Samuel Rand, Ghost Hunter Part Two: Back To The Beginning

Thirty Minutes to Sundown

Thirty minutes to sundown, my father finally snapped. He yelled the client and I out of the room and halfway down the next hallway. I was worried, and it was only the firm grip the client had on my wrist that kept me from running back to my parents. They hadn't had enough time to prepare! They had thirty minutes to do five hours worth of preparations!

Unfortunately, I could only sit and wait in the front hall, as arrangements continued in the great room. I heard the clinking of chains and the echo of running footsteps. Against my will, I began to wonder if they would be able to prepare in time.
My question was answered when, five minutes later, a bloodcurdling shriek pierced the night, followed by the thump of a body hitting the ground. I tried to dash into the other room, but the client grabbed me and held me close. It was meant as a comforting gesture, but comforted I was not. At that moment, I just wanted to destroy everything, especially the stupid ghost in the great room.

Three minutes later, another piercing cry clawed its way to the sky and another body hit the floor. Then nothing. I went cold. I racked my brain desperately, thinking, trying to remember if there had been anyone else in the room, but there had been no one. I knew that. I just couldn't grasp the thought that my parents were dead. Just like that, I was an orphan.