Chasing Charlie

Chapter One | When Tragedy Strikes

Charlie

It was eight o'clock at night, a warm wind blowing around the suburb of Newcastle, when I returned home, holding my sleeping, six year old sister, Olivia.

Summer holidays were coming to an end in a week's time, all the children and teenagers spending the last few moments with their friends before school started back up again. Olivia had wanted to go to the park to meet her friends, and since I had nothing else to do I happily took her there.

I watched her play in the park, laughing and enjoying the playground with her friends.

The park was a peaceful place, where most of the children of the neighbourhood played at. In the middle of the park was a huge, newly renovated playground for the children, while the teenagers usually hung around the basketball court or the soccer field, which were located on the other side of the park.

As I walked up the driveway, towards the house I had lived in for the past sixteen years, I felt queasy. I shook my head, thinking I was just a bit sick because of the food I had eaten earlier that day.

I moved Olivia, so she was sitting on my right hip, while her head was leaning against my shoulder. I placed my left hand into my jean pocket, soon finding the keys. I placed the key into the front door's keyhole, twisting the key, and opening the door. I took out the key, before placing it back into my pocket and going inside.

I shut the door behind me, before calling out to the house, "Mum, Dad, we're back from the park."

Silence. Not a single sound.

Worried about the silence, I went into the last room I had seen them in, the living room. Switching on the lights, I gasped at the sight in front of me. There on the living room floor lay my parents, covered in their own blood. The once cream carpet surrounding them was now a blood red colour.

I put Olivia down on the couch before rushing forward towards the bodies. Bullet wounds were on their chests, blood still pouring out.

The horrific sight in front of me drove me to tears.

I kneeled down in front of the bodies before grabbing my dad's wrist and checking for a pulse. Nothing. I grabbed my mum's wrist, a weak pulse still beating.

I stood up, grabbed my phone from my pocket, and dialled the ambulance.

"Hello, what's the problem?" A lady answered.

"M-my parents," I sobbed, "They're dying."

"Sweetheart, you'll have to elaborate on that," she spoke calmly.

"They have bullet wounds," I sobbed harder.

"Where do you live?"

I told her my address before I hung up. I walked over to the nearest wall, to regain my balance. My thoughts were jumbled and I felt sick. I slid down the wall, unable to stand any longer.

I cried, tears just seeming to roll down my cheeks. My body was shaking with every sob I let out.

Thoughts were dancing in my mind. No this wasn't happening, I kept repeating. This was a joke, a joke we'd laugh about in the future. My parents were still alive. They would pop out at any second with a show host and say you've been pranked or your reaction was hilarious.

I didn't want this scenario to be my reality.

My hands were wrapped around my knees, whilst I cried. My head was leaning on my knees looking down, towards my lap. My hair was tied up so it wasn't distracting me as I cried.

I cried for a while, not knowing what the outcome would be. Someone started to lightly shake me, and that was when I lifted my head up. I saw that it was Olivia who was rubbing her eyes.