My Original Works

Red (Again)

She looked through the baskets full of clothing, a quick exhale of relief escaping as she saw they were all clean. She had been doing laundry all day, grabbing at various clothing items as she tossed them back and forth between baskets, the washing machine, the dryer, another basket, the counter, you name it. She was tired of sorting through them all.

She heard the front door open as she moved towards the living area with an empty basket under her arm, her head poking around the corner to get a quick peek at who had come inside. When she saw her eldest son closing the door behind him, she huffed and puffed her cheeks out.

"Where is your brother?"

"What? Oh, him; I think he had something to do with his class today, but I can go and check if you want?"

"No," she mumbled, setting the basket down on a nearby table, "there's no need."

An idea crossed her mind as she stood there in silence, her son giving her a funny look for blanking out. When she was able to remember what it was she was meaning to bring up, a bright smile was plastered on her face.

"Hey, I wanna show you something!" She moved her hand in a 'follow me' way and made a quick dash for her bedroom, her son following reluctantly behind. She would look back every so often and catch a quick glimpse of his red shirt, giggling at the way he looked when he made eye contact.

When the two reached the bedroom, she reached under the bed she shared with her husband and pulled out a box that was covered in a layer of dust, a quick blow sending the particles up into the air as well as making her son cough.

"I planned on giving this to your brother for his eighteenth birthday--!"

A harsh knock on the door of their home shook the walls and the two in the small bedroom, her skeleton nearly jumping out of her skin at the sound. There was a quick "I'll get it!" from her husband, though the shattering of glass was quick to send the two into a panic.

"Quick, you have to hide!"

She said it to her son rather quickly, almost as if she expected this to happen. She watched him frantically search for a hiding spot as she dashed from the room, the box tumbling to the floor as she stumbled back to the living room.

Her husband lay in a pool of red.

It happened quicker than she anticipated; she looked up from the body of her lover in fear, seeing the same man step towards her with the same weapon that stole the light from her husband's bright, blue gaze.

All she could see was red.

It was the last thing she would ever see.