Short Stories-Posted only occasionally.

Malry Cove 2

This is the last part for this story. Same warnings as the last part. Read at your own risk. If you want me to write more, then please message me and ask politely. If you want to use some ideas, names, places or anything else, please ask. Any similarities between this story and another story are unintentional.

               -LisAsh

Dari and I cleaned up after dinner while Mom attempted to get Chris and Alara to go to sleep. Alara left for her room easily, but Chris was entering the moody, disobedient teenager stage. It took some bribing to get him to sleep. The moody teenager phase skipped over me, so this is the first time my parents have had to deal with it. Dari and I headed up to my room.

Once we were inside, I went over to the window and closed it. I turned to see Dari sitting on the floor. She looked sick and disturbed. I went over and sat next to her. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know." I was wondering the same thing. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know. We went to bed uneasily that night. I tossed and turned for a good three hours. Dari was sleeping on the window seat in my room. I sat up in bed and looked over to her. She was wide awake. I turned on the light. "Can't sleep?" She shook her head. Dari walked over to my bed and sat down on it. I moved over so she could lay down next to me. We hadn't slept in the same bed since 7th grade, so it was a tight fit. Nevertheless it was needed. We curled up next to each other and finally fell asleep.

It was around 5:30 when I woke up the next morning. I was confused, why was Dari here? Why didn't I hear my Dad rummaging around downstairs. The events from last night rushed back as Dari shifted on the bed. I quietly rose from bed just as I heard the front door close. I crept to the top of the stairs and listened. Dad had just gotten home by the sound of it. I caught fragments of the conversation.

"Mae, it's horrible they were all dismembered." His voice was shaking, it sounded like he had been crying.

"It's alright, Michael. Are there suspects?"

"No, we're trying to identify the victims. It's hard when there's bits and pieces of the bodies scattered everywhere. The ones we pieced together all had a strange marking on their inner left wrist."

"A cult?"

"Maybe, but that wouldn't tell us who killed them." Dad's voice hitched. "I...whoever did this is a monster. Who...God why..?"

That struck me. They were dismembered. I shuddered. I agreed with Dad. Whoever did this was a monster. I heard a creak from behind me. I assumed it was Dari and turned around. It was Alara. I jumped a little. "Alara, what's wrong?" I whispered.

She responded in a kind of trance. "Can you hear it breathing? I can." She cocked her head at me. "Kayla? What's wrong. You look scared."

I stood up and shook my head. "Nothing's wrong. Go back to sleep." She nodded and trotted back to her room. I stared after her. What had she asked? Can you hear it breathing? I held my breath and listened. Nothing but Mom and Dad downstairs. I heard them go into their room downstairs. I stayed absolutely still and listened. I was beginning to think I was being ridiculous and Alara was just messing with me when I heard it. It was breathing. Loud, harsh breathing. How had I missed it before?  I looked around the house. Where was it coming from? No one in our house had breathing that loud or that harsh. It almost sounded like an animal.

The floorboard at the bottom of the stairs creaked. I whirled around. Something went around the corner downstairs. I didn't see it completely but it...it didn't look human. My breathing quickened. My brain clearly didn't know the meaning of the word danger as I stepped down the stairs. Everything in me screamed to go back but my curiosity got the best of me. I heard something rustling in Mom's office. I snuck over to the open door (Mom never left her door open) and peeked in.