The Blood Barn (Book #2 in trilogy)

Chapter 27: From The Earth

A cool breeze came across the yard as it hit me gently in the face. It sent a shiver down my spine as if a ghost had just touched me.

Are you worried it might be Marta? Asked my inner voice.

Resting my elbows on my thighs, I leaned forward. My chin pressed against the knuckles of my left hand as I sat there in thought.

"No," I sighed. "She's alive, I'm sure of it."

I'm glad you're confident in that answer, Sam. Considering all that you have been through, you really have learned how to deal with stressful situations better than you used to.

"Oh really?" I questioned, staring at the barn where Ed was hopefully still working diligently. "And what about the incident in the barn last night? Was I calm during that situation?"

Well, no, it replied immediately. But in general, yes. I half expected you to go crazy and murder your own wife.

"The thought was there," I confessed. "You know that." Hunger pangs began to build as I realized I had basically starved myself since coming home.

I know, and that is why I am proud of you to have subdued that urge. You have come along way, Sam. This crazy love that you two have is going to see you both through to the end, even if it kills you.

Chuckling, I knew that wasn't the ideal outcome we hoped for.

"You could be right," I speculated. "But as long as I didn't screw up her breathing apparatus, I won't have to worry about a Romeo and Juliet situation on my hands when Ed finally leaves."

I got up from the porch steps and then sauntered into the house for some food. A pepperette sufficed while I rummaged through the fridge and freezer for something else.

After searching for a couple of minutes, I found a frozen lasagna that would take roughly an hour to cook in the oven. It would give me some time to relax and allow me to step out of the house and check on Ed without having to tend to something on a burner.

Once I let the oven preheat, I put the lasagna in, set a timer on my phone, then walked back outside. I turned right, walking around the side of the house toward the grave. As much as I didn't want to get caught by Ed while looking at it, the guy was probably too preoccupied with the butchering of the cow.

Kneeling down, I lifted the wooden crate up and set it to the side. The hose still stuck out of the ground with the mesh on it, which was a good sign. I tilted my head and brought my ear close to the hose, listening and feeling for air traveling through. There was a faint noise, which I took as Marta breathing, so I recovered the hose with the crate and got to my feet.

I brushed my knees off and then walked toward the barn. If Ed wasn't done within the next hour or so, I would be digging up Marta by moonlight. The flashlight would obviously be required, but I didn't enjoy the idea of having to dig her up. My main concern was going too deep and cutting into her by accident, so I knew the process was going to be slow and tedious.

As I walked into the barn, I was met with chunks of meat piled on a plastic sheet. Ed seemed to be making good progress on the cow, but it reminded me of how Marta used to chop up her victims in the basement.

A flashback from the night she killed Martin appeared in my mind as I closed my eyes to avoid looking at what Ed was doing. I scrunched up my face as I reopened my eyes and looked downward.

"Hey, Ed!" I called out, not wishing to look at the raw beef again. "How much longer are you going to be?"

"Not too long," he assured me. "Is the sun almost down?"