Running Up That Hill

1.6

Monroe, Connecticut, 1971, Seven years later

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"It's just a dream, Ash." I sigh, but I could see it. Asher won't let it go.

"What else happened in the dream?." Asher uses air quotations with his fingers. I wanted to roll my eyes at him. "It was dark in the house and the place looked like it was wrecked."

The living room to the house was trashed along with photos knocked off the walls along the stairs case. "When you walk through the front door off to your right was closed doors to a room but they had tied off." My eyes were closed now explaining this to Asher.

"Go on." Asher says softly. "To my left was the living room and all the furniture was flipped and it didn't look clean." I swallowed, "then down the hallway was a woman with her two daughters but from the photos I know she has a husband and 5 daughters, but these were her younger daughters in front of her."

The woman looked so shaken up and her daughters were scared. "She had bruises on her arms and a pair of scissors in her hand then she brought it to her daughter's throat as she cried telling me to help her." I open my eyes and see Asher staring down at me.

"I don't think that was a dream baby." Asher mutters quietly. Just before we could continue this conversation the door to my paint shed opens and it's my dad. "Hey, I need you two for something, get dressed."

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"What's going on?." I asked Ed once I was dressed and down the stairs, Asher was waiting as my dad grabbed a coat. "Father Gordon called, it's a case he wants us to look into and I don't want your mom to know."

I knew my dad was trying to protect my mother. Especially after what happened, it was rough. It took her awhile to even look at me once we got her out of the bedroom my parents share.

When she did though, it was nothing but fear.

"Good luck trying to get past her." Asher chuckles as he watches Ed go out the door first but he stops me sliding on my black suede gloves. "You always forget." He kisses my forehead, then both following my dad out to the car.

Once outside, my mom was in the chicken pen with my little sister Judy. They were feeding the chickens. "Where you three headed off to?."

I stopped in my tracks looking at my father who sighs through his nose. "You got this one." I pat his shoulder and I could already tell he was trying not to laugh.

"I was going to pick a few things up at the store." Ed lies through his teeth to Lorraine. "And you need Koda and Ash for that?." Lorraine points.

Lorraine exits the chicken pen. "Why even try? For the last 15 years have you even been able to lie to me?." She was right in front of Ed now. Ed exhales through his nose, "Father Gordon called and he has a case for us and I told him: me, Dakota and Asher would check it out."

"Then I'm coming with you." Lorraine wasn't backing down and she could see that look on Ed's face. "I know you're worried that it's going to happen again."

Ed turns towards the car me and Asher were standing on the other side of. "I am, I really am." Ed opens the driver door as Lorraine blocks him from getting in.