Old Windows

You Know Exactly

*Continuing

There was a rage that perspired from his lack of regard for the other party. All he ever cared about was that Godforsaken laptop. And she knew just why he so desperately needed it.

She ran a little up the road to be sent into a hyperventilating shock. The mere sight of the abolished cars with smoke quietly rising from the tops and sides of them. The ghastly crime scene of blood and scrapes on the road combined with the eerie silence that fell like a blanket on that stretch of pavement. The only sound was the gentle rain and a faint beep coming from inside the other car.

This time, Claire had no concern for his computer and immediately went to search for the victim. There was no telling who or what could be hidden beneath the rubble and debris.

"Hello?" she called out softly, but as the time extended with no answer, she became frantic, "Hello!"

It wasn't until her eyes fell upon the carcass, did she realize why there was no answer.

"Sh*t," the tears were welling up as she ran to the body, "Ma'am? Ma'am!" she shook the woman as forcefully as she could but nothing prevailed.

Her shoulders fell in a defeated collapse and her body hit the road beneath her, there was no saving her. Between the irrecoverable woman and the smell of fresh destruction and irrefutable blood, her heart was full of grief and there was nothing that could console her. She brought her knees up to her chest and wept into her folded arms.

"I'm sorry," she muttered between sloppy sniffles until she remembered Mort's cruel command.

Claire weakly fought to lift herself from the wet road and wiped the tears off her face with the sleeve of her coat. She stumbled over to his car, what was left of it, and began her search. The tears showed no mercy in ceasing and she continuously had to stop to compose herself.

The computer was nowhere to be found amongst the street and wasn't in his backseat. There was one more place it could be, and that was upfront. The most unrecognizable place of all. The door was crushed but she managed to open it with the broken handle. What was once the windshield was now flush with the driver and passenger's seat. Her indignation returned as it was deemed impossible to find a laptop midst this carnage.

With her hand loosely covered by her sleeve, she did a couple swipes of glass across the seat, but it wasn't in those either. Her mind told her to check under the seat, and there it was. As if someone slid the computer under the seat with great care, it looked completely untouched. Unaffected by the heinous incident that just took place. It sat there mockingly and she hated it. She picked it up as though disgusted to even be in its presence. Nothing was stopping her from unleashing her rage and letting it 'accidentally' slip out of her hands and getting destroyed for good, but she just couldn't bring herself to it.

In a silent walk home, she contemplated, and contemplated, over and over again. There was no plan after this, what would happen to the woman? Mort could and should go to prison for murder. This time it could be proven. Claire had every bit of evidence she needed, but once again, she just couldn't seem to bring herself to it. She reached his house before she had realized it, and he was lying on the couch, breathing heavily and steadily with his forearm across his eyes.

"I got it," she spoke somberly.

He perked up and lifted his arm, "Really?"

She simply lifted the computer with a blank expression and set it on the counter.

"Bring it here," he told her.

She ripped off her coat and brought it to him unwillingly, "You didn't go through it did you?" he asked.

Her eyebrows frowned and her shoulders slumped, "Seriously Mort?" his face said he didn't understand why that was an inappropriate question, "No. I didn't. I was too busy crying and losing my mind over the woman you killed. Thanks for letting me know that by the way," her voice was raising.

"Hey I told you there was someone else involved," her frustration was causing his to worsen.

"Do you realize you could go to prison? As of right now, there's dead body and your car on the road."

"What do you want me to do Claire?" he snapped, motioning to his current state.

"Fine. I will," she bickered under her breath, vigorously putting her coat back on.

"What're you doing?" Mort asked, almost getting up but wincing in pain afterwards.

"Doing something about it," she affirmed, walking out the door with her keys.

Once in her car, she drove to the accident scene. Claire got out and walked to where the woman was. Still lying there as she had a few minutes ago, just as lifeless and pitiful. She brushed down the woman's cut cheek with the back of her hand and wondered for a moment what those last few minutes for her were like. Upon these grim thoughts, she lifted her bridal style and placed her gently in the backseat of her car.

In theory there was no plan she had in mind, just that this lady had to go somewhere. The hospital was no option anymore. But she drove until she constructed something.

The cliff where they found Elise was too obvious, there had to be something better. Just a mile beyond that cliff was another one, another drop that lasted too long before anything hit the water below. Claire took a discrete survey of her surroundings before getting out. She picked the lady up once again and held her over the cliff. The tears came back and gilt was hanging over her as she was hanging over the water. She hated Mort in that moment. Had made her resort to things she could never even think of, and put her in positions of desperate solutions.

"I'm sorry. Whoever you were," she said as her arms offered her out and watched her plummet down.

The woman's body rag-dolled all the way down and her broken limbs were flying. Claire couldn't watch all the way to the end, but knew it was over when she heard the distant splash.

'It was over ', she kept trying to reassure herself on the drive home. White knuckling the steering wheel, another thought came to mind. Their cars. The dread killed her inside and she felt like crying again. Claire wished with every fiber in her that she would've listened to Elise, or never moved here.

Upon arriving home, she infiltrated the house with fury and wrath clawing to be let out on Mort specifically. She smashed the front door shut once she was inside and it cause Mort to flinch underneath his blankets and sit up. Throwing her purse on the counter, Mort spoke up.

"Well?" he was too comfortable in showing his agitation and anticipation that it set Claire just a little over the edge.

"Well what?" she snarled.

"What did you do?" he slowed down his words, mocking her.

Instead of screaming every last breath out, she walked over to him and leaned over the back of the couch so she was face to face with him, "She's gone," she whispered menacingly.

Claire backed away and began walking upstairs when he caught her with another question, "What do you mean gone? Gone where?"

She walked back again and penetrated his personal space, "You should know," she brushed a piece of his disheveled hair behind his ear.

He had nothing left to say to her. He knew exactly what she meant and what she was referring to. Even though his intrusive thoughts were telling him to pull her by her hair and scream in her face, he refrained. Nothing good could come out of it now that he was the one who needed help.