Written by Elissa Lou of Richard Montgomery High School
Tuesday
“Sir, we need you to give a statement on what you saw. We can’t help you unless you speak to us.” The detectives could not get a word out of Miles. Instead he sat on the cold stainless steel chair, fixedly watching the lukewarm coffee that sat in front of him, rippling with every minuscule movement. The officers thought it would make him feel warmer emotionally and physically, but all he could feel was cold. As the detectives were getting ready to leave in order to give Miles time to process, he spoke weakly.
“I’m ready to talk.”
“Alright, we’re here to listen. Just tell us what happened.” The one detective said with his failed attempt at a comforting voice.
“It must’ve been around 7:30 p.m., but I was preparing dinner for my wife like any ordinary night. I knew that with everything that had happened… I just wanted to make things easier for her.”
“What had happened sir?” The detective questioned.
“She just had a miscarriage a few days prior. She’d been pregnant with the baby...our baby for seven months. But, I was setting the table when I heard a faint cry coming from outside. I didn’t think anything of it, but I wanted to check just in case something had happened. I peered through the blinds in front of my house and saw my wife.” He paused looking down at his hands. “Her neck was wrapped in this man’s arms who was wearing all black. He had this navy bandana covering the bottom half of his face. Next, I see my wife’s neck twist facing me. I-. I saw the fear in her eyes. I ran out immediately. The mugger had already disappeared with her purse when I got to her body.” Miles burst into a waterfall with all his tears falling into the cup of coffee.
“Sir, we assure you Boston PD is gonna do everything we can.” The detective said, once again failing to comfort Miles.
Saturday
The cans of beer and the opened bags of food consumed the coffee table next to where Miles was on the couch. Miles stared at the ceiling, drunk, unable to process any sound, sight, or feeling. He glanced at a wedding picture, depicting his beautiful wife Julie on the table next to the couch and immediately looked away. In an attempt to try and ignore all his emotions his mouth couldn’t even form the sound of her name since the day she died.
With every ounce of energy he had left in his body to control any movement, Miles stood up and his depression carried him toward a room in his house that had been untouched since his wife died. He carefully opened the door revealing a simple room fit to house a child. It held a beautiful, white crib lined with sheets patterned with green, blue, and pink elephants. Just around the corner, lie a changing table with the same colors as the crib. His back flattened against the wall painted baby blue, and he slid down onto the soft patterned rug. Leaning his head onto the side of the crib, he held onto one of the bars. He looked around at the life he could’ve had and the memories he could’ve made. He could see Julie laughing at him for putting a diaper on wrong. He could see himself cradling the baby in the rocking chair.
At an instant it was all stripped away and the life that could've disappeared once more. The hardest part was reliving each pain that pierced his heart those past few days. The built up anguish, despair, fear, and anger begged to be released. He grasped the bar tightly and pulled it without any restriction. He took the broken piece and proceeded to wreck every inch of furniture in the room. Miles pulled the baby mobile from the ceiling and thrashed it around until he lost his grip and it hurdled toward the wall. He collapsed to his knees and fell to the ground. Staring at the ceiling he closed his eyes and stopped fighting the tears. He let them fall onto that same rug and his tear ducts leaked until he was unconscious.
Monday
After completing his work poorly, Miles’ supervisor at Darren’s Construction decided to give him some time off to grieve his wife’s death. Instead of heading straight home he made a stop at the local bar. As he walked in, the atmosphere was faintly filled with all the problems each drunk had suppressed with alcohol. The life inside the bar was dead from left to right. Then again, it was midday and the heavy partiers hadn’t arrived yet. He sat on a stool isolated from anyone and signaled the bartender to order whiskey, on the rocks. While the bartender prepared his drink, Miles was slumped over with his fingers pressed firmly on his temples.
A man, lightly dragging his feet met with a stool two spots away from where Miles was. The bartender dropped off the whiskey and hurried to take the man’s order. The man looked around and found his sight landed on Miles.
“Looks like you’ve been hit by a bus.” The man said with a slightly slurred voice.
“Might as well have.” Miles looked at him with judgment, not wanting to involve himself in a conversation.
“Care to share?”
Miles paused for a moment, “I um, recently lost my wife.”
“I’m sorry man. I uh, don’t really know what to say. Death is uh, it’s a hard thing.” He said staring at his drink.
“Yeah, it is. The police department says they’ll do whatever they can to find the killer. It’s frustrating that it’s taking so long and I’m just sitting here doing nothing. I mean, I would do anything just to see her again. ”
There was another momentary pause before the man spoke again.
“I’m Eric by the way.”
“Miles.”
“Hey uh Miles, listen here. I don’t normally tell people these things but I might have something to help.” After receiving a look of concern Eric continued, “Look man I know this sounds crazy, especially coming from a man you just met, but there might be a way to bring your wife back.”
“I’m sorry what did you say?”
“I know, I know it sounds insane, but it’s true. I’ve heard stories from people saying that they brought back loved ones.” Miles’ interest peaked. He let Eric continue, “There’s this special place you bring their body.”
“Alright, say this is really true, what’s the catch?”
“Life always needs balance. So if you want your wife back,” He stopped speaking unsure if he should keep going. “you have to take another life. Look man, I know that sounds horrible, but if you really want her back, that’s what it takes. Alright listen I gotta head out, but if you decide to do it give me a call, here’s my number.” Before proceeding out Eric pulled out a business card which got caught on a dark piece of cloth in his back pocket, and gave it to Miles.
Intrigued and curious, Miles kept drinking, but the thought continued to linger in his mind for the next two hours he stayed at the bar. With a clouded mind Miles left the bar and began his walk home. Around two blocks down he stumbled across an alley where he found two men exchanging illegal goods. He leaned up against the brick building, cautiously watching them. He began to recall the conversation he had with Eric earlier. His mind was like a war scene; in the air there were clouds of dust and blood fogging any good judgment. One side argued that killing a person contributing negative actions would be a favor to the world, if it meant spending the rest of his life with Julie just as he promised her at the altar. Whilst the other considered that if he committed this crime, his kind hearted wife would never forgive him. By the time he lifted his head the opportunity had passed and they two men were gone.
Thursday
The past three days all Miles could think about was Eric’s offer. One moment he’d think about drinking and the next he could hear his wife’s voice in his ear. Turning his head to look around he’d find that she wasn’t there, leaving him wanting her back more. With all the questions running around in his head he decided to give Eric a call and invite him over to talk over drinks.
Upon Eric’s arrival Miles took out two beers from the refrigerator as well as a bag of chips he opened with a sharp knife. Conflicted Miles overlooked the fact that he was asking for advice from a complete stranger.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you’ve said. Sometimes it feels like she’s here with me because I know there’s a chance she could be.”
“So what’s stopping you?” Eric asked.
“I don’t know if I could ever live with myself or if my wife could live with the fact that I killed someone so that she could be alive. She was the most kind-hearted person and she cared so much about me and made me better. I feel like I would be letting her down.”
“Hey man, wouldn’t you be letting yourself down too if you didn’t? I think I’m going to need another beer, you mind?” Eric felt the heaviness in Miles’ heart. He turned around to grab another beer.
“Yeah sure go ahead. But anyway I just feel like she’d never forgive me for doing something like that.”
Eric was turned around looking for where the beer was, revealing the same cloth that got caught in his business card. “Hey if Julie’s as good as you describe her to be, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”
Miles pauses.
“Eric, I never told you my wife’s name.” At the same time Miles recognizes the cloth and recalls a navy bandana. He slowly grabs the knife on the table and holds it up threatening Eric and demanding he explains what is going on.
“Please! Please! I can explain! Please! I didn’t mean to kill Julie. It was an accident. You have to believe me. I was really struggling with money so I thought a quick theft would solve it. I ran into your wife and I fought over her purse with her. She got a grip and started running and I wasn’t thinking so I chased her. I grabbed her and I grabbed her too tight. Before I knew it she was already gone. I freaked out and I didn’t know what to do man. I just grabbed her purse and ran. I found her ID in her wallet and that’s how I know her name. After I felt so guilty and I wanted to confess and I even saw you leaving the police station. I thought if I could help you bring her back it would ease my conscience. Everything I said about bringing her back is true. You can still do it.” Eric had his arms held up high where Miles could see them, but he could observe Miles’ face fill with even more anger.
Consumed with rage Miles charged at Eric with the knife and pinned him to the ground. Eric used his arms to block the knife from going deep into his chest and somehow managed to get a grip on the knife and flip Miles over. With the combination of both their adrenaline each struggled for power over the situation, fighting for their lives.
Eric
There was blood all over my hands. I looked at my palms wide open, no longer holding the weapon, instead it was in Miles’ chest. What have I done? I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t cover anything up. I got up and washed the blood off my hands. I put my hood on and grabbed the navy bandana that was in my back pocket. I wrapped it around my face and ran out of his house. I hid from the police for months. I did the only thing I knew how to do. I ran. I ran miles, and miles, and miles.
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