Inner And Outer Demons

|19|

Tris's POV

"You're sure you don't want to talk to a counselor? We have--"

I give a tight lipped but kind smile. "I'm alright Captain, honestly. I just want to get back to work, and focus on that right now."

Captain nods his head as I exit his office, "Let me know if you change your mind Prior."

Days had passed since the shooting, and despite my wishes, I was on desk duty for two of those three days. They were routine, till they cleared up the investigation of the shooting. And today, I'm finally getting back to field work. Thankfully, because I didn't know how much longer I could sit at that desk while Tobias got to leave.

"What he'd say?" Tobias asks, as I approach our conjoined desks. He leans back in his chair, spinning slightly side to side as he watches me. His hands tossing a pen back and forth in his hands.

"I'm good to get back to my regular tasks, they cleared it as a good shooting." I inform him as I take a seat.

"That's good." He comments, leaning forward and putting his pen down on his desk.

I know that Tobias is still keeping a close eye on me. I can feel it, in the silence between us and I can feel it like a chill up my spine. He's been watching me more, making sure that I'm as fine as I keep telling everyone I am. And I am. But for some reason, I'm not sure he believes me.

"You up for a crime scene?"

Feeling a small smile of relief to get back to work tug at my lips, I nod. "Absolutely."

| | | |

The house we arrive at is a small two story family home, taped off with bright yellow police tape as we enter. The door is wide open as forensics and other officers move in and out of the home. Entering, the first thing I notice is all of the children's toys tossed across the carpet of the living room. Blocks of many bright colors, stuffed animals and a few Barbie dolls all sprawled out as though time stopped and they suddenly disappeared. But walking back towards the rooms with the bodies, I wish they hadn't been here. That they had disappeared, and were in a safer place then they were.

The first room holds two beds pushed into the corners of both walls, and one side is painted pink. Butterflies chasing each other on the wall in the fashion of white and glittery decals. The other side is blue with a train set wrapping across the boarder. A children's room. For toys cover the floor in here as well, and sheets cover both beds. White sheets that cover the bodies that lay still on the twin beds.

"One boy, age 7, and one girl, age 4 and a half." One of the medical examiners tells me as I step closer to the beds. Tobias stands in the doorway speaking to one of the officers who got the distress call.

"Cause of death?" I ask, sliding on a pair of rubber gloves.

"We'll do an autopsy, but it looks pretty obvious." He says, and lifts both sheets for me to see. And I have to agree with him. It's clear what cause of death was.

Gunshot to the head.

"Looks like they might've been asleep when it happened." I comment. I'm not sure if I say it aloud for the medical examiner to confirm, or for my own comfort.

Blood soaks the pillow cases beneath their heads as the bodies haven't been moved yet, and their eyes are shut. The little girl's arms are still around a stuffed animal, and they both look peaceful. But despite the fact that they got to die in their sleep, my heart aches. My whole body does as I stare at the gunshot wounds. These children didn't deserve this, they were too young.

Tobias clears his voice, and I whip around to face him. My heart beating faster as he startled me.

"You alright?" He whispers lowly to me, trying not to draw attention from the others coming in and out of the bedroom.

"I'm fine," I comment shortly, not daring to look up at him in the eye. "Where are the parents?"

It's not the answer he wants, but the one he takes. And leads me down the hall towards a larger bedroom. And I don't even need to walk in to see the crime scene, for it's literally painted across the room and the wall. No sheets cover these two bodies, they lay in full view as I pause in the doorway with Tobias behind me.

A woman, the mother, lays in the bed. Blood splattered behind her against the head board and her face is less cared for then the children's were. Bullet holes destroy the face of the woman who once was.

And the father, he lays at our feet near the entrance of the bedroom. A pool of dark crimson blood dying the carpet beneath his head as the gunshot goes straight through his head. And the gun lays by his sprawled out hand.

"Murder suicide?" I ask, and one of the medical examiners looks up at me.

"Looking that way Detective," She says, and stands up. "Children were most likely first. They were handled with careful precession, but the gun shots must've alerted the mother. She would've been sitting upward in the bed, which explains the blood splatter pattern on the head board. Father walks in, shoots her there, then kills himself where he was standing."

I swallow as I stare at the wounds, at the blood and all of the death that consumes this normal looking household. And letting it all sink in, all I want to do is walk back out that door I came in through, but I know questions will follow. So I push through. I stand tall, and finish my job here.

A/N: Kind of a short chapter, but hopefully it's not too bad! What do you guys think?