Arhi SS: A Crack in the Mirror Chp 8 Updated - Page 2

The cold winter air brushed against my pale cheeks, as I walked down the streets of London. It was another miserable gloomy day here in Apport. Bare tree branches swished to the wind and I watched it dance along to the rhythm. I held on to my black trench coat tighter to fight the cold. My dark black hair moved wildly against the wind fighting to stay in position. Not a soul was to be seen as everyone was already in their houses, warm and cozy, and eating their supper. My long black boots crunched the snow making it seem as if I was making the biggest noise, due to the silence.

I held my determined gaze waiting to get home faster. Night was arriving faster and I knew if I got home late again all hell might break lose. I started to speed walk hoping to make it faster. Finally after a few minutes, my house came in to view; the old grey brick house, which looked as if nobody lived in it. There wasn't any light reflecting from the dark glasses, just plain darkness streamed out of it. Just like the people living inside of it. I took out my frozen keys from the pocket of my coat and opened the door, praying that he was asleep. Cautiously I walked inside waiting to hear a shatter of glass or a grunt, but I heard none. The old ratty couch was still in its place, empty as if nobody has sat on it for hours; magazines were scattered all over the coffee table as if nobody has bothered to clean it. Everything seemed just the same. Taking one last look I decided to leave the living room. Slowly I made my way in to the kitchen silently praying he hasn't dropped out cold, but I only came across broken shards of glass. It was scattered everywhere; he has been here.

The house was dead silent and I knew that wasn't a good sign. Has he dropped dead due to the liquor he has consumed?

My heart started to beat faster. This scene looked exactly like the dream I saw last night. Empty house, shattered glass, but nobody was present. Usually he never stayed this quiet for too long. This was too weird for me to comprehend. I started to walk towards the stairs when I stopped to the sound of something dripping. Stop it Khushi, it's probably water. But yet why did that sound seem so disturbing? Has something happened? She wasn't around either… It was almost 10:00 PM so where would she be? Many scenarios flashed across my mind. Did he…? No, he couldn't have. This is so stupid! Why was I thinking of such things when it's just water dripping. But I was only assuming it was water… Stop it Khushi, just stop! Whispers inside my mind were shooting searing pain to the side of my forehead. I took deep breaths and I slowly walked up the dark stairs. The fear was overwhelming me and my body began to shiver waiting to see the outcome of what I hoped was wrong.

Drips, drip, drip, it sounded like a broken record, expect it was much creepier. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than water, but I ignored it. They were probably in their rooms. Nobody would go out at this time and the glasses in the kitchen clearly showed that he was home. Although at the back of my mind I wasn't sure where she was…

The white door in front of me, which led to their room, looked as if it was glowing in the dark. I grasped the cold metal knob, breathing in and out, wondering whether I should just storm in. Here we go… 1… 2… 3!

What I saw shocked me. There was nobody here, but emptiness. Beds were properly made and everything was in its place. Drip, drip, drip, I heard the cursed noise again.

Clenching my fists I decided to walk out, but something stopped me. Drip, drip, drip, the sound came again. For a few minutes I stood still listening to the sound, trying to locate where exactly it was coming from. Drip, drip, drip, again I heard. This time I could clearly tell it was coming from inside of this room, although I didn't see any water drops anywhere. What was the meaning of all this? I wanted to leave the room, but something caught my eye. The brown closet door seemed half open and it looked odd. Silently I walked towards it and held the handle of the closet. Let's do this; 1…2…3!

Just as I opened the closet door I expected to see something horrifying, but I saw none. Clothes were normally hung and it looked perfectly in place. A comforting sensation travelled throughout my body. As I was about to close the closet door something else caught my eye. It was his white shirt; there were dark spots of red all over the sleeve, fresh dark red spots. It looked like… blood? Drip, drip, again the sound came and this time I saw the drops fall down to the shirt. I looked up to the ceiling and what I saw turned my blood cold.

Two bodies were hanging from the ceiling, it was my mother and it was him. There was a huge wound deeply scared in to her stomach, and the corners of her lips were bruised, with blood trickling down. His body was completely fine, but his neck had a huge gnash; the flesh was hanging and the bones were visible. I don't know what I did next. All I felt was the adrenaline coursing through my veins and I ran as fast as my legs can take me.

With full force I pushed open the door and set out in to the cold winter night. There was not a dog visible on road, but I kept running. Run to Tami, just run to Tami, that was my location. Harsh winds were stabbing my face and tears were streaming down. Trees were moaning from the wind, as if they were humans, dying from agonizing pain. 20 minutes passed when finally Tami's house came in to view. Not wasting a second my fists pounded on her door.

"TAMI, TAMI, OPEN THIS DOOR. TAMI, PLEASE OPEN THIS DOOR."

Big footsteps were heard from the inside and I knew she was running down to the door. A 70 year old, African American lady swung the door open and I uttered my last words.

"They're dead."

And I collapsed to the floor.

********

A white light was blurring my vision and echoes kept vibrating through my ears. Soft sheets were wrapped around my aching body and a bed, which my body was laid upon.

"Khushi, Khushi, Khushi''

The voice of a lady kept calling out my name; why did the voice sound so familiar..?

"Khushi, honey, wake up."

There it was again. Who was this lady? It took a while, but finally my vision began to adjust and I took in my surroundings. Tami was standing hovering over me, watching me with her concerned filled eyes. That was when everything registered back to my brain. Every series of events that happened flashed across my mind. Their dead bodies, bones, blood, stabbed; my parents were dead.

"Tami… Tami where am I?"

I asked her trying to get up from my sleeping position, but due to the imbalance of my brain, I began to feel dizzy. Tami held my shoulders and helped me up.

"You're at the hospital. Yesterday night you fainted so I bought you here."

Yesterday night… so that means I was here the whole night. What happened? Did Tami call the cops? So many questions were swimming across my mind and it was beginning to give me a headache.

"Did... what happened yesterday night…"

Tami looked away from my gaze and got up from her chair. She faced the window and stood still. Something was not right and I knew it the moment she didn't face me. Whenever there was unpleasant news, she always turned away before breaking it in. She always had a hard time seeing tears in anyone's eyes. This was why I always ran to her. Tami was my old baby sitter. Ever since I was a baby she was the one that took care of me, while my mother was too busy hunting for jobs to get scraps of food to our plates. So during the days she came to take care of me. Tami became my second mother. But life began to get tougher as my father continued to drink. One day a big fight erupted between my parents and they let Tami go, but the bond we shared never disconnected.

"What is it Tami…? Tell me…"

Tami turned around to face me. Her wrinkled old, pleasant face was smeared with tears. This was hard for her just as it was for me. She walked towards me and sat down next to me, but her gaze was still focused on the floor. Finally she uttered the very words that I feared to hear.

"He killed her."