[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Kevin remained silent, Brian was shaking his head in disappointment, AJ was fuming, and I just stared down at the grave, how could they do this? How could someone be so narrow-minded as to bury Jeffery Donner right next to Aaron. A victim buried next to their killer, does that make sense to you? It doesn’t to us.

“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Kevin questioned no one in particular.

“This isn’t some kind of sick joke Mr. Richardson.” the mortician tried to fight on his behalf. “From Aaron Carter’s grave down is all open space for us to bury bodies, and Jeffery Donner was the most recent death we’ve had so we buried him here, in this open spot.”

Kevin turned to Johnny, as if completely ignoring the mortician’s explanation. “I want this body gone. I want them to remove his body and his tombstone and place it somewhere else, somewhere far away from Aaron’s grave.”

“We can’t do that sir…” the mortician tried to say, but Kevin interrupted him.

“I don’t give a shit what you guys can or can’t do. I want this body out of this grave and I want it moved now. If I have to see someone and pay them to do so, then so be it.”

“Kevin, don’t you think that’s a little extreme?” I asked in a small voice. I didn’t appreciate the fact that Jeffery was buried next to Aaron, but completely moving a body is a bit extreme if you ask me.

“No, burying a killer next to their victim is extreme!” Kevin snapped at me. “I want him gone. I don’t care what the hell you guys do with the body, but I don’t want him buried here next to Aaron. No questions asked.”

I looked over at Brian and AJ, shock clearly written over their faces. I looked over at the grave, a gaping hole beneath Jeffery’s tombstone. His epitaph had his name, date of birth and death, and it said “may you forever rest in peace in God’s kingdom.” I scoffed, did people even know how sadistic this man really was?

“When was the last time we’ve been here?”

Both Brian and I looked over at AJ, who was just staring at the grave, seemingly in a phase. “Nothing’s changed…” he mumbled. “It’s almost as if the grass is still stained with blood, OUR blood. Even though I can’t see it, I know it’s there…” He stopped, his hand went up to his chest, clawing at it. “At times I can still feel the bullet hitting me, and the sound still rings through my ears.” tears began welling up within his eyes. I was beginning to grow concerned by the second, and the look on Brian’s face told me he was growing concerned too. For the first time since the incident, AJ was finally facing the past he had been running from all this time. “I can hear Nick’s words telling me to hold on… I can hear all of you guys telling me to stay awake…” Kevin had returned to us this time, still fuming but relaxing a little when he seen AJ’s awkward behavior for the first time. “I wanted to help you guys… I’m sorry I didn’t do anything.” tears were falling from his eyes now. “I wanted to, I promise… I just… I just couldn’t.” finally, he broke down.

I was the first one to react and embrace him in the tightest hug I could muster. Salty tears began to prickle my eyes, threatening to spill over at any given time. Brian was already in tears, trying so hard to fight it. Kevin had shocked me the most though; although he wasn’t there to hear everything AJ had to say, he was in tears as well.

“AJ, you did more for us than you could ever know.” I whispered. “You pulled through buddy… you came back to us.”

“I don’t want to be here…” he cried. “It hurts too much to remember…”

“But sometimes it’s good.” Kevin whispered this time, coming from behind to show his support. “You can’t run away from the past forever, it only shows that you’re trying to go at this alone. We know how strong you are AJ, but you don’t have to fight this all by yourself to prove your point. I know it hurts to remember, but it hurts even more trying to leave behind something you can’t forget.”

“When will it all be over?”

That caught us all off guard. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to the long term affects of the incident or what’s happening now. “It’ll all be over soon,” Kevin replied. “as soon as we get Nick out.”

AJ shook his head. “It won’t be over then…”

We all had a puzzled look on our face now, all of us except Brian, which made me wonder even more.

“Set in down, easy now.”

We all turned to see the casket being hauled up out of the six foot hole. The crane steadily set the casket down on the ground while the FBI agents and morticians crowded around it. We made a move when they began to pry the casket open. Kevin gently nudged people out of the way and made his way towards the very front. We all began to cough and gasp when the smell of a rotting corpse filled our senses. There in the casket was a badly decomposed body, looking almost as if he had been buried there for more than one year.

“So what now?” Kevin asked no one in particular.

“We take him out and do another autopsy on his body, make sure it’s him.” Johnny responded.

I looked over at Kevin, who just nodded and continued to stare down at the body. I glanced over at Brian, he had his arm wrapped around AJ’s shoulder trying to support him even though he had already composed himself at this point, and AJ was not even staring at Jeffery’s casket, he was staring at Aaron’s grave. I began to pray to God, hoping that this was the body of Jeffery Donner.