He backhanded me. The force of the blow cracked my head against the porcelain base of the sink. Sparks exploded in my eyes, and I collapsed onto my side, completely paralyzed this time. I could feel warm blood trickling from my temple, mingling with the cold water on the floor.
“Daniel! Red lights! I see red lights through the trees!” Vanessa screamed from the front of the house, her voice rising to a panicked shriek. “They’re here! The cops are here!”
“Get the car started!” Daniel yelled back, wiping the blood from his cheek and looking down at his hand in disbelief. He looked back at me, his eyes burning with a demonic hatred. “You think you won, Rachel? Look at your boy. He’s gone. And you’re about to join him.”
He didn’t look for the phone anymore. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver object.
A lighter.
My breath hitched.
“If the poison doesn’t finish the job, the smoke will,” Daniel whispered. “A tragic house fire. Destroys all the evidence. It’s perfect.”
He walked out of the bathroom, leaving the door wide open. From my position on the floor, unable to move a single muscle, I watched through the hallway as he grabbed a bottle of high-proof bourbon from the living room bar. He splashed it aggressively across the hallway carpet, the curtains, the wooden stairs.
“Daniel, hurry!” Vanessa’s voice wailed from the front door.
He flicked the lighter. The small flame danced in the darkness of our home, casting long, monstrous shadows against the wall.
“Goodbye, Rachel,” he said loudly.
