Sorry for the unexplained elements of this story, it's for english and I had to keep it under 1000 words.
I can't believe I'm here right now, this is so stupid. My 'father' turns around and favours me with a huge grin, I wish he'd watch the road, killing us both in an accident isn't going to make my opinion of him any higher. Dad came back into my life just last year. He and my mum had gone through a truly spectacular divorce when I was eight and he'd disappeared not long afterwards. Last year he came back and told mum that he had the right to see me again. I wanted to say no, but somehow I just couldn't, I realised that I really did want to see him, so here I am in the back of an old Ute while my dad grins maniacally behind the wheel. "You want to see that new slasher movie Em?" he's asking me, "Apparently there's plenty of action and gore and that kinda stuff". I turn green inwardly; slasher movies are just not my scene, "What's it rated?" I ask, his brow crinkles for a moment then he says "MA". Oh brilliant, my father doesn't even know my age. I level a steady look at him in the rear-view mirror and say "I'm only fourteen". For an instant a look of disappointed anger seems to flash across his face and then he smiles "Well, what about that other thriller, it's only rated PG". I sighed; it's going to be a long night.
Two days later, on Tuesday, my mother needs to go out. I sit on the front steps and listen as she calls every friend in the address book, not one of them is available to baby sit. I could be left by myself, but there's been a spate of break-ins around our suburb and she won't leave me alone anymore. I hear her call dad and speak to him in a voice of total desperation and then hear a grudging thanks, looks like a babysitter's been found.
He arrives in the midst of squealing tyres and with a cloud of smoke billowing from his engine. Mum winces and I roll my eyes as I slouch into the backseat of the car. There is a faint cry of "Drive Safely!" as he floors the accelerator and we shoot out of the driveway and off towards his apartment in the outer suburbs.
Half past midnight finds me sitting dejectedly on the floor of my box-like room and flipping through one of the sporting magazines my dad keeps on his coffee table. He's gone out to the local bar and I'm bored witless. I stand and stretch and then decide to go to the garage he owns down the street, he keeps it locked but I know where the keys are hidden. I know I should feel guilty, after all I have been banned from entering the garage, but that's where he keeps his old junk and there might be some comics. If I don't scratch his baby (a.k.a: car) I should be fine.
The garage is dark and a shiver runs down my spine as I slide the roller door up. I can't locate a light switch so I simply walk in and use the light from the lamp post outside to see my way around. Skirting carefully around the car I make my way towards the back of the large room and tear open a cardboard box. It's stuffed to the brim with wet tissue paper which I pull out until something glinting white in the dim light makes me pause. I look down at it and pull it slowly from the box before dropping it with a scream of horror, it's a hand. Ragged flesh circles the wrist where it once would have been attached to an arm. When I hold my hands up to my face I see that they're not wet with water, but with blood. I look at the box again and start to sort through the paper, something else glints white, a nose? With a sense of horrific fear I pull the rest of the paper away and see...my mother's face. I feel my breath stop and a wave of nausea forces itself up my throat. I drop the paper back down and turn to retch all over my new shoes.
There's a sound outside as someone steps of broken glass, then a muffled curse and hurried footsteps. My father's silhouette appears in the doorway and then he enters the garage. I hurry silently to the far corner and crouch behind some boxes, watching as he walks quickly to the box I just opened. There's a short pause, then he curses again and whips around. "Emma, Emma come out, I know you're there". I bite my knuckles to keep from hyperventilating too loudly and scoot towards the garage door, stopping as he leaps towards it and slams it down. I don't think he saw me, but the main problem now is that the garage door is closed, and the only light in the room is the flickering of a match in his hand.
"Em, whatever you saw, we can talk about it, they're just old Halloween supplies" my dad says in a rasping voice. I back slowly towards the far wall, trying to keep silent. My fingers are stiff and heavy and as I turn to see my path I knock a spanner onto the floor. He looks up at the resulting clang and his looming shadow, made larger by the match light, lurches forward with a predatory snarl. I half stand and run to his car, sliding under it and slowing my breathing. I can hear him tearing into the boxes and tools where I was just hiding and terrified tears slide from the corners of my eyes. I curl into the foetal position and think of my mum. I remember my phone and take it out, desperately trying to text triple 0 a message. When I press 'send' the phone tells me I have no credit with a small jingly noise. I smother it as quickly as I can when I see a pair of feet walking alongside the car.
There's a pause as my father stands by the side of the car. I hear a faint noise and then realise that he's sniffing the air. "Em" he says, "Em come on, this is just a big misunderstanding, I promise not to hurt you". Peeking out from under the car, I see that he's holding the spanner in his hand and is smacking it gently against his palm. There's a little flicking noise as he lights a new match. Suddenly I find a face level with mine and two black eyes glaring into my own. "Whoops" he says, "I lied" before bringing the spanner down.
The End
GIRL KILLED IN FREAK GARAGE FIRE FATHER NOWHERE TO BE FOUND
I originally had the last phrase as a newspaper article but I couldn't do that on fanfic.
Feel free to submit title ideas in reviews, I have no idea what to call this piece.