A STUDY IN BLACK ✓

XIII

"Slow down, where are we going?" Dallon asked as Tyler barked directions from the passenger seat of his police car. Josh was bracing himself in the back, praying that they didn't get into an accident.

They stopped in front Josh's apartment, which was Josh's first red flag. Tyler got out first, followed closely behind by Dallon and Josh.

"What's he doing?" Josh asked.

Dallon shrugged, but cigarette number four was between his lips in record time. Josh didn't know what made him more nervous- Dallon's silence, or Tyler's mania.

They climbed the steps to Josh's apartment, the police tape replaced by blood. Tyler slammed the door open and began to literally rip apart his room.

He moved furniture, messed up his drawers, even goin as far as the rip away the sheets of his bed in search of... something.

"Tyler, slow down," Josh said. "What are you looking for?"

"It must be here, there's nowhere else it could possibly be," Tyler mumbled, throwing the fridge door open and tossing everything out.

Dallon pointed down the hall and then to the bathroom. "You check there, I'll check here."

They split up. Josh walked into the laundry room, opening the cabinets first. There was nothing but a first aid kit, a couple half empty bottles of detergent, and stain remover. He opened the washer machine, the strong stench of blood hitting him, and backed up into the wall.

Pressing himself into the wall, Josh cried out for Tyler, who came running. Tyler grabbed his arm and asked him what he found, but Josh just shook his head and swallowed.

He couldn't rip his eyes away from the disembodied head inside the washer, the blonde locks tangled with blood and dirt. The head's blue eyes still open. Tyler followed his gaze, let go of Josh, and ran.

Dallon showed up after Tyler, reacting faster than Tyler. He whipped his phone out and called his station, telling them they found a head and giving them the address.

"That- that's not-"

"No," Dallon said, reading his mind. "It's not her. I know her. She wouldn't die this easily."

"Then who is it? And where's the rest of her?"

A crash came from down the hall, followed by Tyler screaming. Josh and Dallon looked at each other and sprinted to where Tyler sat on the floor in front of Josh's walk-in closet. For some reason, he was still screaming.

Dallon's unlit cigarette fell from his lips.

A naked body hung from the door, the noose digging into the girl's neck. Her chest and pelvis was mutilated, almost like she'd been out through a shredder. Rope burns were visible around her wrists and ankles, and blood was still dripping from her.

Written into her stomach with her own blood, were five words that made no sense, but brought a rise out of Tyler.

BL ACK TW E NT YON E MOR NI N GA LBA TR O SS

"She was just killed," Josh whispered, a wave of nausea hitting him. "The killer's still here."

Tyler had stopped screaming and was now rocking in place, babbling nonsense.

"Tyler, did you find a murder weapon?" Dallon asked.

Tyler kept rocking, as if in a trance. Dallon knelt beside him and put a hand on Tyler's shoulder, making him jump and scream again.

"Tyler."

He looked up, and for the first time, Josh saw pure terror in his eyes. It wasn't just any terror- he was reliving something terrible.

"Did you find a murder weapon," Dallon said more sternly this time. Tyler shut up and pointed deeper in the closet.

"I touched it, but it wasn't me. It wasn't me, I only touched it. I didn't know, it wasn't me," Tyler tucked his head between his knees and started shaking.

Josh unfroze when Dallon returned with a machete and a kitchen knife. His kitchen knife.

He ran to the bathroom, grabbing his small trash can and throwing up. Tears spiked his eyes and he couldn't quite breathe, but he couldn't stop throwing up. He would think as a military vet that he would be immune to gruesome situations, but it just made his time serving even worse knowing that everything that was happening now was possibly a result of the things he did overseas.

When he regained his composure and washed out his mouth, Josh returned. Tyler had his legs tucked into his chest, face hidden. His fingers were tapping furiously against the back of his head, and he kept mumbling the words over and over again.

He kept scratching furiously at the nape of his neck to the point where he broke skin. But he barely noticed, if he did at all.

"Black, twenty one, morning, albatross, black, twenty one, morning, albatross..."

Josh knelt in front of him, hesitantly putting a hand on Tyler's knee. He didn't flinch like Josh thought he would, but he didn't acknowledge his existence.

"Black, twenty one, morning, albatross. Black, twenty one, morning, albatross."

"Tyler."

His voice must've broken Tyler out of his trance, because he lived his head, foggy eyes clearing. He smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, super soldier. Come to save me?"

His demeanor was completely different, making Josh wonder if this part of Tyler, the cold and confident side he always showed, was a facade.

"What was that?" Josh asked, ignoring Tyler's comment.

Tyler didn't respond, just leaning over and kissing Josh. Josh put a hand on Tyler's shoulder, pulling away enough to look Tyler's eyes.

"Don't ignore me. You completely shut down. I didn't- I've never seen you act like that."

Tyler shrugged, obviously not wanting to meet Josh's eyes. He wrapped his arms tighter around his legs when Josh lifted his chin to force him to make eye contact.

"I guess you don't know me as well as you thought."