Eldritch

Chapter 1

A house sitting on a typical street in the suburbs is swarmed with an abundance of Police cars, a distraught couple clinging to each other as the body bag is carried outside. Carefully, the forensic scientists clutching the bag place the corpse into the back of the ambulance which is parked alongside a string of crime scene tape.

Sheriff Ryan, a clean shaven forty-something year old, approaches Abi's parents as he exits the home, a group of crime scene analysts and Police officers following. He greets them with a demure expression and takes them aside. 'Mr and Mrs Prendergast, I'm so very sorry for your loss. I know this is a lot to take in right now, but it would be extremely helpful if you could come with us to the station to give us any information you can.'

Joe, Abi's father, nods, tears glossing his deeply blue eyes. His wife, Bernadette, doesn't utter a response, taken over by a sense of reticence. She takes hold of Joe's hand and follows him and the Sheriff to one of the many Police cars parked in the driveway. As the car pulls out past the white picket fence, Bernadette watches the door of the ambulance close over, a jolting reminder of the loss she is suffering; the nightmare she is enduring; the nightmare that will never end for her or for her husband.

----

Side by side, Charlene Kirby and Ella Neary make their way towards Starryton High School. Charlene avoids spoiling her pristine white gym shoes from the mucky patches in the grass on the roadside. She shuffles along, her pale denim skirt falling just short of her knee. Clutching her text books, she paces a few steps ahead of Ella and continues at her speeded pace. Since they both met each other in the middle of the street, neither of them has uttered a word. Ella slows herself; she knows Charlene doesn't want to discuss what happened to Abi. But, she herself wants to discuss it even less. She wants to bury the feelings of guilt residing in her chest. To ignore it. But she can't. Because it's almost choking her.

The honk of the familiar horn rings through her ears. As Daniel's sleek, orange Ford Mustang convertible trails closer to the two girls, Ella cocks her head towards him. Playing on the radio of the car is Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me. For a brief moment, Ella forgets the pit forming in her stomach and smiles at Daniel as he comes to a stop in between them. She hops into the backseat and Daniel watches on in confusion as Charlene continues to drag her feet along the grass. He glances to Ella who swallows and brings her head to face him. 'Daniel, something happened last night. Something really bad. It's Abi. She's dead.'

The horror that fills his eyes sparks through his green grey irises at the speed of lightening. He hops out of the car, leaves the engine running and dashes down the street after his girlfriend. 'Charlene,' he calls. 'Charlene.'

Once she registers his voice, she turns around and looks at him, her eyes puffy and red from all the tears she has shed that morning. She stays where her feet are planted, and Daniel takes her in his arms. 'I just can't believe she's dead,' she mumbles over the shoulder of his baggy leather jacket.

'I know,' he swallows. Daniel catches eye contact with Ella through the windscreen and pulls Charlene closer to his chest. 'I know, and I'm so sorry.'

Charlene jerks away, wipes her red rimmed eyelids dry and shuffles towards the passenger seat of Daniel's car. 'We should get going, or we'll be late for school.'

----

Martin and Sophie, the Kirby twins, make their way towards the trio as they step out of Daniel's car. Upon seeing Charlene, Martin immediately throws his arms around her. 'Charlene, I'm so sorry. Your Mom rang my Mom as soon as she found out this morning.'

'Thanks cuz,' she snivels in response. As Martin steps away, Charlene goes in for another hug with Sophie. While they are murmuring a conversation between themselves, Martin takes Daniel by the arm and leads him out of earshot from the others. 'Daniel, do you think this had something to do with--'

He nods painfully. 'Yeah, I do. It's our fault. All of it.'

Martin bites on his lip. 'So, what are we going to do?'

Daniel cocks his head in Charlene's direction, who, with Ella and Sophie, is making her way towards them. 'For now, tell everyone not to breathe a word about this. And get them all to meet me at the bleachers at free period.'