15
Jake
It had already been a long day by the time I rolled up in front of the single-wide trailer home. I kept my headlights off, not wanting to give away my presence, in case the threat of violence was real. The neighbors who called it in insisted something was different this time. The raised voices were more urgent, filled with more malice and anger. This was the same house Brad and I had visited a couple weeks ago, so I was already somewhat familiar with the tenants who lived here, as well as the basic layout. The front door opened to a small living room with the kitchen to the right and the bedrooms to the left.
I stayed in the vehicle a minute to look around. The curtains were drawn open and I could see two people standing near the entrance of the kitchen. The woman wore nothing more than a black bra and panties, and I could tell from their body language, they were in a heated argument. The man said something and took a step forward just as the woman raised her hands in surrender and stumbled back. That’s when I noticed the man was holding a long, silver knife.
“Oh, fuck,” I muttered, snatching the radio from its holder on the dashboard. “This is Officer Thompson. I have a 10-16, requesting immediate back up. Weapon drawn.”
As soon as I heard the confirmation, I climbed out of the vehicle, thankful dispatch already had the address. With my gun ready, I crept through the shadows to the front door, careful to stay out of the couple’s line of sight, not wanting to startle the man into action. I could hear the angry shouts through the walls and knew things were escalating at a rapid pace.
It was only about a minute before I heard the crunch of at least two more vehicles coming up the gravel road behind me. There were no lights accompanying the sound, which likely meant it was my team.
As soon as they climbed out, the five of us communicated by hand gestures. Brad and Benson went around back to secure the other entrances while Ryan and I stayed with our captain. On the count of three, Captain Long shouldered the front door open, and we rushed in, but the man was lightning fast, snaring his wife in a fierce hold with the knife to her throat.
Ryan went to check the other rooms while I flanked Captain Long in the living room, our weapons drawn.
“You’ve no right to be here!” the man yelled, his grip on his wife unyielding.
The captain spoke in a firm, demanding voice, “Put the weapon down!”
Blood pounded in my ears as I took in my surroundings. I noticed a broken wine glass on the floor, along with a fresh stain of burgundy wine on the couch. A pair of men’s boxers lay in a crumpled mess on the floor, yet the man holding the woman was fully clothed. I sighed inwardly. It appeared to be another cheating spouse situation that had gotten extremely out of hand.
The knife glinted with all the rage in the world as it rested against the woman’s pale skin. Cuts to the throat weren’t always fatal, but that knife looked to be something out of a horror movie, with a fatally sharp and extra-long blade. One deep swipe across her throat was all it would take for him to claim his revenge.
It took me a moment to realize the woman was staring right at me and I had to suppress a shudder from the sheer intensity of her gaze. It burrowed deep in my soul, as though I was her only anchor through the worst moment of her life. It was all I could to do not to look away. Mascara ran down her cheeks in thick trails as she cried silently in her captor’s arms, her ruby lips quivering in fear.
In all my years as a police officer, I’d never felt someone’s terror and desperation the way I did now. It gutted me to be less than ten feet away and not be able to help her. I had to call on all my training not to react on instinct and pull her to safety. I needed to stay focused.
I heard every word my captain said, as well as the shuffles and movements of my team when they entered the room and closed in on the small space, but my attention remained completely on her, too afraid that if I broke eye contact for even a second, she’d try to break free, putting her life at even more risk.
“Put it down!” Captain Long repeated. “Let her go.”
The husband’s dark eyes danced between us, like a trapped dog trying to decide where to strike first. In a terrifying blink of an eye, he yanked her head back by the hair and sliced the unforgiving blade across her skin in one smooth motion. Two of my fellow deputies opened fire, and a second later, the knife clattered to the floor.
I stared in disbelief as the woman slumped forward, practically falling at my feet. The man landed on top of her with a deafening thud. Brad and I fell to our knees at the same time Captain Long and Benson stepped forward to drag the man off her. Blood pooled from her wound as we rolled her over, and thick, hot liquid slipped through my fingers as I pressed my hands firmly against the cut. I could feel her pulse against my skin, feel her trying to hang on with every second.
“Get help!” I said.
“They’re already on their way,” Benson replied. I hated the defeat in his voice, as though he’d already accepted that it was too late. The cut was simply too deep, and the ugly gurgling noise she made with each breath was proof that blood was already pouring into her lungs.
“FUCK!” I cried, refusing to remove my hands. “Fuck, no!”
I’ve seen a lot of horrible shit during my time in the army and with the Atlanta PD, but that didn’t mean I ever got used to witnessing violence up close and personal. Every cell of my body was laced with fear and anger, and it took everything in me not to lash out on those around me.
“Fucking help her!” I screamed.
How could that asshole do that to her! Even if she was cheating, it was no reason to kill her!
Benson put a hand on my shoulder. “She’s gone, Jake.”
I glanced back at her face, devastated to see he was right. Her brown eyes were no longer looking at me with fear, but neither were they looking at me with hope. They were empty and void of all life, all light gone.
“Damnit!”
Time came to a crawl as my team went about their job. People were called in to document and photograph the scene, taking any evidence with them. I’d barely been able to move, my eyes constantly drifting back to the lifeless body on the floor, silently sending her my useless apologies that I hadn’t been able to save her. I wanted to go with her when they hauled her away, but I had to stay with the team.
As overwhelmed as I was, all I wanted to do was flee. To sprint down the street at full speed or feel the burn in my lungs. Anything to thaw the ice coursing through my veins. It was the ugliest kind of chill; something the heaviest blanket couldn’t soothe.
