Chapter Nine
Annabel hadn't been able to sleep for the rest of the night but had lain in bed with her eyes closed, attempting to sleep. She was startled into being fully awake by the pained scream of her mother coming from downstairs.
Without thinking, Annabel leapt out of bed and ran toward the door; she didn't even realize that she had stepped in the pile of broken glass.
Annabel rushed downstairs; she was aware that Derek and Billy were following close behind her. Annabel leapt off the stairs and ran into the kitchen.
In the foyer her mother was doubled over with shock and horror; Annabel looked up to see what had caused her mother to scream.
"Oh Jesus." Annabel whispered and brought her hand to her mouth, instantly feeling sick.
Hung from the fan was her brother Randy; his body was swollen -he had been dead for a while; wrapped around his neck was the brass fan cord, it had cut a deep, raw red imprint in his skin. His eyes had a dark and void look to them.
Annabel gagged and reeled backward, she remembered knocking in Billy or Derek before she fell unconscious.
Annabel slowly opened her eyes and squinted them to shut out the bright light; her head hurt somewhat but it wasn't too bad.
"Joshua, damnit, shut the light off. God." Annabel could hear someone say, it sounded like Sara but Annabel wasn't sure. Her voice sounded far away, almost unreal.
There was a click and the light disappeared; Annabel opened her eyes all the way. In her room were Sara and Joshua, Sara was sitting in a chair by her bed and Joshua was standing over by her desk.
Annabel frowned; she didn't remembered very much of anything except -Oh God, except for seeing Randy in the kitchen.
"Oh God." Annabel muttered, gagging again and feeling as though she might pass out again.
"Annabel, are you all right?" Sara asked, although it was clear to see that Annabel wasn't all right.
Annabel sat up and looked at Sara, then at Joshua. "Oh God." Annabel repeated again, feeling as though she couldn't say anything else.
However, that wasn't the case. "Randy, he is…what happened?" Annabel said, confusing herself with the words she spoke.
"Joshua and I were coming over to see you and Billy answered the door and told us everything that happened." Sara answered her friend's question. "Sorry, Annabel." She added, whispering the last two words as though she wasn't supposed to say them.
Joshua walked over and stood next to Sara. "The coroner said that Randy killed himself." Joshua said.
Sara punched Joshua in the arm. "Godamnit Joshua! That's just the prefect thing to say right now isn't it? Prefect." Sara snapped.
Annabel shook her head. "No, no Randy didn't kill himself, he wouldn't do that." Annabel said, looking at Joshua as though he was the one who decided that Randy had killed himself.
"What else could it have been Annabel?" Sara said, resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "He wasn't murdered, no one entered the house so that leaves only suicide." Sara added.
"Randy didn't kill himself." Annabel muttered, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.
As soon as her feet hit the ground, Annabel let out a cry of pain and redrew up her left foot.
Annabel looked at her heel and saw shards of glass stuck under the skin; her heel was red and blood had dried around the bits of glass.
Joshua looked down at Annabel's heel. "Jesus Annabel, what did you do?" He said, instructing Annabel to lay her leg on the bed.
"The picture frame brook last night, I must have stepped in it." Annabel muttered, biting her lip as she set her foot on the bed.
"I'll go get the first aid kit or something." Sara muttered and left the room.
Joshua looked down at Annabel's foot. "God, your foot must hurt like hell." Joshua muttered.
"No, it doesn't hurt that bad." Annabel lied, trying to sound like it didn't hurt but was failing.
Annabel leaned forward to get a better look at her foot; when she lifted her head, her head almost collided with Joshua's. "Sorry." Annabel muttered.
Joshua and Annabel looked at each other; their faces were almost touching.
"I got the aid-kit-thingy." Sara said, entering the room and surprising both Joshua and Annabel.
Joshua quickly turned to face Sara; Annabel looked at Joshua and then looked over at Sara, who seemed oblivious to what was "going on" between Joshua and Annabel.
While Annabel and her friends doctored up her foot, no one spoke and no one wanted to think about Randy and what had happened to him.
Annabel hadn't been able to sleep for the rest of the night but had lain in bed with her eyes closed, attempting to sleep. She was startled into being fully awake by the pained scream of her mother coming from downstairs.
Without thinking, Annabel leapt out of bed and ran toward the door; she didn't even realize that she had stepped in the pile of broken glass.
Annabel rushed downstairs; she was aware that Derek and Billy were following close behind her. Annabel leapt off the stairs and ran into the kitchen.
In the foyer her mother was doubled over with shock and horror; Annabel looked up to see what had caused her mother to scream.
"Oh Jesus." Annabel whispered and brought her hand to her mouth, instantly feeling sick.
Hung from the fan was her brother Randy; his body was swollen -he had been dead for a while; wrapped around his neck was the brass fan cord, it had cut a deep, raw red imprint in his skin. His eyes had a dark and void look to them.
Annabel gagged and reeled backward, she remembered knocking in Billy or Derek before she fell unconscious.
Annabel slowly opened her eyes and squinted them to shut out the bright light; her head hurt somewhat but it wasn't too bad.
"Joshua, damnit, shut the light off. God." Annabel could hear someone say, it sounded like Sara but Annabel wasn't sure. Her voice sounded far away, almost unreal.
There was a click and the light disappeared; Annabel opened her eyes all the way. In her room were Sara and Joshua, Sara was sitting in a chair by her bed and Joshua was standing over by her desk.
Annabel frowned; she didn't remembered very much of anything except -Oh God, except for seeing Randy in the kitchen.
"Oh God." Annabel muttered, gagging again and feeling as though she might pass out again.
"Annabel, are you all right?" Sara asked, although it was clear to see that Annabel wasn't all right.
Annabel sat up and looked at Sara, then at Joshua. "Oh God." Annabel repeated again, feeling as though she couldn't say anything else.
However, that wasn't the case. "Randy, he is…what happened?" Annabel said, confusing herself with the words she spoke.
"Joshua and I were coming over to see you and Billy answered the door and told us everything that happened." Sara answered her friend's question. "Sorry, Annabel." She added, whispering the last two words as though she wasn't supposed to say them.
Joshua walked over and stood next to Sara. "The coroner said that Randy killed himself." Joshua said.
Sara punched Joshua in the arm. "Godamnit Joshua! That's just the prefect thing to say right now isn't it? Prefect." Sara snapped.
Annabel shook her head. "No, no Randy didn't kill himself, he wouldn't do that." Annabel said, looking at Joshua as though he was the one who decided that Randy had killed himself.
"What else could it have been Annabel?" Sara said, resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "He wasn't murdered, no one entered the house so that leaves only suicide." Sara added.
"Randy didn't kill himself." Annabel muttered, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.
As soon as her feet hit the ground, Annabel let out a cry of pain and redrew up her left foot.
Annabel looked at her heel and saw shards of glass stuck under the skin; her heel was red and blood had dried around the bits of glass.
Joshua looked down at Annabel's heel. "Jesus Annabel, what did you do?" He said, instructing Annabel to lay her leg on the bed.
"The picture frame brook last night, I must have stepped in it." Annabel muttered, biting her lip as she set her foot on the bed.
"I'll go get the first aid kit or something." Sara muttered and left the room.
Joshua looked down at Annabel's foot. "God, your foot must hurt like hell." Joshua muttered.
"No, it doesn't hurt that bad." Annabel lied, trying to sound like it didn't hurt but was failing.
Annabel leaned forward to get a better look at her foot; when she lifted her head, her head almost collided with Joshua's. "Sorry." Annabel muttered.
Joshua and Annabel looked at each other; their faces were almost touching.
"I got the aid-kit-thingy." Sara said, entering the room and surprising both Joshua and Annabel.
Joshua quickly turned to face Sara; Annabel looked at Joshua and then looked over at Sara, who seemed oblivious to what was "going on" between Joshua and Annabel.
While Annabel and her friends doctored up her foot, no one spoke and no one wanted to think about Randy and what had happened to him.
