SHEOL

10

I woke up at around five o'clock that evening. It was bittersweet, leaving one dreadful place and entering another. I crawled out from the loft, it wasn't tall enough for me to sit up in, and scanned the place. Mr. Moonshine wasn't there.

I scaled the ladder and checked around. I looked out the window that was just above the sink. There were still a few officers there, but far less than there were that morning. There was also a bunch of yellow 'CAUTION' tape plastered around my trailer. Mr. Moonshine wasn't out there either.

I shut the blinds and took a seat on the couch, only to realize that there was a note taped to the television set. I stood up and retrieved it. It was written on the back of an old shopping list, tainted with drops of spilled coffee.

It read: "Toby, I went out to get cigarettes and a couple of things in Niland. I shouldn't be long. If I'm still gone before you wake up, feel free to watch the TV. ~ Moonshine.

P.S., They still don't know you're alive."

That was a relief. I tossed the paper in the trashcan and plopped back down on the sofa. I turned the television to the news. Of course, my mothers' story was the main headline.

"Breaking News!" The reporter said in a deep voice. He had dark brown hair and a young face, even though it was still spiced with seriousness. "The biggest drug trafficker in California has been caught, but abruptly committed suicide after admitting to police that she killed her daughter and buried her in an unmarked grave somewhere in the Colorado Dessert!"

"I wouldn't say that she was the biggest drug trafficker in California." I thought.

The report continued. "Let's go live to the scene of the crime." The camera switched from the young man to a pretty blonde lady who seemed to dislike the heat of the desert. "Thanks, Todd." She responded.

"Todd." I snickered. "Who names their kid Todd?"

"I'm here live in Slab City, which is where the dealer Miss Ivonne Irmingard Haas lived for the past twelve years."

She stood directly in front of my trailer. My house was famous!

"Miss Haas had been living a secret life under the governments' eye the entire time. She went by the nickname 'Bunny', and committed fraud by using a false identity to collect government pension and disability checks. She still squandered the money on hard drugs such as heroin and meth until last night when she abruptly committed suicide while being confronted by police. I'm here with Officer Josef Zepeda for more details."

The blonde reporter asked the officer a few questions such as "What happened while you were inside?" and "Is there any hope of finding the baby's' body?" Luckily, Mr. Zepeda said that there was a very slim chance of finding the child, since it had been almost thirteen years, and the fact that desert animals having already devouered the infantile corpse was more than likely. They didn't need to waste their time on finding a baby that didn't even exist.

After a few minutes, the reporter switched back to the anchorman. "Thank you, Wanda." He said. "It has come to my attention that many churches around the state are honoring the lost child with candlelight vigils and ceremonies tonight. Stuffed animals and baby trinkets have been placed in honor of the little October Haas, who was killed almost thirteen years ago."

"Fuck." I thought. "They're honoring me? Damn, I'll be in deep shit if they find out that I'm still alive." I crossed my legs and muttered under my breath a quick. "Thanks, mom."

Just as I had said that, the door flew open. I sprinted between the booth benches and poked my head out from underneath the table, trying to see who it was. A tall man stood in the doorway with a dark green t-shirt and whitewashed jeans. "Come out, Toby. It's just me." The familiar voice rang in my ears.