The hot afternoon sun glares unmercifully overhead. Its sweltering heat adds misery to the harrowing situation as Sarah attempts to flee.   

She glances to her right, to her left and then behind her. Sarah discovers cruisers in all four directions. I can’t let them catch me, I just can’t. Her tires squeal as peels away from the curb.

Her entire body begins to tremble as she races down the road. Her breathing becomes labored. Her heart pounds savagely against her chest; making her entire insides feel like they’re about to explode. I have to find a way to escape. I just have too. Leaning forward, Sarah pushes the accelerator to the floor. Angry motorists lay on their horns as her car whizzes by.

Sarah looks back to find the cop is a distance away. She swerves onto Flushing Street, hoping to throw them off her trail. Horns blare, tires screech as her car fishtails around the corner. She looks back to find a four-car pileup in the middle of the road. That should hold them, she thinks, as she dodges around the traffic.

Sarah discovers a cruiser behind her when she glances back again. What am I going to do now? Sarah zigzags through the slower moving traffic as she conjures up a plan. When she glances in the rearview mirror she sees the cruiser weaving around a lorry. The towering vehicle momentarily obstructs their view. This is my chance to escape. She anxiously looks around hoping to come up with an idea.

She notices Empire's congested parking lot off to her right. I could hide among all the cars. Sarah pulls into the store and nervously looks around. The place needs to be unnoticeable, away from their direct view, she concludes as she continues to scan the lot. Sarah sees a delivery truck by the loading docks. She pulls in between it and the store. Please let my plan work; please let this work. She prays as she turns off her car. Sarah scrunches down in the seat to where she’s barely noticeable but can still peer over the dash.

Sarah's hands begin to shake. Her entire body quivers as she waits for the cops to drive by. “Oh, please don't let them find me. Oh, please don't let them find me," she begs. A line of vehicles drives past her, followed by another. They’re going to be here soon. She sees the oversized truck that had once blocked their view, but the cop was nowhere to be found. Where can they be? Maybe they’ve already driven by. Sarah quickly scans the traffic. I don’t see them. She glances in front of her and sees the cruiser pull onto the lot. Please let them drive past me, oh, please let them drive past, she begs as she wiggles back down.

Her heartbeat starts pounding furiously in her ears as sharp pains shoot through her chest. Her lungs constrict making it difficult to breathe. Sarah becomes dizzy, lightheaded; her vision blurs. Her throat tightens as she forces oxygen into her lungs. The airflow around her seems so thick, so still; making it hard for her to take in. Sweat gushes from every inch of her body worse than it had before. I can’t have a panic attack now, I just can’t. She takes a few deep breaths, hoping to calm her nerves. Her symptoms slowly lessen and then subside.

She discovers the cops red and blues are fading in the distance when she glances up. That was to close, she thinks, reaching for the ignition.

She starts to turn the key when she hears a tap on the window. Sarah springs back in her seat as she screams. The intruder knocks again. She turns to find a man in blue beside her. "No," Sarah cries as she collapses against the wheel.

***

Discovering the wall around her is unscalable, Mia spins back around. She sees a tall, muscular man barreling towards her. She then realizes the blaring sirens are now just a few blocks away.

She glances over at her first attacker’s corpse she’s hidden amongst the trash and then the intruder again. If this man doesn't kill me, the cops will. Her body begins to tremble as she tries to figure out what to do.

I can face him head-on or dodge past. She notices piles of garbage on either side of the alley. It could hinder my escape and he’s too brawny to go face to face. Oh, why does my gun have to be empty now, why? Her heart begins to race as her intruder closes in.

Mia suddenly recalls putting a clip in her inside jacket pocket. I hope it's still there. The cold hard metal brushes against her hand when she reaches in. Closing her fingers around it, she pulls it out. This tiny piece of steel just might save my life. She shakingly replaces the empty clip for a new one. You wanna play, fine, let's go. Mia tromps towards him. Stopping when they’re mere inches apart. "What do you want from me, huh, what do you want?" she screams as she waves her gun through the air.

He's never seen someone so crazed in his life. Knowing firsthand how violent addicts can be, he cautiously backs away.

"Why couldn't you just leave me alone, huh, why?" she screams as she swings her gun through the air.

"I. I just wanted to see you, Katelyn." He continues to move back. The intruder glances behind him and discovers the street is still a distance away. He then realizes trying to dodge a bullet is a crazy idea. I hope I calm her down. “I’ve really missed you these past few days. I’ve been asking around, hoping I can find you."

Mia realizes who he is as she inches closer. "I'm not your girlfriend, moron, she's dead.”

“Katelyn is d... Dead?”

“Shot in the street in Jersey and it's all because of you." Mia pulls the trigger. She watches his brawny body fold to the ground. The approaching sirens bring her back to reality. Shoving the gun in her pocket, Mia darts amongst the lookie-loos stunned by the recent events.

***

The Detectives see a horde of officers standing on the lawn when they pull up to the Johnson's two-story Victorian. It and several other homes in this subdivision were built to resemble the older, historical landmarks, that acts of nature had destroyed through the years.

George sees the entire front yard taped off as he glances around. "What's going on?" he questions, as he surveys the busy scene.

 Larry knows from experience that with this much police presence, whatever's happened here can't be good. He also realizes he and his partner have just caught a new case. "Maybe Katelyn killed her parents too."

"Let's hope not." George takes a hankie from his pocket and wipes the sweat from his brow. I can only imagine how hot summer is going to be if it’s this warm already. George wipes his brow again. He feels his clothes stick to his moist skin. He readjusts them as he continues across the yard.

The detectives walk over to the first uniform they see.

"That was quick," the officer says, glancing at his watch. It was one of those fancy smartwatches that can do just about everything imaginable.

George thought about buying one once until he discovered his old brain couldn’t grasp the technology behind it. He gives the rookie an inquisitive look. "What was, son?"

"I just got off the phone with the captain."

As if on cue, George's cell phone rings. "Hi, captain, yeah I know, we're already here." ... "Larry and I were following up on a lead from the gravesite shooting." ... "I'll keep you in the loop." Hanging up, he turns towards the officer. "What can you tell us?" George questions as he surveys the scene.

"The neighbors heard gunfire and then saw Mrs. Johnson run from the house."

"Wait, did you just say Mrs. Johnson?" Larry questions.

The rookie waves his hand towards a small crowd. "That's what they claim."

George counts a half dozen witnesses, maybe more. "Are they sure it wasn't her daughter, Katelyn?"

"The daughter is dead, sir. She and her daddy were killed in a drive-by in Jersey a few days ago. They held her funeral at Greenwood Cemetery this morning.”

"Did you say, Greenwood?" Larry questions.

"Yes, why?"

"That's where we saw her on surveillance."

"If she's attending her funeral, then who's in the grave?" George dials the captain's number. "I think we have a situation, sir," he begins.