Finish It #1-Life in Sauderville

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She carefully opened the door, not sure what to expect. It had been a while since she has visited. Nothing was the way she remembered and when her eyes finally got adjusted to the dark, what she saw made her shiver…then she covered her mouth with her fist before she could let out a scream.

There was a body. It was lying still on a mattress. She wondered if the body was alive but without a light she wanted to turn and run. All she could do was back away slowly and stare at the lifeless figure. She heard a soft whisper “Julie, we’ve been waiting for you!” She held back a scream and finally backed into the hallway and bumped the wall. The power had been turned off and the house had been empty since the incident. She was told there may be squatters but she didnt expect anything like this.

When she finally came to her senses, she turned and ran down the hallway, down the stairs and out the door. It had been too long and she had been avoiding the house. It was unsellable and unrentable since the horrifying deaths took place. It was her childhood home and now it was just haunting and possibly even haunted. She got in her car and drove to the nearest police station. It was late in Sauderville but she needed help.

There was one deputy at the station. He was leaning his chair back and dozing. Not much usually happens in this small town. She was panicked but didn’t want to scare him so much that the chair fell back. She walked through the door and the bell door jingled. The deputy sat up straight and the awkwardness began. It was John Walsh.

John and Julie were the prom king and queen. They were voted mostly likely to get married and have children right out of high school (at least that is what they said behind their backs). After graduation, Julie decided that she wanted more than staying in this small town. She wanted a life beyond Sauderville. John had no intentions of leaving his home and Julie had to make the hardest decision of her life. She had to leave and find herself in another town or another state. She left her mother, father and brother behind as well as John to see the world.

Julie’s family lived in a quaint little house in walking distance to the grocery store, the butcher, the hardware store and some other little boutiques. There wasn’t a Walmart or Target for miles. When she made her decision to leave, her mother cried and her father pretended to be brave. Her 10-year old little brother, Terrance, begged her not to leave. Those innocent, beautiful blue eyes almost made her stay but she bravely had to leave. A year later, the tragedies happened. If Julie hadn’t left, she would have been part of the incident.

After Julie settled in a small city and got a job, she would send money home to her family. She bought them cell phones and talked to them routinely. She missed her family but she loved her life. John stopped talking to her completely and told her not to contact him. She was hurt but so was he. She wanted to respect his wishes so she didn’t call, text or email.

After she had been gone a year, she got a call from the Sheriff. Sheriff Clay Walker was fairly new to the town. In the 6 months he had been there, things had been quiet. A domestic disturbance, a drunken disorderly and maybe some kids putting graffiti on the walls but not anything as horrible as what happened in the Greenfield’s house. Sheriff Walker moved out of the city to move to a quiet small town that had little action.

The Greenfields were a nice family who didn’t bother anyone. Mr. Greenfield worked at the hardware store. Mrs. Greenfield was a stay at home mother. She knitted and sewed. Terrance was a 10 year old boy in the fifth grade. He had a lot of friends. Their case was never solved. They were found brutally murdered in their home on April 1st which was believed to be an April fools joke gone wrong. The only living relative is Julie Greenfield.

When the Sheriff called Julie she thought someone was playing a tasteless prank on her to find out it was true. When she came back to identify the bodies and arrange the funeral, John never even gave her condolences. She had written him out of her life but here he was sitting in front of her with his mouth gaped open wide .

The Sheriff had questioned John regarding the murders. There was no evidence he was involved. He worked as a clerk for the sheriff’s office and showed promise enough to promote him to a deputy.

Julie stayed for the identification, the funeral and to pack up the house. Then she ran back to her life and cried at home alone every now and then. Mostly she was sad that Terrance wouldn’t be able to grow up and live his life. She also missed her parents terribly. Now she was back reliving this tragedy and she was frightened of the memories and whatever was in that house.

To be continued…