The End of Echoes by Dawn Hosmer

Author:Dawn Hosmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Domestic Abuse, Crime, Family, Generations
Publisher: Gestalt Media
Published: 2020-07-24T00:00:00+00:00

Billy

11 Years, 8 Months, 16 Days BEFORE

May 23, 1977

David is the first to hear it—the sound of tires crunching on the gravel driveway. We’re in the side yard gathering sticks to make the final wall of our fort when David freezes, nearly dropping his armful of twigs.

“Billy...” David’s voice shakes. “Did ya hear that?”

I hadn’t heard anything as I was lost in our world where all that mattered was making a fort to withstand the enemy attack. I quiet and hear the unmistakable sound of a car, knowing the enemy is fast approaching, despite our best efforts of concealment.

“Do you think it’s them?” David asks.

I start shaking from the center of my stomach clear out to my fingertips before my mind deciphers what the sound means. Once the thought registers, the quivering intensifies, and fear consumes me. David wraps his arms tightly around my waist.

“Let’s go hide so they can’t find us. C’mon.” David pulls me by the hand to the tree line. We duck under the boughs of the biggest pine tree, hidden under its sagging branches full of needles and cones. From our hiding spot, we watch and listen. We hear a car door shut, but then nothing.

“Remember how you wanted to run away to Disney to get away from Daddy? Let’s go now. We can do it. We’ll wait here until it gets dark and then take off,” David whispers and grabs my hand.

I want to get lost in this dream with David, but I can’t. The fantasy didn’t work before; it won’t work now. Instead of Disney World, we ended up with a dead mom and me being shipped off to our grandparents. I wish I were older so I could get a job to take care of us. Then, we wouldn't need any adults to make decisions for us.

“Say we can go there together. Say you won’t leave me.” David’s grasp tightens on my hand as he starts to sob.

Two sets of feet emerge from the back door. One pair I recognize as Mrs. Jones with her black, old lady shoes. I duck lower so I can peek below the branches to see who the other feet belong to. Their owner is Veronica from Family Services—I forgot she was coming today too.

“Billy...David...where are you?” Mrs. Jones shouts.

“Shhh...don't answer,” David whispers.

“They’re gonna find us, ya know?” I respond.

“Not yet... don’t answer yet,” David pleads.

“Billy...David... Ms. Walters is here to see you. C’mon guys. It’s time to come inside,” Mary shouts.

Mrs. Jones and Veronica step off the porch and move around to the back of the house, both of them calling our names.

I grab his arm and force him to look at me. “David, we have to go out there. They’re gonna find us, and then we’ll be in trouble.”

“Let’s sneak out the other way and take off. We won’t have Mrs. Jones, but we’ll have each other. That’s all we need.”

I like the sound of David’s idea. As long as we’re together, we’ll be fine and able to handle whatever comes our way.

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