The rain halted altogether during the short walk back to the house. She slowed down as she got closer, the familiar feeling of dread creeping up on her as she rounded the last corner. She didn’t want to be in that house. The blood had long since been cleaned away with the help of some very kind local people, but she could sometimes still see it she was sometimes convinced that she could see the dark shadows under the fresh paint and new carpet. It drove her mad.
The facty that “he” may return wasn’t such a problem; she was looking for him anyway.
She grudgingly made her way up the path, key in hand, and stopped when she saw the open door. Her blood ran cold but her heart began beating faster; had he come back to finish the job? Would she get the answers she wanted, albeit way sooner than she anticipated? She took a few deep breaths to settle her nerves before slowly pushing the door and peering in a little before pushing it far enough for her to get into the house. She could hear hushed voices and froze; there was more than one person in the house.
The way Riley saw it, she had two choices, run out the door and down the street without looking back and risk losing the one chance to get answers, or go on and risk death.
When the living room door opened, the choice was taken out of her hand. She stared at the familiar man standing in front of her and instantly felt a wave of anger wash over her, drowning out the fear and nerves she had felt only moments earlier. “Dad?”
“Riley, honey, I’m-” He moved towards her as if to embrace her.
She said nothing and instead closed the gap between the two of them before punching him, sending him stumbling backwards over a table and umbrella stand. He looked up at her with surprise as he sat on the floor rubbing his now aching jaw, while two surprised looking faces appeared at the doorway, not entirely sure what to make of the scene. He quickly scrambled to his feet, wincing as he spoke. “Riley, listen.”
“Where the hell have you been for seven years?! And who the hell are they?” She pointed and they took a step back. Then shook her head. “Forget them, answer the first damn question.”
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