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I take a seat on the lounger on the porch, pulling out a water from the porch fridge that my dad keeps stocked. The air is becoming tight even in the fresh air. The sirens are close now.
Two cop cars and an ambulance show up, neighbors stand on their stoops to watch the commotion.
“Good morning, sir,” a uniformed officer greets me as he approaches.
I stand, and gesture inside. It’s not a good morning and I’m not going to pretend.
“I’m Detective Adrian. You’re in the Army?”
I nod.
“You just get home?”
“Last night. I told my parents to stay home. I texted my wife this morning to tell her I was on the way.”
“I’m very sorry for what happened here. Do you mind telling me everything that happened since you arrived home?” He pulls out a notebook and a pen to take notes.
“I came home and couldn’t find my family. I thought they were just trying to surprise me. Then I heard an alarm going off in my parent’s room. When I walked in, I saw a blood bath. You tell me what happened,” I say with a little bitterness. I only know what I saw, it’s their job to find the who and why.
“No one deserves the position you’re in right now. Thank you for answering. I promise we will find who did this,” he assures me.
I don’t respond, there’s nothing left to say. Nothing will make me feel better.
“I’m not sure if this has any correlation, but we received a similar call. Their son was a soldier who was coming home. He didn’t make the call, though. The same thing happened, his whole family murdered,” Detective Adrian says.
“So, we’re all targets?” I question him.
“We’re not sure, could just be a coincidence. We’ll dig into this, leave no stone unturned.”
I shrug. What’s done is done. My family is gone, I have nothing.
I watch as they carry my family members out to the ambulance, one by one. They are covered but I know who is who. When they carry out my daughter, my tears threaten to fall again. I know the minute I’m alone I will break down.
I can hear the detective saying something about the investigation but he sounds like he’s miles away. I don’t care what they do. All I know is that I don’t have anything to lose anymore, it’s been taken from me.
The funerals were a week later, after the autopsies. I don’t know how our extended family found out, but they were there, dressed in black, just like me. I hugged Jasmine’s mom, but right after the funeral, I left. I didn’t want people bugging me or hugging me, telling me to be strong and everything would be okay.
It’s not going to be okay.
I called my command and told them I’m not coming back. They said they would work it out to get me an honorable discharge. I don’t know how that will work since I have to do most of the outprocessing in person, but not my problem.
After the funeral, I went to a local bar, one I’ve been spending most of my hours at. I haven’t been back to my house after the police cleared it. I don’t have it in me. The bartender doesn’t look at me with pity, he gives me a bottle and glass, then leaves me alone. Peace of mind. It’s what I need right now.
The police are calling it a terrorist group, one that thinks the war is wrong. They hit a bunch of soldiers’ houses and killed their families. Kind of ironic since they think what we’re doing is wrong. That’s what the police put out in the news.
Detective Adrian takes a seat across from me. When he has questions, this is where I tell him to find me.
“We were able to catch two of them, thanks to your neighbor’s security camera. They admitted to the killings. They won’t give up the others, but we’re still investigating.”
At least two were caught. I should be grateful for that, but I’m not.
Since my story hit the news, I’ve also been hounded by the press, wanting statements. That’s why I like this bar. The bartender kicks them out, so I can have peace.
I’ve basically been drowning in alcohol when I haven’t been eating or paying bills. I know I need to go back to the house as some point to go through everything. But for right now, this is my routine.
