Little Red

EIGHTEEN

Due to a lack of evidence to support their recent theory, Dani and David had decided to keep their suspicions of his attacker between themselves. The only real clue they had was the little information David had remembered, and that certainly wasn't much.

A couple more days had passed before Dani was finally sent home after one last examination from her doctor, and as her family pulled into the driveway, a sinking feeling weighed over her as she stared at the house with the events of that night replaying through her mind. A small hand wrapping around her bigger one snapped Dani out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to see her brother with a small smile on his features.

"It's okay, sissy. I'll be right here with you," he reassured her.

Dani's heart swelled as she leaned over to give her brother an appreciative kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, bud," she told him with a smile and squeezed his hand before slowly getting out of the truck with the help of their mother.

"Oh, be careful, sweetie. There's a step here," Michelle said as she walked her daughter to the front door.

Dani snorted while holding onto her mother's hand and she said, "Mom, we've lived in this house since I was twelve. I'm pretty sure I know it like the back of my hand by now."

"Yeah, well...knowing you, we can never be too careful," Michelle simply said, and Dani scoffed as she immediately caught on to what her mother was referring to.

"One time! I fell down the stairs one time!!...and I was in sixth grade!!" she exclaimed with a shake of her head.

Michelle laughed as David snorted from where he stood at the front door with Frankie.

"And that one time had you in a cast for a month, Clumsy," he playfully said and unlocked the door.

Dani scoffed again and rolled her eyes before looking at the house as the sinking feeling from earlier slowly came back.

"I'm right here, Dani baby, okay?" Michelle said, making her daughter turn her head to meet her reassuring smile. "You can do it, sweetie. I know you can."

Dani's lips curved into a smile as she pulled her mother into a side hug and said, "I love you, Momma."

"Oh, how I love you, my sweet Dani baby," Michelle said and kissed her daughter on the head before they both walked into the house.

"Momma..."

They turned their heads at the sound of Frankie's voice and frowned at the look on his features.

"What's wrong, baby?" Michelle asked as David took over her spot in helping their daughter up.

"I don't wanna go inside anymore...I'm scared," Frankie mumbled with tears in his eyes.

"Oh bud," Dani murmured as Michelle picked the boy up in her arms.

"Shh, baby. It's okay. Momma and Daddy won't let anything else happen to you or sissy again, okay? I promise," she reassured him.

"Yeah, bub, remember what I told you? Daddy had a big computer put into the house to stop all the bad guys from coming inside," David chimed in.

"But the monster, Daddy. What about the Big Bad Wolfman?" Frankie asked.

Dani stiffened at his question, which caused her stepfather to pull her closer to him.

"Don't you worry about that, little man. Daddy fought him once, and he'll surely fight him again," David said. "The house is safe, bub. Would you like me to take a look around to make sure it's one hundred percent?"