A Senseless Killing by Joshua Black

Author:Joshua Black [Black, Joshua]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-27T16:00:00+00:00

Another four weeks had passed; it was mid-December and winter had firmly set in. Francine hurried home from school, keen to get out of the cold. Soon, it’d be Christmas. The main thoroughfare through town was festooned with decorations and Christmas carols rang out from every shop. Francine was dreading it. The idea of having two weeks off school and spending Christmas Day cooped up with her mother was intolerable. At least Olivia had stopped crying now but she remained taciturn and frankly unpleasant to live with. This was going to be the most depressing Christmas ever. Half term was bad enough but at least that was only a week. She actually met up in town with a friend called Tasha and while not disastrous, it hadn't gone well. She didn’t know how to talk to the girl and it was all rather awkward and embarrassing. Back at school, Tasha ghosted her. Francine hated school. She enjoyed English Language and was often complimented by her teacher on her ability but nothing else ignited any interest.

Francine arrived home and with a heavy sigh, put her key in the front door and stepped indoors. Whoa, it was cold. Had Mama forgotten to put the heating on? She called out for her mother but received no reply. Had she gone out? That’d be a rarity; her mother never went out now, not since Eric dumped her back in the summer. It seemed such a long time ago.

‘Mama? You here? Hello? Mama?’

She went through to the kitchen, keeping her coat on. She noticed a folded piece of paper propped up against the kettle. Had her mother left her a note? That’d be a first. Dumping her school bag on the kitchen island, she read the note: I’m sorry. Blame Eric. That was it. Why was she… ‘Oh, shit,’ she said aloud. ‘Mama? Oh fuck no, please, no…’

She rushed upstairs, her heart thumping, her footsteps heavy on the stairs. She flung open the door to Mama’s bedroom. Empty, the bed made, the room unusually neat. She wouldn’t be in Francine’s bedroom, nonetheless, she checked. No.

‘Oh God, where are you?’

The bathroom, there was nowhere else. Apart from the tiny separate WC but the door to that was open.

She paused, swallowing down the bile that had formed in her throat. She knew. She already knew. Her mind empty, her hand shaking, Francine gently pushed the bathroom door open with the toe of her shoe. She heard the buzz of a fly or something against the window. She heard the slow drip, drip, drip of a tap. She stepped in. It took a moment to process what was in front of her… Olivia lying in the bath with her clothes on, her eyes open and glazed, staring straight ahead. Another step forward and Olivia saw the pinkness of the bath water.

Her hand over her mouth, she ran to the WC and flung herself on the floor in front of the toilet and threw up.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.