Prologue #6
The rest of us fall into step, catching up to him easily, as all previous plans for teasing her fade away. Now, we just need to be together and figure out what’s happening.
As we approach her driveway, the feeling intensifies and I’m the first to notice something's amiss.
“Guys,” I say, holding my arm out across their path to halt their steps.
Everyone stops abruptly, looking at me before following my line of sight.
The Grant’s front door is ajar, swaying slightly in the morning breeze, the hinges creaking from the slow movement.
Inside the house is dark, save for the small amount of light shining through the kitchen window.
Instantly, alarm bells are ringing in my head.
A warning of the danger this scene carries and as the oldest, a protective instinct kicks in.
My eyes swivel to the group, looking at three of my four best friends' worried expressions. “Max, Ry, you guys stay here. Kade, we’ll take a look first.”
With everyone in agreement, Kade and I begin to creep along the edge of the driveway, slowly getting closer to the house.
Around half way up, the wind gusts, sweeping through the entrance and bringing with it a putrid smell.
Kade recoils, his face scrunches in distaste as he steadies himself against the hood of the Grant’s SUV.
“What is that?!” he utters nasally, while still pinching his nose closed.
“No clue, but it’s awful!”
It takes another few moments to get used to the aroma, before we’re able to continue. “Addy?” I call, taking another step forward.
“Mr. & Mrs. Grant?” Kade calls from my right.
Looking at each other, Kade nods, a silent agreement that we need to see what’s going on.
David and Rosie never leave their house unlocked, let alone the door wide open.
Their car is still sitting in the driveway, and judging by how Kade had leaned against it, it’s cold to the touch.
The sound of ringing has me looking back towards the other two, to find Max with his phone to his ear.
“I can’t reach her. Her phone is completely off,” he says, worry lacing his tone.
“But… her phone is never off,” Ryder argues as his brows knit together.
Turning away from them again, I make the last step up to the door, my hand reaching out to give it a little push. If only I had known that this one motion would change everything. How the young men we woke up as this morning would die the second that door swung open.
Blood, so much blood. More than a teenager should ever have to see, covers the floor of the front entrance.
Drag marks running from the front to the back door, along with splatter against the walls.
My stomach churns and twists, barely able to contain the vomit that’s quickly rising in my throat.
Kade has no such luck, his weaker stomach instantly heaving yesterday's leftovers onto the grass.
My mind is frozen, captured by the gruesome picture before me and unable to function properly. When I’m able to drag my eyes from the scene and look back towards the road, I’m met with two identical sets of eyes filled with terror and worry.
Instant panic.
Dark thoughts have the emotion flooding my body, as the most disturbing imagery plays out in my head. W-Where’s Addy? This isn’t… this can’t be…
My mind on the one person who means everything to me triggers my body to move. “Call 9-1-1! Get our parents up and over here, NOW!” I shout, ordering the younger two into action.
My voice manages to break them out of their stunned positions, initiating a frenzy of confusion and movement.
“Do not let them come in here. I’m going to look for her,” I tell Kade and he nods in return. I’ve watched enough police shows to know that I don’t want to mess up the scene, but I need to look for her, to find her. I need to know that she’s okay.
Making sure not to step on anything that could be deemed important, I rush into the house and take the stairs two at a time. My mind is only on one thing and it’s hoping I find her asleep on her bed, completely oblivious to the horrors her house has seen.
Bashing my way through her bedroom door, my heart falters before it completely drops.
Falling somewhere to the bottom of my stomach, when I see that her bed is completely empty.
In fact, it looks as though she never even made it to bed last night.
It’s still perfectly made, not even a crease in the blankets to show she was here.
I rush to her closet, throwing open the sliding door and dropping to my knees.
Please be here, please be here. There’s a little hidey-hole way in the back that she curls up in when she’s scared or upset.
I found out about it one day after some of the girls at school were making fun of her for only hanging out with us boys.
She had run home after the last bell, not even waiting for us to all meet up.
When I came to check on her, her mom said she was in her room, but when I got here, it was empty.
I was about to go back downstairs and tell Rosie, when I heard the smallest sniffle coming from the closet.
There, behind one of her large suitcases, was a little hole in the bottom of the wall.
I think it was used once upon a time as one of those food elevator things, or maybe a laundry shoot…
Either way it was the perfect size for her.
Reality has begun to settle deep within my soul when I don’t find her there either, but I won’t stop looking.
I call out for her in every room, every hall, searching all the spots I know she could hide.
The treehouse in the back yard that we helped David build four summers ago.
The small space behind the hot water tank where Max got caught sneaking Rosie’s cookies, and still, she’s nowhere.
Tears are falling down my cheeks, when my mind comes to terms with the only option that’s left. She’s gone.
By the time I make it back to the front door and gaze upon the three other people just as worried as I am, the waterfall of agony hits.
Sobs rip from my chest, my lungs constricting with every hardened breath as I wail into the open air.
Each one of us uncontrollably crying harder than we ever have before as we realize a part of our group, our family, is missing…
or worse. Torment and agony are all that’s displayed on our face as we collapse into each other, desperate to lean on one another for any kind of support.
When our families and the local authorities arrive, the four of us have taken up a seat on the edge of the front lawn. Away from the house, away from the horror, but still silent and in shock. None of us know what to say, what to do. I’m not even sure we can remember our own names right now.
Our parents rush to where we sit, panicked and fearful.
Their hands comb over every inch of our clothes and skin to make sure we’re okay, but still we don’t move.
You can tell by the looks on their faces that they’re saddened learning of the events of the morning, and terrified of the repercussions it may have on us.
How our mental health is going to be affected after coming across what we did.
I can’t even give them an answer, to provide Mom with some reassurance that I’m alright, because the truth is, none of us are alright.
Our friend is gone, and there is nothing we can do about it.
Four hearts break simultaneously, four brothers bonding in grief.
One girl missing.