Beyond the Screams ✔

Chapter One

I stood up, "Go sit down," I murmured. She nodded and I grabbed a ladle from the draw, along with two bowls. I poured the soup into the bowl and walked over and sat them on the table. We began eating the soup greedily, I hadn't eaten since lunch.

"So are you busy tomorrow?" Alice asked, trying to make conversation.

"I have three performances scheduled tomorrow, and I suppose I'll take Klaus up on that offer," I shrugged.

She nodded, "Do you think I could come with you to work tomorrow?" 

"Don't you have school?" I pointed my finger at her,

"Well yes. But  I'd rather spend the day with you," She smiled sheepishly, looking at me with her doe brown eyes.

I shook my head, "We're paying a lot of money for you to go to school Alice, plus if father knew you were skipping he'd have a fit! You know the only thing he wanted was two educated daughters," I argued.

"But he wanted you to go to Oxford! But you're not! So why can't I skip one day of school?" Alice protested,

"Women can't get degrees Alice, it would be pointless. I already have a career. I may not know how long it will last but right now it's all we have. You can't come to work. I graduated High school and so will you." I finished, grabbing another spoonful of soup.

Alice dejectedly put her spoon back in the bowl, She stood up, "I suppose I'll go take a bowl to Mother and organise my things for school tomorrow," She whispered, grabbing her bowl and walking back to the kitchen.

I sighed, I knew Alice would prefer to spend her days looking after Mother. She could get me to say yes to taking her to work and then simply tell me she felt sick and it would be better to stay home. I didn't want Alice to waste her future.

I grabbed the newspaper that was laying unfolded on the table, I picked it up and began flipping through the black and white pages. It was nothing new, only information about how the economy was 'rapidly improving' and everything we could do to make more money in our society. It was all lies though, well crafted lies.

I kept flicking through the pages before sighing and turning back to the front. I threw the paper back onto the table, but that's when I noticed something. On the cover was a bleeding body, obviously dead.  My eyes almost bulged when I read the headline,

MUSIC SENSATION FOUND DEAD!

How could I have missed that? I urgently grabbed the newspaper again and started frantically scanning through the typed paragraphs. 

Most would know the musical sensation, Klaus Richardson. Known for his eccentric personality and angelic voice, Klaus has reached the high point of his career, at least that's what we thought. The performer was found dead in his home late last night after receiving a call (later turned into a house visit) by Boss and close friend  Gilbert Macpherson,

'Well I called him last night to see where he was as he has been on edge for the last couple of days, especially since he left early yesterday. While someone picked up there wasn't anything coming over the line, so I figured I would just pop over to his house and make sure he was fine. When I opened the door I was hit by the most grotesque smell, And then I saw him and I- sorry I can't say please excuse me,' 

Whilst Mr Macpherson wasn't able to finish we can inform that Mr Richardson was indeed dead, lying in his bedroom. He experienced multiple gun wounds in the chest and head, detectives are now looking into the case...

I felt the bile rise up in my throat, making me want to gag. I ran a shaking hand through my hair, I felt the paper slip out of my hand and landing on the table with a thump. My free hand jumped to cover my open mouth. Klaus and I were merely work partners, but he was someone who I knew would never do anything to deserve being killed in cold blood. It didn't make sense though, While I could agree with Mr MacPherson about him acting off, he wasn't acting as if he knew that he may be murdered sometime in the near future. I stood up and shakily pushed the chair in, my mind still rattled. I noticed the open windows and rushed to lock them, should I lock the doors? I decided too, rushing around my house to lock anything that could provide a way to enter. I breathed a sigh of relief when everything was securely closed. I looked down at my hands, the usual light tone of my skin had paled significantly. I checked my pulse, my heart was beating rapidly. I felt terrified, someone who I knew had died, no, not died, murdered. Murdered in cold blood.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I told myself that everything was fine and that nothing was going to happen, not to me, not to anyone else I knew, and not to any other person in London. 'Freak accident' I told myself, repeating that over and over again in my head. I felt my breaths even out. I leaned back against the wall of my hallway, I felt the throbbing in my head pass and the unreasonable colour of my skin return back to normal, I held my hand out in front of me, I was still shaking . 

I started walking towards my mothers room, I pressed my ear against her door,

"You know, is there a way we could make her work more hours?" My mother asked urgently,

My sisters muffled voice came through, "Not really Ma, She's already spending seven or eight hours in the office writing songs or music or organising something. She's really doing as much as she can," Alice replied.

 She scoffed, "Clearly not enough," I felt my heart drop, A twenty one  year old shouldn't be working as much as I do, especially since there should be another sort of income. I regathered myself and sharply knocked on the door,

"Alice, make sure the window in your's and mother's windows are locked," I shouted through the thick, wooden door. I heard a 'Alright Rose' and then the large thud of possibly a window closing.

I sighed and left to my own room, I had grown apart from my family. The constant hours of work killed my time, I came home late and left early in the morning. I didn't love my mother anymore, It was a strange notion perhaps, the fact that I could no longer look into my mothers eyes without seeing a coward. Maybe I was just mad, mad that every responsibility that had once been my parents was now mine, and mine alone. But I couldn't leave, I loved Alice too much to leave her alone in this big empty house, wasting away by looking after her mother.

I sat down at my desk and pulled out a small notebook and opened to a half clean page, I had new lyrics running around in my head. I filled up my pen with the sticky black ink and began writing small words on the page, the scratching sound of the pen sliding along the paper rung in my ears. I sat at my desk four hours, I could hear doors slamming shut and there was no longer light filtering through the gaps in the doorway meaning that Alice had turned off the lights and had headed to bed. My eyes were beginning to ache and slowly felt myself falling asleep. I set the pen back down on the desk and stood up. I slid into a pair of silk pyjamas and then laid down in bed, Sleep came easy, yet the thought of Klaus still echoed in my head and no matter how hard I tried the image of his bloody, torn up body stayed permanently etched in my mind.

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Welcome to Beyond the Screams! It's so crazy that I'm finally publishing this story.

So, as usual this story will be updated three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). I can guarantee that a chapter will be up as this story has already been written. If a chapter tis not released, it's because I forgot what day it is XD

Be sure to follow my Instagram! I don't start advertising new books until it's time to be published, but my Instagram has release days and more! So go check it out! @ErynRaineStories

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy reading and I'll see you in yhennext chapter!

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- Eryn Raine