Ray of dark

Chapter one

The lights appeared to be brighter than the stars. The wind was like an ever constant strangled whisper. Sirens pierced the night and echoed through the town so loudly they could've woken the dead.

 The little house was dark in every room, except for the garage, which the door was left open on; from which a woman hung by her neck.

 Tears ran down Phoenix Evans’ face; an endless river that could not be stopped. The fourteen year old girl could not tear her eyes away from the body of her mother, which she found over a half hour ago.

 The police arrived along with the paramedics. The paramedics ran to the woman, detached her from the rope and transferred her to a stretcher where they began to look for a pulse.

 Little footsteps came from the front entrance way of the house and Phoenix tore her eyes away from her mother to look at her eight year old sister, Delilah Evans, who was wearing her pink night gown and carrying her little stuffed rabbit.

Delilah looked up at her sister with tired eyes, not seeing the catastrophe unfolding in their garage.

 “What’s going on?” Delilah asked, yawning near the end.

 “Nothing! Go back to bed! Now!” Phoenix said, yelling near the end.

 Delilah looked at her sister confused and hurt by the edge in her voice. Ever since her father left them Phoenix was different. It was as if she saw the world in a different way. She kept to herself but always made time for Delilah. It was as though she was trying to fill the empty spot in Delilah’s life that was caused by her father leaving.

 As soon as she heard the edge in her sister’s voice, Delilah started backing towards the front door of the house. She knew something was wrong but knew not to question Phoenix when she yelled at her.

 When the front door shut behind Delilah, Phoenix turned back to the garage. The way the light shone made all of the people in front of it look like shadows and made the scene appear more eerie. It reminded her of the horror movies she used to watch alone after Lila went to sleep on the nights their mother would disappear to "a friends" as she always told her.

 As she looked at the panicked, hopeful faces of the police and paramedics trying to either find a sign she is alive or revive her, Phoenix couldn’t guess.

 She saw their faces fall as they started to back away into groups, some going to talk to the circle of curious neighbors that had gathered but were far enough away that they couldn’t see the horrors unfolding only a few feet away from them, and her heart sped up. She watched as the few people who were still standing near her mother raised a tarp over her mother on the gurney and her hope shattered into tiny pieces along with her heart.

  Her legs started to shake under her and when they could no longer hold her weight she fell onto the grass of her front lawn.

                                                                             ***

   A female officer with long red hair walked up to Phoenix after she had rose from the ground and dried her eyes. Phoenix now had a blank face.

  The woman approached Phoenix carefully as if she were approaching a wild animal that she was trying so hard to tame.

 “Hello sweetie,’’ The officer started only to be cut off by Phoenix.

 “My name is Phoenix.” She said, her voice as harsh as shards of glass. She glared fiercely at the woman.

 “Hello Phoenix,” she said enunciating her name this time. “I’m Officer Lee.”

 “Okay.” Phoenix replied uninterested. She started to walk away from the cop and towards the house.

 “Where are you going Phoenix?” Officer Lee asked, peeved.

 “Why?” Phoenix asked her angrily.  “Why do you care?!”

 “I need to talk to you about your mother.” Officer Lee said.

 “My mother? You mean my dead mother!” Phoenix yelled at her.

Officer Lee looked at her shocked.

Phoenix ran into the house and upstairs to Lila's room.

She didn't bother knocking. She opened the door and walked over to her sister who was sitting on her window sill looking at the moon and the stars, witch on any other night would look beautiful as they lit up the night sky like a bunch of diamonds, but tonight only looked cynical like the light in a killer’s eye.

Phoenix moved her sister with a gentle shove as she jumped up onto the window sill where Lila had been sitting. She pulled the little girl into her lap and put her arms around Lila's waist, to keep her in place.

They sat there for a while until Lila asked "Phoenix? Where did mommy go?" in an innocent, questioning voice.

"I don't know Lila." Phoenix replied softly in a heartbroken voice. "I really don't know."