#this discovery

The walk back from the store seemed a lot longer than it was now that his arms were filled with various things that had been placed on the list that he had made. Isobel had been more distant lately so somehow Alaric had stepped up and started to be the responsible one. As often as he passed the grocery store on his way home from the school, you’d think that the man would’ve actually graced the place with his presence but then again, this was Alaric Saltzman we were talking about. Steps toward being the person that he tried to put on at school were actually a lot further off than he had thought and metaphorically, for those big steps, Alaric had too short of legs.

It seemed like his real legs, however, might just leave his arms behind at any minute as he rounded another corner. The constant shifting of the bags and the case of beer made them screech in pain, reminding him for the fifth time this week that he needed to join the gym. Alaric half-laughed at himself thinking about how ridiculous he must look right now, just barely holding onto the bags that were only getting heavier by the moment with some goofy smile on his face. When he finally turned onto his road or rather, their road, that same goofy smile came across his face again at the sight of Isobel’s car.

Although estranged at some points, Alaric really did love Isobel and he thought that Isobel loved him. Well, that’s what she had said anyway. Instinctively, Alaric’s body pushed forward a bit faster with excitement to see Isobel’s face when she saw he’d brought groceries home for them. Isobel would appreciate the gesture just as she appreciated the harsh reality of her own husband’s faults and for that Alaric was thankful.

Coming up the path, Alaric took the few steps up to the front door, twisting the knob quickly and stepping inside, holding the door with his back. “Hey, I’m home,” he said to what felt like an empty house. When he turned though, he knew that he was not alone and neither was Isobel before he had come in. Hovering over top of her was a figure that seemed to peer at him before dashing off into the dusk of the early evening. Alarmed, Alaric was stationary, unable to move and to breathe, really. He could see but nothing seemed to process. He could hear but every noise around him was drowned out by the beating of his heart in his head.

“Isobel?” he finally said with a strong tightness in his throat, more than just a lump. Alaric stepped forward, placing everything on the ground carelessly. He was pretty sure that he heard a bottle of the beer break but even a man like Alaric didn’t care about the waste of the beer that spread all over the floor. The brew was worthless to him while Isobel was priceless. He continued moving closer and closer before kneeling beside his wife. “Isobel,” he called to her again, pressing his large palm on her delicate face. “Come on,” he commanded in a soft tone.

Alaric stared for a moment before putting his ear next to her mouth, listening for breaths where there were none. The panic began settling in as he examined her face. It was lifeless and dull. The color of her face flushed from her lightly colored cheeks and her red lips, leaving a shell of someone Alaric was having trouble recognizing. There were no tears and certainly no real emotions that came from the man yet besides desperation. The shock robbed him of the emotions. He was desperate and in need of his wife to come back. Sitting back on his heels, Alaric trembled before standing and pulling out his phone. He dialed and waited for an answer.

“My wife- I, um, I think she’s dead—,” he told the woman on the line with a shaky voice. She said something else but Alaric couldn’t hear her over the thoughts that began running through his head when he finally saw it.