World Eater

39

SARIEL STRUGGLED TO KEEP HIS EYES OPEN. The drive from the police station was long, longer than it had ever been. The empty passenger seat was a stark reminder of what had just transpired.

Sariel let his fingers brush over the car stereo, hoping to distract himself from his thoughts. The radio was still set on some station that Alzar had selected, one that only played music Sariel hated. Sariel didn't change it.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Alzar was supposed to be beside him, flipping through stations and listening to whatever he wanted, and Sariel letting him do it.

Despite the music on the radio, it was quiet.

Sariel’s eyes burned, a byproduct of being awake at four o'clock in the morning. In the console, a Styrofoam cup of coffee steadily grew colder under the harsh air conditioner. Sariel had taken it from the officer to be polite, but caffeine aggregated his nerves.

What was he supposed to do when he got home? Just go to bed? Return to his normal life?

Sariel’s hands trembled against the steering wheel. His car started to veer, and he hastily corrected it.

Alzar was his entire world. And now...he was gone.

Sariel came to a stop, his headlights bathing the front of the house in a dull blanket of white. The second he looked up, his heart skipped a beat.

The window beside the door was shattered, the glass scattered on the porch in clumps.

Cursing under his breath, Sariel jumped out of the car, cautiously approaching the door. A scrap of fabric clung to the gaping hole in the window.

Vandals? Sariel thought, unlocking the door and pushing it open. The house had been the targets of drunken teenage boys before, eager to play a prank on the outcasts of the town.

The house appeared to be fine, nothing out of place or broken. It was obvious he hadn't been robbed.

Sariel yawned, kicking off his shoes at the door. It was just some kid trying to play a prank. He was too drained, emotionally and physically, to even worry about it. Compared to what he had witnessed only hours ago, this was nothing.

All he wanted to do was sleep.