Echo by J.N Taylor (mystery books to read txt) 📕

wasn't aware of my mother's death and my dads injuries, so I told her I could and we needed to talk. Ashley was a girl that I had had a crush on for the longest. I could never say no to her, no matter how much I was or sad. I then remembered that I needed to get some supplies from the house. I called Ashley back and told her about everything and why we couldn't hang today. She instantly felt bad for me and offered to help me retrieve my things. She also offered to tag a friend along to help us. A guy friend. I was slightly jealous but needed the extra help. I picked Ashley and her friend up from her house and we went to the house my mother had died at. I opened the door with a key I had hid under the doormat. As I opened the door I could smell my home, the place I had once lived. I begin to cry in front of the girl I love. My mom wasn't there. She just was gone. I sat down on the bar stool in kitchen, held my hands to my face and balled my eyes out. Who would harm my family? I wanted to hold my mother and father again. Ashley held me. She cared, and it made me feel better that somebody had comforted me. I than stopped crying and asked them politely to help me get my things. We all walked up stairs to my room and started to take apart my bed. We couldn't unscrew the bed so i went downstairs to find a screwdriver. I went through the double doors leading into the hallway from the kitchen to get to the garage. As I walked pass the basement wall I heard an echo calling out my name "Chrisss." It came from the basement, I just thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me or maybe it was Ashley calling out to me. I found the screwdriver in the garage in my dads tool box. I back up the stairs and saw that the guy that Ashley had insisted tag along was "assisting" her with a hammer. "Nice move,eh" I said rudely. I was not even aware that I was going to say that. He begin to pull away from her "you're a dick!" he said. All I said was okay, trying not to argue, I was depressed and was not in the mood. Ashley calmed him down, told him about my mom and dad and he told me he was sorry and didn't know. We finished collecting and bringing everything back to my place at 10 at night. Then I realized that I had forgot something at the house. I didn't want to go back by myself after I heard that voice, or maybe it was the end. I asked Ashley to come with me. "I have to go home" the guy said. Even though I didn't ask him to come, but I was happy he didn't come. On the way back to the house Ashley asked me "Why did you get so mad earlier?" I looked at her and hurried back and glanced back at the road. I instantly got mad and I told her that she knew why and it was silent the rest of the way there. We arrived and we went inside. Ashley glanced around. I went to my parents room and collected pictures of my parents that I had forgot to retrieve. I than begin to go through all their things. I was in their room for awhile. I sat on my parents bed, and grabbed a picture of my mom off the nightstand. I sat there just staring at her smiling, just now noticing how great of a smile she had. I screamed out to Ashley I'll be down in a second. She didn't answer back, so I called her name. She didn't answer. I heard a bump so I got up quickly and headed to the kitchen where I had left her. As I was heading for the kitchen a hand with long nails gripped into my shoulder and I gasped in shock. I turned around to find something so terrifying, I panicked.
4. Starting New

The next morning I called my grandmother to let her know I had manage to get my bed set up into my new apartment. My new apartment was empty with only a bed. After calling my grandmother, I had called Detective Morris for any info. He stated to me that he had no info on the deaths but I could see my dad. He also asked me if I wanted to have a funeral for my mom or have her cremated. I told him cremated. She had always told my dad not to let the maggots eat her. I had decided not to go see my dad until I felt like it. I never really liked my dad. He would always abused my mom. He stopped when I got older and the strength to fight back for her. I called Ashley at the hospital to see if she was okay. Ashley had snapped her arm in 6 places after falling off the porch. I felt bad to have been told, while I was looking through pictures she was in pain buried in the ground of leaves. I was also shocked to know that she managed to pull herself up and get to me. I went to the hospital where she was and brought her flowers. I walked into her room and noticed that the guy who had tried that "hammer" trick had beat me there. He was posted up close to her bed holding her hand. I went over to hug Ashley and asked if she was okay. She had said yes. I left after Ashley and that guy kept flirting with each other. After seeing that, I had decided not to talk to Ashley anymore,apparently she didn't feel the same as I did. It was way too depressing to watch the love of my life fall for someone else. 2 weeks had passed since then. I had not went to school or either have I seen my father at the hospital. I decided that today I was going to go see my father at the hospital. I had got dressed and went there to see him. I went to the front desk and a dark haired nurse guided the way. She went to my school before and she was 3 years older than me. She was very beautiful and I could not stop staring into her eyes. They where like blue crystals. She was extremely nice and told me she was sorry for what had happened to my father, and asked me how I was holding up. I had nobody but my grandmother, and it was hard for me to cope. After realizing I had nobody, I started to cry in front of the nurse. I had started to cry again, I had NO ONE but my ass of a father that I really didn't care about. The nurse then pulled me aside and asked me if I was okay. I told her that I had no one and the girl that I loved so bad had fallen for another guy. She stared at me for awhile asked me if she could hug me and I said yes. While she hugged me I felt a sense of relief, and immediately drawn to her. I stopped crying and she pulled away and said "you bathed me with your tears" and smiled at me. She then led me to my dads room. Half of my dads body was burnt, but I not see the horrific scars. He was wrapped up with a white cotton material. He was happy to see me, and asked why did I not come earlier. I didn't answer back. I wanted to leave right away and didn't feel I should stay there long with him. He didn't seem to be happy to see me at all. I asked him what happened, did he see who killed my mother. He told me it was all a blur. He heard screams from the basement, he went down there and he he was burned. If he never had been taught to stop drop and role he would've had been burned alive. He had said that as a joke to make me laugh, but I didn't find it humorous. A flashback had occurred. I remembered when I went back to collect my bed I had heard a voice from the basement calling out to me, or maybe it wasn't real. I didn't believe in afterlife so I had pushed the thought aside. I could tell there was something my dad wasn't telling me. When my dad would lie he would try to make the story as short as possible. Knowing that he was lying, I got angry and left without saying goodbye. I wasn't to fond of goodbyes. I hated the word goodbye so I would never say it. As I was leaving, the dark haired girl stopped me in my tracks. "I didn't catch your name" she said. She had a country southern accent that I didn't notice into now, but I found it adorable. I stopped and smile. "It's Chris" I said. She smiled back and asked if I could take her home. I told her that I was more than happy to take her home. I was a gentleman to her. I opened the door for her and gave her my jacket since she didn't have one. We had a nice conversation and she actually made me laugh. I haven't been able to laugh in awhile. I begin to start thinking about my mother and how she was the only one that could get me to laugh. My thoughts were then interrupted by her yelling "turn right here!" I made a quick turn really fast, so fast that the dark haired girl hit her head on the window. I drove a big pickup truck and it was sometimes hard to fit through small areas and I had tried to turn really quickly into a small area, ramming over the concrete of the sidewalk. "Are you okay?" I asked. She held her head with her hand and said she was fine. I begin to back up off the concrete and drive her to her house. We weren't to far from where I had the accident at. I then pulled up to her house and before she got out I said "I didn't catch your name." She smiled and told me her name was Chelsea and got out of the car. I waited into she made it inside her house safely and went back home. I went to my empty apartment to get ready for work. I had not had enough time to go back to the house and stock my apartment up with furniture. After getting ready for work I called my grandma on my cellphone and told her that I was coming to see her before I leave town. I needed to start fresh. I also