You Killed Me First

August: Three Months Before Bonfire Night

Anna reflects that she has heard voices in her head ever since she was a teenager and stood at a cliff’s edge, contemplating the possibility of jumping. The first voice she heard was her mother’s, but other voices have cycled through her awareness. When she acts out the wishes of one voice, it vanishes to be replaced by the next. Of all the voices she has heard in her head, Ioana’s has remained in her mind the longest, even though she was not originally on Anna’s list of people to kill. Now that Drew has killed the detective, Ioana’s voice has resurfaced more strongly.

Now, to appease Ioana, Anna goes to the bathroom and uses a knife to cut into her thigh. However, she cuts too deeply. Tearfully, she tries to stem the blood flow. She thinks about her plastic surgery procedure; the appointment is only seven weeks away, and she knows that the surgeon will see the fresh wound and postpone the surgery. Anna briefly considers calling Drew for help, but she decides against it. Suddenly, she hears a voice in the external world calling out to her.