, “Of course. If you’re looking for a motive, I may not be much help; I’ve been wondering what exactly went through his head myself.”

The men sat adjacent to her, pulling up the plastic chairs beside the bed, bringing out pens and paper. “You’re saying you know who did this to you?”

“Yes I… I thought the police would have caught him.” Confused, she thought they were here to clarify her side instead of getting an incident report.

“Hang on, can we record this?”

She nodded, watching them set up the small grey device on her bedside table between them.

“Avie Conrad, can you tell us who it was that broke into your home on the night of October twenty-six?”

“Owen Zagorski.”

She watched as they scribbled down notes as well, “Is Owen Zagorski the man that shot you?”

“Yes.”

“Was there intent to kill? Anything they may have said or done to indicate such?”

“Owen said that I was against him before shooting.”

Detective Arcand nodded, not looking up from his notes, “Were you two in any sort of altercation beforehand?”

“Yes. He was upset with me; I told him the same night that I was seeing someone.”

A wave of his writing hand, “Dating, in that sense?”

“Yes, right, that I was dating someone. I don’t think that’s why he decided to try to kill me. I don’t think he’s actually that well.”

“Can you explain further, Avie?” The detective tapped the ball of his pen a few times onto the paper, dark eyes watery as they looked into her own.

“His attitude has changed since I first met him. Before I really became a resident, he was my first friend. We were trying to solve the mystery that’s in the town, like why it scientifically affects people, you know? It was something fun for both of us to do regularly. The more we got into it, more questions came up. I think he got frustrated, losing a bit of himself, caught up in it more than reality. I told him that he was changing, but he didn’t see it that way. Owen tried to spin it on me instead, saying I wasn’t dedicated enough.”

Detective Arcand wrote a few things down throughout; he paused after scrawling more after her explanation. “Did you find him aggressive during this time?”

She looked away. Taking a moment, she stopped herself, she wasn’t his friend anymore, he made that very clear. “Yes.”

“Can you give an example?”

Avie looked to her hands, “I felt very sick one night, it must have been about midnight when it was the worst. I was staying at his house, and he had the idea to look in the woods to try to find clues for the investigation we were doing. He dragged me out into the snow with him, I protested several times, asking him to take me back, but he kept going. He had a tight grip on my hand and wrist the whole time.”

“And what about the creature in the woods?” Det. Cooper asked his first question, earning him a hard look from his partner.

She quirked her head, “Like, an animal?”

“Mr. Zagorski talked about a monster that hid in the woods, living in a manor. Stating it was the cause of people dying, and that you were its next target.”

Avie laughed, wincing shortly after from the strain, “I’m sorry, that just sounds so bizarre. I haven’t heard anything from Owen about that, we looked through the house and couldn’t find anything besides remnants from squatters. There would be some sort of evidence of a person