Read The Sacrifice: Chronicles of Sunset Valley Page 5

  Chapter 4: The long Road

  Location: Drokata Highway

  Time: 2:15

  Sam turned the key in the ignition slot of her patrol car. It was her private SUV that she used as her patrol car. She buckled the seat belt, shifted the gear up and drove out of the parking lot of the police station.

  The police station was out of town but it was only a short drive to the residential and other surrounding areas of Sunset Valley. The SUV roared down the lonely road. The headlights were at full beam. Sam was driving at the vehicle’s top speed.

  Memories of Trish’s previous visits in her life were pouring in. She remembered Trish’s first visit. She remembered how it felt like looking in a mirror, only it was not. Trish’s facial features looked a lot like hers. The amount of time people approached her thinking it was Sam. But personality wise - she was completely different. Trish was a city girl. Her model-like figure, the way she walked, her hair talking to the free wind, the way she dressed, the makeup she put on; she definitely turned some heads. On the other hand, Sam was never able to socialise with people when she was not at work. Sam was told by many people to dress up as Trish and no one could tell the difference between the two from a distance. And Sam had a problem with that. If that was indeed the case, then that meant there had to be some truth in what Trish said to her. If only Trish could –

  Oh cra…

  Her eyes widened. The memories flashed away when she realised there was someone standing in the middle of the road. Sam hit the brakes hard. The tyres of the SUV screeched on the wet road. The headlamps brightened the face of the stranger.

  TRISH!

  She noticed the face, the eyes, the hair, the smile; it was her. Sam turned the wheel to avoid a collision with her. The vehicle skidded on the lonely road and went into the figure standing in the road. Through her. Sam regained control of the SUV and brought it to a halt. She was out of breath. She looked over on her left.

  ‘What the heck!’

  Sam tried to calm herself down. She did not feel any bump, so she was certain she did not hit anything or anyone. She looked in the rear view mirror. There was no there.

  She grabbed the flashlight from the plug box and switched on the hazard lights. She nervously unbuckled the seatbelt and mustered the courage to step out of her patrol car. She was certain she saw Trish standing there a moment ago.

  Around Sam, darkness waited for her. Trees stood tall surrounding her ruffling with the cold breeze that tickled her spine. On a lonely road, Sam stood all by herself. There was not a single soul in sight. She switched the flashlight on. The light calmed her nerves down a bit. She took small steps at the spot where she thought she saw Trish. She was twenty feet away from that spot.

  She could be hurt for all I know.

  Sam moved her flashlight around to see any movement.

  Only ten feet away.

  ‘TRISH’, she called out.

  A cold wind blew. And with that, the flashlight flickered and shut off.

  Damn it.

  Sam kept her equipment updated. So the flashlight turning itself off was something she could not figure out. She switched it off and back on again. When that did not work, she hit it a couple of times to get it working.

  The sound of wood snapping in the darkness of the forest made her pause for a moment. Fear overtook Sam. Without her light, she could not see a thing. It could have been some wild animal.

  Or some sexually depraved man eyeing on his prey.

  Sam’s hand reached for her gun and pulled it out of its holster. She steadied her breath but fear was still in her mind.

  The static from the CB radio in her car made her jump. But the familiar sound after that calmed her down.

  ‘Deputy Samantha, do you copy; over?’

  Maggie’s voice never sounded that good to her before.

  Sam took one last glance around her and rushed to the SUV. She jumped into the driver’s seat and shut the door. The doors locked. She answered the CB with a sign of relief in her tone.

  ‘This is Sam; over.’

  ‘I managed to get in touch with George. He told me to tell you to wait for him there; over.’

  ‘Copy that; I am on my way.’

  ‘You are not there yet? Is everything ok?’ Maggie sounded concerned.

  ‘Yeah, everything is fine. I thought I saw someone…but never mind.’

  Sam switched the engine back on again and drove off, not noticing the puddle of blood at the same place where she saw Trish standing a few minutes ago.