When Night Breaks

The next Monday morning I was a little more cheerful than usual. The drive to school was not plagued by slow songs on the radio, turned only a fourth of the way up. I wasn’t yawning at every red light I came to, and I didn’t need my typical morning caffeine to get me going. Even though it was a cold morning and there was still frost on the ground from the night before, I felt warm inside. It had been the best weekend I had enjoyed in a very long time. To be honest, it was the best weekend ever. But weekends always give way to Mondays. And Mondays, no matter how good they start, usually end horribly.

I pulled into the parking lot, swinging into my usual space beside Lacey. She was still sitting in her car, so I went to join her. Before I could open the passenger door to her SUV, she was stepping out.

“Sammy, did you hear?” She looked distressed and worried.

“Hear about what?”

“Ian. He’s dead, Sam.” I felt my heart stop and then start again with a quick beat.

“D-dead?”

“He was murdered. They’ve cancelled classes today because of it. They’re playing the news on the tv in the commons area.”

Without another word, I headed inside the main building on campus and went to where the tv was hanging on the wall. Lacey was beside me when the newswoman began her broadcast. Typically, the news wasn’t on at that time of the morning, but the “breaking news” special interrupted regular programming. The newswoman was standing outside somewhere, and in the background you could see a vast array of cop cars.

“According to the Elliott Spring’s Police Department the body of a local college student was found deceased in the early morning hours. Passing motorists called 911 to report a man possibly passed out or sleeping off in the woods on the side of the road. Upon arriving on scene, police determined that the victim was indeed deceased. It is still unclear how long the body had been there, but local Ian Westbrook had been missing for quite some time. We’ll have more on the developing story as the information comes in.”

I walked into the hallway and brought my hands to my face. I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath in.

“You okay?” Lacey asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. It’s just really crazy.”

“I know. They’re holding a candle light vigil tonight here on campus at 8:30. I figured I’d go to pay my respects.”

“Alright. I’ll text you later, okay? I’m going to head out. Since there’s no class today, and everyone else is mourning together, I think I’d rather be alone for a little while. Is that okay?” I didn’t want to just leave Lacey by herself, but I knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

“Yeah, I’m going home, too. Mom called and she’d rather me be there with her. She thinks it’s unsafe.”

“She may be right,” I remarked, gloomily. “I’ll see ya later.”

I walked back out to the parking lot and started my car. The cheerful tunes from earlier this morning were quickly turned off. I changed the station to a news channel to hear anymore reports that may be playing. I pulled into the parking lot of a local store when I heard the radio broadcaster speak of Ian.

“Sources tell us that Mr. Westbrook was viciously murdered and left on the side of the road. A spokesperson from the Elliott Spring’s Police Department is reporting that Westbrook had massive gashes across his face, torso, and arms. He was severely beaten, and appeared to be clawed to death by some type of large animal. It is unclear yet if the wounds were made before or after death, but it is being assumed that the large cuts caused the victim to bleed out. Although they appear animal like, it is unlikely that any local wildlife caused the injuries. It is being ruled a homicide.”

I began to shake and my heart beat began to fly. I tried to calm myself as I pulled out onto the road. I drove until I came to the long driveway that led to the chain link fence. I turned off my ignition and walked up the door.

“Samantha. What are you doing here?” Jay appeared in the doorway, still in his pajamas.

“Did I wake you?” I asked.

“No, I just finished breakfast. Leo’s at work. Come in.”

“Jay, we have a huge problem.”

“What is it?” He ushered me inside, shutting and locked the heavy door behind him.

“They found Ian’s body. He’s been murdered.” I looked for a reaction in Jay’s face. He furrowed his brow and took a seat.

“Murdered?”

“Yeah. He was beaten up really bad and…” I couldn’t finish.
“And what, Samantha?”

“They said on the radio that he had huge gashes all over him.” Jay’s eyes widened as he brought his hand up to run his unshaven chin. Before either of us could speak, the door was opening and Leo walked in.

“Jay. Samantha.” Leo looked towards me. “Sam, did you hear?”

“About Ian?” I asked.

“Yeah. I just came from campus and heard the news. I didn’t see you around so I only assumed you’d come here.”

“Wait, why were at my school?” I asked.

“I work there?” Leo’s answer came out as more of a question. “I’m one of the science professors.”

In the time that I had known both him and Jay, I had never realized or been told what Leo did for a living. I had never seen him on campus, but I didn’t take many science courses.

“I had no idea.”

“Well, that’s not important right now. Jay, they’re saying his body was ripped to shreds.” The gruesome explanation Leo gave made my stomach turn. I knew that even though Jay was probably physically capable of such violence, that he definitely not the one who did it. That lead me to more questions.

“Samantha told me.”

“We have to find out who did this. It may have something to do with you two. And if not, there may be something linking you guys to Ian. Which, obviously, is bad.” Leo said.

“Do you know anyone who disliked Ian?” Jay asked me.

“No. Everyone seemed to love him. I don’t think they really knew him, though.”

“There’s that candle light vigil tonight,” Leo spoke up. “Sam, you need to go.”

“Why? After what he did to me?”

“People will be expecting you. If you don’t show up, it’ll look as though you have a reason to not go. We don’t want that.” Leo shook his head to reiterate his point.

“He’s right, Samantha. Plus, you can be on the lookout for anyone who sticks out to you.”

I was always taught to respect the dead. Whether or not I knew them, or even liked them, I was to always show respect to them and their family. But respect was different than putting on a fake show.

“I don’t know.” I said, hesitantly.

“Please,” Jay stepped closer to me, “do it for us.”

He knew I couldn’t resist. I agreed to the plan, and stayed at Jay’s until it was time to leave. At 8 o’clock sharp, I headed to campus.



I arrived just on time before the official vigil was to being. A young woman was passing out candles to all that were gathered outside at the flag pole. I looked for Lacey, scanning the crowd. She texted me right after I got there, saying she’d be a little late, but to watch for her. I was busy paying attention to the people around me, when the young woman approached me.

“Are you Samantha?” She asked me, reaching out and touching my shoulder.

“Uhm, yeah, I am.” I hadn’t seen her before, but for some reason she knew my name.

“I’m Elizabeth Westbrook; Ian’s sister.” The resemblance then began clear to me.

“Oh. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. Ian mentioned you to me before, so I thought I’d introduce myself. I hope you know how fond he was of you.” The statement struck me with a range of emotions.

“Oh, well, thank you.”

“I know this may not be the appropriate time but had you heard from Ian before his…” She couldn’t utter the words out.

“No, I hadn’t. We had lost touch sort of.”

“Okay. I thought I would ask. We all have so many questions, and the police aren’t really keeping us in the loop completely since it’s so early in the investigation.”

“I understand. My dad’s a detective. Plus, I know what it’s like to lose a brother.” Elizabeth’s eyes showed an understanding as she reached out to touch my arm.

“It doesn’t get easier, does it?” She asked.

“Not one bit.” I was honest. She thanked me for my time, handed me a candle, and went to the front of the crowd.

Even with Ian being a cruel person, and even after all the harm he tried to cause upon me, I still felt for Elizabeth. For all she knew, her brother was a good decent person. I now had a slight connection with her; we both lost out brothers to murder. Even Jay knew that horrible heart wrenching feeling. I felt a tear drop down to my cheek as I thought about that pain; the pain for Sawyer, Jeremy, and even Ian. No one, including Ian Westbrook, deserved to die in such a gruesome and heinous way.