Status: Finally Finished!
The Only Hope for Me Is You Alone
Chapter 19 - Say Goodbye
It's been two months, and there has been no signs of Annabel. Bert hasn't slept or eaten well in weeks, and neither have I. The police have found no sign. I went to get the mail one morning and one letter, in particular, caught my eye. It was addressed to Bert, but I opened it anyway.
"Oh Berty! They're kicking you off your music label!"
"I know..."
"Why?"
"I can't work on my fucking album!"
"Alright..." I walked out of the room and read it. I put it down and watched Bert in the living room. All he's been doing is staring out the window, and snapping at random things. He has so much on his plate. I walked upstairs to the bedroom and closed the door.
A half an hour later, Bert walked in.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"It's alright Bert"
He hugged me and kissed my lips. "How do you keep it together so well?"
"I... Don't like crying in front of people. My mom always yelled at me when I cried in front of her."
Bert sat with me and held me.
"Bert... I want her home."
"Me too, Lindsey... wait... Gerard, that bitch, I KNOW HE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS"
"Bert, he's in a rehab!"
".....Oh..."
"He was signed in.... 2 weeks ago..."
"HE STILL WOULD'VE DONE IT!" Bert jumped up and called the cops. "Hi, I'm Bert, I think I have a le-.... You found her?! We'll be right there!" He hung up and ran over to me. "Lindsey come on they found her!" Bert ran down to the car and I followed him.
"Did you get the address?"
"Yeah, they just said woods at the end of town."
"Oh..."
Bert drove, and I looked out the window. My stomach was in knots. We finally pulled up to crime scene tape. Crime scene tape?
I got out of the car and ran over. Bert ran behind me and tried to see what was going on.
"....Mr. and Mrs. McCracken?"
"Yeah." Bert said. "Where's my daughter?!"
"We found her wallet and keys here." The officer handed me it. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned into hours... Bert held my hand the entire time.
"We got her!"
Bert smiled and so did I, but not for long. They picked up this girl that was half naked and all bloody. She had deep cuts on her wrists. Her hair was dirty, she was all covered in dirt and dried blood. All I could do was stare in shock.
They brought her over on a bed.
"Is this your daughter?"
"Oh my God!" I shouted as I broke down crying. I looked at her and started crying hysterically. "Save her! Do something!"
"Mrs. McCracken... She's dead."
"NO SHE CAN'T BE!" I pushed myself out of Bert's arms and ran over to her.
"Annabel wake up!" I shouted as I held her hand. "Please! Don't leave me! Annabel!"
"Lindsey stop it!"
"NO I WANT MY BABY!"
"LINDSEY STOP IT!" Bert shouted at me as he held me against him.
I kept hitting him but I finally gave up, I cried as hard as I could.
"Find whoever did this to her!" Bert shouted as he held me.
"We will sir... She'll be ready for a funeral in a few days."
Bert picked me up and carried me to the car. I couldn't speak or cry anymore. No mother would ever want to go through finding their child face down in a ditch... Naked and dirty... How could you recover from something like this? I will never get to see my Annabel's face in the morning, I can never see her again.
"Oh Berty! They're kicking you off your music label!"
"I know..."
"Why?"
"I can't work on my fucking album!"
"Alright..." I walked out of the room and read it. I put it down and watched Bert in the living room. All he's been doing is staring out the window, and snapping at random things. He has so much on his plate. I walked upstairs to the bedroom and closed the door.
A half an hour later, Bert walked in.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"It's alright Bert"
He hugged me and kissed my lips. "How do you keep it together so well?"
"I... Don't like crying in front of people. My mom always yelled at me when I cried in front of her."
Bert sat with me and held me.
"Bert... I want her home."
"Me too, Lindsey... wait... Gerard, that bitch, I KNOW HE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS"
"Bert, he's in a rehab!"
".....Oh..."
"He was signed in.... 2 weeks ago..."
"HE STILL WOULD'VE DONE IT!" Bert jumped up and called the cops. "Hi, I'm Bert, I think I have a le-.... You found her?! We'll be right there!" He hung up and ran over to me. "Lindsey come on they found her!" Bert ran down to the car and I followed him.
"Did you get the address?"
"Yeah, they just said woods at the end of town."
"Oh..."
Bert drove, and I looked out the window. My stomach was in knots. We finally pulled up to crime scene tape. Crime scene tape?
I got out of the car and ran over. Bert ran behind me and tried to see what was going on.
"....Mr. and Mrs. McCracken?"
"Yeah." Bert said. "Where's my daughter?!"
"We found her wallet and keys here." The officer handed me it. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned into hours... Bert held my hand the entire time.
"We got her!"
Bert smiled and so did I, but not for long. They picked up this girl that was half naked and all bloody. She had deep cuts on her wrists. Her hair was dirty, she was all covered in dirt and dried blood. All I could do was stare in shock.
They brought her over on a bed.
"Is this your daughter?"
"Oh my God!" I shouted as I broke down crying. I looked at her and started crying hysterically. "Save her! Do something!"
"Mrs. McCracken... She's dead."
"NO SHE CAN'T BE!" I pushed myself out of Bert's arms and ran over to her.
"Annabel wake up!" I shouted as I held her hand. "Please! Don't leave me! Annabel!"
"Lindsey stop it!"
"NO I WANT MY BABY!"
"LINDSEY STOP IT!" Bert shouted at me as he held me against him.
I kept hitting him but I finally gave up, I cried as hard as I could.
"Find whoever did this to her!" Bert shouted as he held me.
"We will sir... She'll be ready for a funeral in a few days."
Bert picked me up and carried me to the car. I couldn't speak or cry anymore. No mother would ever want to go through finding their child face down in a ditch... Naked and dirty... How could you recover from something like this? I will never get to see my Annabel's face in the morning, I can never see her again.