Six Feet Under

Chapter 2

There were times when silence acted like a dam that suppressed a fatal flood. One that was meant to wreak havoc on everything in its path, making your soul feel like an empty jar on a shelf in the aftermath. A jar that was still holding its form but without anything left inside.

And that was exactly how we felt after we arrived at Connor's place. We all sat idly, staring at the capsules in absolute terror, not daring to utter a word. For none of us could bear the burden of being the one responsible for firing the cannon that was going to breach that dam we have kept intact for so long.

But all our efforts were to no use now. The crashing waves have already arrived...

"Do any of you have a rational explanation for what's happening?" My question felt like a blunt knife tearing through that thick silence.

They finally took their gaze off the capsules and looked at me as if they had just landed back on earth. And just like me, their eyes were clouded with unmasked fear.

Connor raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you enlighten us with your theory, Doctor?" A slight smirk found its way to his lips. "And maybe while we're at it, you can finally come clean about what you did. This stupid joke is getting old!"

Anger stirred up in my chest. I took a deep breath to keep myself together so I wouldn't smash his face. "I don't care if we are at your place, Connor. Enough with that nonsense, or I'll make you regret it."

He snorted. "Why don't you show me what you got?"

I didn't realize what I was doing until I was already halfway through the living room, my fists clenched as I was ready to hit him. But I was interrupted by Aiden, who hurried to stand between us.

"You're acting like children while we're on the brink of a disaster that could ruin our lives forever!" shouted Aiden.

I blinked. I had never seen him like that, but perhaps his new attitude resulted from his frequent dealings with delinquent, testosterone-driven adolescents.

His way of getting both of us to calm down worked, and we all sat back and started to think about what we were up against.

Aiden sighed as he ran his fingers through his damp, blonde hair. "What if someone saw us that day?"

"Which day do you mean exactly?" Connor let out a humorless laugh.

Glaring at Connor, he rolled his eyes and looked away. I then focused my gaze on Aiden, who seemed pretty shaken up. "If someone did see us, why would they show themselves just now, after ten years?"

"Wait," Connor blurted out. He seemed as if he had remembered something. "Erin, you said it yourself; the burial site had plants that had grown a lot of years ago, and there was no way the ground could have been dug up without removing those plants."

I let out a sarcastic laugh. "And now, you finally believe me?"

He ignored me and went on with his remark while pointing at the contents we found. "What if these things have been inside the capsules all these years?"

Letting out a tired sigh, I looked at him questioningly. "This only proves that someone saw us that day and replaced the original contents. Did you forget that we buried these capsules ourselves?"

Connor let out a curse and buried his head between his hands for a few moments. Then he abruptly stood up and walked toward the small bar. "I'm going to pour myself a glass of Scotch." He picked out a bottle of scotch that looked ridiculously expensive.

And here, I noticed for the first time that Connor obviously made a lot of money from his work as a corporate lawyer after struggling at the beginning of his career when he was still a public defender. His apartment was luxurious. It was modernly furnished with glass walls decorated with paintings and antiques that I knew must have cost him a fortune.