The Burden of Silence/ chap. 1

{Not finished but I need advice.}

The sun set behind the dark rain clouds, leaving an eerie glow. Her hands shook as she pulled down her old and battered sleeves. The mere amounts of clothing she wore weren’t going to save her from the piercing rain that was sure to come later. Her only choice was to seek shelter, somewhere covered and fairly warm. Grabbing the beat up black Walmart backpack she found thrown in a dumpster two blocks away she made her way towards the rundown buildings. Her feet shuffled slowly along the ground barefoot and covered in blisters, the dirt that coated her entire body made her look twice as dark as her normal ivory skin actually was. She wondered how she got here, living hard and looking older then her years. Her teeth were rotted to the core and her hair looked like one matted knot atop her head.

The rain came quietly, like a cat stalking its prey. She picked up her pace, her feet hitting the pavement with a loud slap. Almost there, she thought to herself as she gripped her bag even tighter as if it would slip through her fingers any moment. Racing an imaginary enemy she slinked up the rough marble steps of the old school house, stopping only to grip the cold brass handle before she swung the heavy wooden door open. Once inside she looked around, it was quite except for the faint pitter-patter of the rain. Dust covered everything in a thin layer. She didn’t care, she’d seen worse, slept in worse. Tonight she was a queen, and the world was her kingdom. Slowly, because she wasn’t in a hurry to settle down, she walked the halls, peering in to class after class. She could almost imagine the children from years past laughing and learning everything she wished she could.

As the gods continued their battles in the heaven, she continued to watch her mind’s eye create image after image of smiling children. That’s when she stopped, suddenly, the smell reaching her nose. It smelled of rust and copper, a very potent smell. Taking a step back as a wave of nausea hit her she pinched her nose and continued to wards the class at the end of the hall. The door stood slightly ajar and as she got nearer the smell grew even more tenacious hitting her even harder than before. Reaching out one hand she pushed open the door the rest of the way, eyes widening. “Oh My lord,” She gasped as she took in the gruesome sight in front of her.

A child lay in the middle of the classroom, hair and clothes drenched in muddy-brown blood. Blood was splattered on the walls in almost flower like patterns, giving her the illusion of being surrounded by beauty instead of horror. Her heart raced franticly inside her chest as she backed away in fear. Outside the door she turned and fled back down the way she came, refusing to look back the way she had come. Out in the pouring rain, she sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face, in rhythm with the falling water droplets.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_

“Hello?” Colton flipped over to his side and reached one hand over to flip on his bedside lamp, a streak of lighting filling his room with a quick soft gleam.

“Hey Reece, sorry to wake you up at this hour but I just got a call from a frantic homeless women saying there is a kid in the old schoolhouse. Forensics are already heading down to the scene.”

Colton Reece sat up grabbing his black t-shirt that hung over the back of an old antique chair that belonged to his mother’s mother. “Do you know anything about this kid yet?” He asked the other officer that was on the other side of the line.

“Nothing yet, meet you down at the school in five.” With that the line went dead, Colton didn’t take any offense, he knew that time was of the essence if someone was going around murdering children.

By the time Colton made it to the scene, reporters were already lining the streets, past the sea of heads and cameras; he could see his partner Joe McNary standing underneath a black umbrella. Pushing his way through the crowd Colton noticed a young women sitting on the steps of the school wrapped in a tattered blanket, must be the homeless women who called in, he thought to himself. Making his way through the last of the crowd Colton ducked under the yellow police tape and flashed his badge to the guard. With a slight nod Colton was free to close the few feet between him and Joe, once he stood next to his partner he could glimpse the shock and disgust in Joe’s eyes.

“That bad?” He asked looking at the forensics team gliding in and out of the schools main doors.

“You couldn’t even imagine,” Joe replied glancing in Colton’s direction, “Never seen something this horrendous before, seems like this sick bastard didn’t hold back anything.”

Colton gulped, shuffling his feet slightly. “What’s the verdict?”

“Young boy, not even ten yet. Ten stab wounds to the abdomen, sick to the back of his skull. His skin is bruised in multiple places along his arms and legs and he has rope burns along his wrist. They are still looking for anything else.” Joe rubbed his face in his palms as he took several deep breaths.