Chapter 78 - One Step Towards Crime?

Julie's eyes widened, and she quickly ran to where Roman stood next to a lifeless looking Caleb, who laid cold on the ground. When she told him that she didn't want Caleb going around the campus, shouting about her dreaming things in broad daylight, this was nowhere near the idea in her head. 

"Is he dead?!" she asked pale-faced, noticing blood on Caleb's face. 

"Calm down, Winters. I just knocked him out," Roman assured her. He cracked his knuckles. The boy had wandered around Julie during the play, calling her his wife, and he had been waiting to punch him properly.

Julie sat next to the body, bringing her hand forward to check if he was breathing. Panicked, she said, "He's not breathing!"

"He'll be fine," stated Roman, and he said, "Come now. No time to dawdle around when we have a body to fix."

Julie moved her finger front and back, but the boy was not breathing. Before she could check his pulse, Roman caught Caleb's hand and started to drag him as if he was a toy until he realized Julie was here. He picked up unconscious Caleb, hosting him over his shoulder before heading in the direction of the deeper part of the forest. 

Not knowing what else to do, Julie quickly followed Roman while now and then turning behind, making sure no one had seen them do the crime. 

"He's losing a lot of blood," Julie pointed when she fell a step behind to take a look at Caleb's face. 

"He'll recover from it. Boys are strong," Roman's calm demeanour was somewhere unnerving. 

"Have you done this before?" she asked him, catching up with his steps. 

"Somewhere close but not exactly the same as what I have on my mind right now," responded Roman, noticing her worry. He stopped walking and faced her, "Do you trust me?" 

Joking about hiding a body and doing it were two different things. Biting her lip, Julie nodded her head. She replied, "I do." 

"Good," remarked Roman, and they continued to walk. 

The further they walked into the forest, the quieter it turned except for the sound of the crickets that chirped around them and the sound of their footsteps. 

Julie didn't know how far they had walked because her mind was busy to take note of it, but when they reached a certain spot, Roman dropped Caleb on the ground. He walked to another tree, moving tree to tree before grabbing something. 

Seeing the ropes and tape in his hand, Julie's eyebrows raised, "Do you keep things like this prepared?"

"Yes," came the simple response from Roman before he started to tie Caleb's hands and legs together. Standing, he walked around the tree where he had Caleb lean against the tree so that the boy had no way to escape. "Do you have a handkerchief?"

Julie unzipped her bag, and she handed it to him. Taking it from her, Roman opened Caleb's mouth and stuffed the kerchief inside before tying the rope around his mouth to keep the ball of a handkerchief in place. 

"What do you plan to do with him?" inquired Julie, a shuddering breath escaping from her lips when a cold gust of wind passed through the woods where they stood. 

"Keep him here until I know he will keep his mouth shut and not bring up what he heard," replied Roman. 

"And what if he doesn't agree?" asked Julie. Knowing the history Roman and he shared at the rehearsals on the stage, she doubted it would go well. 

"Kill him," Roman's reply was straightforward, and for a moment, Julie brushed it away as dark humour, but she returned to the thought, wondering if he was serious. 

To her relief, Caleb moved as if he was gaining his consciousness, and she wondered what it was about, him not breathing earlier. At least she didn't have to help Roman in burying the body, and for now, she was happy with that. When Caleb looked at his hands and legs tied, he tried to free himself and glared at Julie first and then at Roman. He made incoherent noise, and Julie said, 

"I thought it wouldn't stay in his mouth," said Julie. 

"Let's take a walk, Julie," and he stretched his hand for her to take. When she turned to look at Caleb, he said, "He won't be going anywhere. We'll come to this one later unless he gets eaten by a wild animal."

Julie placed her hand in Roman's large hand that enclasped her hand before tugging her. They walked away from where the boy was tied, their steps slow, leaving a whisper on the ground. This wasn't an ideal couple walk in her mind, but it seemed like this would do for now. 

"I need you to listen to me very carefully, Julie," said Roman, his voice serious, and so was his demeanour. "What you saw, or what you will see, you cannot discuss it with anyone. Even Melanie or Conner."

"I didn't tell them anything," replied Julie, her lips pursing before she said, "Do you know what is happening to me?"

Roman stopped walking, having her stand in front of him, "I went through some things on what you told me. There are rare chances of humans having the ability of premonition. People reading tarot cards, using crystal balls. But you see, it is pretty much non-existent for someone to be able to see the past. I think your father found out that there was something odd about your mother, which is why he killed her."

Julie shook her head, "My mother would have told me if there was something I needed to know. She never mentioned anything about this past or intuition thing."

"Maybe she was waiting for the right moment to speak about it?" he asked, staring at her. 

Roman could vouch for her ability and believe what she saw today because the person she saw on the ground, appearing to be stabbed, was none other than him.