Murder

Chapter 7-Getting Closer/ Chapter 8- Drowning

I'm at the docks, but they're the docks that are farther up the river. It's dark and cold, snow is gently falling. I hear a thud, and I see a man with a white pickup truck dragging a large object in a body bag out of the back. It must be Russ' killer, dumping him in the river. The truck looks really familiar. I can't see his face, but his body is more detailed. He's tall, he has broad shoulders, but he's not muscular. "You have caused me so much trouble," he says, but his voice is more clear, not as husky and muffled as it was in my last dream. It's not familiar yet, but it's close. The man walks toward the docks, I duck under a bench, even though I'm pretty sure he won't see me anyway. He seems caught up in dumping my brother into the river.

The man walks onto the dock and unwraps the tarp. Russ' skin is pale and his eyes are pleading. I think he was killed recently because the blood that soaks his gray t-shirt is fresh. I let out a gasp, but the man doesn't notice. "Don't worry. We won't miss you," the man says to my brother. We? Who's we? I know I will. My parents do, his friends do. Who's we? I can't think of anybody that wouldn't miss Russ. He was amazing. I can't stand that he said that. I want to go punch him. Heck, I want to go kill him. I can't believe he just said that. I want to throw up.

There's a splash, and the man runs back to his truck. Russ floats down the river very slowly, flowing with the gentle current. He seems almost peaceful, but I know that's not the case.

I watch the truck as it speeds off, but he's driving too fast for me to follow. So I just watch Russ float down the river. I fall to my knees, but I don't cry. I don't cry anymore, I can't. I cried for hours while he was gone, and I cried for hours after he was found. After he had always told me to be strong, after he told me he hates it when I cry, he doesn't like it when I'm sad. I just sit there, numb, waiting for the world to end. I don't want to deal with this anymore.

There's the sound of a speeding truck behind me, and then a slamming door. The man is back, kneeling at the dock right beside me. Maybe he can't see me, he's not saying anything. A bundle of fabric with blood soaking through from the inside is next to him. The man pushes it into the river and runs away. As I watch the fabric sink to the bottom, a part of me dies inside, because I realize that is not only a piece of fabric, but it's the murder weapon. It's what was used to kill my brother, and now there's probably no blood, no fingerprints, and no chance of getting it. The river is probably too deep to dive to the bottom, and by now I won't even be able to figure out where it is. I'm never going to be able to find his murder weapon. Or his killer.

No. I can't give up. Russ wouldn't give up. People have been convicted without a murder weapon before, right? I can still do this. I just have to investigate. Just like cops do. TV has prepared me for this. Let's see, the first step is... going to the scene of the crime to scope for clues. Check. The second step is scanning the clues for DNA or fingerprints or anything that can be used.Well I didn't find anything so... next step. Consider possible suspects. Well, I can't think of any. I can't think of anything anymore.

The world starts to get brighter. There's a ringing noise, and I hear my name. "Gab, Gab, come on now, wake up." Suddenly I can't breathe, there's something preventing me from breathing, an object on my chest. I gasp for air, and everything gets dark.

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Chapter 8

I shoot straight up. Julia goes flying to the other side of the bed. "Ouch!" she yelps. "Why did you flop on me?" I screamed. "You weren't waking up and I want to make toaster waffles and I needed to know how many you wanted. So I flopped on you." she whined. Flopping is when we "whale flop" on each other. You pretty much jump and then you land on somebody on your stomach. "I don't want any, thanks." I said. I want to leave as soon as I can. I have to see if that knife is in the river. "No. You have to eat. I'm making you two. You're gonna eat two." She said. No. I'm not eating two. I'm not eating one. I'm not eating anything. Not until I find that knife.