Northern Wisconsin
JOSH
"You think Grandma will be okay, Randall?"
My brother's eyes were wide with worry. Grandma's were fixed on the ceiling, her hand pressing a towel against her bleeding throat. She wore a dark blue dress with yellow flowers, the upper half soaked through with red. Blood also matted her hair.
So much blood.
I stared at Josh—seven years younger than I was and about to start third grade. He was sitting on the floor next to Grandma, holding her hand. A minute ago he'd taken a pillow from the sofa and put it under her head. There was a streak of crimson across the cabin's hardwood floor from when we'd dragged her into the house.
"I don't know."
We continued to watch her breathe.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale…
Her chest stopped moving. Josh squeezed her hand so tight his fist was shaking. I felt my heart count the seconds.
Grandma's eyes stared off into nothing.
"Grandma!" Josh brought her hand close to his face.
I remembered CPR, from swimming class in school, but Grandma had a hole in her neck. If I blew into her mouth, wouldn't the air just come out of the hole? And if I pressed on her ribcage, wouldn't that just cause more of her blood to come out the wound?
Inhale.
It was a small, wheezy gasp, but it proved she was still alive, and it was enough to stop Josh from squeezing her hand to death. I picked up Grandma's cordless phone on the floor next to us and listened to the recording.
All circuits are currently busy, please stay on the line…
I pressed the button to hang up and tried 911 again.
Same thing. What the hell was wrong with emergency services in Northern Wisconsin?
"Randall? What happened to her?" Josh's wide eyes had become wet and glossy.
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell him what I saw happen while she was gardening. I still didn't believe it myself.
"She, uh… she fell on her shovel. You know how old she is."
I turned away, unable to look at him while lying. Instead I scratched my head, fighting to not cry.
"When are Mom and Dad coming back?"
I sniffled. "Soon."
Another lie. I had no idea when they'd be back. When they went hiking, they were sometimes gone all day. Sunset was still hours away, and there was no cell phone reception at the cabin. Mom had taken her purse, which had the car keys in it.
When they got back, we could get Grandma to a hospital. We had to wait for them. We had no other choice.
I thought about the garden. What I saw. And I realized something that made my hands shake.
Josh and I weren't safe.
"I'll be right back." I told Josh. "Keep pressure on the towel."
His eyes widened. "Don't go, Randall."
"I need to check something."
"Don't leave me."
"I'm not leaving. I'll be right back."
"Please hurry up."
I didn't want to go, but I had to.
I didn't want what happened to Grandma to happen to me and Josh.
So I left the living room and began to check every door. The backyard, the patio, the front door, the garage door.
All locked. It wasn't that big of a log cabin.
Then I checked the windows.
Upstairs bedrooms, locked.
Bathrooms, locked.
Kitchen, locked.
Living room, locked.
Then I got to the backyard window. The brown curtains fluttered in the cool lake wind.
Wide open.
Large enough for a man to fit through.
I hurried up to the window and shut it hard, clicking the locks in place. Then I ran back to the living room.
"Josh, we…"
Grandma and Josh were gone.
My heart went into overdrive. The towel was on the floor, blood staining the wood where she'd been. But there were no more streaks. She hadn't been dragged away.
Grandma must have gotten up.
"Josh!"
No response.
Where the hell were they?
I ran back upstairs.
"Josh?" My voice not as loud as before.
The silence allowed me to hear my heart pounding in my ears. I waited for noise, for any movement.
Then the floor creaked. It came from the bedroom Josh and I shared.
Someone was in there.
"Josh?" My voice shrank to a whisper.
I walked silently down the
JOSH
"You think Grandma will be okay, Randall?"
My brother's eyes were wide with worry. Grandma's were fixed on the ceiling, her hand pressing a towel against her bleeding throat. She wore a dark blue dress with yellow flowers, the upper half soaked through with red. Blood also matted her hair.
So much blood.
I stared at Josh—seven years younger than I was and about to start third grade. He was sitting on the floor next to Grandma, holding her hand. A minute ago he'd taken a pillow from the sofa and put it under her head. There was a streak of crimson across the cabin's hardwood floor from when we'd dragged her into the house.
"I don't know."
We continued to watch her breathe.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale…
Her chest stopped moving. Josh squeezed her hand so tight his fist was shaking. I felt my heart count the seconds.
Grandma's eyes stared off into nothing.
"Grandma!" Josh brought her hand close to his face.
I remembered CPR, from swimming class in school, but Grandma had a hole in her neck. If I blew into her mouth, wouldn't the air just come out of the hole? And if I pressed on her ribcage, wouldn't that just cause more of her blood to come out the wound?
Inhale.
It was a small, wheezy gasp, but it proved she was still alive, and it was enough to stop Josh from squeezing her hand to death. I picked up Grandma's cordless phone on the floor next to us and listened to the recording.
All circuits are currently busy, please stay on the line…
I pressed the button to hang up and tried 911 again.
Same thing. What the hell was wrong with emergency services in Northern Wisconsin?
"Randall? What happened to her?" Josh's wide eyes had become wet and glossy.
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell him what I saw happen while she was gardening. I still didn't believe it myself.
"She, uh… she fell on her shovel. You know how old she is."
I turned away, unable to look at him while lying. Instead I scratched my head, fighting to not cry.
"When are Mom and Dad coming back?"
I sniffled. "Soon."
Another lie. I had no idea when they'd be back. When they went hiking, they were sometimes gone all day. Sunset was still hours away, and there was no cell phone reception at the cabin. Mom had taken her purse, which had the car keys in it.
When they got back, we could get Grandma to a hospital. We had to wait for them. We had no other choice.
I thought about the garden. What I saw. And I realized something that made my hands shake.
Josh and I weren't safe.
"I'll be right back." I told Josh. "Keep pressure on the towel."
His eyes widened. "Don't go, Randall."
"I need to check something."
"Don't leave me."
"I'm not leaving. I'll be right back."
"Please hurry up."
I didn't want to go, but I had to.
I didn't want what happened to Grandma to happen to me and Josh.
So I left the living room and began to check every door. The backyard, the patio, the front door, the garage door.
All locked. It wasn't that big of a log cabin.
Then I checked the windows.
Upstairs bedrooms, locked.
Bathrooms, locked.
Kitchen, locked.
Living room, locked.
Then I got to the backyard window. The brown curtains fluttered in the cool lake wind.
Wide open.
Large enough for a man to fit through.
I hurried up to the window and shut it hard, clicking the locks in place. Then I ran back to the living room.
"Josh, we…"
Grandma and Josh were gone.
My heart went into overdrive. The towel was on the floor, blood staining the wood where she'd been. But there were no more streaks. She hadn't been dragged away.
Grandma must have gotten up.
"Josh!"
No response.
Where the hell were they?
I ran back upstairs.
"Josh?" My voice not as loud as before.
The silence allowed me to hear my heart pounding in my ears. I waited for noise, for any movement.
Then the floor creaked. It came from the bedroom Josh and I shared.
Someone was in there.
"Josh?" My voice shrank to a whisper.
I walked silently down the
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