I awoke the next morning to a very bouncy Amy jumping onto my bed, her leap completed with a dramatic face-first flop and giggle. Her head popped up over the top of my sleeping bag, bright blue eyes peering at me with excitement. “Are we going to clean another house today?” She smiled excitedly.
“Good morning!” I laughed softly at her mistaken assumption. If she was hoping we were going to clean the city, she was going to be sorely disappointed. “No, Amy. We’ll stick with this house for now.” I sat up. “We are going to do something excited today, though.”
Amy beamed, “What?”
“We are going to try to find some of my friends today. Their names are Liam and Carla. Do you remember the colourful stone you found yesterday? Liam painted that and told us where to find him!”
“Wow! Will they live here with us?” Another bounce on my bed accompanied this question.
I chuckled, “One step at a time, Amy. We have to find them first.”
Having been lying on her stomach once again, Amy suddenly pushed herself up onto her knees. “We will! He left the rocks for you to find!” She smiled as though she had just provided infallible assurance. I smiled back, encouraged by her optimism. “I think we’ll find them too.” My heart lifted at my audible statement of what I was internally hoping for.
We hurried to eat breakfast, but I could sense the somber mood that Max was in. I could not understand the dichotomy between our mood and his. Surely he wanted the company and protection of two more friends as much as we did.
After packing a couple of backpacks with some food, water, rope, and first aid supplies, we set out to find Liam and Carla. It was not all that long before we had reached the address that Liam had indicated, Forty-nine Oak St. Sure enough, it had a red door, just as Liam had described. I hurried towards the entrance, but Max strode up along-side me, towing poor Amy – who was nearly falling over at his speed – behind.
“Wait.” He hurriedly covered the doorknob with his hand. “Let me go in first.”
I eyed him, simultaneously grateful for his protective streak and irritated at him for it. I was used to doing things on my own. Despite the fact, I gave in, letting him open the door and enter first. The moment we did, I knew Liam had been here. The house was dust-free, the door unbroken, and its paint, fairly fresh. The table in the dining room was strewn with smooth little rocks and paint – a testament to Liam’s handiwork. Despite this hopeful evidence, however, the back of my neck prickled. The house was silent and the meticulous upkeep of the house had been disturbed by a single, overturned coffee table.
We moved forward cautiously as I called Liam’s name. Not a sound. The longer the silence, the more uneasy I felt. Something seemed – wrong. It was at that moment that a wall of oder hit my face. Blood. The pungent iron-like scent was unmistakable and clung to the insides of my airways. I began to call for Liam louder now, frantically looking around for signs of life.
Ahead, a door in the hallway stood ajar. I guessed it was a small hallway bathroom. Tentatively, I pushed the door with my fingertips. Just as Max was hurrying to try to keep me from entering first, the door got stuck against something. I pushed harder, but Max silently moved my arm away and forced the door open wide enough for us to squeeze in. Max pressed his head and torso through the opening. He froze, then slowly slid out of the doorway to look at me. His eyes told me something was wrong. Liam is dead. I thought, a numbness settling over me. “I need to see.”
Max shook his head, “No, Katherine.”
“What is it?” Amy’s small voice pleaded. “Are your friends okay?” Her eyes glistened with fear. “I’m going to check.” I said, in what I hoped was a reassuring tone. I met Max’s disproving look with a defiant stare. I had to know and I did not care whether or not he disapproved – these were my friends. Pushing past Max, I slid my body in-between the door and its frame. Prepared to see Liam’s lifeless body covered in blood and laying on the floor, I was shocked to see a woman’s body sprawled on the linoleum. The stench of the blood had come from a stab wound in the woman’s torso. Blood had soaked the larger part of her shirt front.
Relief flooded my mind, but only momentarily. “No.” I said, almost involuntarily, my eyes transfixed on the body as I squeezed the rest of the way through the doorway.
“Katherine.” Max’s voice warned faintly on the other side of the door. I ignored him and knelt by the woman, brushing the hair from her face. My hands shook. Carla. “No!” I cried as I began to sob. I could not be this close to finding a familiar face just to loose them. I fell back to sit on the floor, tears falling uncontrollably as I stared at Carla’s body. Suddenly, the thought that perhaps she was still alive came to me. Desperate, I scrambled to feel for a pulse. Her skin was cold and her body stiff, as I should have expected. No pulse. I sobbed harder. By now, Max was forcing his way in, while trying to hold a very distressed Amy back. “Katherine, come. It’s not safe here.”
I shook my head. “I don’t care.”
“Katherine.” Max said in a lower voice. “We need to go – for Amy’s sake, at least.”
That shook me a little. I looked up past Max to see Amy standing behind him, wide-eyed, tears running down her face. I nodded. “Okay.” Max helped me up. I stopped before we left the room. “Look Max,” I pointed to a cabinet which had also been partially blocking the door, “Carla tried to block the door with that cabinet. She was trying to protect herself from someone.”
Max nodded. “All the more reason for us to get out of here.” He said in a low tone as we began walking back down the hallway towards the front door. I yanked my hand out of Max’s grasp. “We can’t leave!” I stared at him, daring him to disagree. “What about Liam? The same person who killed Carla could have also hurt or killed him! We have to search the house in case there’s a chance we can help him.”
Max looked at me with a gentle expression. “Katherine, I’m truly sorry about your friends.” He stepped closer, putting his hands on my arms, “but it’s not safe.” I looked at the ground a moment, then back at him, “Liam could still be alive.”
Max nodded, running a hand through his hair, “And what if Liam lured Carla and now you here to kill you both? Things have changed – people have changed. He-“
“That’s enough!” I jerked backwards, out of his grasp. “How dare you!” I stared to yell. I was loosing control. Not good. “The only killer here is you!” I blinked. That was too far. Max stared back at me, angry, hurt. Amy’s sobs never ceased.
Without missing a beat of drama, someone tackled Max to the ground. I screamed as Max and another man crashed into furniture as they fought. Amy began screaming hysterically, not doubt reminded of the awful day we had met. Yet in all that chaos, I saw something that eased the ache in my chest. I would recognize that messy, brown hair anywhere.
“Liam?”
What a cliffhanger!