Tortured Souls -Oscar Diaz 2-

Chapter 15

Day four, and there was no sign of Oscar. Ruby had sent her another cryptic text. One that was even worse than the last. They had a lead, a lead on where they believed Oscar's body was.

Sofia had stared at the text for two hours. For two hours she sat on the edge of her bed, rereading the text. It was the most information she had in days, and she hated every word of it.

After a while, she went numb. Sofia felt like she was in a daze. As if this was all a dream. But it was a nightmare, one she couldn't wake up from. To ease the tension, she opted for a shower. Usually, she liked the water hot, incredibly hot. But Sofia was pregnant, and hot showers weren't supposed to be good. There was more she had to think about right now, and that was what really kept her going. The entire time she was in the shower she held her stomach. By now, she was nine weeks along. There was no bump. Not even a little one, but she liked to imagine there was. It calmed her in a way.

Sofia showered for longer than normal, letting the cool water clean her. It was soothing in a way, and she tried to think of all the positives in her life. She thought of Ruby, who was doing more than needed to make her feel safe. To bring Oscar back to her. Her parents were understanding about everything, and they loved her. And her Abuelita was taking on the role of the worrier, taking care of Sofia as she processed the loss of Oscar.

When she got out of the shower, she got dressed. But her energy was gone, and she sat on the edge of the tub. It was dark out now, nearing nine P.M. In a few hours, it would be the fifth official day that Oscar was missing. She had lost hope. All she wanted now were answers. Ruby hadn't texted her since the morning, meaning he had yet to find anything. Now she worried about him and his safety. "Sofia," her Abuelita called from outside. "Sofia, please come here."

"Coming," her voice cracked at the end. Taking a deep breath, she pushed up from the tub and walked towards the door. She stopped in front of the mirror, taking in her appearance. She had looked worse but had also looked better. There were bags under her eyes, and her hair was starting to dry. The shirt she was wearing was Oscar's. It was long and covered her shorts.

"Sofia," the woman called again.

Sofia took a deep breath and opened the door. There was no telling what she wanted now. Abuelita checked in on her once every hour, at the minimum. Tonight they were watching a movie, mainly to keep her mind off of Oscar. "Sorry," she walked down the hallway. "You can pick the movie. I'll make some-" as she stepped into the kitchen, her eyes caught sight of two people. Her Abuelita smiled and took a step back. Behind her was Oscar. He was alive. Sofia felt her heart stop at the sight of him. So many different emotions were rushing through her. He was alive, and that she was grateful for. But he was covered in blood. There were two deep cuts on his throat. His temple was sliced open as well. There were also streaks of blood over his bare chest. "Oscar?"

The Diaz man stared at her, his hand holding a bottle of alcohol. Sofia couldn't see the type. "I'll leave you two alone," Abuelita set down her sewing needles. "You both have a lot to talk about." And with that, she was gone.

Sofia was still standing in the doorway, almost unbelieving that this was real. Oscar was sitting in her kitchen after being missing for four days. Beside him was a bag. The Rollerworld bag. "Sofia," his voice was rough.

She took a shaky step closer, his voice drawing her in. Taking a few steps closer, she slowly reached out to him. She was scared of hurting him more than he already was. "I thought," her fingers skimmed over his arm. "I thought you were dead."

Oscar let go of the bottle, reaching towards her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought Sofia into his lap. Sofia feared hurting him, but she needed to feel him. "I'm sorry," Oscar rasped. "I'm sorry." Sofia's eyes scanned over his injuries. Her eyes began to burn with tears. "Hey."