Page 38 of A Silence So Divine

Once I’m dismissed, I stalk out of the room on leaden feet. Keeping my posture rigid, I pass the dozens of men that are heading home for the night. Men with families,children, all coming together to murder innocents.

One day, I will burn this entire place to the ground.

The moment the door to my truck is shut, the pedal is to the floor and I’m spitting gravel up behind me. It takes 37 minutes to get to the house, and I shout the entire way, barely able to focus on the road ahead of me. More than once I smack my palm against the steering wheel, urging the ancient vehicle to go faster. The entire cab shakes, but it never makes it over 80.

A sliver of sunlight still peeks over the horizon as I pull down the long dirt trail that leads to the property. I’m frantic, eyes flickering side to side as I check for signs of visitors. I can tell the front door is closed, and all the lights in the house are off but one. The kitchen. Blowing out a breath, my anxiety ebbs by a fraction. Creed is probably preparing dinner while Eden sits on the countertop, same as always.

I’m almost to the end of the drive when something near the pond catches my attention. I do a double, then triple take. The reeds are high, so I’m only able to make out pale skin and dark hair.

Dread roots in my chest, tightening like a vice around my heart. The truck lurches forward with the slam of the brakes, the transmission grinding as I throw it into park. I don’t shut the door, my entire focus on reaching her. Even from here, I know something is wrong.

“Eden?” I call out, hurried strides eating the distance between us.

She doesn’t turn to look at me. She doesn’t even twitch.

What little daylight is left glints off of something beside her, and it only takes a second for me to recognize the barrel of a shotgun. In an instant, I’m sprinting across the muddied ground.

“Eden!” I call again, panic lacing my words.

That’s when I see it. I’m so stunned, I trip over my feet and nearly tumble to the ground.

Lying next to Eden is the corpse of a man. And he is… unrecognizable. Red rivers run from his eyes, his nose, his mouth, soaking every inch of him. The veins in his face and neck bulge as well, as though each capillary burst beneath the skin. It’s the most gruesome thing I’ve seen, and I’ve witnessed murder in every way imaginable.

It’s impossible to make sense of.

The vision of Eden’s face will haunt my dreams for years to come. She is covered in as much blood as the man beside her. Only wide, unseeing eyes peek through a sheet of crimson.

Dropping to my knees, I grip her by the shoulders. Violent trembles tear through her, and I canhearher teeth chattering.

“Are you hurt?” I ask frantically, my hands flitting over her body in search of a wound. There’s so muchblood,and no way of knowing whose is whose.

I’m met with silence. Pushing her hair back, I grip her cheeks between my palms. The usual shiny locks are crusted over and stuck in place. Her skin is bitterly cold.

“Look at me, Eden. Is the blood yours?” I jostle her, trying to force some life back into the living statue between my palms.

Ever so slowly, her eyes shift until they’re staring directly into mine. A harsh murmur passes her lips, and I lower my head closer to hers.

“I killed, I killed, I killed, I killed.” Her voice is so hoarse that I don’t know how she’s able to speak at all.

With a curse, I pull her into my chest and cocoon her in my arms. I can’t imagine how she was able to fight this man off, but I have a feeling she wasn’t using her fists.

“You’re okay, sweetheart. Everything’s gonna be okay,” I choke out, scooping her into my arms and pushing to my feet. I’ll take care of the body later. For now, I have to get Eden inside. The muttering persists, and her words chill me to the bone. Her cheek pressed to my collarbone, I do my best to speak soothing words. In all honesty, I’m drowning out the admission of her sin. I can’t bear it.

“I’m gonna take care of you, alright? I’ve got you,” I whisper into her hair. Whether or not she can hear me, or if she’s listening in the first place, I have no clue.

The scent of copper is so heavy that I breathe through my mouth.

It takes a few tries to open the front door without her falling to the ground, but once the latch clicks I kick it the rest of the way open. My boots track mud across the old carpeting as I race towards the kitchen.

Having felt the vibrations of my heavy footfalls, Creed turns away from the stove and catches sight of us. All color drains from his face, and the tomato sauce covered spoon clatters to the ground, painting the tiles. It looks nauseatingly similar to the stains on Eden’s flesh.

“What—”Creed signs, his eyes bulging as he stares at the limp girl in my arms.

“Come,” I demand, counting on him to read my lips. He whips around to flip off the burner before taking off after us.

Initially, my plan was to take her straight to bed and bury her in blankets, but with the amount of blood and mud caked on her body, I bypass the bed and head into the bathroom. Sitting on the edge of the large tub, I turn the faucet on, balancing Eden on my knees. Her rambling is mostly inaudible, but her lips move frantically.

“Shhhh, you’re alright. We’re gonna get you cleaned up, alright?” If my voice reaches her, she shows no recognition. Her eyes are vacant and dull, staring at a spot on the wall yet nowhere at all.