The Woman In The Photograph
1046 Words
Chapter three
“That’s not me”
The words left my mouth fast
Too fast
Like if I said them quickly enough they could become true
But even as I stared at the photograph, something cold moved through my chest
Because it was me
My face
My clothes
My hand gripping that knife
And worst of all…
The way I was looking into the camera
Not scared
Not confused
Calm
Like I belonged there
“No,” I whispered again, shaking my head
“This is fake”
The officer across from me said nothing
He only watched
As if he had seen this reaction before
My breathing turned uneven
“There’s no way” I said louder now
“I would remember this”
“Would you?” he asked quietly
That question again
It hit me like a slap
I pushed the file away so hard some papers slipped to the floor
“I’m not whatever you people think I am”
Still calm, he bent, picked up one paper, and placed it back on the table
“Then explain the photograph”
I opened my mouth
Nothing came out
Because I had no explanation
My head was pounding again
That sharp pain
Like something was trying to force its way through my memory
I pressed my fingers against my temple
And suddenly
A flash
A corridor
White walls
A woman screaming
Blood on tile
I gasped and jerked upright
The image vanished immediately
The officer noticed
“What did you see?”
I looked at him, breathing hard
“Nothing”
Lie
But I didn’t know what else to say because I didn’t understand it myself
He studied me for a moment, then closed the file
“You need rest” he said
Rest?
I almost laughed
I’ve just been told I may be linked to multiple murders and this man is talking about rest
Two officers led me down a narrow corridor into a holding room
Cold bench
Gray walls
One small window too high to reach
The door shut behind me with a metal click that echoed in my chest
For the first time all night
I was alone
Or so I thought
I sat slowly, trying to breathe
Trying to think
This has to be a setup
It has to be
Because if it isn’t…
Then what does that say about me
I buried my face in my hands
And that was when I heard it
A voice
Soft
Female
“You finally came back”
My entire body locked
Slowly I lifted my head
There was someone in the corner of the room
A woman
I swear she wasn’t there before
She sat in shadow, arms folded, watching me
My throat dried instantly
“How did you get in here?”
She smiled faintly
Wrong smile
Wrong in the same way his had been wrong
“You don’t remember me” she said
My pulse kicked hard
“Should I?”
She leaned forward slightly
“You promised you would”
Ice ran through my veins
“What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering, she asked, “Did they show you the fourth file?”
My breath caught
Fourth
There were three previous cases
Plus tonight
Four
My hands started trembling
“Who are you?”
She tilted her head
“You called me Mara”
I stared
I have never seen this woman in my life
Have I?
The pain hit again
Harder this time
Another flash
Rain
A warehouse door
A voice whispering Run Amelia
I sucked in a breath and grabbed the bench
“What’s happening to me?”
She rose slowly and stepped into the weak light
And I nearly stopped breathing
Because I knew her face
Not from now
From somewhere buried inside me
Impossible
“You’re dead,” I whispered before I could stop myself
Her smile widened
“So you do remember something”
The cell door suddenly opened
I jumped
Two officers entered
The woman turned her head toward them and… laughed softly
I pointed instantly
“There! She’s right there!”
Both officers frowned
“One person talking to herself already,” one muttered
“No, she was here!” I shouted
I turned back
The corner was empty
My blood ran cold
“She was just there!”
The officers exchanged a look that made my stomach twist
Not belief
Concern
Like they thought I was losing my mind
They took me back to interrogation before I could say more
The first officer was waiting
He looked up as I entered
Then studied my face
“You’ve seen her, haven’t you?”
My breath caught
“What?”
He slid a photograph across the table
I looked down
And everything inside me turned to ice
It was the woman from the cell
Same face
Same eyes
Same strange smile
My hands shook
“Who is she?” I whispered
The officer’s jaw tightened
“Her name was Mara Vale”
Was
Past tense
A sick feeling rose in me
“What do you mean was?”
He held my gaze
“Mara Vale died six years ago”
The room spun
No
No no no
That’s impossible
I just saw her
I spoke to her
Then he pushed another file toward me
“This was found in your old medical records”
Medical records?
I frowned and opened it
My breath stopped
Patient Name: Amelia Carter
Facility: Blackthorne Institute
Status: Subject 47
My pulse pounded in my ears
“What is Blackthorne?”
The officer didn’t answer immediately
Like he regretted saying too much already
Then quietly
“It’s where they erased your memory”
Everything inside me froze
Before I could speak
Before I could breathe
The lights in the room cut out
Darkness swallowed everything
Someone screamed down the corridor
Then a whisper came close to my ear
Too close
So close I felt breath on my skin
“Don’t trust the officer, Amelia…”
My body went rigid
I turned sharply in the dark
No one there
Then the emergency lights flickered on red
And across the room
Written on the wall in what looked like blood
Were four words
YOU KILLED ME BEFORE
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