The Life of the Wife

Chapter twenty two - part three

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

DET. MORRIS
Part three

For a moment I thought I heard the harmonic voice of Sasha's but was abruptly awoken from my light sleep by the hustle and bustle of everyone in the chamber. People were getting ready, washing themselves from buckets and sitting on the floor or end of their beds.
Eric told me that someone named Gabriel was coming for a teaching lesson. Was this the beginning ritual of their cleansing before they killed their victims? I steadily rushed over to Jerry's bed were he sat equally confused. People stared at us as we whispered silently to each other.
'If it is only one man I'm sure we can take control of the situation and get out of here?' I choked, the dust in the air made it hard to whisper.
'Just stay calm, and when he comes we will assess the situation and make a just decision from there. We can't take any chances of anyone getting hurt.' He looked around the room, mostly focusing on the younger girls that probably reminded him of his daughters. He had been nursing a young seventeen year old girl since we been here, wiping her tears and cleaning her wounds, she had a fresher slice next to a scabby one on her forehead that was starting to show signs of infection.
Jerry and I were the only ones with foreheads clear of cuts, which made us look like a fish out of water in here. Everyone stared at us, waiting for us to do something.

The loud clicks of the lock mechanism being used on the door gave me instant fright and without noticing I grabbed Jerry's shirt making him jump in pain. As we controlled ourselves the door swung open with the light from another room glaring through, with the shadow of a man in a wheelchair.
He wheeled in with Johanna right behind him, making themselves comfortable at the front of the room after locking the door again behind them.
'I am Gabriel and I am your teacher. This is Johanna my granddaughter.' He chimed as if he had said it a million times before. Johanna just stood there, staring at me.
'How long have you done this for Johanna?' Everyone seemed to have made silent gasps and the room shifted into my direction. The old man that was Gabriel gave an angry glance but I kept eye contact with Johanna who now looked very uncomfortable.
'Done what detective?'
'Killed innocent people that done nothing to you?' She quivered at my question and looked sick.
'I am helping! Helping Aiden and helping the people that need to see the light! You don't understand, but you will!' She stomped her foot prompting for the conversation to end, I was t ready for that, by now I had stood up and stepped closer, making the man in the wheelchair tensed as well as Johanna.
'No you have killed people that didn't chose anything you or Aiden did to them. Those people chose their fate, just as you did yours. You had no right to force them into this hell!' I was angry now. Johanna's eyes bulged of anger and tears but I didn't stop.
'The people in here are being treated worse than caged animals! Hundreds have died in the hands of this so called religion you have, and you think this is the right thing? It's not! Nobody deserves this, not even cold blooded murderous families like yours.' My nostrils flared and I was on the verge of tears as well. Sweat dripped from my back and my toes curled into the dirt and jerry tried tugging at the end of my shirt to nudge me back but i stood my ground.
'Enough!' The old man spat through is teeth and red face.
I walked closer but was stopped in my tracks by the old man lifting himself from the chair and swinging his arm with force. I immediately dropped to the ground, clenching my welting face before passing out.

When I woke up there was an array of sadness in the air. A hand touched my back and I swiftly moved to see that it was Eric looking down at me with sad eyes.
'How are you feeling?' He whispered like he was trying not to startle me.
'What happened? Did they leave?' I tried to look for any sign of danger but things were still a blur. My head had an intense sharp pain and my eyes felt heavy and sore to be open.
'They're gone now, but someone will be back to take the body away.' He was combing my hair with his fingers, to get it away from my face carefully like a porcelain doll.
'Body? What do you mean?' Eric lifted me up and after a bit of uncoordinated steps I had balance, soon after my vision came back into focus, although I wish it didn't.
I ran over to Jerry who was lying flat on the floor with his eyes blankly looking up. His arms were spread out and the blood surrounded him in a pool of scarlet. Cuts ripped all over his body but the only one still bleeding was the slit across his throat.
I laid my head on his body trying to hold him, but he was too heavy. My tears shot hot salty waterfalls that drowned his shirt. This man was like a father to me, I grew up with him and now my ears could no longer hear the heartbeat that kept the soul of a great man, an honest man who only ever wanted justice.

I was too broken when they took him away. The energy or motivation I once had was now nothing. I couldn't see past my cries and my body felt too limp to resist them dragging him away from me. My head screamed with so much anger and sadness I felt like it was about to explode. I felt so numb and could barely conjure the energy to move my body to my bed as Eric dragged me to it.
I rolled into the feral position and went blank. For hours, or even days, I just didn't move, or notice anything around me. Just my thoughts ripping through the cloud that once held it back. My thoughts took over and I couldn't physically see anything in real life. Just the pictures my brain let me see. Mostly Jerry but sometimes glimpses of my life in the last ten years.
I didn't think I'd ever get out of this.

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That one was pretty sad. Sorry for the delay! More to come! That was the final part of chapter twenty two, next is Johanna again!