Demise » Jake Fitzgerald [2]

10

"Hello?" I called out, looking inside.
I realized that it was empty, and realized what I had to do.

I walked to the side of the building, to the door to get inside of the front desk. I tried the doorknob, to find it locked.
I scoffed, and pulled out the hatchet, looking around.

I didn't see anybody, so I quickly swung the hatchet down on the doorknob, making it fall straight out of the door.
I pushed the door open, to find the small room a mess of papers.
I kicked the papers around, and jumped when the phone rang.

I walked over to it, and picked it up, no longer scared if its the killer.
"Eddie?" Noah's voice rang through the phone.
I stayed silent.
"Were looking for my friend, Summer. We were wondering if she has been up there." When he said that, I hung up and realized they'd know it was me and come up here.
I had about 15 minutes to get to the room I was here to look at and get out.

I quickly left the front desk and walked the stairs to room 281, a room Jake and i had stayed in multiple times.

Play the music now

I pulled out my car keys that had a key to the room on it, and unlocked the door.
I slowly pushed it open, and the smell of pine hit me, making me step back and struggle to catch my breath.

I stepped back into the room, and turned on the lights.
The moment I turned on the lights, I screamed.

Pictures of Jakes body were scattered all over the floor, and taped to the walls.
And they weren't just pictures from his body when it dropped, they were pictures of his body hanging, of it sitting up in a body bag, and other places.
Then I realized the killer was playing with his body. The killer didn't let him die peacefully, and didn't let him be in peace after he died.

I looked up at the ceiling, to see pictures of Jake and I together.
Pictures of us on dates to pictures of us sleeping, and doing things.

Then I noticed the red words.

How's this for a memorial?

My eyes started watering, and I heard cars pulling up and doors closing.
More than one pairs of footsteps were running up the stairs, and I looked towards the door with tears still streaming down my face.
Emma, Kieran, Audrey, Noah and Eli were all standing in the doorway.

Emma looked around, her mouth hanging open.

"Jesus Christ, Summer." Emma said, putting her hand over her mouth.

My body started shaking, not from fear, but from the crushing feeling of someone playing with my boyfriends dead body like a doll.
My knees buckled and I went to fall to the ground, but never hit it because Eli caught me.

I broke down in his arms, physically feeling my heart breaking for the hundredth time in the past two days.

Emma, Kieran, Audrey and Noah began ripping the pictures off the walls and picking them up off the floor, as Eli willed me to stand up and sit on the bed.

Emma started scrubbing the big red letters off the ceiling, while Eli and I sat on the bed, I was a mess, with my face buried in his chest as he rubbed my back.

A half an hour later, the room was clean, the pictures were gone, and Eli was slowly walking me out to his car.

"You're too much of a mess to drive home. I'll take you home, and Noah will be following behind us in your car. Okay?" Eli asked and I nodded.

He opened his passenger door for me to get in, and then got in his car, driving away from the motel.

***

"How are you doing?" Eli asked as he laid next to me on my bed.
"Not good." I replied.
"Have you thought about grief counseling?"
I shook my head.
"I don't need a shrink to tell me what I went through is obviously traumatizing. Every time I think I can hold it together, I never end up doing it. The shrink would just say the same thing my mom did." I explained.
"What'd she say?" Eli asked, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.
"My mom thinks I'm broken." I looked up at Eli. "What do you think?" I asked.
"I think you just need someone to be there for you."
I looked back down, just to have my chin tilted back up.
"And I'd be happy to be the one there."