Grinded

chapter VIII.

Night quickly fell over Sunset Ridge as the warm, humid air continued to linger over the town like a thick blanket wrapped tightly across the community. The moon glimmered in the clear night's sky, big and bright, beaming across the entire town. The sky itself was littered with stars, lighting the darkness like snow-flakes in the night. It was a breathtaking sight, the sky never having looked so clear.

The residents had begun winding down as the day was speeding towards an end, the curfew finally swinging into full effect. The streets soon became empty and silent, looking nothing more than like a ghost town, abandoned by its residents at the first sign of trouble. A few police cruisers slowly drove around the town, keeping a watchful eye on the community that was gripped by worry.

Despite the curfew underway, the town seemed to be feeling strangely normal once again; there wasn't any sign of anything out of the ordinary or malevolent taking place. Maybe the death of Michael LeBeck was purely an isolated incident that the community could, with time, move on from.

The car of Paul Beauregard sped down the quaint street where his family resided; the Beauregards lived further out, being surrounded by nothing but endless fields of vibrant bluebells and blanketflowers, the glistening light from the argent-silver moon shining down upon the fields, enhancing the playful colors of the flowers that danced in the pulsing moonlight.

Muffled music blared from the inside of Paul's Buick Regal Sportback, courtesy of his parents, as he pressed his foot harder against the pedal, eyes locked on the road ahead as he zoned out, letting the music take him to a different plane.

As the car drove up the country road, he began easing up on the gas as his family's house came into view at the bottom of the road, sitting at the bottom of one of several mountains that surrounded and enclosed Sunset Ridge, as if it were shielding the small community from any outside world. It was like a hidden paradise, only now it seemed more like a hidden prison.

Paul turned into his driveway, slowing down to a stop outside of the two-door garage that was almost as big as some of the smaller houses in Sunset Ridge. He shut off the engine, the sudden silence causing him to hitch his breath. He took a beat to glance around, but nothing looked to be out of place. And yet, he couldn't help but shake the uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched by someone, somewhere.

C'mon Paul, get a hold of yourself, he told himself mentally, shaking his head free from any wild ideas.

He got out of the car and shut the door with a hard slam before reaching into his pocket to grab his phone and house keys. He noticed that his car was the only one parked, which meant that his parents weren't home, something he typically would've been all for. But tonight he wished that he wasn't alone in the house. Paul could feel his stomach bubbling up with dread as he walked up to his front door, swiftly unlocking it.

As he pushed himself inside, he was surprised to see the main hallway light on. He froze, eyes scanning the hallway ahead of him. There was no signs of anyone, which made him wonder who was the one that turned the light on. He slowly closed the door behind him, hand lingering around the lock as he debated whether or not to secure himself inside without at least making sure that no one was inside.

"Mom?" Paul decided to call out, voice booming throughout the luxurious house that was so obvioiusly decorated by people with money to burn; there wasn't even so much as a touch of decadence or style anywhere in the house. "Dad? You guys home?"

His hopes of his parents responding were quickly put out like a fire being extinguished. He nervously moved through the hallway, peaking his head into the living room as he walked by it. The fireplace wasn't on and the faux-fur covered couches looked untouched. It looked exactly like how his mother left it this morning before she hurried off to work, without so much as a 'goodbye, have a great day'.