Chapter 10

The weeks until the court date pressed on, Iris grew nervous as there was no improvement on the video. Arrow would talk to her but there was never anything said about it, she had deleted the video from her phone since the techs and Arrow had it in their possession.

She still had the note from that fateful night, it was brown in spots where the blood was and she would read it over no matter how it hurt. Like now, the note was clutched in her hand as tears spilled down her cheeks.

Dear Iris,

If you're reading this then I know it is already too late. I would've warned you if I could but I was afraid, it's a funny thing, fearing the man you love. Do you remember that camping trip I went on with Alex, and how I was scared to ever mention the name of those woods?

That's where it started, he got angry with me because I accidentally forgot to pack a net. He asked me to pack the net so we could use it to catch fish, but I couldn't find it, he was rushing me, and we had fishing poles, I thought it would be fine without it. But it wasn't.

He hit me that night and made me believe that he didn't want to but he should've started using his hands and other things to make me listen. It was toxic, he was toxic, I know I should've listened to everyone, I know I should've left him.

At the beginning he said if I was told to do something I needed to do it, I shouldn't speak out of turn, and I should never ever let the house look messy. I'm a woman, he said, I should know it's my place to be in the kitchen, to cook and to clean for him.

A few times I would get so tired from work that I would 'slack off' and not cook or clean. That was when he started with the verbal abuse. I got pregnant after the camping trip, I was waiting to tell him until his birthday, but he would hit me so much and so hard that I miscarried. He thought it was just my period and told me I was nasty and disgusting for staining my nice dress he bought me.

He hurt me in more ways than one, he told me I was the scum of the Earth when I got so depressed that week. I never told him I was pregnant with his child, that he made me miscarry the one thing that would've made my life worth living.

I'm sure he's read this letter too, but there's also something else. He's in a gang of sorts, they hurt people for fun and I know, I just know, if he wasn't involved with them he would be such a good, loving person.

Now to the point, I'm in Ancient Hill Woods, there's a chamber of sorts in the heart of the forest. He showed it to me, it's covered in leaves and you only know it's there because there will be a metallic thud when you run over it.

I'm out of time so there's no need to hurry, I hope you find your happiness. I wish I could be there to witness it, but this is just how it goes.

I love you.

Yours forever and always,

Esty.

Iris choked on her tears, she hated that man with her whole heart and she was glad he was dead. Though they deemed her a murderer, she was glad she was the one that killed him. There was a knock on her door, she wiped her tears, stowed the paper behind a couch pillow, and walked to the front door.

The knocking wasn't coming from there, though. Whoever they were, they managed to get in her backyard and were knocking at her backdoor, she walked to the back and opened the door to find a surly man standing there.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"Bill, friend of Alex, I'm sure you know that weak, pathetic, excuse of a man?"

"Why are you in my backyard? I have a front door, you know."

"I know, this is so no one sees me." Bill picked at his fingernails. "I want you to join us."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I know how you killed Alex, I know you put up one hell of a fight." He scoffed and looked her up and down. "Wouldn't take much to kill him anyway."

"I'm not interested in your poisonous girl scout cookies." Iris moved to slam the door in his face but he had his foot in the door jamb.

"You will regret ever trying to insult me."

"Sure, bye now." His foot was out the door and she slammed in his face, locked it, and sat back on her couch.

She could never catch a break.

Arrow sat on Iris's couch, watching the movie she put on. Iris asked her over to talk about something but never mentioned it even when Arrow questioned her. She saw movement in the corner of her eye and looked over.

"I'm ready to tell you." Iris paused the movie and was now sitting criss-cross facing Arrow.

"I'm all ears." Arrow shifted her position and nodded for Iris to start.

"Last night I was reading the last note Esty ever wrote. The one Alex was so kind as to kill my cat to leave me." Iris looked down and picked at a loose string on her pants. "There was a knock on my door, but not on the front door. There was someone in my backyard, I believe it was the leader of this gang Esty mentioned because he asked me to join them and that it wouldn't have taken much to kill Alex. He also said I'll regret trying to insult him."

"It seems you made a lot of enemies that want to be your allies."

"You always tend to say the right things."

"I know that was sarcasm." Arrow smiled and sighed. "Anyway, I would advise getting cameras, especially night vision cameras. You killed someone people loved and they don't know the full story yet. They're going to have it out for you, how did you insult him?"

I told him I didn't want his poisonous girl scout cookies."

At this Arrow threw her head back and laughed loudly. "That's a good one." She blew out a breath and, holding her sides, sat back up.

Iris asked the question that had been itching in the back of her head. "What if I'm counted guilty?"

"Don't think like that, you'll be innocent." Arrow muttered, her mouth going dry.

"What if they don't think so? What then? I finally found what I was looking for and now it might all be ripped away." Tears swam in her eyes as she spoke, spilled down her cheeks.

"Stop that, you stop it." Arrow scooted closer and wiped her cheeks. "After everything you went through you can't think like that. You did what you had to do."

"Did what I had to." Iris scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm a murderer, I have blood on my hands, would they seriously think I'm innocent?"

"Admit to it, admit you were in that chamber long before him. You found the body, he came in and attacked you. Just like the video, the video is key evidence they can't sentence you."

"No." Her voice was grave as she spoke. "But they can try."