#ipromiseiminquarantine

{29} Carl

by @munga_stewie on IG (7352 words)

Some images just scar you for life. There's nothing quite like waking up in the middle of the night and seeing your two-year-old little sister, walk out of your parent's bedroom covered in blood. I never recovered from that and the everything that followed straight after. On my good days, I can hear nothing. Just what followed and the two little Shining girls down the hall, with my sisters instead. On the bad days, I can even hear their screams and feel the terror. I can't even recall a time I slept through a night without alcohol or sleeping pills.

It happened when I was fifteen. Back then, I had the whole world at my feet. Two fabulous, dotting parents. Two gorgeous twin sisters. Dad was a real estate broker. The best. Owned one of the biggest firms in the city. Mom was a lawyer. She'd put her practice on hold, till my sisters were three. I was in my second year in high school, in a really plush uptown school. I was a day scholar. Spent most of my evenings being schooled by mom while the ankle biters made a racket. It was just bliss for me.

Then the night that changed it all. Sometimes I think back and maybe there was a sign I missed. A clue probably. No matter how hard I try to let it all go. I can't help it especially on that really bad days.

The night started out as usual. I'd come back from school, did the dishes and some of my laundry. Then sat there with mom, doing my assignments. Dad came home and over dinner there seemed to be some tension between him and mom. When the twins were going to bed, I could hear the four of the laughing in the twins' pretty pink princess bedroom. Later they both, peeked in to say goodnight and that's the last time I saw both of them alive.

I woke up in the middle of the night. Cold with terror. Something just seemed off and no matter how much I tried to go back to sleep. It just couldn't come to me. So, I slid off the bed. Rubbed my eyes repeatedly, put my flip flops on and walked out of my room. Right across the hall, the twin's bedroom was open, which was not unusual, with the starry lights on. I looked inside and the beds were empty. I slowly closed the door and was about to go back to my room, when I heard Lilly's tiny little voice calling out to mom. It just seemed so out of place. Since mom and dad always kept their door open from when the babies learnt to walk. So, slowly with a lot dread I walked down the hall to my parent's bedroom.

"Carl, mom won't wake up and dad is not in bed."

I'd barely even seen, Tully. Scared the bejesus out of me. I couldn't find my voice, therefore, I held her hand and that's when the smell hit me. The nauseating, sweet, metallic smell of blood. After that everything just slowed down. Lilly was on the edge of the bed covered in blood trying to crawl onto the bed, pulling on mom's hand. Tully's front part of her pajamas was all red. On the bed lying sprawled face up was mom. Her throat slashed from ear to ear. Her head askance. Eyes wide open. Hanging from the ceiling fan, dad.

I don't know how long we stood there. Lilly still trying to get on the bed. Tully in my hand trying to reach for the bed too. And me, just staring, unseeing at the macabre scene right in front of me. Tully's crying finally pulled me back. I reached for Lilly and slipped. Ended up covered in mom's blood too. I took the girls, walked out of the room, ran actually, banging the door shut on my way out.

Blindly I walked out of the house grabbing a blanket on the way out. The girls were screaming. Calling out to mom and dad. I just held them tight and finally got out of the house.

That's where they found us in the morning. I don't even recall how long I sat in the drive way with the girls in my arms fast asleep. It's the maid found us there when she was reporting for work at 6:30. Saw me and the girls and tried talking to us. But I couldn't even talk. All I kept doing was rocking back and forth humming while the girls slept. She finally walked into the house. Followed the blood trail to the bedroom and I heard her scream.