Soulless

'Dead body found in Charles River', the headline of the news screamed.

You may be wondering why I am perched so calmly on my couch, when I am only minutes away from the Charles River.

'Oh, well she ovisously killed him, stuffed him in a body bag, and threw him into the river', is what you may be thinking. No, I did nothing to Jonathan, or Jon-I'm just going to call him Jon- I haven't seen him since the incident.

Yeah, Yeah, he's in my grade, he used to bully me, but I wouldn't hurt a fly (Ok, that's a lie, I've killed many flies before), much less a person.

I looked longingly out the window, waiting for my parents' black SUV to roll into the driveway. It was already five o'clock, so since it was a Friday, I decided to order some warm pizza while I waited. As I waited for Antonio's Pizza to pick up, I glanced out the window.

To tell the truth, I was a bit scared of the killer, because there was a clump of woods behind my house that led straight to the river, but I pushed my fears to the back of my mind when they finally picked up.

"Hello, Antonio's Pizza, what can I-", the phone short-circuited, and sent a burning shock into my hand. I gasped, and dropped the burning phone,shocked.

"Hello Megan", said a voice coming from the phone. Someone had a third line onto the call, and was speaking to me.

But no, this couldn't be. I stumbled back.

Jon was dead, right?

Emily said she took care of it.

They found his body.

"I know what you did to me. I know that Emily helped you. You can't escape fate, but you know that, don't you? You've had your fair share of what fate does to people. Now karma came around to collect your payment to her. The world will burn, just as how it was predicted. Your blood will fuel its fire, and soon all the demons that have bid their time will tear you limb from limb, when the time is right. Take this as, shall we say, a warning. I would tell you 'Good Luck', but you won't have any. I'm not the only person, am I?"

And with that, the line went dead.

No, how had he known about the others?

Ok, yes, I have killed a few other people, but I had good reason to! Some of them knew too much, or betrayed us.

It was just supposed to be a joke, the first time.

It was in sixth grade. My boyfriend hosted a massive party. What he didn't know, though, was that I was bored of him. I was going to dump him the following day, when Emily had a better idea.

We would dunk his head in his pool, when the three of us were alone, of course.

Now, my boyfriend played football, he wasn't an easy target, but he couldn't swim.

Emily and I tricked him into coming outside, and finally coaxed him into the deep end.

The only problem was that he was holding on to the side. "Don't worry", Emily tells me, "It's smooth."

On the count of three, we jumped onto his back, and pushed him under.

We heard the sickening crack of him hitting his head onto to side, then him sliding down into the pool.

The cops found him a day later. Nobody knew we had done it, and so, we were free to stay out of jail.

Now, I sat crying on the porch, knowing I could not cheat fate this time, nor test it, and the world was to burn, all because of the sins I committed.

But I could not give up.

I had to stop it.

Thinking of my little sister, who had just made it into this world, I was determined to stop this doomsday from happening.

Maybe it was just some prank call.

No, it was too well informed.

Ghost? Probably not.

Betrayal? No, they found his- I catch myself.

No. They never said who's body it was.

Maybe it was just Clara's.

Maybe it was Nami's.

I check anyway.

---

After flipping through all the news channels, I finally find one that looks promising. A cheesy song comes on for a kids' school, and finally, the news comes on.

"Fisherman Jake Club has found a young adult's body on the shore. We regret to inform you that this body belongs to Emily Hasway of Newberry High School."

I felt sick to my stomach.

Jon was alive.

Emily was dead.

"Just in-a crash has been reported on the Interstate. We advise you to make sure you keep in touch with your loved ones, because there was not just one crash."

I feel my eyes widen with fear as I scramble to my dropped phone. I dial my mother's number as fast as possible, but nobody picks up.

I quickly look back at my texts, hoping against fate that I would not find what I thought she sent me.

She sent it to me. A map. Of. The. Interstate.

I want to tear out my eyes.

What was the point in trying? There was nothing I could do. Nobody to save.

Nobody except a stupid human race that was going to become extinct in a few million years anyway, so why not cut it short? Maybe I could still- no. There was nothing.

I sob until my throat feels raw, and itchy.

I am decide to maybe do it myself.

I mean, how much worse can it feel than having everyone you know and love die?

I could still have a peaceful death, and let the demons tear my dead body apart.

I wonder what to do.

I heard overdose is a clean way to go. You just get dizzy, and fall asleep.

As I stride to the medicine cabinet, I step on my phone.

All of a sudden I remember. You can't get on a third line without being in the same house.

I hear an answering cry from upstairs, and stumble up to find my little sister, and Jon.