CHAPTER 15: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Suzanne was at Tom’s apartment, going through her luggage bag for the umpteenth time. They were set to fly to the Maldives first thing in the morning and Suzanne was sleeping over at Tom’s place for the night. His apartment was closer to the airport. Plus she liked frolicking in Tom’s bed. She had OCD when it came to packing for a trip. One time she spent a whole day just to pack a little tote bag for a trip down to Kentucky.


That evening, Suzanne sat at the edge of Tom’s king-sized bed, wearing only Tom’s sweatshirt her little black underwear and a pair of orange socks. With one knee tucked under her chin, she went through the items in her luggage bag one last time. The bedroom door was slightly ajar and she could see Tom watching the news in his dimly lit, but cosy living room. Suzanne never did like watching the news. She found them depressing.


“Sunblock, check. Sunglasses, yeap. Passport here. Bikini, yeasss. Sandals…” Suzanne suddenly stopped. A scorching pain shot up from her right palm and she bit her lips to stop herself from screaming.


*Damnit. Stop it. What is wrong with me?* she thought as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She clenched her fist and cradled her arm, waiting for the pain to subside. It felt like an eternity before the pain finally ebbed away. Suzanne sucked in a deep breath and slowly unclenched her fist, revealing temporary red marks and indents from where her nails had dug into her palm earlier on. But Suzanne’s gaze was not on the red marks, it was on the black spot that had formed in the middle of her palm.


*It’s getting worse*, she told herself.


The black spot had appeared 2 months ago, after her battle with the black mist. At first, she had thought nothing of it, after all, it was just a tiny little dot. She had gone to see old man Hendricks and he had told her there was nothing to worry about. Suzanne had known old man Hendricks since she was a little girl and he had never once lied to her. But then the pain came and the black mark started to spread, very much like how the root of a tree would grow. She rubbed her palms together and stood up. She had to talk to her grandmother.



***



Tom sat on the sofa of his living room, flipping the channels, not entirely focusing on anything. His mind was on Suzanne. They had been together for just two months but he was ready to spend the rest of his life with her.


*Maybe I should propose on the plane. Or at the beach?* He scratched his head, he had no idea how to be romantic. He had brought Suzanne to Burger King for their one month anniversary and Suzanne had thrown a fit. That girl had a temper, but it made him love her even more.


Then something on TV caught his eye.


“Good evening. This is Alexander Jones reporting life from CNN. An unknown plague has been detected in Castelluccio, Umbria. Reports indicate that many of its villagers end up dead after falling asleep. Experts are still trying to find the cause as authorities have begun initiating a lockdown for the village. Renowned cult, ‘The Gateway’ has been linked to the deaths of the villagers. Victims have been reported to resemble mummified corpses when found. We now invite Dr Ingram to….”


“Tom? Tom…” Tom whirled around to face a dressed up Suzanne. She had on a pair of jeans and his sweatshirt. She was obviously not wearing a bra underneath, he could see her nipples poking through the fabric.


*Oh boy*. It turned him on, he flashed his pearly whites and with his good arm, he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him.


“I thought you were going to bed? “ he asked as he nuzzled his face in her abdomen. Suzanne absentmindedly stroked his hair.


On-screen, the anchorwoman thanked Dr Ingram for his insights and started to list the names of the victims of the plague.


“I’m stepping out for a bit. Be back soon. Don’t wait up okay?” with that she pulled away, grabbed her mini Michael Kors handbag from the side table and headed towards the door. The door closed behind her just as the anchorwoman listed one of the victim’s name. It was a young woman called Lucia Russo. Lucia Russo had been the first victim of the so-called plague and had Suzanne stepped out of the apartment a second later, she would have found out that her friend and fellow clairvoyant was dead.


Tom pouted and turned his attention back to the TV.



***



Suzanne’s red Volkswagen came to a halt in front of a barrier gate system and she rolled down her window. Her Volkswagen, expensive as it was, was a vintage. It drove on a stick and required a manual winding down of the window. It was Suzanne’s first love and she had no intention of trading it for any other car. The security guard popped his head out from the guardhouse and briskly walked over.


“Good evening Ms Summers!” Bob the security guard greeted her cheerfully. “Here to see your granny?”


Suzanne smiled back. She liked Bob, he always asked her the same questions whenever she came. “Yeah, can you let me in Bob?”


Jolly Bob nodded and flashed his card at the gate’s sensor, but not before putting his elbow on her windowsill. He smiled a toothy smile.


“Sure you don’t want to go out with me anytime soon Ms Summers?”


Good ‘ole Bob, he was always trying to hit on all the lady visitors. Suzanne shook her head at him and patted his hand before rolling up her window. Bob shrugged and tipped his cap at Suzanne as she revved into the compound of the Alma Mater Home for the Aged. Perhaps grandmother would know what was wrong with her.