Chapter 5 Part 5
Kruz
It was dusk when he came to his senses, sitting against the stump of a tree in the woods near the creek. His mind was foggy and he felt a little disoriented. He looked down at his bloodied hands and fear gripped his heart. What had he done? He’d spent hours there with no recollection of what had happened. The area around him didn’t give him any clues, but the blood on his hands spoke volumes.
He ventured down a walking trail and came to the creek. He knelt forward on the bank and looked at his reflection in the water. His mouth and chin was smeared with blood streaks and he felt the nausea rising. Handfuls of water went to his face and he scrubbed the blood away. The vomit on the side of the sandy bank was red and he gagged as the blood turned to bile.
Back at the house, he opened the front door and stood on the threshold for a few seconds. The weight on his shoulders was heavy but his eyes snapped toward the stairs when something crashed in his mother’s room. His mother turned to glare at him when he opened her bedroom door.
“It’s happening,” she said, her eyes wide as she stepped away from him. The large knife in her hands was now pointed at him.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
“The devil is in you. His blood stains your soul,” she said and Kruz looked down. He hadn’t noticed the blood on his shirt.
He lifted his hands to try and calm her. “Mom, it’s okay.”
“No!” she shrieked. “It will never be okay again. He is in you. He is you. You’re like them. The darkness will consume you, fangs and blood, so much blood. The finches warned me. The signs are there. You’re the raven, peck, peck, peck. The blood never lies! What did you do, Kruz? Why are you like him?”
She swiped the knife in front of her, the blade slicing through the skin on his forearm. “Mom! You need to calm down! It’s me, Kruz. I’m going to get your pills. You’ll feel better once you take them.”
“No more pills. Fog… finches and fog, blood and fangs. They took you from me! The raven will come for you!”
Before Kruz could take another step, she lifted the knife and sliced the blade across her throat. Her eyes widened a fraction, the blood gushing from the wound. The sound of air escaping was magnified in his ears. He could hear it all, the pulsing of her blood, the thumping of her heart slowing down, the air wheezing in her throat. He clutched his ears and screamed as she slumped down to the floor, the knife clattering against the wooden dresser.
He was covered in her blood, his hands sticky as he tried to put pressure on the wound. It didn’t help. He watched the light leave her eyes, watched as she struggled and her body jerked. He watched as his skin itched, the burning sensation in his veins heated up, tingling and itching in his gums started. He watched as the room darkened and he was pulled away from her by gentle hands. He didn’t recall calling them, but he must have.
He watched as they zipped the body bag closed and placed her on the gurney. He watched as two police officers walked through his house, making notes of her medication and making calls. He was there, but he wasn’t. It felt like he was floating, having a bad dream, and he clenched his eyes shut. This could not be his reality. She couldn’t be dead.
“We’re sorry for your loss, Kruz,” one officer said.
“I failed her,” he whispered.
“You didn’t fail her, Kruz. Selene was sick. What happened wasn’t your fault,” Joseph said. Kruz wasn’t sure when Joseph arrived, but the man’s presence grounded him.
“Mr. Connel, is there someone we can call for Kruz?” The police officer looked at him with pity and Kruz hated it.
He shook his head before Joseph could answer. “There’s nobody to call. It’s just me now.” He had no other family, and didn't even know the name of his biological father. His mother had always refused to talk about him.
“I’ll take Kruz home with me. I’m the closest thing he has to family,” Joseph said.
“We’ll be in contact.”
Kruz had no recollection of going downstairs, but he must have, because he was in the living room. Joseph sat down across from him, the worry in his eyes etched deeply. Kruz’s breathing was shallow, his eyes haunted by what had happened.
“Kruz, pack some clothes. I’ll take care of things.”
“I need to clean up here,” he said softly. The stench of his mother’s blood plagued him. It was like a burning sensation that wouldn’t leave his nostrils. The air was thick with her blood and it made him want to gag and inhale deeper at the same time.
“Not tonight. The police will let me know once they’ve finished their investigation.”
Twenty minutes later, Kruz walked out of his house with Joseph, a bag slung over his shoulder. One police vehicle stood in the driveway behind his truck. They’d stay there to guard the crime scene and Kruz felt numb as he looked back.
His body moved automatically, getting out of Joseph’s truck, walking inside the house and pulling his clothes off in the bathroom. He stood in the shower, the scalding water burning his skin but washing the blood away. His body felt heavy and everything hurt. He felt like he’d been hit by a car and the sadness was overwhelming. His tears mingled with the water as he finally let everything out. The numbness spread and he let it fill him. He felt guilty too, being relieved that it was finally over. She was free from her torment and he was free from her.
Natasha sat on the edge of his bed when he exited the bathroom and tears welled up in his eyes when she got to her feet and wrapped herself around him. “I’m so sorry, Kruz. Joseph called me.”
“I couldn’t stop her,” he said as his tears broke free and rolled down his cheeks.
“It’s not your fault,” she whispered, holding him tighter. “Get into bed. I’m not leaving you tonight.”
Kruz nodded his head and followed her lead. When she was tucked against him, she kissed his chest. Her presence soothed him, but it also reminded him that he was alone and that he had no idea what his future looked like now.
“I love you, Kruz.”
He didn’t say anything and kept his eyes closed. He couldn’t say the words back to her, his heart too empty to feel anything more than regret and failure.
