THE WOMAN SAT in the dimly lit apartment. Yet another rainy day, she could hear the pattering of raindrops hitting the window across from her. Beneath it was the eight-year-old boy, his back turned to her as he continued his slumber.
She just kept watching him. Having sat at the table for the last several minutes waiting for her partner to come out of the bathroom, she spent it just looking at the boy. The memories of her own son started creeping in, of how she would also feel relaxed watching him sleep.
Compared to the boy, who seemed untouched and clean, the woman's face was dirtied and had a few scratches. Her shirt was stained in blood and so were her hands, all sustained from the event that had happened a couple of hours ago.
The man finally came out of the bathroom. Like her, his plaid shirt had stains of red. He was wiping off his hands, which were also covered in blood. He walked over to the table she was sitting at.
"You should get cleaned up." Joel told her.
Tess didn't respond, her eyes still on Y/N on the mattress. Joel sat down on the seat across from her and then turned to look at his son as well.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Turned in pretty fast." He remarked.
"Out like a light." She finally responded. "Like nothing even happened."
Joel looked down at his hands. Dirt particles and crimson were still underneath his fingernails. He stood quiet for a moment.
"What do you think he'll...?" He began.
Tess turned to him. "Don't know. Not until he wakes up. Even then...we may never know."
The man simply nodded and looked back down. Tess continued.
"But what I do know...is that we'll never make that mistake again. Trusting those kinds of people."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
