by Sofie Hern
The smell of rain and earth emerge as raindrops start to fall. The windows of the abandoned building are boarded up and I can’t see inside. I crouch down and lean against the wall, listening for any movement inside. The sound of the rain makes it difficult to make out any other sounds.
I walk along the wall in a crouched down position, looking for an opening, but all the windows are covered. I reach what must have been the back yard. There’s a tire swing attached to a charred tree, spinning around with the force of the wind. Once again, I stop moving and listen.
I take out my phone and press the lock button for the time. The brightness is too high and I quickly shove it back in my pocket. I got a glimpse of numbers which might have been 6:12, or 6:21, I can’t be sure. I continue on along the wall, crossing the back part of the house and when I reach the other side, I see an old beat-up car which doesn’t look at all familiar.
How the fuck did he do it? How did he manage to take Aaron? I’m such a fucking idiot. I shake my head and continue along the wall. Once again I stop and listen; I can hear voices now.
“Damn it,” I whisper at the realization that Levy isn’t alone. I swallow hard and I’m not sure what to do, but I know there’s no turning back. Maybe I should go get the police, I think, but there is no more time.
I continue on to the front of the house as my heart continues to hammer in my chest. The rain turns to a drizzle and the cold mist hits my face.
By the time I reach the front I’m hyperventilating, which is making me lightheaded. I slowly and quietly step onto the porch and look around for the urn and feel stupid for thinking that it would just be out here. I stand up and take a deep breath. “Here we go,” I whisper and knock on the door.
“Who’s there?” I hear Levy and movement inside.
“Adam.”
The door slowly opens. Levy looks around, making sure that I am alone.
“Where the fuck is the car?”
“Just down that way,” I say moving my head in the direction of the Jeep. “Not too far,” I say and he steps out.
“Hands up,” he says and I put them up as he descends the porch steps. I’m afraid I may reveal the gun in my belt.
He has a hand behind his back and I wonder which one of us slingers will be the quickest
“Slowly walk backward,” he orders and I do, stopping before I reach the front door. “Where’s the cash?”
I am so nervous and pray it doesn’t show. “In a purple bag in the back. Ready to go.”
He studies me for a moment. “Rose!” he calls and a woman emerges from the house. The same one from the bar and I feel so fucking stupid that I was played by this stupid-fucking-ugly-ass-red-tattoo-worse-pickup-line-ever-bitch!
We stand in a triangle with my back to the opened door and Levy to my right.
“Go to the car and see if there's a purple bag,” Levy orders and the woman walks away.
“You,” Levy says to me. “Inside.”
53
JAYCOB
Jaycob thinks that Adam is taking too long. He sinks into the seat as low as he can and moves the rearview mirror so that he can keep an eye on what’s behind him. The rain starts to fall hard and with daylight gone, it’s difficult to see anything beyond a few feet. The wind blows and the trees sway, reminding Jaycob of inflatable air dancers. He keeps his eyes open and in the mirror sees a figure approach. It’s still too difficult to make out the figure and he becomes uneasy.
He keeps his eyes on the figure and then realizes that it’s a woman. He isn’t sure what to do, but is ready for anything. He looks past the woman, hoping to see Adam following but he’s nowhere. The woman continues to approach until she reached the back of the Jeep and looks inside.
“Levy, come in,” she talks into a walkie-talkie.
Jaycob is so nervous and starts to shake. Come on, Jaycob. You can do this… for Aaron; he thinks and puts the Jeep in reverse then hits the gas. The tires rumble and spin underneath him and then gain traction. He feels the impact as he backs up. When he sees the figure on the ground in front of the Jeep, he puts the car in drive and again hits the gas, moving the Jeep forward over the woman. He hears a loud thud and the Jeep jerks and then he stops.
His hands are shaking as he gets out of the Jeep. He goes to the woman who is gasping for air. “Help… me,” says the woman, with a horrendous sound in her throat.
Flashbacks of shooting Aaron come to him. The woman gasps one last time and then is gone.
Jaycob is breathing fast and his hands shake. As he stares down at her, he hears a gunshot and runs toward the house.
“Adam!” he screams and runs as fast as he can. Another shot and Jaycob trips over a rock and hits the floor, but stands up just as quickly as he fell.
“Adam!” He continues to run as lightning illuminates his path. The rain is coming down hard and he can swear that the house is moving away from him as he runs.
When he finally reaches the porch, he hears another gunshot. The door is jammed shut and he hits it with his shoulder.
54
ADAM
I walk inside the house which looks like a bomb has gone off. The ceiling is charred and there’s no way of knowing what rooms are what. Aside from the sink and the toilet, nothing else remains. Books are burning in a garbage can in the center of the room which reeks of weed, sweat, and urine.
Levy closes and locks the door behind him with a hand still behind his back and I wonder why he isn’t pointing the gun at me. He keeps his eyes on me as he slowly walks around me and into what used to be the kitchen. He reaches into a Walgreens bag with one hand and retrieves the urn. My heart sinks and I feel the blood drain from my face. He drops the bag and takes a few steps toward me.
There’s a beer can on an upside-down garbage can which is being used as a table. He places the urn on the makeshift table and takes a sip from the beer. He throws the can on the floor and then picks up the urn again, with his left hand still behind him.
My arms burn from holding them up for so long, but I can’t take my eyes off the urn as he holds it close to his chest.
“I can’t believe he’s in here,” he says and smiles.
I am so scared right now. Not for me, not for Jaycob, but for Aaron. I promised Tianna that I would take care of him and here he is, in the arms of a monster instead. I shake my head as he approaches.
“Levy, come in.” The walkie-talkie on the table comes on.
My heart is starting to pound once again as he backs up to get the walkie-talkie. I start to panic and without thinking I run at him and kick him in the groin as hard as I can.
Pain shoots up my leg and we both fall to the floor. The urn hits the floor; it cracks but doesn’t break. The pain in my leg is like no other and I roll over to find a knife sticking out of my knee. So it wasn’t a gun that he was hiding.
Levy crawls to the urn and I take out the gun. I fire one shot and hit him in the ribs, but he keeps moving. I shoot again and then he stops. I’m not sure where the last shot hit him though.
“Adam!” I hear Jaycob outside. I crawl to the urn and grab it, then start to crawl to the door but stop. I turn over on my back, aim the gun at Levy and fire one more shot. This time I see blood coming from his head.
“Adam!” Jaycob screams, but I can’t speak. I can’t move and the pain in my knee is unbearable.
The door breaks open and Jaycob rushes inside. He kneels by my side and gives me a hug. I’m out of breath. I drop the gun and hold on to my little brother and to my buddy, Aaron.
EPILOGUE
It’s been four months since the madness and I’m still reeling from what took place in the days leading up to and following the New Year. I am not used to the calm. I have not at all moved on from my losses or their impact. I am restless. I can’t sleep and I suffer from PTSD. I feel like no one can help me process what took place four months ago. I can’t find my place and so I decided to make a change.
Jaycob joined the Peace Corps and his first assignment
is in South America in two weeks. He’ll be joining a group of missionaries and he’ll be gone for an entire year, followed by a stay in Mexico for another year.
I am amazed at how well he’s doing. He’s still seeing his therapist, but I gave up on mine. She was much too cheerful and wanted me to be part of a yoga grieving group. No thank you. I don’t even want to know what that is.
My knee is healing ever so slowly but once the doctor gives the okay, I will be moving into Charles’s unfinished vacation cabin in Montana. His only request is for me to finish building it and to maintain it. I have a feeling he just wants me to keep busy which I don’t mind, plus I will still be able to work remotely.
Howard and Beth are officially an item and continue to do yoga in the backyard every morning at exactly 6:00 a.m. We’ll see where that goes. I learned that the reason Beth left Reno was to escape an abusive relationship. I’m glad that things are working out for them.
Ken’s trial is set to begin at the end of the year. He’s charged with thirty-nine counts of first-degree murder. The state of Nevada is going for the death penalty and with so much evidence against him; it’s quite likely that he’ll get what he deserves. If sentenced to death, he’ll be facing lethal injection. How fitting is that?
Along with Ken, all of his accomplices will also be charged. Ken’s brothers took the easy way out and made a deal with the DA for a lesser sentence by giving damaging information on Ken. Christopher Poole, the man behind the poison—that’s what he’s known as in the media—is being charged with thirty-nine counts as well, including Tianna and Mrs. Wallace.
Because Julia was the one to bring Ken’s organization down, she will also receive a lesser sentence. Still, she will do at least twenty-five years instead of life in prison, which isn’t enough, but we take what we can get. I visited her in prison to ask why she did what she did, but she didn’t give me an answer. All she said was that she’s very sorry and that she hopes I forgive her someday. I won’t. I can’t.
Irene’s body was buried in Utah, where she was born.
Colin was laid to rest beside Jordyn where he will continue to protect her for all eternity.
Rita and I have not spoken since the day I lost Aaron’s ashes. Though I miss her beautiful voice and her positivity, I know that things between us cannot continue the way they were and so we’ve kept our distance. I am happy to learn that Rita and Beth are becoming good friends.
What happened following the shooting in the abandoned Malibu home is still foggy. After Jaycob found me holding on to the urn, things are a blur in my memory. I later learned that Jaycob had to drive back to Pacific Coast Highway to get cell reception and once he was in range he called 911.
Once the authorities arrived and Jaycob explained what had taken place, the consensus was that Jaycob and I acted in self-defense. They did question Jaycob because, according to police, he used excessive force. Jaycob stood his ground and told the detectives that he feared for his life and he acted accordingly. No charges were made.
Aside from the house in San Diego, Levy had a safe house full of immigrants in San Ysidro. They found at least twenty people in the house and they were in bad shape. Levy had left them there without food or water. Two children were found dead. Levy’s girlfriend was also involved in human trafficking.
Aaron’s memorial in Henderson was a beautiful thing. We decided to have it at his school and there was an assembly out in the yard where parents were invited. Rita did not attend.
Howard was able to get three of the Las Vegas Aviators players to attend the memorial and the entire baseball team donated a plaque with Aaron’s name, which will be forever displayed on our secret bench. At the end of the ceremony, ten doves were released, each one representing a year of Aaron’s short life.
I bought a separate urn and we divided the ashes. Half of them were buried with Tianna and I have the rest. I kept the cracked urn because it reminds me that Aaron was a fighter.
We sold the house in Henderson. Charles organized an auction for all our stuff and with the proceeds started the Aaron Novak Foundation, a charity organization for orphaned children.
Now it’s time to move on but I still have no idea how I’m going to do that. All I can do is try to keep looking forward.
Coming Soon
The Rebuilding of Adam Novak
After the devastating death of his ten-year-old nephew, Adam attempts to rebuild his life in the mountains of Montana. He leads a simple life, a life of solitude and serenity with his dog Mack. His peaceful life is turned upside down when he meets Nathan Archer, a fourteen-year-old boy who is accompanied by his catatonic mother. Adam realizes once again that making the right choice is not always a good thing as he begins to uncover the truth about Nathan’s past.
Acknowledgments
I don’t think I could have made this possible without the confidence that Kim Melby has in me. From the very beginning, you knew that Adam’s story had potential. Thank you, for believing in me and my work, and telling me to not give up. Thank you, Leisa Wilkins, for helping me with the editing process, for your tips, ideas, and confidence. Thank you, Dr. Zuniga, for helping me to understand the process of an induced come and for your support. Thank you, Mr. Healy, for allowing me to poke your brain and explaining the effects of chemicals in the body. Thank you, Belinda Carney, for being my beta reared and for putting up with me and listening to me talk about these beautiful characters that have become part of me. Most of all, thank you, reader. Without you, this book is only a hidden world.
Sofie Hern is a blogger, photographer, bibliophile and proud introvert. The Undertaking of Adam Novak is Sofie Hern’s debut novel. She resides in Los Angeles and when she’s not writing, she spends her time taking photos, hiking, volunteering at her local food bank or at a baseball game. She is currently working on her second novel, The Rebuilding of Adam Novak.
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