The House

by Brad
(Cornwall, Ontario, Canada)

Splitting up more than wood

Today, I woke up in the middle of a large living room. My throat was dry, and it felt like I hadn't been awake in days. I coughed a few times, and when I looked down at my hands, I noticed that they were covered in blood. Only at that moment, did I realize that I didn't know where I was, how I got there, and what I was doing. I only knew my name, Dain Garrison.

I got to my feet, and started to take in my surroundings. The wall beside me was covered in blood, as was the opposite wall. I couldn't see much in that direction, since a puffy sofa was in the way. Slowly, I walked around the couch and saw the dead body on the floor. It had been butchered, probably with a large axe. I covered my mouth with my right hand, and managed to hold in a scream. Tears slid down my cheeks.

It was strange. I still didn't know anything about myself, or about anyone else, but I felt pain for this poor, young boy. He was handsome in his own way, and looked to be around sixteen years old. I stormed out of the room, since I could no longer take the horrible sight. Somewhere deep inside me, I knew that I recognized this man, and that something was familiar about all this.

I went upstairs, only to find another body. This time, it was the body of a young girl, who had been killed by one blow to the chest. She had been in the washroom at the time of the murder. Her body wasn't as bad as the boy's was but it overwhelmed me. I couldn't stand this any longer. I ran downstairs and out the back door, which I somehow remembered how to find.

I screamed as I ran, without understanding why. I finally came to a wooden shed. I didn't recognize it, but I felt fear at its sight. I took one step forward, then two steps back. I started to look around, since my legs wouldn't permit another movement. It was only then that I found a bloody axe in a tree stump.

I turned around and ran again. This time, I was running to escape from this horrible area. Tears were shed, screams were yelled, and my feet kept moving until I was on the front lawn of the house, and looking at the neighborhood. At one of the nearby houses, there was a party going on. Music was playing, and lights were flashing. I decided to go there, to check things out.

When I arrived at the house, many eyes turned to me. The music eventually went out, and the funky lights faded. A woman screamed, but most of them just stared in horror. Suddenly, a woman ran over to me, and carefully took me into her arms. She asked, "What happened to you? Who did this?"� Her voice was cool and smooth, and familiar. I started to remember things, like the fact that she was my mother.

Then, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, and my left shoulder. My vision started to fade, and my body started to feel heavy. Suddenly, when I tried to put my left arm on my mother's back, I realized that I didn't have a left arm. There was only a little stub left. I screamed in pain and fear, and my mother grabbed me tighter.

My life slipped away from me, and I knew that I was another victim in the house. My sister and brother were dead, and I was the only one left. I was just about to close my eyes when I saw a tall, familiar man, who had a look of fear, and shock on his face. He was worried about something. He was scared that I would say another word. He was my killer.

I opened my mouth one last time, and whispered the name I always knew.

"Dad"