darcie
The wind howled, and the windows rattled as I worked at the counter. The several candles I had lit in the kitchen alone had blown out several times (probably the draughts, but my money was on ghosts). When I entered the kitchen to get more tea and find the lighter, a tremendous crash suddenly came outside the front door. I had just gotten the lighter out of the drawer in the kitchen when I screamed and dropped it. I looked around for a weapon, and seeing the kitchen knives, I grabbed the biggest one (my knife was in my bag upstairs) and headed toward it. A boom of thunder caused me to jump once more. As I crept closer to the front door, I saw multiple silhouettes of people through the door’s frosted glass standing on the other side. My heart pounded.
It could be just trees, right? It was trees and the wind making all the noises. That’s what I kept telling myself.
Then, a loud thump sounded at the back sliding door leading to the patio and pool area. I screamed and was about to go and check it out when someone knocked on the front door. I screamed again. Running to the front door, I held out my large knife before me. I slowly opened the door an inch, only to see a small hand snake through and wave.
“Auntie Darcie!” said a high-pitched voice. I felt relieved and opened the door wider.
Stacey stood on the doorstep, hair windswept, with baby Lily Rose on her hip and toddler AJ near her legs… no, now in the house. AJ darted in as soon as the door was open and ran straight for the kitchen.
“Stace, what are you doing here? Out here in this weather with the kids?”
“Paul and Mom went to the church to organise food and blankets and other supplies, leaving us home alone. We got scared.” Lightening flashed, and thunder rumbled, causing Lily to scream and hide her face in Stacey’s chest.
“Oh, my god. Come in.”
I returned to the kitchen to find AJ in the pantry with his hand in a packet of potato chips.
“Auntie Darty, hungry,” he mumbled around a mouthful of food.
Stacey took one look at her son, closed her eyes, and muttered a curse word while trying to soothe her daughter.
“I don’t have much in the way of kids’ entertainment. No TV,” I said, shooting Stacey an apologetic smile.
AJ’s ears were way too good as usual, and he heard me.
“TV! TV! I want TV!” he shouted, jumping up and down, the packet of chips forgotten, crumpled, and flattened on the kitchen floor.
“How about we go to the lounge and read a story,” said Stacey, pulling a couple of children’s picture books from her bag.
“Yay! Story! Story!” AJ squealed and darted into the living room. I sighed.
“I’ll meet you there. I’ll make more tea,” I said. Stacey nodded, giving me an appreciative smile.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
When I went back to the kitchen, I had to pass by the glass doors to the backyard, and when I did, I saw a dark shape on the ground outside the doors. Grabbing my knife, which I had stuffed into my pocket to hide from the kids, I walked toward the doors. It was too dark to make out what the object was, but it was rectangular. It looked like a shoe box. I opened the door, pushing it door outwards. As I did, I moved the box, leaving a dark smear behind. My heart fell into my stomach as my mind automatically jumped to the worst conclusions possible. But with my brother on the loose, It was only a matter of time before he paid me a visit. Thankfully, I saw a flashlight on the outdoor table, so I grabbed it and shone it on the suspicious object. It was definitely a shoe box and was covered in blood.
I felt sick as I gently toed off the lid with my sneakers.
I gasped when I saw what was inside.
It was a severed foot.