A Collection of Short Stories

A Father's Love

The sun beat down on Cassy and her two best friends, Parker and Alice, while they sat in the bed of Parker's truck. The three of them spent the day at Lookout Rock--a giant rock located in the hills of the Texas countryside. Cassy just stared at the sky like she had down countless times before. Only this time, the sky felt permanent. This Texas sky has been her home for the last four years. Life was great for her and her scared mom.

Cassy feels sorry for her mother. She never knew why they were running from her father, just that he was bad and not to be trusted. Her mother hardly spoke of him. When she did, she never said his name. To Cassy, she feels like she is living in a Harry Potter movie and her father is Lord Voldemort. Like when someone says his name, afraid that he might appear.

"Can you believe we took as year off of college to travel the world, and is almost over?" Alice said sitting up in the truck bed.

"Al, we've traveled all over. It's nice to just spend a little time back home before we start college next month." Cassy spoke cuddled into Parker's arms.

"Just enjoying spending time worth my girl before life changes." Parker said snuggling deeper around Cassy.

A phone buzzed sending the three of them to look at there phones. Nothing from Alice and Parker, but Cassy had a voicemail from her mother. "It was mine. Let's listen to what my crazy mother is up to now."

"Muffled noises. Cassy, I love you honey. More muffled noises. High pitched scream. End call."

"Well, that was weird." Cassy said, "just drop me of at home and I'll call you guys later."

Alice and Parker didn't day anything as they climbed out of the truck bed and into the small truck. Cassy stayed in the back soaking up the sun and the wind in her face. It took about twenty minutes to get from Lookout Rock to the edge of Cassy's driveway. Cassy's mother was always an emotional wreck. She had left these kind of messages before, but she knew that something was off.

Parker dropped Cassy off and she gave him a quick kiss before ealing down her long driveway. The closer she got she noticed that the door was ajar. She wasn't scared until she saw blood on the handle. Cassy looked closer and found a trail of blood leading into the house. Cassy stopped before going inside and called the police. It would take them at least a half hour to get here, so she took a chance and went inside. She had to know where the blood was coming from. The trail of blood led her all the way upstairs. From the cracks in the doorway, she saw her mother tied to a chair, gagged, and covered in blood. Cassy slapped a hand over her mouth as she made eye contact with her mother.

"Where is she, Sarah?" Spoke a harsh voice. "I know she's here, so tell me where she is."

Her mother shook her head no and Cassy saw the man slap her mother with the handle of the gun in his hand. Cassy backed into an end table causing a glass vase to crash onto the floor. She immediately ran trying to find a place to hide. "Could that be her?"She heard the man say as she searched for a hiding place.

Cassy hid in her closet, shut the door, and piled a bunch of clothes over her. She used this time to turn her phone on silent. Last thing she needed, was to be found by her cell phone ringing. She heard hours heavy steps growing closet and closet by the minute. Soon enough she could hear his shoes just outside the closet door. Her hands covered her mouth as she lays on her closet floor under a pile of clothes. She is almost afraid to breathe, but she forces herself to because he'll definitely find her if she holds bet breath. She can't hold it for very long. She heard footsteps leaving her room, but she was too terrified to move. Suddenly, something grabbed her foot and pulled her out of the closet.

She knew that face anywhere. It was the face she had been told to memorize for years. She was staring at the face of danger. Cassy stared at him, holding her favorite teddy bear in one hand and his pistol in the other.

"Hi dad," She whispered.

"Cassy?" He whispered back. "My have you grown. You look just like your mother did when she was you're age."

She just laid there, watching the pistol in his hand. She felt as if all the color in her skin had melted away. She felt transparent, like he was starting right through her. "Stand up, child. Do as I say and no one gets hurt."

She slowly stood, her limbs trembling beneath her. "Sit." He commanded. Cassy followed instructions and sat down on her bed. Her father sat down beside her. "Don't move." He added, touching the hand with the pistol high on her thigh and the other moving her hair out of the way. He leaned in to her, smelling her hair and exposing her neck. "You're more beautiful than I ever imagined." He whispered, kissing her neck and sliding his hand and pistol towards her inner thigh.

She closed her eyes and tears fell down her checks. "Shh, don't cry Cassy. I'll protect you now." He said wiping her tears. "Let's go see your mother." He added grabbing her hand pulling her in front of him. She felt the barrel of the gun pressing into the back of her neck.

Her mother started weeping when he brought Cassy into the room. There was blood everywhere, on her mother, the carpet, the walls, and the windows. He grabbed onto her shoulder stopping get from running to her mother.

"Mom," She cried. "I love you."

"She's in good hands now, Sarah." He paused kissing Cassy's cheek, almost on the lips. He raised his pistol and pulled the trigger on Sarah. BANG!

"No!" Cassy screamed as she watched her mother become lifeless.  Her father instantly grabbed her and through her over his shoulder, carrying Cassy out of the house. "No! Let me go. You killed her, you killed my mother."

"Shut up, Cassy." He stared at me holding the gun at her throat. "You're mine now. Just like it always should've been."

Cassy heard sirens in the distance. The cops were coming, they were almost here. She felt a sigh of relief before her father grabbed her arm, tight enough to leave bruises.

"Did you call the police?" He grunted in the same voice that he had used on her mother. "Cassy, did you call--"

"Before I came into the house. I saw, the blood on the handle." She cried. "I didn't know. I didn't know it was you. Please don't kill me."

"Phone. Now." He commanded.

Her trembling hand took the phone out of her pocket and she held it in the air. He snatched it out of her hands and threw it across the yard."Get in, and stay down." He added opening the door to shove her in the back seat.

Her father started the engine and the car roared to life. Cassy watched out the window as he drove out of the driveway and down the road a few miles. The sun was setting as she heard the sirens become closer to her house but she was being taken further  away from it. A few miles down the road, the car stopped and her father got out and walked back to the trunk. She couldn't see what he was going, but she knew that no one was around to see it.

A hand reached in through her window and covers her face with a white cloth. She tried to scream but the hand wouldn't budge. It was muffled and she took in a deep breath of air. She used her hand to try and pull his off, but the more she inhale the more tired she became. "Good girl, Cassy. Just keep breathing it in." He said watching her hands loosen on his. After a few more breaths, her hands fell completely away from her face. She was now fighting to keep her eyes open. Her vision was impaired see was seeing everything in pairs of three. "Stop fighting it, Cassy. Let it take you. Go to sleep, my child. Everything will be just fine."

Cassy batted her eyes a few more times before they became too heavy and she couldn't open them again. Her world had become dark as night as she lies motionless in the backseat of her father's car. He watched her breath a few more times before pulling his hand away from her mouth. He carried her to the trunk of his car to place her in a black bag. He placed her gently into the car stroking her hair for a while.

"We'll be home soon, my love. Just as it should've been." He said before placing a kiss on her forehead.