Page 68 of Infernal Hearts

No answer, this really isn’t good.

One step at a time, we both walk into the house. Lamps are broken, and furniture is overturned in the living room. There was a struggle here, and not a small one. I start overanalyzing the room as I force myself to not assume the worst-case scenario.

Jay’s voice softly comes from behind me. “Maybe we should look upstairs?”

“Yeah.” I sniff the air. Iron—there’s blood somewhere in here. Things keep getting worse by the second.

Tracing my steps back out into the foyer, I get to the bottom of the stairs and start climbing. Red handprints are smeared on the wall the whole way. He must have given up on fighting and tried to escape after being wounded.

Jay speaks again as we get to the second floor. His voice trembles slightly, volume at whisper-level. “Do you… Do you think he’s…?”

“We don’t know that yet. Let’s keep looking.”

As we walk into the bedroom on the left, everything looks as it should. No broken items, no bodily fluids. He didn’t come in here. I try the bedroom next to it—still, everything seems fine in here. There’s only one more room to check. The bathroom.

On the white tile inside, small droplets of blood lead to the bathtub. The curtain is closed, obscuring the contents, but I think I know what I’m going to find.

With a sharp pull, I yank the curtain back. Jay yelps and covers his mouth at the sight of Mr. Aranda’s body in a crimson-stainedtub.

Jay gasps and gags. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” He rushes to the sink and empties the contents of his stomach.

I cling to him, rubbing his back. It takes everything in me to stay strong, to keep my composure, seeing him like this. “It’s okay. Just try to calm down.”

He retches again before wiping his mouth with his sleeve. The scent of bile and blood twist in the air around us. “How can I possibly be calm right now?”

“Sorry.” Pursing my lips, I try to understand it from his perspective. “This is your first dead body, isn’t it?”

He narrows his eyes and stares intensely at me. “Of course it is. Why? How many have you seen?”

I take a deep breath and blow it out. “Enough. Let’s go back to the truck. You don’t need to be around this, and we can call the police out there.”

Jay takes one last look at the tub, dry heaving again, before rushing down the stairs. The fact that he’s going through trauma like this hollows my chest. I remember seeing my first murder, and I pretty much had the same reaction. It’s a surefire way to have nightmares for months. The sight, the smell, the chill that runs through your stomach… It changes a person. I’m trying to have faith that he’s resilient, but judging by the reaction he had, I’m not so sure.

I follow him, and we get into the truck. I gently rub his back again as he blankly stares ahead, silent.

God, this isn’t good at all. “Are you okay?”

Jay takes a collection of deep breaths to calm his stomach. “What do you think?”

My lips turn down. “Sorry for asking. I know the feeling, and I’m so sorry you saw that. I should have just gone in myself.”

He nods in agreement, and I feel even worse. With a sigh, I pull out my phone.

My fingers hit 911, it rings for a few moments, and the operator answers. “I’d like to report a murder.” The operator calmly asks for the address, but I tell her there isn’t one. The best I can do is give them directions to the unmarked house in the woods.

The operator types for a few moments. “Please stay on the line. Authorities will be there soon.”

Doing as she says, I aim my words at Jay to help calm him down. “Not too much longer.”

Jay is still taking deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. All I want to do right now is hold him, but this isn’t the place or time. Plus I don’t particularly want vomit on my clothes in case his psyche breaks again.

The police show up with an ambulance within twenty minutes. They gently question both of us—I’m sure we may be suspects, but after they see Jay’s genuine reaction, I think that convinces them otherwise. They go in as we wait patiently outside, and finally they come out with a black body bag. It didn’t feel right to leave before they moved his body.

Jay and I eventually get back into the truck after a couple of hours at the scene.

I keep my voice low and innocuous. “Do you want me to drive?”

He nods gently. “That would be nice. I’m a little lightheaded.”

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