The Road to Maine is Bloody Part 4

They were never able to match the bloody footprints that were found at the scene and no one ever reported seeing anyone enter the house that night. Ashley looked around, the huge king sized bed that she’d spent many a night sleeping in when the thunder storms scared her still was in the same place. The white down comforter now covered in dust and yellowed from the years of sunlight that shown through the bay windows.  

She traced her fingers along the pillowcase, breaking the blanket of dust in half and remembering the last night she spent in this room with her mom. They watched the musical Annie, munching on popcorn as they lay snuggled together underneath the comforter. Ashley had been sick with the flu and stayed home from school and her and her mother spent the day in bed together watching movies and playing an occasional game of go fish.

When the police came that night to investigate the call they received from a neighbor, Ashley had hidden the package she found behind a row of books, worn and dog eared from reading them multiple times and never touched it again. Ashley walked across the room to the bookshelf and pulled out the first few books, written by Stephen King and pulled out the package she’d left there more than 20 years ago.

Exhaling sharply, she blew the dust off in one huff and brushed what was left off with her fingers. The blood stained wrapping made her stomach churn like it did that night and she started to tug on the twine, pausing briefly and taking a deep breath before pulling the twine loose and let it fall to the floor.

The book was titled “Monsters inside us” and it had a bookmark placed about the center of the book. Taking a deep breath, Ashley opened it to that page and began to read. “When the police arrived, they found Annie lying in a pool of her own blood, her throat torn open as if an animal torn it open with his teeth, a small brown package tied in twine, dribbled in blood with a white square paper attached to it like a Christmas present near the body.” Ashley dropped the book, her entire body trembling and she began to sob.