I’m sorry, Jesse. I hope that one day you can forgive me for keeping this a secret, but I figured it would be easier on you.
Love, Mom
Jesse flipped through the journal. Pages were filled this notes on how Jesse looked that day, what she was wearing, what she ate, what made Jesse smile that day, how she longed to leave that chair and put her arms around her daughter.
Jesse closed the book and laid it back on her mother’s lap. “I forgive you, mom. And if I make it out of here alive, I promise I’ll never forget you.”
24.
The Car Nex hung in the sky while its summoner knelt over the body of his daughter. Her arms and legs were bent in unnatural directions and there were cuts and gouges all over her skin. Her chest was still. Her eyes did not move. She was gone.
“WHY!? I brought you here! DAMN YOU! You killed my little girl,” David sobbed. He picked up a rock and hurled it at the monster. It passed through and landed on the other side.
The Car Nex’s red eyes held steady on David until the sound of a nearby trashcan falling over caught its attention. David turned to see a man he’d never met before take off running. The Car Nex gave chase, there was a scream, and then, the creature must have seen another person because it flew off in another direction.
David stared down at his lifeless daughter. “What have I done?”
25.
Linda, fighting back the urge to curl up into a ball and weep for days on end, found David’s gun where he dropped it and headed out the door. She could deal with her emotions when this was over with. He had taken everything and everyone from her and he was going to pay. She didn’t care if that creature killed her as long as she got to him first. She knew that the Car Nex came when David was in danger so she kept the gun aimed away from him until she had him in range. When they were married, they both frequented the shooting range, but David was always the better shot. She had to be sure she was close enough she didn’t miss.
He was on the ground crying, but Linda didn’t care. He didn’t deserve the right to tears. It was too late for regret. He did this. She swung the gun around and aimed for his head. She thought it was strange she didn’t hear anything from the Car Nex and then, it became clear.
Click. Click. The gun was empty.
Linda lowered the gun. She thought about heading back to her trailer for her knife, if she could find it. Before she could turn around, she saw a lone figure appear from behind a trailer. She barely recognized Jesse covered in brown and red stains without her clothes. The girl walked like she was on a mission, staring straight ahead, with her father’s shotgun in her hands.
26.
Jesse stood in front of him with the crumpled form of a little girl between them. He looked up at her. “Do it.”
Jesse brought the gun up and aimed. She heard the familiar roar off in the distance. David silently pleaded with her, but she paid him no attention. If she had her way, she’d let David live out the rest of his days knowing what he had done, punishing himself with thoughts and memories like she knew she would herself. She watched as the Car Nex came at her. It was the creature she wanted. She knew she had to end all this. Her finger tightened around the trigger as she saw the reds of its eyes.
“Go to Hell.” She pulled the trigger and the top of David’s head disappeared.
The whirlwind of teeth and fangs stopped inches away from Jesse’s face. There was a brilliant burst of light in the sky and Jesse saw the tail end of creature being lifted towards it. The creature screamed out as if in pain. It gnashed its teeth and swung its claws at her, but they hit nothing but air. Finally, as if it had given up, it stopped moving and stared into Jesse’s eyes. Then, it disappeared into the hole in the sky.
Jesse threw the shotgun down and dropped to her knees crying.
27.
Linda walked over to the body of her daughter. She looked away. This was not how she wanted to remember Haley. She wanted to remember her as the little girl that loved tigers and riding her bike. This was not her daughter. Not anymore.
She went to Jesse, dropped down, and embraced her. She didn’t know her story or what she had been through, but it had to have been just as bad as she experienced. She held her close as she heard sirens in the distance.
All around them was nothing but carnage and destruction. She looked towards the edge of the park where a several trailers were ablaze. She noticed that some of the trees had caught fire as well and the fire was heading up the hill towards David’s house.
Burn, fucker. Burn, she thought.
One Year Later
It was early morning and Linda stood over the kitchen sink washing the same dish over and over. She dreaded this anniversary, but she knew if she could make it through the day, she’d be okay. She set the overly clean dish down and headed upstairs.
At first, the police didn’t believe their story. They had told the truth. Then, the feds came and suddenly, it was all talk of keeping quiet and witness protection. They must have known about the creature. The official report said there was a gas main break that caused multiple explosions. It explained away all the damage, death, and the roars that could be heard the next town over.
Linda approached the bedroom and knocked on the open door. “You okay?”
Jesse sat in her chair with her mother’s journal open in her lap. She wiped her eyes and nodded. Linda gave her a little smile and let her have some privacy.
Witness Protection had set them up as mother and daughter. At first, they didn’t take to it, but over time, it somehow worked. Jesse may have been older than Haley, but it was nice having a daughter again. And Jesse yearned for a relationship with her mother. Linda tried her best to provide just that. Through the loss of their families, they bonded and filled the voids in each others’ lives.
Linda entered her bedroom and stood at her window. The sun was just coming out. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Today is going to be a good day, she thought.
About the Author
Shaun Hupp lives in Michigan with his wife, two kids, and dog. While he mainly writes in the horror genre, he also dabbles in the supernatural and comedy. When he’s not writing, he wears t-shirts of sports teams he could care less about. He also needs to take the trash out. You can reach Shaun on his author facebook page, writing facebook page, Amazon author page, and blog.
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