The Disappearance: Chapter 4: The Reckoning

THE DISAPPEARANCE

Disclaimer: The characters are fictitious and no reference to any particular organization has been made. The story is a work of fiction and should be treated as such.

CHAPTER 4

The Reckoning

Part of me was happy that my dad was coming home but part of me was scared that what he might be saying was true and people still must be after him. The only way to find out was to wait it out.

“Tick tock tick tock tick tock” I heard my clock say as to mock me “he’s fooling you dimwit, he probably ran out of money and wants to come home because of selfish reasons.” And like a normal 17 year old I told my clock to shut up by placing it far away so that it could not bother me with its tick tock anymore.

“Ding Dong!”

It’s time. My dad showed up YAY. My mother ran to the door like a child who was about to go to Disney. She opened the door and I noticed her face turning flushed. Not with love but with horror, all I could imagine was that he probably brought another girlfriend. Serves her right for going standing by his bullshit drama and not wanting to move on from a liar! I know, I know what you’re thinking;” he’s my dad I shouldn’t say that stuff” but still.

And that’s when I saw.

He came through the door injured, covered with blood. He could barely move, and limped his way to the sofa with nothing but fear on his face. My mother unleashed her waterfalls but I couldn’t. I was numb to the core that it didn’t even occur to me to ask him what had happened and I stood there shook as if I was oblivious to everything around me. And because his moment became about me, I didn’t even realize until I heard another gunshot. A gunshot straight through my mother’s forehead whose sound brought me back to reality! I reached for my phone and because I was in a panic mode, I was hoping it around and took a full minute to even dial the nearest hospital. I explained them the situation and they immediately hasted the response team for me and told me to wait for 5 minutes and apply pressure on my dad’s arm. He was squeaking with pain and hearing him scream; I broke down and started to cry. Even through screaming, my dad says to me that it’s not a big deal. He hasn’t realized that my mother is dead because he is too agonized in pain. I want to tell him but I couldn’t, he might change his mind about living.

Call me selfish for not telling him, but I can’t afford to lose both my parents in one night.

That’s when the response team swarmed in and they took my parents in the hospital and just as I had expected, they declared my mother dead and my father critical.

Sitting in the waiting room, my emotional numbness went away and my tears chiseled down my cheek vigorously.

The only thing that matters to me is that my dad lives and tells me why she was dead.

After all, I cannot afford to lose both my parents in one night.

-Gayatri