Demon Storm

Part 12 - Free Falling

The tension and silence in the car felt so thick that Lowe was sure he was going to choke on it. Matheson's knuckles were white as they gripped the steering wheel, his jaw clenched as tears slid slowly down his cheeks just like the raindrops on the car's windows. His driving was even more erratic as he sped along down the slick roads and Lowe found himself grabbing the handle on the roof of the car with every turn, sometimes with both hands.

"Jeez, Matheson... You aren't going to be able to do anything if we can't get there in one piece," Lowe said softly. 

Matheson simply stomped down on the brakes, jerking the wheel to bring the car to a sudden stop before flying out of the car and into the rain in one smooth movement. He was immediately soaked from head to toe, but it was obvious that he didn't care as he dashed up the steps and wrenched the door open, head snapping left and right as he entered with his pistol drawn. 

Lowe swore under his breath before jumping out into the torrential downpour himself, the sheets of the rain even harder to see through on foot than in the car before Matheson had switched on the wipers. 

He reached the doorstep and only silence greeted his ears. 

"Matheson? I'm coming in," Lowe called, not wanting to catch a reaction-fire bullet from his partner. 

There was no response. 

Lowe commenced his own sweep of the house, only making it through two rooms before he heard it. 

Over his career, he was forced to deliver bad news to so many parents who had lost their children in some unfortunate way. Assaults, drunk drivers, over-doses... The list was endless, and so were the screams of anguish that came from the mothers at the news that they would never again get to hold their beloved child again in their arms, alive and well. He would never forget any of those moments, the screams still hovering around in his subconscious, torturing him some nights when it was impossible to retreat into the sanctuary of a dreamless sleep. 

But this sound was different; it was so much worse. 

The most blood-curdling, soul-crushing scream that he had ever had the misfortune of hearing came from just down the hallway. 

Lowe dashed into the room only to be stopped in his tracks by what he saw. 

His partner was hunched over, clinging to the remains of his once beautiful girlfriend where she lay in tatters on the floor, blood sprayed over every inch of the room, dying the once cream-coloured walls a viscous tone of red. A hand, nearly stripped of every inch of skin and muscle reached out from underneath Matheson, flapping around as sobs shook his body. The rest of what Lowe could see of the body was similar to the state of the hand, as the smell hit his nose and he couldn't help but gag. 

"Get out," Matheson said, so quietly that Lowe almost couldn't tell that he had spoken at all. 

"What?"

"I said 'GET OUT'," Matheson screamed, tears, sorrow and rage all making his voice break on the last words. 

Lowe opened his mouth, wanting to comfort him in some way, but he knew that once again, no words could possibly make this situation any better. In silence, he turned and left the room and walked out onto the covered porch to get away from the smell. The rain still fell heavily, as if it was trying to wash the world away in a great flood just like in the old bible story. 

"If this keeps up, maybe all the evil will be washed away... Probably most of the good, too," Lowe mumbled aloud. He snorted at the thought before reaching inside his jacket pocket with shaking hands. Lowe didn't smoke often, usually only in moments of high stress as to calm his nerves. Even then he would make sure to smoke only one before tucking the pack away, determined not to let the little white and tan sticks get the better of him. He knew too many good people that had thrown their lives away on cigarettes, enjoying every puff they could get as well as not being able to function without the seductive draw of nicotine rushing through their veins. He kept telling himself that he'd go completely cold turkey if he ever got to that point, and so far, it hadn't.