Already dead, locked behind closed doors,
A voice that couldn't be heard,
Left forgotten, stilled on naked floors;
Where rationality is blurred
*****

"Katie?" Eric shouted as soon as he opened the door. Instead of hearing her reply as he thought he would, he was greeted with silence. A chill went down his back while his heartbeat quickened. She should have answered him, then again, maybe she had gone out with Jake?

He headed towards the room Katie had been using but paused on his way. Alice's door was closed, though when he had left earlier it had been open. Katie usually ended up staying in the room with Alice. Maybe she had taken a nap in Alice's bed?

He turned the knob, letting it open slowly on its own.

"Fuck!" Eric yelled in anger once the door was opened all the way. Katie's lifeless body was on the bed, a gun held loosely in her hand while blood soaked the sheets. "Shit, Katie?"

He was going to leave the room, but when he noticed a letter on the desk, he picked it up.

Dear Alice,

There are no words I could give to soothe the ache in your heart. I know we weren't family by blood, but we were family. And better than that, we were friends. We had a deeper bond than many sisters wish to have. For that reason alone I am truly sorry...

I'm not strong, not from a long shot. You know what they say, fake it until you make it? Well, I couldn't make it. I couldn't live with the guilt, with the way I felt having taken a life. It's like having an anchor that continues to pull you down, holding you in the waves of darkness. Every time I close my eyes I see his face, I feel the warmth of his blood as it quickly turns cold.

I know that I have let you down, Alice, but dammit- be strong. That is selfish for me to say, but I know you. I've seen the demons in your eyes and know you can beat it. You were always stronger than what you ever realized. I wish for you to truly live life; go through the emotions, breathe the air, and feel the sun. Be a part of it, don't block it out: don't go through life numb, it's no way to be.

Life is beautiful, and I wouldn't change anything. Because if I did, I wouldn't have had all the wonderful time I had with you. Life is like a painting- some full of light, some dark, and some left unfinished. Don't let your painting be unfinished. Make it a masterpiece that will leave others in awe. Let it be filled with luscious and vivid colors; the ones' get dizzy with and can't tell where one begins and the other ends. Be happy, Alice.

Love always,

Katie.

Eric folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He didn't care if the cops would need it; it deserved to be taken to Alice. They both deserved more than what they got, however, there wasn't much he could do about it. Some people were just given the short end of the stick, though it didn't mean it sucked any less because of it.

He pulled his phone out and dialed.

"Hello, I'd like to report a dead body," he told the responder that answered as if he were placing an order for food. It felt wrong, and made his stomach turn.

"Okay, Sir, we got a lock on your location. Can you confirm the person is not breathing?"

"Yes, there's a bullet shot in her head."

"Did you shoot the person?" the responder asked without missing a beat.

"Fuck sakes! No I didn't. I found her like that!"

"All right, Sir, we need you to remain calm. The ambulance and police are on their way."

That's all he needed to hear and hung up. He didn't care if he was supposed to say on the phone or not. And not wanting to stay in the house he sat out front of it, waiting for the cops to come.

After the police showed up there was the questioning, during which others were investigating the crime scene. It took a while, longer than he would have liked. There were a lot of accusing questions and glances.

And now, as he finally laid in bed, he was damn tired. Which only led to further irritation when the phone woke him a few hours later.

"Hello?" he mumbled into the phone.

"Hey..."

"Jake? What's wrong?" He sat up in bed. It wasn't normal behavior for him to call during wee hours of the night, and he sounded off.

"Katie... She's dead!" came Jake's shaky voice.

"I know," Eric said as the image of her dead body filled his mind. He paused, thinking for a moment. He hadn't told anyone yet. The police had been there all day. "How do you know?"

"I saw her... I was there but needed to leave."

"What the fuck?"

"Look... Katie didn't kill Paul. I did."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at a hotel."

"Want me to come get you?"

"No, I need to figure some things out." He hung up, not letting Eric say any more.

Eric continued to hold the phone in his hand, wondering what had just happened. More than slightly tempted to throw his phone across the room, he laid back down instead. When did things began spiralling downward, he questioned himself, feeling like he was being pulled down on a sinking ship that he never knew he was on in the first place.