In Egyptian mythology, Anubis was the jackal-headed god of the dead, who determined which souls could enter paradise and which were doomed to eternal damnation. Your heart’s weight decided the length of your sentence. Truth and justice in your actions would grant you entry into the afterlife.

Older gods’ precepts formed the base of Christian righteousness, which then used blame to control its followers. Being honest wasn’t enough anymore. If you repented and felt sorry for a sin, you had a new passport to enter heaven.

Fortunately for me and not for my late parents, guilt was something I never experienced or was familiar with. Father used that perfect alibi as a justification for punishing Mother. Someone had to repent for the sins I’d committed.

The sight of Daniel’s bleeding body on the carpet evoked a deep sense of sadness for Mia. With shaking hands and tears in her eyes, she reached for my son. Josh’s eyes were wide as he surveyed the scene. Unable to stand, he sat down on a step.

“Mom?” his voice broke.

“D-Daniel? Oh, my God.”

Her gaze was intense, searching for a common connection I knew wasn’t there. Instead, I stretched, cracked my neck, stepped back, locked the door, and pocketed the key.

“It’s a relief not to have to pretend anymore. Daniel sounded annoying. I’m glad he’s been silenced.”

“What have you done, Tessa?”

“The right thing, of course.”

Her whisper trembled.

“But he is dead!”

“Yeah, and he won’t gaslight or lay his filthy hands on any of you.”

I approached them and reached for Josh, but the kid flinched and clutched tighter to Mrs. Jones’ legs. He wept, his eyes flitting about, fixated only on the dead body in front of him. His voice, angelic as the choir’s on TV, mingled with the Christmas carols.

“It’s ok, buddy. Nobody is going to hurt you again. This might be scary, but everything will be better from now on. I promise.”

“How can you say that?” Mia’s face turned into a grimace of tears. “This is a nightmare.”

Her words pierced me like my father’s eyes when he saw the blood from the dead bird’s body on my dress. My hands squeezed my knife’s grip as I clenched my teeth.

“Is it really, Mrs. Jones? To see your husband’s corpse on your carpet is worse than what you had faced in your life over the past years?”

I stepped over Daniel and walked towards her.

“Seriously, is eliminating him more awful than the constant disrespect, lies, and betrayal?”

She squeezed Josh’s back with her hand. Her wails now expressed a deeper level of pain. Why is she so reluctant to accept the truth? My blood boiled, and the itch to feed my blade consumed me.

It was a wish I fought against with all my might, because it was important to be on good terms with Josh. I punished the jerk who hit him, but he felt an affection for Mia. Things would be more troublesome if I had to dispose of her at once.

My boy looked more composed, even through the tears. He didn’t mention the horrible man — not once. That silence provided all the confirmation I needed. I walked the right path. I shouldn’t abandon my perfect plan, and I had to take back control.

“Alright. I’ll help you come to your senses.” I swung my weapon toward the body. “Come on, we need to get him out of the way. Open the door to the basement.”

Mia grimaced.

“You’re joking, right?”

I marched forward, my head close enough to detect her breath.

“Quiet. Remember, I’m the one holding the knife.”

Mrs. Jones shivered. 

“Let’s begin by walking around the house. I need to gather a few things. We’ll proceed slowly and carefully. Even our little guy can assist. Teamwork is dream work, right, Josh?”

His green eyes connected with mine; he appeared to be searching for the perfect answer. Then that cute, upturned nose nodded.  His beautiful mind was clearly at work, resulting in excellent decisions.

I leaned on the corpse, took the car keys and wallet, and then made Mia give me hers. We walked to the kitchen and I stored everything in a drawer. Our next stop was the basement. Mrs. Jones opened the door and handed me the key.

When we lifted Daniel off the floor, she retched. Short gasps escaped Josh’s lips as he switched on the lights. Mia had the legs, and I grabbed the torso.

The area was clean, and I knew Mia had to take all the credit for it. The room contained furniture and toys. A sofa, two chairs, a mirror, a rocking horse, some dolls, and an old video game console were among the items.

We used plastic to cover the body. Mrs. Jones had abandoned her heels upstairs. Her long-sleeved, caramel blouse was now stained with blood, sweat, and tears. 

We stopped for a minute, and I observed her from a small distance. She wheezed and panted from the exertion. Maybe it was too much to ask of her to understand everything. I should put her out of her misery.

“Tess.”

Her voice sounded weak, but it took me back to our best days together.

“Yes?”

“I-I think you are right.” Mia choked with a sob and faced me. “Daniel was no good, a shadow of the man I married. Such a lazy father, and a horrible husband. He deserved what he got.”

“That loser weighed you down.”

“And Josh! Think about how much he could have helped develop the child’s artistic talents with his money, rather than spending it on other women.” She walked up to me.

“Glad you’re back to your old self. I knew you’d calm down and rationally consider the situation.” I smiled. “When you told me you wanted to be as strong as me, I couldn’t let you stay with that monster. Not after what Daniel did to Josh.”

“Now I understand what you did, Tess, and I appreciate it. A lot.” She got closer and caressed my arm. “There’s one thing that worries me, though. How will I take care of Josh like this? I can’t keep him… I mean, this body here, it’s not healthy for him.”

Her question made me giggle.

“I’m surprised you’re still thinking about doing anything on your own again.”

She raised an eyebrow, chuckling.

“W-what are you saying?”

I reached for her hands.

“Josh is a brilliant kid, Mia. You’ve done an amazing job raising him by yourself, but now he needs something more. Someone willing to go into the darkest places for him, who won’t think twice to cross any line, break any rule, or face any nightmare to keep him safe.”

Mrs. Jones’ eyes widened.

“And the person who’s going to reach them is me. And I invite you to come on that journey with us.”

I noticed the boy’s eyes. His gaze was full of awe. I wanted him to understand how much I loved him.

“I will be his mother, his shield, just like Captain America’s. And you, Mia,” I turned to her, “You can be the other mom. Our little man’s inspiration, his Mind Stone, the same one that Vision has. A beautiful future awaits us. How does that sound?”

The words I had spoken melted like makeup remover on her perfectly painted face. It reminded me of how fast snow disappears on the first day of spring. There was no glimmer in her eyes, just horror and disbelief. I tightened my grip on her right hand as I pulled my knife out with the other.

“Heh, to think I had hopes you’d accept it. I should’ve known.” I scoffed. 

“Tessa, please, stop!” she pleaded.

“Be assured, someone will take care of him when you go to heaven. Goodbye, Mia.”

“W-wait!”

The light pressure on my leg caught my attention, along with the sweet sound that came out of Josh’s lips. He pulled my sweatshirt firmly with both hands.

“What is it, buddy?” I whispered.

“I-I… Can we talk, Mama? Please.”

If that was not how the heavenly trumpets resonated, calling the faithful and the righteous to join God in heaven, then it was closer to that. At long last, a new era was about to start.

Editor: Lucy Cafiero