Ruby Red Marionette

fortythree | descent

"Hello, friends," He grinned, "and Happy New Year's."

I stared at him. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, and I stared at him. It wasn't just the expression on his face or the words that came from his lips, but it was him altogether that kept me frozen on the floor next to Isaiah. He stood there, breathing and being alive, as if there was nothing wrong with that. As if we didn't find him with no pulse a few months ago.

As if everything was okay.

"How's everything been?" Carlos looked at us for a few seconds, giving us time to process his words. When we didn't respond, he sat down on the chair. I still gazed at him—it wasn't possible that this was happening, that he was in here right now under the same roof as us, walking and talking and breathing. We'd seen the video and we knew he was alive, but not this way. He was alive in a different world, part of a distant dream. Not in real life.

Not now.

"You should've come outside to see the fireworks. They're beautiful." He pulled the hat he was wearing off of his head; it still had the sparkles of wet raindrops on it. "Beautiful, just like that little episode that happened just now."

"What episode?" Isaiah asked. Hearing him was shocking too—while we were both silent, it was easy for me to believe that this was a dream, just like seeing the video was. It was easy to believe that I was hallucinating, but Isaiah's voice just made it real. He included us.

"The kiss," Carlos chuckled. "Just as beautiful as the fireworks."

Neither Isaiah or I could speak.

"Oh, don't look so bewildered. I didn't listen to everything. I stopped listening after Isaiah started crying."

"Listening to what?" I asked him.

He pulled off his shoes. "When I broke into your house, I put a listening device in all the rooms."

"You're the one who broke in and robbed me?" Isaiah asked.

"Who else would give you my warning video? It was me. When I first left, Red Liquor told me to make that video. The plan was that after your first attempt to find me, I would give it to you. But after I made the video, they changed their minds and said it was best if you guys thought I was dead. But I told them that there was no way you were going to fall for it. You'd find out eventually. So, the only way they were going to allow me to give you the video is if I hurt you in the process." He explained.

After still trying to grapple with the fact that Carlos was a living human being with a heart and lungs and a mouth to talk to us, I could barely even register his words.

"So you decided to rob me for everything I owned?" Isaiah clenched his jaw.

"You got your ten grand, didn't you? And everything I took was shit I gave you anyway."

"Why the hell did you put listening devices in our home?" I asked.

Carlos looked at me as if he hadn't known I was there. "I wanted to check in on you guys. I wanted to see what your plans were. If you were about to do something drastic or stupid, I'd know and try to figure out some way to warn you. You never did anything too crazy, though."

"Carlos, what are you talking about?"

He sighed and pulled off his gloves. Getting comfortable. "I wasn't supposed to put listening devices in here. I wasn't supposed to know anything about you guys. Red Liquor let me come here by myself and gave me a deadline to come back. So I took advantage of it and decided to give myself a way to check in on you guys. I wasn't always listening; I wasn't allowed to. I had to do it in secret, when the guards who watched me were between shifts or when they were distracted. You don't have to be worried about me snooping on you. I wouldn't want to, and even if I did I barely got a chance to do it."