***
“Oh my gosh, you made it! Thank god!”, Julia said gleefully.
“Wish you a very happy birthday Julia! Here’s your present.” Carol said with a big smile, handing Julia a small box covered in a red-coloured wrapping paper with small blue hearts on it.
“Thank you so much Carol, I’ll really miss you.” said Julia with a frown.
“Oh c’mon Julia not lets not get emotional please! Carol replied sympathetically.
Julia led Carol to the living room where the party took place. There he was-Jerry Thompson. He was dressed in olive green cargo pants, an orange t-shirt that had a basketball made on it and Nike trainers. Carol’s face turned red as he looked at her, smiling warmly!
She went and joined their group. “Hi Jerry!” she said shyly.
“Hey! Wassup? You alright?”
“Ya, I’m cool. Looks like you’re enjoying the party quite a bit.” Carol continued with a weird look on her face.
“I love it esp. the beautiful people here.” He winked at her. She blushed.
***
Three hours had passed. Carol was having an amazing time. The only thing that worried her was how she would get home so late at night. Even her parents weren’t in town. She would have to drive all the way back to her house alone. It would take about one or two hours depending on the traffic. May be she could ask Jerry to drop her but he lived all the way on the other side of town. She decided that it was best if she went alone.
Soon it was time to leave. “I thoroughly enjoyed the party Julia. Thank you so much.” Carol said, genuinely meaning it.
“Hey Carol, wait.” It was Jerry. “I found a shortcut to your house yesterday. So I recorded the directions in this.” He handed Carol an audio cassette. “You won’t have to drive through Elmore street and you will be home in less than half an hour.”
“That’s so sweet of you Jerry! Thank you so much.”
“No problem.” he said smiling.
Carol inserted the tape into the stereo. “Hi Carol! Now go to St. Andrews street and I’ll tell u from there.”, the tape said. In about 10 seconds the Jerry started again.. “You must have reached now.”
“Yup, I’m here!,” Carol said to herself.
“Now turn left into Evergreen High Road.” Carol took a left turn.
“Now take another left turn into Coral Cliff.” Carol stopped! She knew she had been here before and it wasn’t a good memory. She couldn’t avoid the horrid feeling that was coming over her.
“Can you see me now Carol? I know you can.” The tape kept repeating.
Carol watched in horror as Jerry came slowly towards her with the most evil look on his face. “Surprised are you? Do you remember Matt by any chance?
She froze. This couldn’t be happening, she kept telling herself. “I didn’t kill him Jerry. Please don’t do this to me.” Carol said with tears in her eyes.
“Oh carol, you knew this would happen some day didn’t you? I told you, I’ll be back.”
All the harsh memories came back to her. How she had killed Matt. How cruelly she’d pushed him when he was hanging on the cliff instead of saving him and she could still remember that bleeding face of his…all he said before he fell was- “I’ll be back Carol…I’ll be back.” and he let go of the cliff he was hanging on. Crashing into the rocks. Thousands of feet below. It had taken Carol years to forget the horrible incidence but now…….he was actually back!
Jerry was Matt. He was with her all this time and he had waited for the right time to kill her. “Now Carol… Lets be considerate and not waste each others’ time right. C’mon jump!”
He was laughing. That cruel laugh!
Carol hastily tried to open the car door, her hands were shaking. It wouldn’t budge. She ran as fast as she could but it was as if an invisible wall had trapped her. She knew she had no other option but to die this painful death.
Carol slowly walked to the edge of the cliff. She shut her eyes and prayed…“Dear God, please don’t let me feel the pain and if possible forgive me for any sin I’ve committed, Amen,” and Carol jumped!! She tumbled and crashed into solid rocks -deep deep down below and then…it was all over!
