coming home

June

It was four summers ago. Grace and I were out shopping when I got the message.

"Honey there has been a terrible accident. come home right away! ~Love Mom❤️"

"Shit," I whispered to myself.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Her scared little bunny eyes stared at me in horror. She could sense it, she could sense something was wrong.

"We have to go home. Mom said there was an accident," I told her. I tried to stay calm.

"Did she say what happened?"

"No."

We picked up our bags and rushed out of the mall, and into my grey SUV.

We drove home. The whole time I thought about what might have happened.

Did someone break in?
Did the dog run away?
Did someone get hurt?

I pulled into the neighborhood. Police cars lined the streets. Red and blue lights flashed everywhere. Yellow police tape hung everywhere.

A police officer walked up to my car.

"I'm sorry miss, but you can't bring your car any further. You'll have to get out and walk the rest of the way," he informed.

"Ok thanks." I pulled over to the curb. Grace and I hopped out of the car, and began walking down the street.

FBI agents and police officers stood outside my house.

"Holy shit!" I screamed. I began running, my blonde hair trailed behind me.

"What's going on!?" Grace shouted behind me.

I didn't say anything, I just kept running. Grace followed behind me. All I could here was police sirens and the sound of my flip flops on the ground.

I got to our yard and ran up the stairs of the front porch and into the house.

"Miss you can't go in there!" A police yelled behind me.

I didn't listen.

I ran up the stairs that lead to the upstairs level. A trail of blood lined the stairs.

When I got the hallway, I couldn't look away.

My fathers limp, dead body laid in the corridor. Graces feet pounded up the stairs.

Everything was in slow motion now.

I heard her scream. She fell to the ground  and hugged his body. Blood covered her from head to toe. I just sat there, and stared.

A message was written in his blood on the wall.

"The rest of you are next."

Tears streamed down my face like a river.

Police ran into the house and up the stairs. They grabbed me and Grace by our shoulders.

"NO! You can't take me away from him!!" she yelled. I left with ease. All I heard was her scream.

She fought those officers. She kicked them, and screamed. It took four of them to get her out of the house.

We were forced to move for our safety.

The image is burned into my mind.

I'll never forget her screams.