Black Velvet

“Hello, I’m checking out today.”

“Okay, so what’s your name hun?” The lady asked.

“Ashlynn Ray Stringston.” I replied.

“Okay and your room number?”

“109”

“Okay, Ashlynn how was your stay here?”

“It was okay”

“Alright well, looks like you are free to go. Thanks for staying here at the Clearwater hospital. Hope your life is better now that you can leave.” She said.

Honestly, she sounded like a reporter, the annoying voice and all. She had this annoying smile on her face to. She just couldn’t stop smiling, showing her yellow, smoke stained teeth, they made me just want to puke. I looked at her with an annoyed expression on my face. I picked up my bags and went out side. I stopped at the curb and looked around.

“How in the hell am I supposed to get home?” I asked myself.
I dropped my bags and decided to go back inside to try and use a phone to call my best friend Rainy, that would be the best thing to do. I left my bags on the curb and turned around to head back inside.

“Officer Jennings, what are you still doing here?” I asked.

“I had to finish up some last minute stuff. Say, do you need a ride home?”

“Actually, yes, I do. Would you mind giving me a lift to my house?

“Well no problem, come on over to my cruiser.” He said.

I nodded and went to grab my bags.

“No, no, I’ll get those you don’t need to be carrying them.”

I didn’t even protest, I just nodded and followed. The first time I had been out side in a week. I was more worried about my killer than who was carrying my bags. He opened the door to the back seat and set my bags inside.

“Go ahead and get in the front seat Ashlynn, I got this.”

I nodded again and headed around the car and got in. the whole was to my house was a very quiet car ride. No radio, no talking, no nothing, just the humming of the tiers running on the wet road.

“Is your aunt even home?” Officer Jennings asked as we rounded the corner.

“Um, I really don’t know, nor do I care.”

He stopped the car out in front of my house.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what is it between you and your aunt?” He asked curiously.
I sat there, passenger seat reclined back slightly starring out the windshield.

“Ever since my family died in a car accident three years ago, I have been stuck with her.

“Family?” He asked, confused.

“Yeah, my mom, Shaylynn, dad, Kipp, and my younger brother, Karter. My brother was only thirteen at the time. They were going to take my brother to his friends house and then pick up my moms car on the way back from the shop.” I took a deep breath and tried to clear my throat. I laced my fingers together and squeezed my hands together, I was shaking. Another deep breath, then I tried to talk. “They were going through the mountains, right, the roads were curving, it was a sharp turn, dad wasn’t paying attention.” My eyes welled up with tears and I was shaking badly. “He took the corner going forty six miles per hour, it was a sheet of ice, he couldn’t stop.” I shut my eyes hard, tears tolling down my face like fresh rain on a waxed car. “They slid off the road and rolled the car down a side of a hill. The car went up in flames, they were still inside. I found out the next morning, ever since then, I have been here” I looked at the house, wiped my face on my jacket sleeves and took a deep breath. “You can come with me or stay here, I won’t be long.”

“I’ll stay here, I’ll wait.” He said.

“Alright.” I said and got out of the car.

I quickly walked up to the house and tried the door, locked, I figured. I knew where she kept the spare key, under that ugly ass frog sitting by the flowers. I knelt down and got the key. I placed the frog back down and sat there for a bit. I looked around at the surroundings. It was different, something wasn’t the same. Something set off a little red flag in my mind. I looked down at the key that rested in my hand, then up at the large window in the front of the house. It just didn’t feel right. I needed to know that I was safe and having Officer Jennings there was nice but not enough. I got up and walked over to the garage door, I looked through the small window on the door to make sure that her car was home. It was sitting right there in the garage, safe and sound. I took a deep breath of relief and looked back at Officer Jennings. I waved and smiled as a sign of everything being okay. I walked up to the front door and tried getting the key in the lock. The second the key hit the lock I heard something inside the house move.

“It’s just me Kia, I’m coming to get the rest of my stuff and leave.” I said knowing she would hear me and not kill me. The key slid into the lock and I opened the door.
I froze while my stomach dropped to the floor and streams of bloody murder left my mouth and filled the air around me. I reached to find the door handle and fell to the ground. It was like my world froze, suddenly stopped. Time didn’t exist, I wasn’t breathing, I felt nothing, not even pain, I felt empty.

I felt a hand on my shoulder; it didn’t matter to me who it was I was in shock.

“Oh……..my……god……no.” I heard.

I saw Officer Jennings standing beside me. The image will be forever burned in my mind. Blood everywhere, Aunt Kia on the floor murdered, ‘you cant escape me Ashlynn’ was written on the wall in blood. He knew where I lived, he knew my name. What else did he know? What did he want with me? I was worth nothing, I have nothing, I don’t see what his goal was, I didn’t understand. Tears covered my face again, even thought she was a total bitch to me she wasn’t the one he was after, I was, but since he couldn’t get me, he got her.

“Your leaving, no choice, gone.’ Said Officer Jennings.

“When and where” I managed to mumble out.

“Now and far” He replied.