Magnetic

Life Turned Upside Down

Thanks to Alleygirl678 for the idea of this story! Sorry it took so long!!

Your life had never been normal, but you had never thought much about it. Your Dad was gone frequently, for work, he always assured you. But often times he would return, his face and body broken and bruised. Your Mom would just look at him, shake her head sadly, then turn back to her Diet Pepsi and cigarettes that she seemed to survive on.

At first you hadn't noticed it much, too caught up in school, and when you turned old enough, boys. As the years passed by, your Dad was gone more and more, coming back even more battered and bruised than you had considered possible. When your Mom passed away from lung cancer, the two of you sold your small farm, moving into a small cabin far away from town. At first you had complained, hating the fact that you were so far away from your friends, and your life. But your Dad was adamant, and you were old enough to see the fear in his eyes. So instead of complaining, you would sneak out at night, letting your boyfriend Todd pick you up, and take you back into town to party.

One night, after a long make out session with Todd at the end of your drive, you crept up the pitted road, holding your heels in one hand as you stumbled up to your house. It was then you noticed the front door open, the lights flickering in the house. It unnerved you, but you moved forward, through the front door, calling softly for your Dad.

Your heart sped up as you saw the over turned furniture, the scattering of what seemed to be salt, and the blood. The blood had you holding a hand over your mouth, wanting to do nothing more than run out of the cabin and never look back. But you forced yourself to move forward, through the one main room, back to where Dad's room was. The door was splintered open, the room dark, but through the moonlight you could see your Dad propped against the far wall. Rushing forward, you dropped to your knees, looking at the darkness on his shirt, and all the cuts crossing his face.

"Dad!" You exclaimed, still young and unsure about what to do next. His hand was pressed tightly to his middle, his head lolling to the side. Taking your shaking hand, you pressed it against his neck, amazed to feel a light pulse.

"Y/N." You heard him mumble as he tried to lift his head up.

"Dad. I need to call 911." You said, moving to stand up, but he grabbed your wrist, stopping you.

"No, no hospital. I'm too far gone." He said, and you could see his mouth was stained red.

"Dad." You pleaded, but you felt him press something into your hand.

"Y/N, I wish I hadn't sheltered you so much. This key will unlock the office, show you everything. There's things out there, bad things." He said before coughing.

"Is that what got you?" You asked.

"Stupid Demons." You thought you heard him mutter, before he coughed up more blood. "I'm sorry I didn't teach you, didn't show you. Protect yourself, they'll come after you next. I love you, my baby girl." He said, before his head flopped back down.

"Dad!" You exclaimed, but he didn't move, and you knew he had passed on.

You weren't sure how much time had passed, while you sat there next to your dad, holding his limp hand, waiting for him to wake up, for this all to be a dream. But soon the room grew cold, and lightning lit up the sky around you. Hugging your arms around you, you moved stiffly around the house, shutting the windows and the broken front door, sticking a chair underneath it to keep it closed.

You knew you needed to call the police, to have them take your Dad to the morgue, and have them track down his killer. But the key he had pressed in your hand was tempting you, and you found yourself unlocking the door to a room you had never stepped foot in. A room that changed your life as soon as you stepped inside.