We walked down a long hallway past doors marked with their numbers. I heard the soft murmur of lives, of voices, televisions, radios, video games. I heard laughter and an argument, and for second I wondered if we had the right spot.
I stood in front of number 36 and stared at the door before turning to Cora.
“Stay out of sight.”
She made a face. “What are you going to do, knock?”
“Of course not, but we don’t know what’s waiting for us in there. So please, take a step back and away.”
She let out a breath then pressed herself up against the wall on the same side as the door. I nodded, knelt down, and fished the lockpick set from my back pocket. I wasn’t great at it, but these locks weren’t high quality either, and I managed to get the handle open in a few minutes.
I turned it and the door swung open. He hadn’t bothered to lock the bolt—maybe didn’t think I could follow him into the suburbs.
The smell of decay and sick hit me like a wave. I made a face and stepped into a tight hallway. On the right was an open doorway that led into a small bathroom. The toilet seat was up and the bowl looked cloudy, and I decided not to investigate any further. I moved deeper into the apartment, past another open door that peered into a bedroom, the sheets a tangled mess, beer bottles and fast food containers on the floor.
I stepped into the main room at the end of the hallway, a combination living room and kitchen. There was one light on, casting a dull glow across filthy counters and stacks of soggy magazines on a small round table. A body was lounging back on the couch half-covered in a blanket, the television glowing like a full moon, flickers of shadows cast across the space. I watched as the body itched itself and I realized it was Jarvis—though not quite.
Cora came in behind me. I shot her a look, but she shrugged, like what else would she do. I slipped my gun from my waistband and walked toward the body, or Jarvis, or whatever the hell it was now—and stood over him, staring down with a strange, sickening feeling in my gut.
Half his face was melted off. The skin beneath, if it could be called skin, was a bright pink and horrifying. I realized the smell was coming from him, and he should’ve been in the hospital. He shifted and looked up at me, blinking awake as I stood there, and for a moment we regarded each other. He didn’t move, but he didn’t seem surprised.
“Hello, Jarvis,” I said. “You don’t look so good.”
He managed a horrible smile and grimaced. “I don’t feel great, if I’m being honest with you.”
Cora stayed near the kitchen, her face a mask of horror. I thought she might be sick, but she stayed standing, not moving, barely breathing.
I knelt down next to Jarvis. “Hedeon said you’ve been around town.”
“I made the rounds.”
“From the looks of you, that wasn’t easy.”
“I wanted to make sure you burned—just like me.” He gave a little chuckle then groaned in agony.
“Why aren’t you in a hospital?”
He made a face like I’d kicked him in the gut. “What the fuck could a hospital do for me? Keep me alive?” He pushed his blanket off and struggled to sit up. The right half of his body was covered in bandages, some of them yellowed and sick-looking. He coughed a wet, deep, hacking cough that sounded like glass deep in his chest. I watched him settle into a seated position and his eyes focused on me again.
“They could’ve done something for you at least.”
“I’d never look the same. I’d be a fucking monster. And for what?”
I stood up. “You made this choice, you know.”
“I never chose for you to burn me alive.” His tone was harsh and there was a real layer of emotion behind his words. “I never wanted that.”
“If you want me to feel sorry for you, it won’t work. You tried to murder me in the street over a bag of drugs. You came for me, Jarvis. You begged for this.”
He laughed then groaned. “I thought you wouldn’t have the balls, not with your pretty little wife around.” His eyes flicked to her then back to me. “Interesting you decided to bring her along.”
“She’s keeping me in check.”
“Lucky me.”
I held the gun out and aimed it at his head. I didn’t know how I felt about this, whether I should pity the broken creature, or if I should be elated that it was finally over. With him dead, there’d be no more violence in the city, and we could move forward with our lives again.
“Reid.” Cora spoke up, pulled my attention away. A little smile sparked along Jarvis’s mouth but I ignored him and turned to her. “Don’t shoot him.”