Among the Dead

Alex

TWO DAYS LATER

I was getting ready to leave to go to work when I got a call from an unknown number.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Alexandra? Hi! This is officer Mills! We've found something that you might like to know about. You got a minute?"
"Uh...yeah. Yeah, I do. What's up?" I asked, putting down the shoes I was in the middle of putting on, and changing my tone to sound more professional.
"Well...we found Mara's ring. Ruby, right?" Mills asked.
"Yes! Yes, it's a ruby! Do you know where she is?" I asked, jumping at the news.
"Well...no, but we found it not too far from where she lives. So she's gotta be close," he announced, still not sounding 100% sure of himself.
"Well, that's goo news, right?" I asked.
"...Yes! Yes, of course!" Mills said, sounding like he had to reassure me.
"So, then, what's the problem?" I pried.
"No! Nothing! Nothing at all! She's...I mean...by the way this investigation is going, the odds are in her favor. But...the whereabouts of her ring is what's got us concerned."
"What's the issue concerning the whereabouts of her ring? I mean...unless you found it in the stomach of a coyote, then there would be questions."
"I thought we weren't supposed to make stupid jokes, Alexandra. You have to let me do my job, you know," Mills joked.
"Back to the point, Officer," I sneered, putting emphasis on the word officer to remind him that he was a cop and I was a newly grad he was helping. "What's the problem with where you found Mara's ring?"
"We found it next to the carcass of a deer. The deer had been ripped open. It's organs dismembered and maimed. We don't know exactly what this means, but...we're looking into it. Also, we haven't found anything out with her phone yet, but we're still looking into that, as well."
"That doesn't sound like the odds are in her favor. How is that good?" I asked.
"Well the deer hasn't been dead for long. I would say five hours at most. So she's got to be around here somewhere," he answered.
"Well...what makes you think that the dead deer has anything to do with Mara? Why would Mara kill a deer? I don't even think she has the capability of killing a deer, let alone dismembering it."
There was a long silence.
"Hey, I have to go, Alexandra. I have to talk to the chief. He needs to see me," Mills said, avoiding my question.
"Okay. Thank you, Officer Mills. I really appreciate the call," I said, feeling uneasy about my unanswered question.
"Hey, Peter. Call me Peter," he said, as I could hear him smile through the phone.
"Professional, Officer, remember? Professional," I reminded him.
"Alexandra, please. Call me Peter. I ask everyone to. Calling me Officer makes me feel...higher up than I really am. It'd make me a lot happier if you just called me Peter."
"Okay...Peter. Have a nice day," I said awkwardly, using his first name.
"You too, Alexandra."
I hung up.
I turned to look at my brother who was leaning on the railing of the steps. He had a frown on his face, and he didn't look too happy.
"Who was that? Was that that cop guy?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes, and stood from the step I was sitting on.
Cort has been bugging me about giving a cop my number for the past two days, and it's really been getting on my nerves. He really didn't like the idea. He was one of those over protective, I'll-kill-you-if-you-hurt-my-sister type.
"You going on a date with him?" Cort continued to jab when I didn't answer his first question.
"In these clothes?" I said, holding my arms out to present my work clothes which consisted of a Cincinnati Skyline Chili polo and my black pants with my hair piled on top of my head.
I wasn't even wearing any makeup. I couldn't show myself to Peter like this.
Wait...why am I thinking about going on a date with Peter? Why the hell did I care about him and what he thought?
I rolled my eyes once again, not waiting for an answer, grabbed my keys and walked out the door, not before Cort yelled, "If I ever see you two together I'm gonna kick his sorry little ass, ya hear me?"
"Yeah, whatever," I said, climbing into my little Honda Accord.
I got settled, and drove off.
As I was driving down the street, I was silently cursing the weather. It was overcast, gloomy, and wet, yet it was summer. But, that's Cincinnati weather for ya. Alice said there could be sun, thunder, snow, and a tornado all at the same time. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. Hell, I bet it has happened before.
I chuckled to myself at the memory, and looked out my window towards the woods, wondering if Mara was out there somewhere. I sighed, and looked away, but did a double take. My heart jumped into my throat as my jaw dropped. It all happened in the span of about five seconds, but it felt like five minutes.
There, in the woods, sat a man. Before it lay the cadaver of a coyote. He took the flesh of the animal into his gray, dead hands, and lifted it to his lips. He ferociously shoved it into his mouth, and swallowed it, the blood dripping down his chin. The mad man looked up from his carcass of a meal, and looked straight at me. His cataract eyes bore right into mine, sending violent chill up and down my spine. Looking into his eyes gave me a sense of loss. Like hope had been a thing of the past. Like the world has just fallen from my feet. I never had a feeling like this in my life.
The monster opened it's mouth, and it looked like it was growling the way he shaped his lips. Excess meat hung from his bloody, rotten teeth. The skin of his body was a sickly grayish yellow, and he had purple veins snaking up every crevasse of his face. He looked like he had been decaying.
His hungry eyes followed my car down the street, as did mine. Once he was gone around the bend, I couldn't help but weep. I couldn't help but feel in danger. I couldn't help but feel scare, and confused, and so, so...sure. I couldn't help but be sure....to know that that was the thing that killed Mara.