Half Life by Heather Atkinson

comes through the garden gate.
      “ JD I ’ ve just seen Rosie.  She looked terribly upset. ”
      “ Which way did she go? ”
      “ Down there, ” she says, pointing left. 
      “ Shit, ” he mutters, wrenching open his car door.
      He gets in and slams the door shut, plugging in the hands free kit for his mobile phone while starting the engine.
      “ Harry it ’ s me.  She got away. ”
      JD winces at the loud exclamation in his ear. 
      “ Dammit I knew this would happen. ”
      “ She must have realised the truth, ” says JD, trying to stem the rising tide of panic.
      “ How?  What did you do? ”
      “ Nothing.  I just bought her some flowers. ”
      “ What sort of flowers? ”  
      “ Roses. ”
      “ You prat. ”
      “ I thought I was doing a good thing. ”
      “ I warned you didn ’ t I?  You find her.  You find her now, ” bellows Harry.
      “ I will I swear. ”
      “ You ’ d better.  We ’ re on our way, ” he growls before hanging up.
      With a sigh JD throws the phone onto the passenger seat and pulls out onto the road, going in the direction the neighbour indicated but Rosie isn ’ t anywhere to be seen.  She could be anywhere by now in this maze of streets.  He kicks himself inwardly for being so stupid as to have left the front door unlocked but he ’ d forgotten all about it when she ’ d confronted him on his return home, all spitting rage.
      JD spies a woman with short dark hair wearing a red t-shirt and blue jeans and yanks the steering wheel hard to the left, pulling the car over with a screech of tyres.
      “ Rosie, ” he yells, leaping out of the car and grabbing the woman ’ s arm.
      “ Get off me, ” exclaims the stranger, alarmed by the frantic look in his eye.
      “ Sorry.  I thought you were someone else. ”
      He releases her and she hurries away, looking anxiously over her shoulder at him.  JD returns to the car dejectedly to continue with his search.
      “ Where would you go Rosie? ” he murmurs to himself.  Then it strikes him and he puts his foot down, sending the car lurching forward.
      Linden Falls is a local beauty spot, a cascading waterfall set in acres of flowering parkland and one of Rosie ‘ s favourite places.  The quickest way up there is through the local cemetery and he accelerates through the gates and up the hill.  When the track gets too narrow for the car to pass through he abandons it and races through the maze of graves, pausing beside one on which has been placed a bunch of red roses, the petals torn and scattered all over the grass.  He notices the same has been done to another grave a few plots away.  Pulling out his phone he calls Harry to let him know where he is.
      Following the trail of flower petals he continues his ascent up the hill, the sound of rushing water growing louder.  As he reaches the summit he sees the solitary figure stood on the cliff top, gazing down into the torrid waters of the falls below.
      “ Stay back, ” Rosie screams when she sees him approach.
      She takes a step closer to the edge and JD ’ s heart leaps into his mouth.
      “ Please Rosie, just stay still. ”
      “ I remembered, ” she croaks, tears streaming down her face.  “ The last time you bought me roses I was cutting the stems to put in the vase and I … I attacked you with the scissors.  Then I did this to myself, ” she cries, indicating her short jagged locks which were once long and luxurious.  
      “ It ’ s okay.  Just come away from the edge and we can discuss it. ”
      “ What is there to discuss?  I ’ ve been keeping you a prisoner. ”
      “ No you haven ’ t. ”
      “ This past week I ’ ve been living in a delusion.  There aren ’ t any bad guys wanting to hurt us.  The danger ’ s in my own head.  What if I ’ d hurt you again?  You should have left me in the hospital. ”
      “ You don ’ t belong there.  You belong here, with me,