Crossfire - Book 1 - S.H.

Chapter 4: The body

Shelley could hear the indistinct chatter of the policemen around her house from her place sitting on the floor of her bathroom, but it wasn't as if she cared much. Not when all she could hear inside her head were Hopper's words to her once he had found Shelley and her family sharing an impromptu hug in the middle of the road leading to their house.

Will is dead. We found his body in the lake.

Shelley whimpered again when something rose up from her stomach and, soon enough, she was puking out everything she had eaten that day, emptying her stomach again and again until she had nothing more to puke out - until everything that came out of her were tears, sobs, pure bile and an indescribable guilt she didn't exactly know how to deal with.

She could tell everyone outside could hear her, but she didn't care. She had talked to the cops once and once was enough. She didn't need to relive the fact that, the day her little brother had gone missing on the way home, she wasn't around to protect him like she knew she was supposed to. So when Powell knocked on the door of the bathroom asking Shelley if there was anything she needed, she didn't bother answering at all. In fact, she didn't bother answering anyone at all untilit was Jonathan's voice coming through the door.

"Shell?" He called, his voice hoarse and shaky, much like Shelley was sure hers would be too if she tried to speak at all. "You okay in there? Shell?"

"Fine." She managed to croak out, sighing when she heard Jonathan doing the same from the other side of the door.

"Come on out, Shell, please." Jonathan almost begged and the tone of his voice alone almost made Shelley want to vomit again. "I don't like you being alone right now."

In a way, Shelley also didn't like that idea either. And something in the way Jonathan said it made her think he didn't want to be left alone either. So, in spite of the pain in her body and the ache in her heart, Shelley pushed herself off the bathroom floor, mumbling a quiet coming as she rushed over to the sink to rinse her mouth quickly before pulling open the bathroom door.

"Hi." Shelley mumbled as soon as she saw Jonathan standing there in front of her, his eyes puffy and his face all red, much like she knew hers was too.

"Hey." He responded.

And, without another word, Jonathan was pulling his sister into his arms in a tight hug as the two of them struggled not to cry again as they held one another - as if, maybe, having their sibling's arms wrapped around their body could, somehow, mend the cracks in their hearts. They knew it was a foolish attempt. There was nothing either of them could do to possibly fill the void that their little brother had left in them, but, at the moment, that was the best they could do.

"The cops are still here?" Shelley asked, her voice muffled by her face being pressed against Jonathan as she felt, rather than saw, him nodding in agreement.

"Talking to mom." He said.

"And how is it going?" Shelley asked, biting her lip when Jonathan just shook his head and, instead of answering, just sort of guided his sister back into the living room.

"No, you don't understand..." Joyce was arguing with Hopper when her two remaining kids made their way closer to her. "I talked to him... A half hour ago. He was... He was here. He was... He was talking with these."

Shelley watched as her mom walked around their messy living room, picking up a bundle of Christmas lights and showing it to Hopper. For a moment, Shelley actually thought Hopper would snap at her mother. After all, Chief Jim Hopper had never been known for his patience. But, this time, as much as Joyce was talking absolutely nonsense, Hopper barely reacted. Maybe, having lost his own daughter before made Joyce's pain a little easier for him to understand and deal with.