Week 221 – Someone turned on the lights

Sarah was just starting to relax, to allow the super cute guy with the big brown eyes and light brown hair, soothe her. He’d said his name was Coop, and that he was a cop, and she’d immediately felt safe with him despite her fear of being trapped in this haunted house.

But then all of a sudden someone turned on the lights and there were a dozen people with guns running into the room.

She screamed despite herself, even as Cooper moved so he was between her and the newcomers.

“Down on the floor, get down on the floor,” the men screamed and it took her a long moment to realise that they were cops and that they thought she’d done something wrong.

“Its okay, darlin,” Cooper soothed, “do as they say and we’ll get this all sorted out.”

But Sarah couldn’t move, she was paralysed with fear, she’d never in her life done anything illegal, she’d never even gotten a parking ticket. Now she was surrounded with cops who were pointing their guns at her.

“Get down on the floor, ma’am,” one cop ordered.

“Its okay, I’m Detective Mark Cooper, I’m here with my partner Walt Berman, we got separated and when I came in here I found that woman with a knife in her chest.” He gestured to where the deceased woman lay in a pool of blood. “This is Sarah she arrived shortly after.”

The cop’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at her. “Are you okay, ma’am? Did anyone hurt you?” He looked pointedly from her to Coop as though he suspected that she might have been the next intended victim.

But Cooper hadn’t hurt her or the other woman. Right?

He’d made her blush by calling her darling and then he’d called her princess and she’d smiled despite her fears, Cooper wasn’t a bad guy she was sure of it, and certainly not a killer.

“I-I’m okay,” she stammered.

The cop nodded and moved closer, now between her and Cooper. “Detective, you’re covered in blood, I’ll need to put these cuffs on you until we get this sorted out.”

Cooper didn’t resist as one of the cops snapped handcuffs on him but Sarah winced. They shouldn’t be doing that to him, Coop hadn’t done anything wrong. But it wasn’t like she could do anything to stop it.

“Ma’am, come with us please,” the cop said, he hadn’t cuffed her too and she still got the impression that they intended to grill her to see if Cooper had tried to kill her too. She didn’t want to go with these men, she didn’t know them and they didn’t make her feel safe. It made no sense because she’d known Cooper all of two minutes more than the other men and yet he made her feel safe.

“Its okay, Sarah, go with the men,” Cooper said, as though sensing her hesitation. He shot her a charming smile and nodded his head and reluctantly she allowed one of the cops to guide her away from him.

She might have only known him for five minutes but walking away felt wrong, and she couldn’t help but feel that the more distance between them there was the closer to danger she was actually going.