Anchor's Lifted

Anchor's Lifted Cont-d

As the sun moved in reflection towards the edge of the water, Aruna and Charity watched the colors change and felt the wind shift in its temperature. Aruna marveled at the moving portrait on the water. She would have to go work and make up the errands she put off today for the rest of the week so she made sure to take in most of the moment she was in.

Charity's urge to run into the sunset sent them both to the edge of the water. Aruna ran toward the water and then ran away from the waves as they went back and forth. It was a habit she had kept doing since she was a kid. When the deep red stains of sand first appeared, Aruna had tried to take in the art of nature. Then the water had begun to match the sand in color and the unfamiliarity of this moment slowed Aruna down. Her footsteps maneuvered around the red while still following the new addition of color to the beach.

Not realizing that she was holding herself, Aruna laid eyes on the artist who had changed the landscape. There was only one blue flip flop. The khaki pants were pulled up to the knee, stained with the same red that drifted down the shore line. The color deepened as it soaked the previously white shirt. The chill in the air quickly became frost. Aruna stood without moving. Then her eyes met his. Wide open and frozen as if he was surprised to see Aruna there. Then in the same instant his eyes set onto her. Locking into place the feeling of dread she had stumbled upon. The waves spilled over them with no hesitation. The blood streaks on his neck went in every direction. Aruna's foot planted itself in an unhelpful position. As the dark started to encapsulate her, she heard Charity running up from the direction she came from.

"Ru, what is that?" The uneasiness in Charity's statement haunted the scene.

"Ru? You okay?" Charity's voice was getting closer and more unsettling.

"I-" Aruna couldn't break eye contact with the man. "I dont...I um..He's.." The breaks in Aruna's voice were signs of caution for Charity.

"I'm going to call nine-one-one. Ru back up from there." Charity, already nervously dialing on her phone, took some steps back. Aruna stayed locked in the sand.

"Aruna." Hearing her full name jolted Aruna from her placement. She backed away in trembled steps as she searched for Charity's voice. His eyes continued to stay on her.

The police had come quickly. It wasn't surprising since the precinct was a few blocks away. Aruna tried to recount her exact steps up until the body found her. She had run along the shore line for a bit when the blood trail started. The police asked her for as many details as she could muster, details she couldn't remember. She hadn't seen many people on the beach during the day, she didn't know the man and hadn't recognized his face, and for the most part she was okay. A little shaken up, a little unsafe, and unable to close her eyes but she was okay, if that's what that meant.

Charity had given her account of what she had seen while Aruna waited with a blanket over her shoulders. Nolan arrived a short while later and dropped Aruna home.

"Ru, you shouldn't be alone tonight." Charity was adamant about staying over Aruna's for the night.

"I'm good, Tee. I just need to shower and rest. Nolan please get our worrywart home safe." Aruna knew that Charity hated when she used Nolan as a means to divert her. She hadn't done it often but sometimes it was necessary. Tonight was something like that.

"Of course, but I'm with Tee on this one. I'm sure you're fine-" Nolan studied Aruna's body language.

"I am. I'm just tired and it's been an eventful night. Please don't fret over this. Get home safe." Aruna scurried into the house ignoring the objections behind her.

The house was as she left it earlier. Empty and clean. After locking the doors and double checking, Aruna slumped against the stairs. As she climbed them she left a trail of lights turned on behind her. She needed to shower and sleep away the day's ending. The shower sounded nice as the warm water streamed from the shower head.

With her eyes unfocused, Aruna climbed in the bath and stood for a few minutes under the warmth and pressure. Wanting nothing more than to wash away the last hour, Aruna hung her head low so that the water would flow down her back. When the streaks of deep red had begun to stream into the drain, Aruna stumbled back into the shower wall. Her legs moved quickly this time, mimicking the quickness of her heartbeat with every jump they made. Aruna went for the soap and smothered it over her legs. She hadn't noticed the blood on her ankles before she had gotten in the shower and although there wasn't that much of it, Aruna washed and re-washed herself about four times before she calmed down.

She lingered in the shower, underneath the stream for a long moment before she turned the water off. The bath mat under her feet caught the droplets falling from her skin as she swaddled herself in a towel and then a light blue robe on top of the towel. Her eyes drooped slowly as she made her way to her bed by muscle memory. The pajamas she left out went ignored as she climbed under her sheets and stuffed the sides of those sheets under her legs so they wouldn't move. With her arm underneath the pillow for maximum comfort, Aruna's mind played back the day for her. Her legs twitched under the sheets causing them to lose stability and the pillow was too hot.

The sound of nothing echoed through the room and with it came the dead man's eyes. Aruna jerked upright and shook her head trying to shake the image loose. The sound of silence increased and Aruna couldn't hear her own thoughts. The windows being closed caught Aruna's attention and she jumped up to open them. Her robe disheveled and herself frightened Aruna turned on the TV. The Cove news played and there the man was again. This time a sketch of his face. Still it was enough for Aruna to wish that Charity was next to her. That Mom and Dad were there despite her claims of being independent and an adult. She flipped through the channels until she found some late night game shows. She turned up the volume of the television and moved her position from the center of the bed to the corner next to the wall. In that corner she could watch the door and be far from it.

Aruna stayed awake for most of the night. She tried her best to focus on pieces of the room and found that they were losing their calm. Each time she would drift to sleep by fixing her gaze on small moments in the room. Each of those drifts lead her to close her eyes and picture his. A man died tonight. Whoever he was, unknown to Aruna and if she hadn't found him, his death would have been insignificant to Aruna as well, whoever he was, he sure left his mark for her to bear. The man's eyes and his stiff pale face were what lingered when Aruna closed her eyes. Finally, getting some actual sleep, Aruna had drifted to her spot at the beach. Interrupted by the streaks of red leaking from the rock. She found herself asleep and stuck. The panicked breaths quickened as she backed away in the sand. Aruna hadn't had a nightmare since she was a kid back in Charlotte. She would usually run into her parents room and lie directly in between them. Being sandwiched between her dad kissing her head and her mom tussling her hair allowed her to forget that was something scary just moments before. Now Aruna laid in the middle of four walls that were beginning to lose their touch.

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