WHEN THE DARKNESS COMES I NICK CLARK

Aftermath

Aftermath

As Travis paced up and down Madison's driveway, Lourdes sat down on the doorstep, teeth chattering with delayed shock. Travis had driven them home, doublechecking to make sure the coast was clear of neighbours loitering on their front lawns or strangers on the sidewalk, before all but dragging Lourdes into the house. He hadn't wanted anybody to see their bloodstained clothes and start asking awkward questions, Travis admonishing Lourdes for her thoughtlessness in hugging him, getting herself covered in gore in the process.

Travis had told Lourdes use the shower first, Lourdes almost scalding herself by turning the water up too high, desperate to purge herself of death. Its traces clung to her hair and clothes, trailing at her heels like some forsaken phantom. Travis had then burned their clothes out back, even their underwear, before flinging their shoes into a garbage bag and dumping it in the trashcans out front.

Stretching her shaking legs out in front of her, Lourdes shot a nervous glance at Travis, taking in his deliberately blank face; his shirt and chinos almost conspicuously crumpled and creased. It made him look like he was trying too hard to hide something in plain sight, the tell-tale tic of his jaw giving the game away.

It was burning on the tip of her tongue to tell him that their damp hair and change of clothes was going to make Madison ask a lot of questions, but she kept quiet, not sure what storm her words would unleash. Instead, she smoothed down her denim mini-skirt, before plucking at the sleeves of her checked shirt, her fidgeting finally making Travis's falsely calm facade crack.

"What the hell were you doing in that church, Lo!" he exploded, suddenly beyond caring who heard or saw him.

Lourdes hesitated, her throat suddenly dry, the walls of her world tumbling down around her again. "I had to see for myself," she whispered, the tears springing to her eyes again.

"See what?"

Lourdes shook her head, biting her lip, unable to trust herself to speak anymore.

"Is this anything to do with why you were carrying a knife?" Travis said, struggling to speak gently.

Lourdes stared at him, startled, only to realise Madison must have called him, her step-mother not standing on ceremony.

"Where did you get the knife, Lourdes?"

Lourdes glanced behind her at the house, her very look a lie, making Travis exhale sharply.

"So it was before Nick said anything to you?" he said, second-guessing her strategy, completely destabilizing her only defence, Lourdes realising her mistake too late. "Before we left for the hospital?"

Lourdes dropped her gaze to the ground, all her attention now deliberately focused on her battered blue Converse.

"Do you feel unsafe at school?" Travis pressed. "Is someone threatening you?"

Lourdes shook her head, jaw tightening.

"Is Tobias behind all this, then?" Travis snapped, falling back on the only thing he could think of.

"No!" Lourdes flared up, finally forced to speak again.

"Then why!?" Travis exploded. "Why are you jeopardizing your entire future" -

- "Why the hell were you at the church!?" Lourdes spat, startling Travis, turning his own question back on him. "Why were you there, huh!?"

"I owed it to Nick," Travis said, exhaling sharply. "He's obviously traumatized, so I made him tell me what was wrong, to see if I could help. He didn't want to, but eventually he opened up and said something had went down in the church" -