Jude stood in the middle of his bedroom for a long time. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to call the police, like any normal person would. But nothing about this felt normal at all.
He thought about his fiancée, who was getting ready for their wedding. He thought about his parents, his friends, and all the guests who would soon be at the ceremony. He also thought about the dead woman in his bed. His hands were shaking as he picked up his phone and looked through his contacts.
Then he stopped at one name: Daniel.
Daniel was his best friend, the person who knew him better than anyone. He was also going to be Jude's best man at the wedding. Jude pressed the call button.
The phone rang. Daniel answered, sounding sleepy. "Jude? What's wrong? You sound weird."
"I need you," Jude said, his voice tight and scared. "Please come to my house. Now."
Daniel paused. "What happened?"
"Just come," Jude said. "Please."
Daniel didn't ask any more questions. He just said, "I'm on my way."
About twenty minutes later, Jude heard Daniel come in the front door and walk down the hall.
"Jude?" Daniel called. "Where are you?"
"In here," Jude answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Daniel walked into the bedroom and stopped when he saw the bed. He didn't say anything at first. He just stared. Then he took a slow breath and asked, "Who is she?"
"I don't know," Jude said honestly. "I met her last night."
Daniel looked shocked. "Last night? Jude, you're getting married today."
"I know," Jude whispered, his voice breaking. "I don't remember what happened. I just woke up like this."
Daniel rubbed his face and looked around, as if he wanted the scene in front of him to disappear.
"If the police come," Daniel said slowly, "they won't care what you remember. They'll only care about what's here."
Jude stared at him. "What are you saying?"
Daniel hesitated. Then he said, "We need to think. Fast."
The room felt heavy and silent. Both of them stood there, feeling the weight of everything that had happened.
Finally, Daniel spoke. "There's a river outside the city. The old road has no cameras. If… if we get rid of the body, you could still go to your wedding. You could still have a life."
Jude felt sick. "You mean hiding a body."
"I mean saving you," Daniel said seriously. "Do you want to spend your life in prison for something you can't even remember?"
Jude didn't answer. Deep inside, he was already thinking the same thing.
As they started moving, another memory came back to Jude. It was from the club, but this time Daniel was there too. They had gone together because Daniel had insisted. "One last drink before you become a husband," Daniel had said.
The club was loud and crowded. At some point, Daniel leaned close and warned, "Be careful. Some people come here looking for trouble."
When Jude noticed the woman, Daniel saw him looking. "She looks like trouble," Daniel said quietly. "Don't do anything stupid. You're getting married tomorrow."
Jude just laughed. Daniel said he needed the restroom and walked away. That's all Jude remembered. The rest of the memory faded away.
Back in the present, Jude and Daniel wrapped the woman's body in a sheet. They carried her out of the house without saying a word. Jude's hands felt numb as they put her in the trunk of the car.
They drove in silence. The road was empty and dark. Then, suddenly, blue police lights appeared behind them.