Death Comes With Open Arms

Chapter 3: Til' Death Do Us Part

"Thee?" my father asks as he quickly runs down the stairs in fear. He sees my knee and says, "Shit. Ellenora, it's happened!" My mother runs down the hallway to the top of the steps and looks down at me. "Fuck, Thyra Grace," she says, hurrying down the stairs, "August, what we practiced." "What is going on??" I ask. My mother goes quiet and looks at my father. "Thee, we'll tell you later. Were you followed? Did anyone see you?" my father asks. "No, I don't think so," I say, "What the hell is happening?" My father and mother exchange glances then my father looks at me. "Thee, it's for your safety that we tell you later," he says, pausing when a sound sounds on the door. "Darling, go to the safe room with Thyra. I'll answer it," my mother says. "No, I want you and her safe. I'll get it," my father says. My mother opens her mouth to argue but stops, grabs my hand, and quickly leads me out of the room. She runs with me to our garage and opens the electrical box. "Mom?" I ask but she silences me and flips on certain switches in a pattern then our large, heavy duty toolbox moves and reveals a hidden room. She ushers me inside then has it close behind us. It is pitchblack and cold in the room, the only noise is the sound of water droplets from the leak in one of the pipes in the garage. It is quiet for what feels like an hour before the garage door opening echoes. My mother holds me close and I am deathly quiet, not daring to even breathe. After it stays silent, my father says, "Thee, Elle, it was just our neighbor checking on us." I breathe out in relief as my mother moves the tool box by clicking a button in the room. We step out and look at my father. He hugs us tightly then looks at me once he lets go. "You have a lot of explaining to do," he says. Shit. He leads us into the living room and my mother and father sit across from me on the sofas. "Why were you out?" my father asks. "Um...," I say. Shit. That joint and booze didn't stick enough. "I was getting groceries," I say, "We run out of food a lot." "We got groceries on the way home. Why are you lying?" my father asks. "I was with friends, okay?" I say. "Smoking and drinking?" my mother asks, "I smelled it on you as soon as you came inside, Thyra!" She begins to cry while clinging to my fathers arm. My father rubs her back then points upstairs. "Go to your room and don't come out unless I say so. You're grounded until further notice. No painting, reading, nothing! Go!" he stands up and gives me a look. I huff and exclaim, "This is why I like it when you're gone! I actually get freedom!" I storm upstairs and see my father's face soften. "I hate it here! This place is torture and you know it! You don't care, you never have! Why don't you just leave again, it'll be better!" I yell as tears begin to pool in my eyes. I rub them away and walk to my room, slamming the door and the house shaking. My mother looks at my father and I hear her say, "You're never this angered... That wasn't the neighbor, was it?" I hold my breath and look at Beanie, who is sitting on my bed. I was supposed to be happy today. It was supposed to be over. What is wrong with me? I grab one of my bags and pack up my necessities. "I'm doing it today, Bean. I don't care if their little business struggles or shit. I'm getting out of here," I say. Beanie looks at me with confusion and begins to lick his paw. I really am going crazy like my mother. I'm talking to a damn cat. I guess I'll do the same as earlier, wait for them to sleep then go. I pause when I hear the distant sound of a howl. They let out the damn hound. These crazy assholes. I've never missed that thing. It usually guards the outside of the warehouse, but it's getting old so it's easy to avoid. Unless, it's on guard for one thing, and one thing only, me. This is going to be difficult. I have to admit, I'm excited. This is a fun challenge. I like to have fun. I finish packing my bag and hide it under my bed, away from view. I crawl into my bed and close my eyes. Might as well get some rest before I die.

~~~~~~~~~~

Who knows how many hours have passed before I open my eyes. I see a little bit of sunlight peeking through my window. It's sunrise. My guess, around 3 a.m. I get up and grab my bag, Beanie stirring and letting out a curious meow. "Quiet, Bean. Jump in," I say, opening the bag for Beanie. He knows what to do and obediently climbs in. I close it but make sure air is able to enter for him. I move my curtains and a puzzled look crosses my face. The sun isn't out, not even peeking. No torches are lit and none of the lighthouses' lights touch our house. The smell of smoke burns my nostrils and I look out my window. Part of the house is on fire and the hound is nowhere to be seen. Panic rushes through me and I try to force the window open but see my parents locked it. I can't get it open. I run to my door and wiggle the doorknob. It's locked. I'm nailed in. Shit. I look around my room and see my pair of scissors. I grab them as the smell of smoke floods the room and it begins to cloud up. I hear a scream, probably my mother's. I begin to feel lightheaded and jab the scissors into the window. A small crack forms. Stupid heavy-duty windows. I continue to jab at it, slowly breaking a hole into it. I use it to break the rest of the window easier before climbing through and out. I can feel my body becoming raw from the glass cutting my skin. I climb down the side of the wall and come face-to-face with the hound. I stare at it then look up at a figure standing at the end of the road. It stares at me before running in fear. The hound growls at the figure then turns to look at me. It growls softly then starts to run away from the house. I cough softly and look at the house. The roof is charred and the dancing flames jump over the house, igniting its thick walls. The windows begin to melt and I can feel my chest getting heavy. A slobbery mouth with sharp teeth grabs my hand and leads me away from the house. I look down at the hound and realize, when it isn't trying to hurt me, it's actually quite cute. He seems to be a Pitbull terrier with a brown and white coat with a few gashes in it from getting hit. He is very gentle, surprising based on his heavy and muscular build. He is a rather large dog but you can tell he's getting old. "Hound... Dog... Thing," I say. The hound huffs in response and glances back at me as if understanding me. "Where are my parents?" I ask. The hound continues to stare at me. Why do I keep trying to talk to animals? I'm crazy. The hound leads me to an alleyway, THE alleyway. The one my friends and I were in. He walks over to the dumpster and uses his paw to move the handle. It pulls down like a lever and a doorway opens. The hound sits by it and looks at me, waiting for me to go inside. "Is it safe?" I ask, walking towards the entrance. The hound nudges me inside and then walks away. I hear the sound of something opening, like a heavy container of leather. I hear something chomping echoes then the hound comes back over, licking his lips. I stare at him and ask, "What. Was. That?" He opens his mouth and it unfolds like a flower's. Sharp teeth align the bottom of his petal-like gums and his tongue looks like the pistil of a flower. I stare at him with a horrified look and he closes his mouth. He looks like a normal dog. What the hell is this thing? He wags his tail and walks over to the entrance, gently pulling me inside. I stare at my hand, waiting for his sharp teeth to clamp down on my wrist and tear off my hand. He sits there calmly then leads me down a long hallway. At the end of it, he clicks a button with his wet, black nose. The door opens and shows the other end of town. We are by a series of old windmills, only a few of them spinning. I step out and look towards the town. It looks small from where we stand, seeming to have shrunk 3 times its original size. In the distance, it can see my house, my burning house. It is almost not standing, burning brightly like a candle in a dark cave. Water droplets hit the ground along with my tears, pounding on the ground. "No," I say, hearing my voice crack as the words escape my lips. The hound looks up at me and gently touches my leg with his paw. I watch as the rain picks up and slowly puts out the fire like a candle wick burning out. The hound barks quietly and turns away from the house towards the fields. I look back at the hound then run down the large hill back towards the town, the only thing my eyes focus on is my burnt house. It is barely standing and looks like it is ready to collapse at any moment. The hound runs after me, barking as a warning. I keep running as I feel my tears streaming down my face. I stop near my house, ashes lining the dark road around it. "No," I whisper as I cry softly. The hound stops next to me and sits down, his ears drooped in sorrow. I collapse to my knees, covering my face as I cry. My cries echo down the streets as if the small houses are mocking me. The ground begins to shake and I pause to listen. The shaking becomes more violent and I hear people yell, "Earthquake!" Earthquake? Just as I am about to stand up and run, I see my house collapse on itself and the warehouse comes into view. It stands strong with not even a dent to it. However, it seems as if there is something alive inside of it, thrashing around angrily. The hound growls and pins his ears back as he slowly backs up with me. The warehouse's walls begin to crack and then a vibrant red creature emerges from it. No, not creatures. Flowers. Blood red flowers with sharp teeth or a singular eye. I feel one of my eyes blur, then the other. The world around me goes dark, then quiet completely.