Falling Into Oblivion

Chapter Three

I LET GO of the rusty knob and stand still, contemplating my options. Arsens pupils are blown out of proportion, his hands shoved in his pockets while I'm in the corner trying to figure out why the police is at our door. Did they find the missing girl? Do they know it was us?

I raise my brows and mouth. "What do you want me to do?"

I have two options. One, I can either answer the door, or two...

Well, I guess I have no second option.

"Just don't answer. They don't need to know we're here." Arsen replies.

"...don't you think that'll look suspicious with the truck parked out in the driveway?"

"Well then answer it. Why do you ask me if you already have your mind made up?" He shakes his head, annoyance threading through his face.

Another pound on the door echoes through the room. "What are you waiting for? Go!" He stands, pacing up and down the floor so briskly it scuffs up the old hardwood, adding to the collection of marks.

"What do you want me to tell him?" I take a step back from the door and approach Arsen to get his undivided attention.

"I don't know." He huffs, raking his fingers through his hair in distress.

He doesn't want to deal with this. I get it. But instead he's putting all of this on me. I can't do this on my own. I need him. I've never spoken to a cop.

I focus in on him so that our eyes meet but he does everything not to look up. His facial expression and body language change, somehow he looks harder.

He's given up.
"Arsen." I whine and pull on the ends of my sleeve to help keep my cool.

"What! I don't know. Do what you want." He snaps sharply.

A non-urgent, yet firm knock causes me to jump and my heart hammers against my rib cage I'm afraid my bones will break. I never wanted anyone to know we were here, especially the police. Now that we're in this position. I don't know what else to do other than to answer it and hope for the best. There is no way they will suspect a 18 year old girl and her boyfriend to have anything to do with the murder of this girl, right?

I make every effort to compose myself. I take a deep breath and let it out before cracking the door open.

I peak out and see a tall, burly man in a uniform.

He smiles. "Hello there." The uniformed man says in a deep raspy voice. "I'm officer Blake Martin, I'm not sure if you're aware of the recent news. Theirs been a report of a missing girl. Her name is Erin Mills. She was last seen in this area. Have you heard or seen anything?" He interrogates.

His thumbs are looped around his gun holster. It makes me feel uneasy and unwell. Still, his eyes are kind, friendly and a little cautious. I observe him with a careful eye for any sign of suspicion in his pale brown eyes, but theirs none to be found.

Then her name echoes through my mind. Erin Mills...It's odd really. When you look at someone you don't know they're a stranger to you but it seems like that all changes once you put a name to their face. They come alive and you come to realize that they too have a life, dreams and aspirations just as we all do.

Erin. It's not just a name now. She's a real person, known as a missing person. A person we killed. A person who had a family and had friends who cared and loved her now looking and wondering where she is...

I fiddle with the knob. "My mother told me a bit about it this morning but that's all I know." I hang onto to the side of the door for leverage, afraid that my legs may give out being so wobbly.