Shadows in the Night

Chapter 5

It was morning already. I turned off my beeping alarm clock, vaulted out of bed, and exited my room; half expecting to see my mom in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Instead all I saw was the other half of the mess that I didn't have time to clean up last night after the fight.

I had a strange sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach like I ate something  bad. That wasn't it though, I hadn't ate anything the night before.

Brushing the feeling away I continued with my morning routine. I concluded that if my parents weren't back by dinner I would embark on a mission to find them and free them from my uncle's evil clutches.

I went through the first three periods of school with some difficulty. The sinking feeling continued to return. It was so bad that I couldn't brush the feeling away anymore and I certainly couldn't hide it. It was almost unbearable.

"Did your mom come back?" Asked Ria when we happened to meet in the bathroom between classes.

That was it, I couldn't bottle it up anymore. I couldn't hold back the tears welling behind my eyes. They let loose and spilled over my bottom lashes, rolling slowly down my face, gathering under my chin, and falling to the floor.

"I'm so sorry." Whispered Ria gathering me lovingly into her arms.

I cried for what seemed like forever, but it felt good to let it out. When I was finished she looked me in the eye and asked what I was planning to do. When I told her my resolve she looked at me with worry.

"You aren't really going to go after your uncle if they don't return are you?"

"I am."

"Be careful..."

"I will." I said almost harshly with resolve.

The rest of the day flew by. My anxiousness to get home and see if my parents were back made everything rush by with blurring speed, including time.

The final bell rang and I ran through the halls, out the door, and down the steps. Ria, Karly, and Sophia tried to follow me home but gave up, as I was a fast runner with much endurance...plus I had left my stuff in my locker at school since I had no homework, they hadn't done that. I ran to the front door, my hands shaking wildly as I tried to  jam the key in the lock,  but it wouldn't go into the lock. The lock was not as it should be. The door had been tampered with, unlocked. Cautiously I opened the door. I peeked around the door to see if there was any sign that my parents were home, since the door was unlocked. 

I didn't see any sign of anyone, the house seemed empty. "Hello?" I called... No answer. "Maybe I just left the door unlocked this morning when I left for school..." I thought to myself.

I walked down the hallway and up the stairs, looking for any sign that they were home. As I walked by the living room something caught my eye. It was red...what was it? I walked closer and closer. It looked like liquid...