I glance back and Maz is right with me.
I reach out and we hold hands as we enter the bedroom.
When I see the bed, I see the covers are torn off and thrown to the floor.
The pillows are missing.
A lamp on a nightstand is knocked over.
The whole vibe of the room is bad.
Very bad.
At first I don’t see Birdie.
Then I walk around to the other side of the bed.
There’s Birdie.
Sitting in the corner of the bedroom, hugging one of the pillows from the bed.
I hear her teeth chattering.
She has her knees bent.
I see that the stocking on her left leg is torn up pretty bad.
She’s missing her right shoe.
There are black lines on her face because she’s been crying.
“Birdie,” I whisper as I crouch down. “Hey. What’s going on?”
I reach and barely touch her knee.
She swings her foot at me, kicking me in the jaw.
I fall back to my ass.
Birdie looks at me and gasps. “Jaci! I’m so sorry!”
I rub my chin.
I lick my bottom lip but don’t taste blood.
Maz approaches Birdie with more caution.
“Birdie… talk to us…”
Birdie takes a deep breath.
Without talking, she tells us more about her night.
As she lowers the pillow down from her body I can see her left shoulder is exposed.
I glance at Maz.
Maz looks ready to throw up.