Unfiended

Chapter 7

Everything seemed to erupt, and Seth felt like he was being buried under the chaos. Kevin wouldn't stop barking, struggling in his arms. That infernal video kept playing on a loop, making Seth wonder just how many devices were in the house. His heart was beating so hard he was surprised his ribs hadn't cracked yet, and just beneath it all, there was a low keening sound. "Sorry, bud," Seth murmured, kissing Kevin's head before putting him in the guest bathroom down the hall and closing the door. As much as he wanted to comfort his dog, he needed to find Becky first, and that would be far more difficult if the little Yorkie was running free.

Seth tried to focus on his breathing as he ran back to the master bedroom, heading directly for the en suite bathroom. It was easier to hear the shower now, even though it was still far quieter than the looping video. "Becky?" he called out, trying to keep his voice calm. He had thought these days were long over, the days of being afraid to leave her at home because she might wander off or hurt herself or zone out and inadvertently put herself in danger. As he closed the en suite door behind him, he was surprised to see no steam on the vanity mirror; the temperature was low enough that Seth flinched. He could see a huddled form in the back corner of the shower and he approached slowly. "Becks, it's me." As he inched forward, he was glad that the only red he could see seemed to be her hair.

By the time he reached the shower, Seth could barely hear the video anymore, but the words were lodged in his head, spiralling around and snagging on every thought, every hope, every fear. He shook his head to clear it and reached for the shower controls, but Becky's hand clasped around his wrist like a vise. "Don't. Don't. I can't hear it in here."

When Becky looked up at him, soaked and shivering, Seth was frozen for a moment. Her pupils were huge and hazy, her skin turning purplish-red from the cascade of cold water. "Becks, you can't stay in here. You'll get too cold." Seth lowered her hand slowly and tried to get a good look at her, but she was all huddled in on herself. She might have been wearing a tank top and panties, but he couldn't tell for sure. "I'll go get my headphones and be back to help you dry off, okay?"

Seth was sure his noise-cancelling headphones were down in the game room, but mercifully they were on the dresser. He grabbed them and the small, simple MP3 player he took along while jogging—its screen far too small and low-tech to show videos, mercifully—and brought both into the en suite. When he showed the headphones to Becky and tried to coax her out, though, she adamantly refused, pressing her face to her knees. "It's still playing. I . . . I saw what I did." She started rocking back and forth, and Seth quickly set the headphones on the vanity by the MP3 player so he could get in the shower before she could try bashing her head against the wall. "No one told me. Why didn't anyone tell me? I . . . I hurt Charlotte. Charlotte." Then she started wailing again, digging her fingers into her knees, and Seth could see from the indents and the bruising that she had already done some damage.

"Becks, stop. You're okay. She's okay." Even though the cold water seemed to sting, Seth sat on the shower floor and hugged Becky close, pressing his lips to her forehead. She was wearing a thin tank top and panties, but both were utterly soaked through. "But we need to get you dried off and warmed up, okay?" He stood slowly, drawing her to her feet at the same time and moving to the far end of the shower where the water didn't quite reach. "Let's get you out of these first."

Becky tried to help, but shivers were overtaking her entire body, so Seth tugged off her tank top and underwear as quickly as he could, abandoning them on the shower floor. When he eased her out of the shower and wrung as much water out of her hair as he could, she tried to stay still. "I got water everywhere," she whispered, teeth chattering. "I'm making a mess of everything. . . ."

"It's fine, Becky. It's nothing." Once her hair was no longer dripping, he wound it into a bun as best he could; her hair was far longer than his, though, and he was sure his attempt would fail at any second. Seth dried off the rest of her gingerly, worried about damage to her skin. Then he grabbed his robe off the back of the door and opened it up. "Come on," he beckoned, trying to keep his voice level. He wanted nothing more than to panic and bundle her off to the hospital right away, but he knew she would pick up on his anxiety and amplify it.