Flash Fiction Friday - Echoes

One last look at the family home...

Every Thursday, I ask member of the horror group I am part of to give me prompts for a flash fiction piece. I put their names on a random wheel and write the one that was chosen. This week, the prompt that won was - They will have lived there 23 years next month. As they drive away for the last time all packed and ready for a new adventure, they look back to a second story window and see the spirit of a small girl for the first time. When the idea hits, I write it in a single rush, fingers never leaving the keyboard, and then I post it as is. Expect typos and such, but I hope you enjoy…

ECHOES

Grady pulled down the sliding door of the U-Haul, making sure it was properly locked before moving around to the cab. He climbed inside, taking the hand of his wife Martha, who was trying to hide the tears spilling down her face.

“Are you alright, my sweet?” Grady asked, rubbing his thumb on the back of his wife’s hand.

She rested her head against the window, her breath creating aa foggy mark on the glass. “I’ll be okay,” she caught a sob before it escaped. “We had a lot of good years there is all.”

“Twenty-three by my reckoning.” Grady sucked on his bottom lip, doing the mental math. “What’ll you miss the most?”

Martha sighed, further fogging the glass. “The hunting.”

Grady nodded. “It was fertile ground, for sure, but I’ve checked out the new place. It’ll be just as good, maybe better.”

Wiping away the condensation from the window, Martha let out a gasp as she reached up and clutched her throat.

“What wrong, baby?”

Martha poked a finger toward the side mirror. “Look. Up on the second floor.”

Leaning over his wife, Grady squinted at the mirror, a little chuckle escaping his throat. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

A girl of no more than seven years of age stood by the upstairs window, palms against the glass, a look of terror on her face.

“Do you think they’ll ever find them?” Martha asked, eyes wide.

“Nah. I buried those little bitches deep, all twenty-three of them.” He sucked on his lip again. I think the house is just keeping the first as a reminder of our time here.” With one more look at the girl, Grady cranked the engine and steered the vehicle up the drive, heading of for their new killing grounds.