On the Other Side of Darkness

Prologue

"I'll be back, Father, I'm just going over to Sara's house to get something I left there the other day," she says to me while smiling. "Alright sweetheart, don't forget your umbrella," I smile back at her. "I won't father," she smiles while grabs her coat from the hanger.

I walk over to the silver garbage can in the corner of the kitchen and reach inside to grab the giant, overfilled, black bag. "Onyx where are you?" I hear my roommate Garrett ask. "I'm in the kitchen, why?" I reply while slinging the black garbage bag over my shoulder.

"I'm going to get your laundry, if you don't mind," he says. "Okay, I don't mind," I say and walk out the back door. I drop the bag on the sidewalk where the garbage guy always comes.

Suddenly there's a scream followed by a crash. "Oh my god!" Garrett says, his voice muffled. I run back to the door and run inside.

"Is everything alright in here!" I yell while walking inside. I feel liquid at my feet and look down to find a dark puddle of blood. This worries me and I follow the blood to the stairs.

I then stop in my tracks. On the floor I see my daughter surrounded by a pool of blood. "Garrett, what happened?" I ask him, surprisingly calm. "Well, I-I w-walked upstairs to go get your laundry while she was coming downstairs a-and I guess I might've accidentally bumped into her and she fell down the stairs. And when I came from the market, considering it was raining I had to take an umbrella and I left it by the stairs. So when she fell it sort of s-stabbed her...in the neck," he stutters. Bullets of sweat cover his face. "So YOU knocked her down the stairs and KILLED her?" I ask him getting angrier.

"I'm sorry Onyx, it was an accident," he says taking a step back. I step forward. "No, this isn't an accident...THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" I yell at him.

"Calm down, Onyx," he says still walking backwards but this time up the stairs. "How could you be so fucking stupid! You could've watched where you were going but no, being the dumb fuck that you are, you knocked my ONLY daughter down the stairs and stabbed her in the neck with a fucking umbrella!" I yell now walking faster towards him.

Before I realize what I am doing, my hands are around his throat. His face turns red and he tries to free my grasp. This man, killed my daughter, and I am going to kill him right here right now.

I tighten my grip around his neck when suddenly the door is kicked in. Someone pulls me away from Garrett and I resist. "Stop! Let me go you assholes! This man killed my daughter!" I'm yelling.

I look back and see the police. Shit. "Sir, stop it. Now we're gonna go down to the hospital get things straightened and then we'll find out what happened," he calmly says. "No! I'm going to kill this man right now! He took everything from me!" I yell before another policeman  takes my daughter and Garrett into an ambulance.

...

A couple weeks later I stand at my daughters grave. This is too much. She was everything to me. I can't live with myself knowing that I could've prevented it and I can't ever see her again.

I would do anything to be with her again. Anything. I walk away and start towards my house, stepping on the crisp autumn leaves making a crunch-like noise. Garrett has left the country because of me.

I really wasn't going to kill him, well maybe. I'm not sure really. If the police hadn't stopped me, he would've been dead, but I hadn't planned on killing him.

I was just so angry, but I guess it really isn't his fault. It could happen to anyone.

I fish through my pocket for my keys and once I find them I unlock the door and step inside. Next to me is the same umbrella that killed my daughter. I guess Garrett never took it with him. I grab the umbrella and sit on the steps, just looking at it.

This umbrella killed my daughter. But if you think about it, it is Garrett's fault. Not that he knocked her down but that he left this umbrella next to the steps when I keep telling him to put it in his room.

Haha. You know I should've strangled that guy. It was his fault and he deserves to die too, not that my daughter deserved to die or anything.

I wish I could see her again. Then it hits me. I start laughing. At first quiet then louder. "I'm coming sweetheart!" I yell at the top of my lungs while looking at the sky.

I laugh even more now and then get quiet. I take a deep breath. In through the nose out through the mouth. I grab the umbrella and push it into my neck, then everything goes black.