Annabelle stepped outside of the cover of the forest into the clearing, walking swiftly to a destination that was unknown. She gazed at the blue sky as she walked, a soft breeze caressing her hair, swirling leaves on the ground at her feet. The voices had started to speak to her a while back, but she ignored them.
Her mental babble wore off as the livestock barn came into view. Its age showed clearly with its red sliding peeling off the interior, the windows partially broken in, cobwebs dangling from the roof. It was better than nothing. Annabelle figured she'd better hide in the barn for a while instead of monkeying around in the open.
Loose hens and roosters scurried past her, squawking as they did so. Annabelle just murmured as she rounded the corner of the barn, running into Cassie at full force, nearly knocking the girl over as she regained her balance.
“Excuse you!”
“I could say the same for you.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Where's my dad?”
“I wasn't aware I was assigned to be his keeper,” Annabelle snickered.
“You're a rotten little brat, you know that? No wonder your parents sent you away. Can't even be a decent person and answer a simple question, huh?”
“How am I suppose to know where your dad went? I don't even care about you people, why would I be keeping tabs on you all?”
Hearing that, even from Annabelle, stunned Cassie. “He's not just my dad, you know. He's your uncle. You should care about his whereabouts, and the rest of us, too. My mom still cares about you even after not seeing you since you were an infant, never mind the fact you were so goddamned awful to her.”
As she spoke, Annabelle glanced over Cassie's shoulder, spotting the figure she had seen that morning stepping out from behind the opposite corner of the barn.
“Yeah, keep telling me that, as though I give a rat's ass. My parents warned you guys about my problems,” Annabelle said hurriedly. “I got better things to do than to listen to you. See you!”
“Hey, where are you going?” Cassie called out.
“Somewhere far away from here,” Annabelle yelled. “You might want to watch your back.”
“Whatever that's suppose to mean,” Cassie thought, pulling an Annabelle and rolling her eyes. “'Watch your back',” she mocked. “What a little cunt.”
“Sweetheart, somehow, I think that 'little cunt' had the right idea this time,” a voice spoke, rushing up behind Cassie, cupping her mouth tightly. The free hand not gripping her mouth twisted around to grab her chest. “Word of advice: trust the cunt sometimes.”
The man drug her over to the door and flung it open. Sunlight streamed into the mostly empty barn, casting its light on razor sharp spikes that protruded out of the wall. The man spun her around to look at him one last time, his face contorted with enjoyment.
“See what I whipped up for you, Cassie Cunningham?” Cassie shook her head frantically, crying into his palm. “Yeah, I don't think that's going to work for you this time. Enjoy.” Shove.
The spikes ripped into her flesh with one clean stroke. Scarlet blood and entrails decorated the skinny surfaces. Cassie mustered a moan, looking up just in time to watch her assailant vanish. Then, as though the world was a candle being snuffed out, there was nothing.
The sun was high and shining in the late morning sky as Leonora Cunningham pulled into the driveway, two brown bags piled in the passenger seat. She grunted as she lifted the bags that were stocked up with a variety of food and drink. Despite the weight of her groceries, Leonora was a happy woman. A grin plastered her face as she opened the door.
“I'm home!” she announced, not concerned with the silence that greeted her as she walked down the hall; then she froze. The bags hit the floor with a crash as Leonora screamed, stumbling backwards into the hall.
The oven door was sprung open, a corpse laying upon its surface, submerged in a pile of melted skin, staring at her mother with blackened holes that were once emerald green eyes. The pendant hung around the corpse's neck was the only way Leonora could identify the corpse as her youngest daughter.
Leonora sprinted down the hallway and through the open door, knowing one thing: she had to find her family.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
