Chapter Ten

A Chapter by Tabitha t

Trisha sat up stiffly. The rain had stopped at some point during her exhaustion motivated slumber. Her clothes which were now stiff with dried mud and sweat crackled as she stood up in the back yard.

Her heart was hammering from the dream she had awoken from. It had been years since she had thought about the barn and the terrible things she had endured within its walls. The fog of the dream evaporated around her as quickly as it had come.

Even though it had stopped raining, she could hear rain drops falling from trees all around her. The moon was high in the sky and she could see clearly all around her. It would be morning soon.

For a moment she looked around bewildered as to where she was and how she got there but then like a slow morphine drip the memory of the last few hours came back to her.

She looked down at the patch of sodden packed earth that now served as James’s resting place and a slight smile lifted the edges of her mouth. She was free. She and Emmy would be able to start over and do anything. Raw enthusiasm coursed through her veins as she bounded across the damp yard and into the house to pack.

As she entered the kitchen she quickly peeled off the stiff outer clothes and threw them into the large kitchen trashcan right on top of the now yellowing potato peels from dinner.

Now clad in only her undergarments she felt the cold begin to soak into her bones. A shiver went up her spine and she wrapped her arms around her body for warmth. She tippietoed up the stairs, silently past Amelia’s room and into her own where the master bathroom was located.

As the glaring artificial light of the bathroom flickered on she blinked her eyes. Her eyes scanned across the room. How many times had she shared this bathroom with James in the morning? Each going about their morning rituals without taking much notice in the other. She had normally given James a wide birth during this time. He was normally nursing a hang over and became easily moody and quick to accuse.

As Trisha walked into the bathroom she stopped cold as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was clumped together from rain and mud. It stuck together in thick ropes around her neck and shoulders. As she turned to analyze herself from the mirror she let out a small gasp as her hand trembled as she brought it to her face.

Dark circles loomed under her eyes. The dark circles standing out even further against her pasty white skin. She looked like she had in fact gone to the grave and back. This thought brought a small chuckle of ironical humor to her chest. She turned to fill the tub with steaming hot water and then after peeling off her sodden bra and panties she slowly dipped her body into the water.

After quickly scrubbing her hair and body she let out a sigh. The hot water returned the warmth to her bones and she began to feel a bit more human. Even though Trisha wanted to spend more time in the hot soapy water she knew that there were still a million things she needed to do. Her mind raced as she went down the list of upcoming challenges she would have to go through.

Now that James was officially dead she began to worry about the repercussions. Not only did she have to worry about someone noticing him missing before she had a chance to get far enough away she also had to worry about Amelia and her question, what she was going to tell her, what she was going to do for money in the long run, the list ran on and on through her mind as she mechanically got out of the Tub and layered on fresh clothes.

After this was done she went to her closet and lugged out the set of suitcases that had been placed there after the cruise she, James, and Amelia had went on last summer. Since her back was already stiff from having to drag James across the kitchen and yard and then having to dig and bury him she had a hard time gathering the strength to lift and heave the heavy suit cases onto the bed.

After she rushed around the room packing and showing hers and Amelia’s clothes into the two cases she grabbed the car keys and went to pack them into her SUV. Leaving the car engine idling in the darkness she rushed back upstairs to grab Amelia and leave this house forever.

Her stomach had been in knots as she rushed around the house planning her grand getaway but now as she reached the door to the room where her daughter lay sleeping peacefully she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten Amelia after everything she had done tonight.

With one last calming lungful of air Trisha gently pushed open the pink bedroom door and looked in at her sleeping daughter. There she was with blonde curls framing her face, blue eyes hidden beneath light pink lids that matched the color of the small puckered lips. The resemblance between her and her father stunned Trisha for a moment. She had always been a Daddies girl. She loved sitting on his lap as they shared a bowl of cereal in the morning. She loved straightening his Windsor knot before he walked out the door to go to the office, and he had always seemed to love the doting little princess that stayed by his side. He never chided her or treated her in anyway like anything but an adoring father.

During the first few years of motherhood Trisha felt bewildered at the difference James treated the two women in his life and she tried to not hold hard feelings towards her daughter over it. That is when she started to visit therapist after therapist. She soon realized on her own that it was James not her daughter who was to blame and that created a big chance in Trisha’s life. She soon began to think independently, wishing for her daughter and her to run away from James.

Looking now at the sweet child she saw her dreams coming true. With gentle loving arms she reached down underneath the covers and scooped her daughter into her arms.

“Mama?” Emmy asked yawning as she peered through half open eyes. “Its not morning.” She mumbled as she wrapped her arms around Trisha’s neck and her legs around her mother’s waist.

“No, its not morning yet Emmy.” Trisha whispered to her sleepy child as she walked slowly downstairs.

“We are going to take a trip.” She said in a bright tone. “Doesn’t that sound fun?” She asked the small, warm body in her arms.

“Is daddy coming?” Amelia asked as she stifled a yawn and snuggled against her mother’s neck. This question stopped Trisha in her tracks. Her arms tightened against Emmy and her back turned rigid. She stood frozen in the driveway looking at the white exhaust turn blood red as it passed through the glare of the break lights.

“No.” She finally stuttered out to her daughter. “Daddy isn’t coming with us this time.” If Amelia noticed her mother’s tense body language she didn’t show it. She merely nodded solemnly as if she understood much more then her three year old mind was capable of.

Trisha started moving again and popped open the back driver’s door where Amelia’s car seat was located. She gently strapped her in and closed the door behind her. After hoping into the driver’s seat she put the car in reverse and looked behind her to back out of the driveway.

“Can Justin come too mommy?” Emmy sleepily asked from her place in the back seat.

“Justin?” Trisha asked out loud. As she spoke the name her heart sank. The puppy, James’s guilt trip to make her forgive him once again. Well played sire, well played. She felt an unbelievable urge to just floor it out of the driveway and get as many miles away as possible but the look in her daughters eyes held her in place. Trisha felt obligated to let the child keep the pet especially after she took her father away. Sighing she put the car back in park and opened her door.

“Ill be right back.” She said to Amelia as she went back out into the damp night air.

Running full force she burst through the door into the dark house where all of the lights were turned off. Trisha’s hair sat up on its end around her neck and arms. She felt as though something terrible was right behind her, almost on top of her heals. Seeing by only the moon light that found its way through the windows she ran up the steps and burst into her daughter’s room where Justin the puppy had last been seen.

“Justin?” She whispered feeling slightly foolish for calling the puppy by a human’s name. She puckered her lips together and made a kissing noise. The sound left an eerie feeling in the silent house.

“Come here boy.” She whispered a bit louder as she looked around the room. She heard a rustling from her left and frightened she jumped back to look at the bed.

The blankets wiggled and tossed for a few moments before a small furry head popped out from under the blanket at the foot of the bed where Justin ad fallen asleep with Amelia. Trisha let out a nervous laugh and scooped up the puppy as he wagged his tail and kissed her face with his wet tongue.

As she bounced down the stairs Trisha went towards the kitchen and out of the patio door to the back yard. She figured that the puppy might need to relieve itself before she hit the road. The drive will be hard enough with a three year old and she didn’t want to make it any worse with a piddling puppy in tow as well.

Setting the puppy down on the grass she looked around the backyard. A flash of lightning struck in the distance. The rain was gone for now but it didn’t look like it was going to stay that way. Trisha couldn’t get rid of the goose bumps as she stood in the darkness.

“Hurry up.” She whispered as she looked around the yard for Justin. She turned a complete circle before her eyes were able to locate the small puppy in the moonlight. She caught sight of a blonde wagging tail in the darkness. He was by the garden, digging directly in the middle of the hydrangeas and the callalillies.

Cursing, Trisha ran across the yard to scoop the puppy up into her arms. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage as she looked down to the hole the puppy had been able to produce in the soft, water logged soil.

Upon inspection Trisha let out a sharp shriek of disbelief. There in the center of the fresh soil was a hole about a foot and a half down. Standing in cool contrast against the dark soil was a set of four fingers sticking out of the top of the soil. A mental image flashed through Trisha’s mind. A picture of James’s hands crossed against his chest like a sleeping child. His chest should have been three feet lower then the hand that was now reaching out for her in the glowing light of the moon.

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© 2012 Tabitha t

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Craig2591

Wow! Getting scary!

"She stood frozen in the driveway looking at the white exhaust turn blood red as it passed through the glare of the break lights." - Excellent line!