Chapter 2: Death in the Dark

A young girl finds a dead body, the brother of her boyfriend.

 

Chapter 2

Death in the Dark

 

 

            The halls of the theater house were dark. Voices came from a brightly lit room at the end of one of these corridors. The group within was oblivious to the shadowy figure slipping away from them. They chattered on, fear, anger, and hurt going unnoticed. A young man slunk through the light and into the shadows. His dark trousers were too big; his shirtsleeves were pushed up above his elbows and just below the short sleeves of his gray tunic. In his right hand he carried a purple satin necktie. His left hand was thrust into his pocket.

            Through the shadows he walked, head hung, shoulders drooping, soft leather boots silent on the flagstones. He had the air of one doomed to die about him; a single look told the looker that he was depressed. With a quick glance behind him he slipped into the girls bathroom. His steps echoed in the empty room. Across the floor and to the second stall his boots tapped. The click of the latch on the door echoed louder than his boots. Without so much as a glance at the toilet he began tying the necktie around his neck. That done he stepped onto the toilet, leaned forward, and tied the other end of the necktie to the hook on the door. Balancing precariously on his toes he pulled a knife from beneath his shirt. Without hesitation he slicked open his left wrist. Blood dripped onto the toilet seat. Switching the blade from one hand to the other he cut open his right wrist. More blood dripped to the floor; several drops sliding down the toilet bowl. Blood dripped down onto the knife hilt, making it slippery but the youth did not drop it. He wasn’t done yet. His hand now shaking he lifted the blade to his throat. Closing his eyes he pressed the edge against his skin; it was cold. With one quick motion he slit his throat. The knife fell from his hands, bouncing off the toilet seat to land on the floor amidst the blood. The youth’s eyes rolled up into his head; his body fell forward and his neck snapped as the necktie stopped him. A dull thud sounded throughout the bathroom as his body hit the door. Blood slid down the door to drip into a puddle beneath the youth’s feet. Down the hall the crowd chattered on.

 

 

            Out of the corner of her eye Marie caught the hand motion from Mike and excused herself from the conversation with her friends. Jumping off the stage and ducking around behind it she let Mike grab her hand and pull her out into the cool darkness. Laughing they ran around to the back of the building. Once out of sight of prying eyes Mike put his arms around Marie, pressed her against the wall and kissed her. In the blink of an eye Marie gave in, letting Mike have his way with her. But before he could a call reached them. Mike pulled away from Marie and, muttering angrily to himself, turned in the direction of the voice.

            “I’ll be right there mother!” he called back. Turning to face Marie once more he said, “I have to go. Ma and da will be furious if I don’t hurry. I’ll see you tomorrow Marie.”

            “Goodbye Mike,” she murmured back. They kissed one last time before Mike turned and ran off to join his mother. Marie straightened her dress and calmly walked back in the direction of the door she had exited earlier. As she reached the door Mike’s voice reached her.

            “I don’t know. He was talking to Amos Riac last I saw him,” he was saying.

            “Well, go back in and look for him. It’s getting late and we need to be going.” It was Mike’s mother and she sounded worried.

            Marie slipped back inside wondering if it was Mike’s younger brother, Joseph, who was being looked for. As she stepped in front of the stage she saw Mike moving around the room, stopping to say something to everyone he passed. Shrugging to herself she left the room and headed for the bathroom. Opening the door she stepped inside and immediately wrinkled her nose. A strange smell emanated from the stalls.

            ‘Almost like blood,’ Marie thought. She followed her nose to the second stall and tried the door-locked. She called out asking if whoever was in the stall was okay but got no response. Fright began to set in as she knelt down. Looking under the stall she barely stifled a scream with her hand. A pool of dark red blood lay before her in the stall, seeping between the cracks in the bathroom floor. In the center of the pool lay a knife that she recognized all too well. Jumping to her feet she turned and fled.

 

 

            Mike wandered down the dark hall, calling Joseph’s name repeatedly. His younger brother had gone missing sometime during the rehearsal. Sarah Billard, the pretty blonde girl in town, had been the last to see him. Wringing her hands worriedly she had told Mike how she had seen Joseph slipping away down the hall. Mike knew that Sarah liked Joseph-he was a rather handsome youth-and had promised her Joseph was fine.

            “Oh I hope so,” she had said. “He looked awfully depressed.”

            “He better be okay,” Mike muttered to himself as he traipsed down the hall. “I’m going to wring his neck when I find him.”

            Rounding the corner he opened his mouth to call Joseph’s name but stopped himself. A dark figure was hurrying towards him.

            “Joseph!” he called. “Is that you? Joseph!” He jumped when not Joseph but Marie hurtled into him. The young woman looked up into his face for a moment before burying her head in his chest and sobbing uncontrollably.

            “M-Marie? Wha-what’s wrong?” he stammered. She lifted her face to look into his. Tears stained her delicate cheeks; her eyes were wide with fright. “What happened?” he repeated. “Is it Joseph? Did he do something to you?”

            “Oh Mike!” she sobbed. “In the girls bathroom! I saw, I saw…”

            Mike didn’t wait for her to finish. “Joseph!” he screamed and tore down the hall leaving a sobbing Marie behind. Heart racing frantically, booted feet pounding the flagstones he hoped he wasn’t too late to stop Joseph, whatever he was doing. Fear pulsed through him; dread filled him. Dread of what he might find. ‘Light Joseph! Please be okay! Please!’

            He threw himself against the bathroom door and stumbled in. It was empty “Joseph!” he called. When there was no response Mike began trying the stall doors. The second one was locked. He tugged on it frantically. “Joseph! Are you in there? Bloody ashes Joseph! Open the door!” Again there was no response. Hands shaking Mike fumbled at his waist for his knife. Jiggling the blade between the lock and the door he pushed the metal latch back. He pulled the door open, wondering why it seemed so heavy. His breath caught in his throat.

            Joseph’s lifeless body hung from the door, suspended by a purple satin necktie; blood dripped from slit wrists and throat. The knife fell from Mike’s hand. He screamed and fell to his knees. Clawing at his hair he screamed. He wouldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe it. Frantic he snatched up his knife, leapt to his feet and cut Joseph down. The lifeless body weighed him down. Abandoning the knife he cradled Joseph’s body, pressed him to his chest. Hot tears stung his eyes, rolled down his checks to splash onto Joseph’s cold face.

            “Joseph!” he moaned. “Light no! You can’t be dead! You just can’t be dead! Why’d you do it Joseph! Why? Why? What did I do? What didn’t I do? Blood and bloody ashes why? Was it something I said? Were you jealous because I got the lead role in the play? Oh Light, what did I do wrong Joseph? What did I do? Bloody flaming ashes, why? Why?”

He collapsed over Joseph’s body and sobbed. Guilt anger and sorrow pressed down on his shoulders. Over and over he cried out to the air, asking whoever could hear him why. He couldn’t take it anymore. Lifting his head he screamed. He screamed until his throat was raw, tearing at his hair and face. Blood smeared on his face-his brother’s blood. Holding his hands in front of him he stared at the blood on them and began laughing hysterically. The laughter faded as it was replaced by more sobbing. His entire body shaking he collapsed once more. Tears mingled with blood and slid across flesh to drip onto the floor. Drip, drip, drip. Blood and water fell.    

Author's Note

Ignore the grammar problems please. I know they're there and will fix them. Just tell me what you think about the overall piece of work. The dialougue, story line, characters, description, things like that. Thanks. ;)