chapter six:
cheap garage bags & gloves

This wasn't how Joe thought his morning would start, blood staining his shoes and the air reeking of chemicals. Then again he was desperate at this rate, after a solid ten hours of thinking, he finally let himself attempt to dispose of Judith. Part of him was annoyed, the girl kept falling out of the plastic wrap making the ground a mess. He groaned as he pushed her back into the plastic wrap, he cringed as blood stained his skin at the action.

How could someone so small, hold so much blood. It amazed him how full the tub was for her only being day for a few hours. He was tempted to just leave her here, make it look like suicide but given the wounds it wouldn't pass. Right because she stabbed her own chest and slit her throat all at the same time. Joe could be an idiot when he wanted to be, today wasn't going to end with that. Especially not when he needed to see what was in Luke's basement.

It also didn't help that Judith's phone kept ringing, all twenty six calls from Luke. The situation couldn't be more stressful, then again what did Joe expect. He killed someone and it's not easy hiding bodies these days. With all the security cameras and witnesses, people tend to worry about more these days, far more paranoid and delusional even.

Luke's calls were all ignored, the messages never read and after the twenty eighth call, the phone screen died and all that remained was silence in the small bathroom. Joe would've felt bad if he cared, but he didn't, the idea of Luke distressed excited him. He could get a call any second and he would show up with open arms. He was always ready, always prepared for anything when it came to Luke.

Luke wasn't one to worry, yet when Judith's phone kept going to ignore he couldn't help it anymore. He slipped on his shoes and jacket and left in a hurry, making sure he locked his front door before he practically ran the entire way to her place.

From the outside it seemed fine, not a single stone out of place or anything that looked broken. So that meant she was home. She never ignored his calls even if she somehow was drunk or busy with some random guy. He lifted up her doormat but found the spare key gone. "What the fuck..." he sighed in annoyance as he reached into his pocket for his keys.

By some miracle he for once remembered to reattach the spare key she gave him ages ago. Not that he had the habit of using it much but it felt more secure just having his own. He unlocked the door and when he walked inside things seemed fine.

"Judith! Are you here? You better not be ignoring my calls!" He shoved the door shut with his foot as he walked into her kitchen. Her mail was sitting there in a depressing look pile making him huff as he looked towards her bedroom. "Did some guy break up with you or something! Because last time this happened you ignored my calls on purpose".

He walked down the hallway sighing in annoyance "Jude, stop gloating already. I'm sure he wasn't even that great of a guy". He pushed open her bedroom door and frowned when he found it empty "you haven't run off to Paris have you ? Judith!".

Being stuck inside a bathroom, while trying to not be caught for literally murder wasn't on Joe's agenda of the day. He thought for sure he had a few more hours left to handle poor ole Judith, the world truly was out to get him. Not to mention Luke was right down the hallway, seconds away from the door.

Thank goodness for locks otherwise this entire situation could've ended completely differently. Not that Joe truly wanted to go down such drastic measures, but then again history always repeats itself these days. His relationships never last, but it's not his fault. They weren't devoted like he was, they didn't care enough or ask what he wanted.

Why should he care about how they feel? It's not like they could say much when he was burying them in a shallow grave. It's the least he could do after all, better than being stripped for parts and tossed in cheap garbage bags into the ocean. That's true pottery, scattered into the ocean bed like an animal.

Being ripped apart into nothing but forgotten memories, poor Joe's heart was broken just thinking about it. Judith really was messing up his shoes and it was getting on his nerves, the same stupid pathetic shoes he wore everyday. Tossing them seemed fine but then again, the blood would be hard to get out.

"Judith!" Luke's voice was closer and Joe was panicking internally as he shoved Judith into the bathtub once more. Stupid plastic, stupid garbage bags he knew weren't good enough. The sun was going down and Joe's timeframe was getting closer to being successful. If only Luke would just leave already.

Luke sighed in annoyance as he flopped down on Judith's couch, he had given up at this rate. She clearly didn't want to be found with this sudden ignorance. He would just call again in the morning and hope for the best "alright well, I guess I'll call you in the morning. Charge your phone while you're at it! And stop ignoring me!".

He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and made his way towards the front door. He paused when he saw something shiny beside her shoe rack. He kneeled downward grabbing hold of it "her earring". He vividly remembered seeing her wear this last time he saw her, it was awkwardly bent and out of shape.

The diamonds on the verge of falling out as he let it rest on his palm. He reached his hand further into the shoe rack checking for the other of the pair, but all he found was dirt and dust making him cringe. He wiped his hands off quickly, shoving the earring into his pocket before he left and pushed the door shut.

Getting rid of a body is easier when you're alone, Joe spent half the damn night just dragging Judith down to the beach. It wasn't an ideal disposal location but it was nearly sunrise and he was desperate. She was heavy even inside separate garbage bags, and for once he was glad he knew how to drive a boat.

She scattered easily, each bag floating downward fast as he went further and further. He sat down when the last bag floated off, and let out a breath he desperately needed out. Killing is easy, but getting rid of the evidence not so much. He looked down at the key around his neck, surely Luke wasn't hiding anything?

He didn't seem all that secretive with his perfect life and his rich dead parents who mysteriously died. The sun was in the distance and Joe could hear a few birds as he turned the boat off and carefully tied it off to the docks. He could always just ask Luke about the basement, then again he didn't wanna scare him off.

Pointless, it was all stupid and pointless. He could just go there when Luke's gone and see for himself, this didn't need to be so complicated. Joe sighed as he stepped off the boat and stretched his arms.

Then he felt himself stiffened almost immediately the second a rock smacked into the back of his head. His reaction time was way off, his body going awkwardly limp as he fell into the dock. He reached for his head but found himself being dragged backward by his sweater angrily. Another smack and his vision began to blur, then another that felt just downright unnecessary and his eyes locked with Luke's.

Such perfect eyes that always made his insides twist, blood hit Luke's face and he cringed as Joe went limp on the dock. He tossed the rock into the water and dragged Joe angrily away, he knew the boy wasn't dead, maybe a concussion? But then again what would it matter anyways, he had just literally seen him tossing Judith into the damn ocean.

That really was Luke's breaking point, not the stalking or the fact that Joe was really bad at covering it up. Just that Judith was gone, the only girl who ever saw him for him and didn't care. His best friend, Joe took her away just like that. So much for happily ever after? Seems Luke was crossing off another Joe.

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authors notes:
everyone gasp! I updated! I'm still here, active era? Maybe.. maybe.. i definitely want to be more active in 2025, trust if Tik Tok deadass gets banned I will be on this app 24/7. That's the only thing that keeps me from being on here, I'm not even ashamed of it either, Tik Tok is just additive, and half the time it gets boring lol. Regardless idc what happens because at this point it is what it is, can't control what happens.