I let something in… Now it wants my soul (part 14)

Part 14:

Sarah and grace held Emma and consoled her on the steps while we awaited the police. She was still sobbing.

I sat on the driveway wall, alone, smoking a cigarette.

“Did you not see him Chris?” David asked me, rubbing his head in stress.

I shook my head no.

How could I not lie?

If there really is a dead boy up there, and I saw him and said nothing of it. That would have been far more heinous than me telling anyone what has happened to me this last week. I kept my mouth shut.

“Holy fuck dude what is going on!”
Said Ethan, putting his hands on his head.

“You didn’t touch him right Em? I mean you don’t want to get your fingerprints on him.”
James said nonchalantly.

Grace scolded him and told him to shut up.

“Bro what the fuck! I need to call my dad.” David cried pulling out his phone.

“Just wait for the cops to get here dude. We don’t know what’s up there, let the cops figure it out before you freak out your parents.” James told him. Walking over to console him.

Emma sniffed and took big breaths.
“There was blood everywhere!”
She cried out.

Sarah looked over at me.

“Chris, did you see him when you went in there earlier?”

James jumped in-
“He already said no! We all need to stay calm and wait for the cops to get here.”

So much for lunch. I was getting hungry.

I sat on the stone wall, smoking my cigarette and watching my friends all unravel before me.

You all think this is bad? Should have seen what I’ve seen these past few days. Imagine seeing your mom growing tentacles out of her… well you get the point.

The police showed up accompanied by an ambulance. They entered the house and shortly after, some of the cops came back out and started getting statements.

Tex sat next to me and let out a whine.

I took out another cigarette, lighting it in my mouth.

Sarah walked over to me.
“I’m really worried about Emma.” She told me, sitting next to me.

“She’ll be fine.” I replied, emotionless.

“Chris what the hell? She’s just seen a dead body. Maybe have a little sympathy?”

‘Sympathy.’ Funny choice of words.

Where was my ‘sympathy’ when I told you what I was going through?

Where was my ‘sympathy’ when I cried out for help and no one gave it?

“This is all so terrible.” she said, biting her nail.

The boy was taken out of the house in a stretcher. Apparently he was still alive. But barely.

The police made their rounds of questioning before coming to me.

A younger officer, probably my own age walked over to me with a pen and paper.

“I’m officer Martinez, just have a couple questions for you…. Uh let’s see.” He looked over his notes.

“Your friends here are saying that you entered the house earlier, you didn’t see him?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t notice anything out of place? An open door, cracked window?”

“Nope.”

“You don’t know the boy or anything?”
He looked at me with slight suspicion.

“Nope.”

“Okay. Do you have any questions for me?”

I took another drag of my smoke, and looked at his face.

“Nope.”

“Alright thank you for your time. Please, if you have anymore information, give us a call at the station.”

Apparently, we found out from the detective only hours later, the boy was severely mentally disabled. He had escaped from his house one block over, and decided to sneak into David’s lake house, go into his room and beat his face into smithereens. He was alive, but inflicted massive amounts of trauma to his head. The detective didn’t mention any of details of what he did to himself. But I saw it, and I think they figured out what had happened.

Why our lake house out of all the hundreds on this street? It sure beats me.

We sat in the living room, Sarah held Emma on the couch while she cried and David paced the house, on the phone with his dad.
I looked out the window.
Such a pretty view.

The way the tall pines reflect off the water.
The clouds and sky mirrored on the lake. Like a real life painting right before my eyes.

James walked out with his bags packed, Grace was behind him.

“You guys are leaving?” David asked, putting his phone to his shoulder.

“Yeah man, I don’t like sleeping next to a crime scene.”
James headed for the door.

“What about game night?”
I asked throwing my hands up in the air.

James looked at David, then Emma, then back at me. He slightly smirked and tried to hide a smile.

I laughed.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Emma shouted out.

I turned to face her.

“What? You saw a boy that smashed his face on a wall? So what?”

Emma’s expression dropped.

“How did you know he smashed his face into the wall? You said you didn’t see him.”

“The cop told me.”

“No he didn’t! I was standing right next to you!” David chimed in. Hanging up the phone with his parents.

“Chris.” He pleaded with his hands.

“Was that boy in there when you came up here to get the beers?”

I looked around the room. All eyes on me again.

“What does it matter if I did?” I asked. Shame disguised as casual slipped through my lips.

“Uh because you could be a potential suspect to the police maybe?” David exclaimed in annoyance.

Sarah and Emma both looked at me with disgust.

“You have been acting so wack these past few days man. Did you kill that kid?”
David asked me.

“Don’t be ridiculous David, I didn’t kill anyone. Quit being such a fucking pussy and get a grip.”
I told him.

“What’s happened to you Chris?” Emma asked, shaking her head at me.

“Nothing! Nothing at all! You all are the ones that have been getting on my ass about everything. It’s all Chris’s fault! You guys literally rely on me for fucking everything. I fix all your problems for you all and none of y’all have any of your shit together… fucking losers.”

I looked back at the lake. I wish I could go back in time to when me, my dad and Carter would go out there and fish all day long.

We would laugh and play and lose dad’s expensive tackle on stumps and trees.
Somedays we wouldn’t even get a bite but they were still the best days of my youth. We’d come home to sandwiches made by our moms.

Board games. Stories. Parties.
A place with so many memories, now stained with this tragedy.

“What the fuck is your problem dude?”
Emma chimed in.
“You’re literally being such a dick right now are you all good in the head?”

Ethan shook his head at me.

James watched us, eyes widened.
Grace was holding her head in astonishment.

No Emma, I’m not.

“Bro you just need to fucking leave. Go see a therapist.”
David said.

A tear ran down Emma’s cheek.
“Chris, what is going on? Please, this isn’t you.”

I looked at all my so called ‘friends’.
All eyes on me.

“Tell them Chris, tell them what’s going on. Tell them what happened.”

I looked up at my girlfriend, my partner, who had just thrown me under the bus in front of all my friends. I felt betrayed by the person I loved. You’re taking their side?

“And what is that Sarah? What is that you’d like me to tell them? Do you want me to tell them everything? You want them to think I’m crazy too huh? Just like you have this whole time. Pretending you care.”

Tears filled her eyes.
“Chris stop it. I do care, and you know it.”

“Whoa whoa whoa.” James chimed in.
“Chris what is going on?”

I looked at everyone again. Eyes still glued to me.

I scratched my stubble.

Where do I even begin?

I spun the swiveling couch chair back to the lake view, losing myself to the old memories.

The voices of everyone faded away like the end of a song.

I was back alone with it now. But this time I felt comfortable. It was the only thing I had left to trust.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, sinking into the couch.

My friends kept arguing and spiraling amongst themselves.

Who’s going to clean the blood in Dave’s room? I thought to myself.