Things Kept Hidden
The beginning of the end.
Paula McCarthy walked the long, empty hallways of her home. Searching for something that mattered. Twisting the knife around in her long, graceful fingers. Stumbling, she reached the last door on the left. Cracking it open she peered inside. She gazed at the sleeping form of her daughter; seemingly oblivious to the horrors her mother was contemplating at this very moment.
Fighting herself Paula slowly crept into the room and sat at the foot of her daughter's bed. Clenching the knife in her white-knuckled hands she traced the sleeping form of her daughter's body. Then Paula's body started jolting, she was shaking and whimpering like an animal. Within seconds she was down on the floor her arms and legs writhing in seizure-like movements. In the bed Haily's eye cracked open; it was filled with a look of crazed hate. She grabbed her pillow and slowly slipped out of bed. She crept over to her still breathing, but unconcious mother, kicked the knife away, and put the pillow over her face.
As Paula's life crawled from her body, a strange smile crept across the face of her daughter. When the thrill went away she pulled away the pillow put it back on her bed, and reached for her cell phone.
"Hello? 911 Operator? What's your emergency?" Came the dull voice from the other end, probably some late night operator just in for some extra cash.
"Please Help me! My mother, She's on the ground! she's not moving, Oh what am i going to do!? Please get here quick, I live at 152 Bel-Rea Road."
"We'll be there shortly honey, stay calm; does she have a pulse?" That dull, bored voice again. One too many long nights at the office?
"Oh, I don't know! Hold on." She cried with a smile on her beautiful face. "No, she doesnt have a pulse! Oh my god. She's dead. She's all i had left!"
The sirens screamed down the street and she heard a pounding at the door. She flew down the stairs and opened the door.
"Quick! She's upstairs! She's in the last door on the left in the right wing! She doesnt have a pulse." She bent over, tears of joy running down her face. One by one the EMS went up the stairs, the last one, a kindly old man, put his hand on her shoulder, a reassuring smile on his face before turning and catching up with the others.
They were too late for Paula. She knew they would be. Poor teenage Haily McCarthy. Father and kid brother killed in a car accident, mother committing suicide. No-one left in the world. Haily didn't need anyone. She knew her mother had always blamed her for their death.
Maybe she was right. Maybe it had been her fault that the car had crashed. Maybe she had turned the car so sharply and collided with a pole so hard that her brothers head had collided with the window, that her fathers body had flown through the windshield. She hadn't wanted to drive anyway. She had just wanted to stay home and play on the internet. What a shame that pretty little Haily McCarthy should stay home on a Saturday night, so no, she had to drive her idiot father and kid brother everywhere since her father's license was revoked.
There was no poor little Haily McCarthy. She was glad they had died. Glad it was her fault. Glad they were all gone. she had never loved them anyway, and there was just this certain relief with their death.
"Haily! Oh my! Are you alright honey?" Great, Mrs. Earley was here. Little Mrs. Everyone's grandmother.
" Oh. Grandma Earley. It was so awful! I woke up last night to find her lying at the foot of my bed!" Haily ran over to Mrs. Earley's outstretched arms; fake tears trickling down her face.
Haily hadnt slept all night, not because she felt guilty, no, she had to keep up her act. Drama club really had payed off. A girl whose loving mother had just died would not be able to just go back to sleep.
Fighting herself Paula slowly crept into the room and sat at the foot of her daughter's bed. Clenching the knife in her white-knuckled hands she traced the sleeping form of her daughter's body. Then Paula's body started jolting, she was shaking and whimpering like an animal. Within seconds she was down on the floor her arms and legs writhing in seizure-like movements. In the bed Haily's eye cracked open; it was filled with a look of crazed hate. She grabbed her pillow and slowly slipped out of bed. She crept over to her still breathing, but unconcious mother, kicked the knife away, and put the pillow over her face.
As Paula's life crawled from her body, a strange smile crept across the face of her daughter. When the thrill went away she pulled away the pillow put it back on her bed, and reached for her cell phone.
"Hello? 911 Operator? What's your emergency?" Came the dull voice from the other end, probably some late night operator just in for some extra cash.
"Please Help me! My mother, She's on the ground! she's not moving, Oh what am i going to do!? Please get here quick, I live at 152 Bel-Rea Road."
"We'll be there shortly honey, stay calm; does she have a pulse?" That dull, bored voice again. One too many long nights at the office?
"Oh, I don't know! Hold on." She cried with a smile on her beautiful face. "No, she doesnt have a pulse! Oh my god. She's dead. She's all i had left!"
The sirens screamed down the street and she heard a pounding at the door. She flew down the stairs and opened the door.
"Quick! She's upstairs! She's in the last door on the left in the right wing! She doesnt have a pulse." She bent over, tears of joy running down her face. One by one the EMS went up the stairs, the last one, a kindly old man, put his hand on her shoulder, a reassuring smile on his face before turning and catching up with the others.
They were too late for Paula. She knew they would be. Poor teenage Haily McCarthy. Father and kid brother killed in a car accident, mother committing suicide. No-one left in the world. Haily didn't need anyone. She knew her mother had always blamed her for their death.
Maybe she was right. Maybe it had been her fault that the car had crashed. Maybe she had turned the car so sharply and collided with a pole so hard that her brothers head had collided with the window, that her fathers body had flown through the windshield. She hadn't wanted to drive anyway. She had just wanted to stay home and play on the internet. What a shame that pretty little Haily McCarthy should stay home on a Saturday night, so no, she had to drive her idiot father and kid brother everywhere since her father's license was revoked.
There was no poor little Haily McCarthy. She was glad they had died. Glad it was her fault. Glad they were all gone. she had never loved them anyway, and there was just this certain relief with their death.
"Haily! Oh my! Are you alright honey?" Great, Mrs. Earley was here. Little Mrs. Everyone's grandmother.
" Oh. Grandma Earley. It was so awful! I woke up last night to find her lying at the foot of my bed!" Haily ran over to Mrs. Earley's outstretched arms; fake tears trickling down her face.
Haily hadnt slept all night, not because she felt guilty, no, she had to keep up her act. Drama club really had payed off. A girl whose loving mother had just died would not be able to just go back to sleep.
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Any constructive criticism would be appreciated.