Penny spent the day calling family members, informing them the terrible news.

Josh was on her side. Having met Veronica just last night; enjoying her amazing lamb stew and getting her smiles. Little did he know he was meeting her for the first and last time. Josh was also terrified, thinking that maybe if he and Penny had stayed longer at the house whoever shot Veronica would’ve got in and shot them too. Josh remained in his house to freshen up while Penny returned to her apartment. Her home had just been turned into a murder scene, police and forensics everywhere, residents in gowns and pyjamas looking on with quizzical faces, a lot of gossip going on.

Once inside her apartment, Penny kept thinking about last night’s phone call where she heard her mom’s screams and that gun shot. Was it a warning of what was going to happen? Surely Veronica would still be alive if she had allowed Penny to take her to the apartment just as she had suggested. At this painful thought, Penny grabbed the wine bottle and threw it against the TV screen. She laid her forehead on her cold palms, tears fell on her wrists.

Her phone began to ring. She took it out from her pocket. ANONYMOUS calling… Maybe a life will be saved if she pressed decline. She remembered the missed call and realised it doesn’t matter if she ignores the call. She pressed Accept and listened. Silence. Penny heared falling water. “Hello?” She said, her heart beating faster to her rib cage.

More silence. She only listened to the falling water. Seconds passed. “Hello?” She was going to hang up. Then: “AUUURGGHH!!”

“Josh!?” Penny yelled. Josh screamed some more: a very loud gurgle, croaked, like something was pressed against his neck, strangling him. In the background Penny could still hear water splatter. She snatched her car keys and got out.

She drove to Josh’s house as fast as she could. She found the door was already opened, so Penny slinked inside the double storey house. “Josh? Josh?” She said, looking around the clean kitchen. “Are you there? Josh?” But there was no response. She tried to call him but his phone was off. This made her more worried and scared, she felt like going out of the house and run back to the car. But she carried on to the living room. Penny heard it again: the water splatter, falling water. The sound came from the first bathroom on the left, down the corridor. Penny slowly walked there, her heart beating louder with every careful and quiet step she took. The sound of the falling water, got as loud as when she heard it on the phone. At last, she made it inside the bathroom. She saw the shower was turned one. The water fell on the drain and on Josh’s body. He sat slumped, motionless, his wet head bent on the chest and there was a white rope wrapped around his neck.

Penny screamed.