CHAPTER SEVEN

Elliot flipped through the channels aimlessly, finding some strange comfort in the flickering images. He was exhausted, no doubt from the extra shifts. But it was worth it. Or will be worth it.

The confusing thing about the whole mess was what was Anna doing in that section of the city? She hated it up here, said it was full of filth and degenerates-guess she was right-and preferred to keep quarters in South Orange, New Jersey, making Elliot and the kids have to travel up there to see her. As if Jersey were any better. Hell, Elliot couldn't even remember the last time Anna had set foot inside the city.

He grabbed his cordless and started punching numbers. His mother picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hey, it's Elliot… How you holdin' up?"

"Oh, hey baby," his mother sighed. "It gets better, then it falls apart somehow. How's the investigation going?"

"It's going," he answered, "I'm working some overtime to help out. I got a question for you if that's alright."

"Sure."

"Well for starters…why was Anna in the city? Ever since her husband died, she tries to stay away from everything New York related."

His mother chuckled in surprise. "Elliot, you have to stay abreast of the family gossip. She's been seeing that retired steel worker, Ron. About three months now."

"Yeah?"

"She moved to New York last week. They were doing the long distance thing."

Elliot thought about this. "Damn." How was this overlooked?

His aunt started to sniffle. "Yeah, first time back and it kills her," she said flatly.

"What's his number? I need to talk to him."

×××××××××

Sasha fought and fought with all her might, but she couldn't ward it off. The depression.

Every time she let her mind wander towards him, she fell so deep and couldn't get herself out. The depression, it was merciless and total, consuming every fiber of her being. She couldn't function, couldn't garner the power she knew she possessed.

Why oh why, my love, she thought desperately. She wished things were different, wished she could just reach out and take the hand he offered her time and time again. But she

couldn't. She wasn't allowed to. The devil made those decisions.

She twisted and writhed on her bed, fighting the depression, the feeling. As if she were literally drowning.

She loved him for as long as she could remember. He was her true love, so near yet so far away. She wanted to reveal herself, confess her love. But she couldn't hurt him. Couldn't let him know who she really was.

She was a bad girl.

She refused to let him go, knowing full well the devil would never allow her to be with him. The devil held the key to her happiness, the sloth. She was his slave and they both knew it.

So she would keep killing the devil until he released her from her shackles.