Dying Wish

[5]

Every face in the coffee shop found the flat screen. Seconds before the sound came on, we knew it was the news. The headline was no joke: ACCIDENT OR HOMICIDE NEAR ALPHA HIGH SCHOOL? Seven words plunged us into a quiet abyss.

The increasing volume brought us in around the point when the anchor said: "...heard an awful scream some time last night. That's what brought them to their doors. But by then... it was too late. The man you're looking at was Carl Brennan, age 29—"

The picture was up. I stepped closer to get a better view of the photo. I had to be sure. That face. I'd seen that face before. It was last night on the platform... Alice. Breathing became more difficult for me. My throat was dry all of a sudden. I creaked my neck to where Alice was. Where she stood a little too quietly.

"...Emergency medical services pronounced Brennan dead at the scene. The injuries, this has been confirmed, were related to severe burns to the body. To give us further details on this, just a horrible, horrible incident we now go to James Edison on the scene." The screen split to a man with brown hair. "James, you with us?"

"I'm here, Ben," he said.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"Well, you got the gist of it, Ben. 29 years old, Carl Brennan, dead. So much to unpack in this very complicated story. Police say they are unsure what brought Brennan to this particular neighborhood last night, as he wasn't a resident. He didn't have any friends or family living nearby, either. Officials say what also troubles them is the odd manner of death."

"You're referring to the power lines," Ben inserted, "coiling the body."

"Exactly, Ben. Downed power lines are responsible for a number of accidental deaths. They contain very high voltages. They're very dangerous. But Brennan's body was found wrapped. Almost tied up. It's simply too elaborate to be accidental or self-imposed."

"Are there any further details on how Brennan arrived in the neighborhood? Beyond the tape."

Tape? What tape?

James shook his head. "Not according to the police. Although they aren't releasing the footage, they say they have Brennan getting off at the high school station less than 20 minutes before the time of death."

Fear struck my classmates.

"Hh-he got off at Alpha?"

"That's totally insane..."

"Shhh! I can't hear."

"So, then, it's being declared a homicide?" Ben said.

"An official determination has yet to be made, Ben," James said. "Frankly, the forensics team has been here for a while now, but there hasn't been much movement we can see. A lot of head scratching, really. And with the body in such, just, awful condition, it's going to be so difficult, next to impossible to determine much of anything. This statement from the coroner, and I quote is, 'It's like the cables attacked him.' We'll keep you updated as the story develops. Ben." The screen cut back to the studio.

"All right. Thank you, James. Sounds like the police have their work cut out for them. Coming up next: how a national eating champion prepares his gullet to break a world record." He was caught muttering as the screen went to commercial, "My God, how is this news?"

That was it.

How cruel, right?

Telling this terrible news, then, if I'm not mistaken, transitioning to a bubbly commercial about superior laundry detergent. Because to Ben and James, all this was was a story to be reported. Sure— it was grotesque. But something fouler would happen in another day or so. The wheels on the bus go round and round. Unfortunately, we felt differently.

For my classmates, this was proof the world wasn't as bright as they'd been allowed to believe. Oh, some of my classmates tried to act cool about it. Suburbia was very funny like that. Hilarious, really.

Although the city was a bridge or tunnel away, little of actual consequence ever found this haven. Something as tragic and mysterious as this, in some minds, injected some relevance into their lives. A sense where they lived mattered in this big, wide world. I'd wager it was almost like adrenaline to them. There was a rush to enjoy. At least, that's what they tried to portray. I was there. Deep down, everyone was shook. You could see it on faces, you could smell it in the air.

I suffered the most, for a much different reason.

Alice was still next to me, quieter than ever. My voice was stuck in my stomach, I could barely think straight. Well, that's not true. I could think fine, but nothing good. Did Alice really—? I thought at the time. What should I do?

Do I confront her about it? No. Not if she turned that guy into barbecue. What about the other two people, did she turn them into ashes? D-Did she know I saw them following her? If she did, what would she do to me? I-I didn't want to die. Definitely not like that. It took me all of three seconds to choose the best course of action. Nothing.

That's right, I wouldn't be saying anything. In another life, that would've been enough to keep me safe. Alice had other ideas. "And Gray," she called to me. Oh, that wasn't good. "There's something else we need to talk about."

This pain in my chest, I think I had a small heart attack.

CHAPTER 2 DONE

ON TO CHAPTER 3

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