justprompts What do you consider the worst day of your life?
They called him, well, she called him up because she didn't want to go out there by herself and she didn't trust herself to drive. He didn't think it was Josh, because she sounded way too calm and if it really was him she wouldn't sound that calm. But they hadn't heard from him for almost a whole day. And he wasn't at home. Or at practice, or anywhere he should have been.
He picked her up at her house; she was wearing one of those pretty floral tunic blouse things and a pair of blue jeans. She looked like they were going out on a date.
"Hey..." He even held the door for her. She was kind of like that, inspiring gentlemanly behavior in everyone. Josh had been a shut up, don't think like that total gentleman anyway, maybe that was why.
"Hey."
He waited till they were on their way out to ask. "Were you two, um..."
"We were supposed to go out to lunch and see a movie after practice..."
And practice was supposed to be over an hour and a half ago. Dale didn't like it. Kindra didn't like it either, but she sat very still in the other seat, one foot curled up on the edge of the cushion and biting at her thumbnail as she stared out of the window.
He realized she hadn't given him directions, if she even knew what they were. "So, where..."
"Turn left," she said, quiet and broken voice. "On Old Mill Road."
Dale knew where that was. Kind of, but there had been a haunted house there last year that they'd all gone to, a whole gang of them. Him and Jamal and her and Josh and Danny and Ted and what's her name. And a couple others. They'd gone to the haunted house and then they'd grabbed root beers and burgers and drawn things in on the snow in ketchup and mustard packets.
He probably would have found it anyway, what with the police cars around the turn-off.
"Hey, um..." He started in before the officer could tell them to move along. "You guys called Kindra Beckinsale, asked her if she could..." Identify a body. He jerked a thumb at her in the passenger seat, wondering a little why they were calling her down here to identify a body. Rather than at the morgue. Or something.
"Go on through."
It was a heavy day. It had been sunny earlier in the morning, pretty cool, and now it felt heavy. Like it was going to rain. The sky had that blue-through-gray look, the air was thick with something. And there was a weird smell as they got closer. He rolled the windows up, turned on the AC, pitiful as it was.
The car was parked in the middle of the field, in the middle of a clearing that looked more as though it had happened from being trampled down than anything else. Two more cop cars were parked to either side of the familiar maroon car in the middle, but at least one of them was pulling away. Maybe that was why they'd wanted her here. If they'd thought it was a homicide, but they wanted to get her reactions and see if she was a suspect, then, maybe now they'd changed their minds? Stop thinking like that, dammit.
They got out of the car. Opened the doors, set foot to grass, and then she still had only one foot on the ground by the time he got out and stood up and walked around his car. Which gave him a good view from the left rear wheel.
Josh owned a maroon four door muscle car. No one knew really how he'd gotten it, just that he'd paid a few hundred bucks for it and he and Ted spent half their time fixing up the damn thing. Mostly Ted, because Josh wasn't that kind of engineer. Not yet, anyway. But he polished and buffed the damn thing like he'd hand-crafted it, and it was fun to all pile in and see how many could fit when they drove down to the McDonalds or the movies or the whatever for a weekend out. It was probably fun for him and Kindra in the back seat, too. And that was when Dale realized he was remembering all that so he wouldn't have to look at the back seat as it was now, which was covered in, well, maroon. Among other things.
"Hey, miss, are you..." Dale looked over his shoulder in time to see Kindra tottering towards the car. Before he knew what he was doing he was getting between her and the cops, her and everything. At least, he thought, crazily and wildly, he was pretty big. Be hard for her to see around him.
"Kindra... babe, no. You don't want to see this." I don't want to see this. I don't want to know this. Don't make me look in there.
"But... that's his car..." She pointed, tiny finger pointing at the back end of the sedan, waving her hand around on the end of her wrist. "That's his car... is he in there?"
"I think..." which was all she got out before she ran around him and opened the door and looked inside.
He came up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around while part of him turned his head to look even though he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't right. His mind broke into several different pieces and babbled at him how it wasn't right, his head wasn't supposed to be that way, where was his face, which part was his face, there's blood on his shirt that shit never comes out, oh god, oh god oh god oh god...
Which was what Kindra was screaming. She was screaming, and he turned away, he had to turn away because that couldn't be real, that couldn't be his friend, Josh, wide laughing Josh, the only guy he knew who laughed bigger than he did. He wrapped his arms around her and carried her, because it was all he could think of to do, kicking and screaming back to the car and dumped her in the passenger seat where she'd left her door open. And he expected her to fight back but she didn't, she just sat there rocking and clutching her head like she didn't want it in there, didn't want this knowledge in there, but it was. It was in both of them right now, like poison, corroding them like acid from the inside out and there wasn't a goddamn thing he could do about any of it.
He picked her up at her house; she was wearing one of those pretty floral tunic blouse things and a pair of blue jeans. She looked like they were going out on a date.
"Hey..." He even held the door for her. She was kind of like that, inspiring gentlemanly behavior in everyone. Josh had been a shut up, don't think like that total gentleman anyway, maybe that was why.
"Hey."
He waited till they were on their way out to ask. "Were you two, um..."
"We were supposed to go out to lunch and see a movie after practice..."
And practice was supposed to be over an hour and a half ago. Dale didn't like it. Kindra didn't like it either, but she sat very still in the other seat, one foot curled up on the edge of the cushion and biting at her thumbnail as she stared out of the window.
He realized she hadn't given him directions, if she even knew what they were. "So, where..."
"Turn left," she said, quiet and broken voice. "On Old Mill Road."
Dale knew where that was. Kind of, but there had been a haunted house there last year that they'd all gone to, a whole gang of them. Him and Jamal and her and Josh and Danny and Ted and what's her name. And a couple others. They'd gone to the haunted house and then they'd grabbed root beers and burgers and drawn things in on the snow in ketchup and mustard packets.
He probably would have found it anyway, what with the police cars around the turn-off.
"Hey, um..." He started in before the officer could tell them to move along. "You guys called Kindra Beckinsale, asked her if she could..." Identify a body. He jerked a thumb at her in the passenger seat, wondering a little why they were calling her down here to identify a body. Rather than at the morgue. Or something.
"Go on through."
It was a heavy day. It had been sunny earlier in the morning, pretty cool, and now it felt heavy. Like it was going to rain. The sky had that blue-through-gray look, the air was thick with something. And there was a weird smell as they got closer. He rolled the windows up, turned on the AC, pitiful as it was.
The car was parked in the middle of the field, in the middle of a clearing that looked more as though it had happened from being trampled down than anything else. Two more cop cars were parked to either side of the familiar maroon car in the middle, but at least one of them was pulling away. Maybe that was why they'd wanted her here. If they'd thought it was a homicide, but they wanted to get her reactions and see if she was a suspect, then, maybe now they'd changed their minds? Stop thinking like that, dammit.
They got out of the car. Opened the doors, set foot to grass, and then she still had only one foot on the ground by the time he got out and stood up and walked around his car. Which gave him a good view from the left rear wheel.
Josh owned a maroon four door muscle car. No one knew really how he'd gotten it, just that he'd paid a few hundred bucks for it and he and Ted spent half their time fixing up the damn thing. Mostly Ted, because Josh wasn't that kind of engineer. Not yet, anyway. But he polished and buffed the damn thing like he'd hand-crafted it, and it was fun to all pile in and see how many could fit when they drove down to the McDonalds or the movies or the whatever for a weekend out. It was probably fun for him and Kindra in the back seat, too. And that was when Dale realized he was remembering all that so he wouldn't have to look at the back seat as it was now, which was covered in, well, maroon. Among other things.
"Hey, miss, are you..." Dale looked over his shoulder in time to see Kindra tottering towards the car. Before he knew what he was doing he was getting between her and the cops, her and everything. At least, he thought, crazily and wildly, he was pretty big. Be hard for her to see around him.
"Kindra... babe, no. You don't want to see this." I don't want to see this. I don't want to know this. Don't make me look in there.
"But... that's his car..." She pointed, tiny finger pointing at the back end of the sedan, waving her hand around on the end of her wrist. "That's his car... is he in there?"
"I think..." which was all she got out before she ran around him and opened the door and looked inside.
He came up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around while part of him turned his head to look even though he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't right. His mind broke into several different pieces and babbled at him how it wasn't right, his head wasn't supposed to be that way, where was his face, which part was his face, there's blood on his shirt that shit never comes out, oh god, oh god oh god oh god...
Which was what Kindra was screaming. She was screaming, and he turned away, he had to turn away because that couldn't be real, that couldn't be his friend, Josh, wide laughing Josh, the only guy he knew who laughed bigger than he did. He wrapped his arms around her and carried her, because it was all he could think of to do, kicking and screaming back to the car and dumped her in the passenger seat where she'd left her door open. And he expected her to fight back but she didn't, she just sat there rocking and clutching her head like she didn't want it in there, didn't want this knowledge in there, but it was. It was in both of them right now, like poison, corroding them like acid from the inside out and there wasn't a goddamn thing he could do about any of it.