Preacher's Daughter - Ethan Jailer (First Draft)

10. August Underground

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Shady Grove was quieter than it had ever been since the disappearance of Ethel Cain. Only happening a little more than a year after the death of her father, the tragedy made headlines on the local newspaper. Devastating most of the residents, the longing search for the young girl hit her mother the hardest. The preacher's wife was inconsolable ever since the night she went missing and had remained hidden away in her home since she spoke to Riley.

    Riley pushed her hand against the hard metal, ripping the clear duct tape that held up a sheet of paper onto the streetlight pole. She sat down next to Willoughby on the curb, the streets lonely and quiet as they looked out into town square.
    "I really hope she's okay," She said quietly, folding her arms over herself. Will brushed back his thin blonde hair, his skin gleaming in the afternoon sunset. He hesitated for a second before whispering ever so softly.
    "I'm really sorry about Ezekiel."
    She closed her eyes, looking down in between the crevice her forearms created. Will only looked forward, reminiscing about how happy Ethel looked in those photos.
    "She always told me about how great of a guy he was," he said, his lips smiling warmly.
    "He– he was really nice. Even when I wasn't."
    Willoughby hung his head down slightly in guilt. After he heard of the horrible fate Ezekiel had inflicted to himself, he felt as if a small portion of his words were held responsible. And he would never forgive himself for it.
    "He forgave you," Riley suddenly said, Will turning to her with his lips parted open in shock.
    "He told me."
    The two smiled as they looked off into the distance, the only thing on their minds being one another's presence. Riley turned to look at the paper on the streetlight. Ethel's monochromatic, fuzzy eyes were staring into hers sharply. Her black and white image contrasted the big red letters spelling out MISSING plastered right over her. It was as if this physical object caused the reality of the situation to really be absorbed by Riley. She's out there.

    Somewhere.

After giving Willoughby one last goodbye, Riley watched as he drove off on her dimly-lit porch. His headlights faded away into the distance, leaving her in the shadows of the darkening sky. After a moment of taking in the peaceful atmosphere, she notices the Cain's house and feels the guilt the preacher's wife must be filled with.
Riley decides she must at least check up on the mourning woman, so she heads over to the lonely house and knocks on the door. When her fist met the wood surface, the door simply creeked open into a dark living room. Riley was confused as to why the door was unlocked— much less why the door was left open. She curiously stepped in, looking for any sign of life in the darkened room.
    "Mrs. Cain?"
    Her gentle voice yelled into the darkness with not so much of a sound in response. She stepped in further, growing worried of what could have happened. As she went in, the muffled sound of buzzing flies began to become noticeable. Riley stopped, listening carefully until she determined that the sound was emitting from the upstairs bedroom. As she turned and looked up at the stairway, a figure presented itself behind her unnoticed and stepped forward, raising something over the smaller girl's head.

    Ethel writhed in agony, each cut on her body becoming more torturous as her body clung onto life desperately. Isaiah had dragged her up to the attic, pushing her onto the splinter-covered ground. She had her hand grasped onto her stomach where the stab wounds were. She could feel as each gush of blood drained out of her stomach. The room was only lit by a small, orange light on the roof, shining down on her wound-ridden body in a hellish atmosphere. Her jaw was clenched hard to try and mask the pain as best as she could as she looked around hopelessly. The thundering sound of heavy footsteps began to make its way up the house when she finally noticed the open door next to her.