Episode 7

The siren’s wail, a familiar lullaby to Rene, was still a few blocks away. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, the rhythmic beat a nervous counterpoint to the erratic thrumming in her chest. This was her territory now, the sterile, blood-spattered tableau that was once a life. Her new life, anyway. Deon, beside her, was humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like the theme song to an old detective show, his eyes darting to the rearview mirror every few seconds.

“You think it’s the same guy, Dee?” Rene asked, her voice a little too tight. The news report had been vague, just a domestic disturbance gone wrong, but the address… it was too close for comfort. Too close to the last one.

Deon’s humming stopped abruptly. He leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the street ahead. “The one with the… the *whispering* in his voice? Yeah, I felt it. Like static on the radio. Always a bad sign, Rene. Always a bad sign.”