As soon as I open my eyes, I feel the frisson of tension in the air. The atmosphere is charged.
Whether its the tense voices I can hear through my hotel door, or the look of those I can see as I glance out of my window, crossing the street that bit faster, I realise one thing: something has happened.
Leaving the hotel to walk the streets, my morning ritual, almost everyone seems to be avoiding each others' eyes, and my thoughts begin to spiral, wondering what the heck is going on. So I receive a jolt that snaps me out of my reverie, when I meet the eyes of Pyure.
The initial fear that had gripped me diminishes slightly; seeing the_j485 pass by without giving him a second glance ratchets the tension down further (albeit not without a twinge of guilt). Maybe I had just imagined it? Maybe I still was! But then...
I see his eyes flicker to the house across the road. A body, covered in a sheet, being loaded into an ambulance. I wonder for a moment if that feeling from the passersby isn't just fear, but tainted with a hint of guilt...?
What happened last night?
I hate small towns.