Chapter 22: Shes Gone (Shannons POV)

I began to turn the door handle, all the while every thing seemed to be slowing down, as I heard the foot steps of Lilly, as she was running down the hall way to try to stop me. She did not know what I knew though, as I was not even sure if she knew what a phone was, or a ring tone.

I knew that ring tone, as it was the ring tone of my father. If someone had stole it from him, than I doubt the odds of them knowing where we lived, much less the password to it, and the fact that one of the first things they would do when they got it, was to call some one.

I shook my head though, as I then opened to door completely, before Lilly was able to stop me. I looked around in the room for a few moments, as the ring tone stopped. I blinked a few times to think on where I had heard it come from.

I figured that it had to be behind the bed, or some where else, and that I was wrong as well. My father was not here at all, and I lowered my head to the ground, as I was quite a bit sad, and a bit disappointed as well. I knew in my head, that I was wrong though, as I shook all of that off.

The call was an out wards call, as I knew the difference between his ring tones. It meant that some one in the house was calling from the phone right at this moment. I stood still, as I shivered at the same time too, as I now began to worry that some one was in the home with us.

I did not dare go further in to the room, as I had that stuck in my head, as if it were a fact at this point. As I stood in that spot, I felt the hand of a person grab on to my shoulder, as I turned my head around, to no surprise either, that it was Lilly that had done so.

I lowered my head to the ground, as I listened to the ring tone continue to sound. I was too afraid to go in, and I was not sure as to what I should do either. I gulped, as it was dead silent in the air, besides the fact that you could hear the ring tone repeatedly ringing in the back ground, of the room that I had just opened the door to.

I stayed still for a bit longer, as I did not even look over in to the room, in the case that there was someone in there. I saw that Lilly had her gun up, as she was ready to shoot any person that walked in to the hall way with the both of us. I did not care at this point how ever.

I wanted to just fall over, and cry, as it all seemed to hit me now, as to how my life was falling apart right in front of my eyes. I did not have all that much time to think on that though, as I then heard Lilly, as she began to step up, and speak to me.

"He left his phone at the house?" She asked me. I stood there for a bit more time, as if I had not heard a word of what she had just said to me. I could tell that it was getting her a bit nervous, and a bit anxious as well, which I did not care as to one bit at the current moment.

I knew that I had to respond to her though, as if there was actually some one in there, which I knew had to be true, as to the fact that I had heard the ring tone, that Lilly might shoot them on sight. I did not want that to happen to any person, even if it was a person that had come in to our home, only to burglarize it.

At the same time too though, I also then remembered that it was the ring tone of a person that he was trying to call. I knew that it was him that was in there some where, perhaps the bathroom, as I could not see in it, from the door way of their room.

The reason of me being so afraid of going in to room, was not the fact that I thought that some one was in there, but it was because I knew that it was my father that was in that room. It was the fact that I would have to tell him about my mother, and I knew that would kill him...

I knew that she meant the world to him, as he had said it time and time again, that he was not sure what he would do if she was not here for him. Well... Now she wasn't, and I did not even want to see what that might do to him. I loved my father a ton, even if I was not as close to him, as I was with my mother.

I shook my head though, as I shook off all of those thoughts at the same time as well, as I knew that I had to go in to that room, and that I needed to tell him, all that had happened at the DMV. I felt sick though, as I once again, began to hesitate on the fact of me doing so.

I looked over at Lilly, as I saw that she was still staring in to the room, with her eyes squinted, as if she could see through walls, and see that there was a person in the other room. Maybe she could as well, as she was a bit of a strange lady to me.

I was thankful for her though, as her friend had gotten him self killed, so that I could live, and so far, she did not seem to put all of the blame on me. She could have easily been like the rest of the people that were in that DMV, and just ran out of there, like a bunch of scared little sheep.

Instead of her doing so, she had got me out of there, and she had taken me back home, which I would be forever grateful for as well. I shook my head though, as I then nodded to her, as I began to speak to her. She looked at me a bit surprised, and a bit confused, as she nodded back to me, letting me know that she was listening.

"No... He is in there... It is my father, I just... I don't know what to say to him... That was my mother that got torn apart in that DMV office..." I said to her. She looked at me for just a couple more seconds, as if she had not actually paid a lick of attention to what it was that I had just said to her.

She turned her head over to the bed room, as I felt like I perhaps might have been right by that theory. I blinked a couple of times, as I turned my head over to see as to what it was that she could be looking at in the first place. I stared for a few seconds, as I was a bit confused, but at the same time, I felt like there was a weird reason as to why she was doing so.

She was staring at the mirror, that was on top of the dresser, as if she was looking to make sure that no one was going to sneak up behind us, but at the same time, she was also doing it to see if there was actually some one in that room, which I had already made it clear as to the fact that my father was in there some where.

I shook off that theory, as Lilly then let out a bit of a sigh at the same time too, that felt like it had resonated all through the house. I looked at her a bit surprised, and a bit confused, as I felt like, perhaps, I should be the one to get her to be quiet this time.

As I continued to stare in to the bed room, I then heard a loud slam of what sounded like, maybe my father slamming his hand, or his head in to the wall, or maybe even him slamming a cabinet that was in the bath room. I shivered a little bit, still a bit afraid that it might be some one else.

My dad was a strong man though, as it made sense as to the fact that it had been so loud in the first place. I still could not help but be a bit afraid on all of this though. I almost wanted to tell Lilly that we should go back, but I knew that I could not do so.

I looked back at Lilly, as I saw that she was no longer staring at the mirror on top of the dresser, but she was more just staring at me. I blinked a few times, as I did not think too deep on it, as she then suddenly began to speak to me. I listened to what it was that she had to say as well.

"Well... We are still going to go in there, and I will not hesitate to tase if you do not tell me that it is him, and he starts to come at us." She said to me. I looked at her for a few moments, as I blinked a few times as well. I was not sure if she had meant tase, as much as she had meant that she might shoot him.

I did not want her to shoot my father either, so I did not take all that long to get my thoughts straight, as I did not want my father to walk in to the room, and get tased, much less even get shot at. I nodded to her, as I then began to speak to her at the same time too.

"I will do so... Don't worry..." I said back to her. She looked at me for a few moments, as it was clear that she did not believe a word that I had just said to her. I was not sure if I even believed in myself, as I was not sure what I would do, when I saw that it was my father in there.

I gulped, as I saw her roll her eyes at me, and then she began to walk in to the room. I stood there for a few more seconds, as if I had not a clue as to what was going on right now. I then shook my head though, as I began to slowly follow in to the room with her.

We began to walk in the room, slowly, as we went just one step at a time, as I made sure to walk, just like the way that she had told me to. I did not really see much of a difference, and it was a bit harder for me to walk as well, but I did not want to say anything about it to her, for fear that she might get a bit upset by it.

I blinked a few times, as Lilly looked around the room, once we were about half way in, as she was a bit confused as to where the noise had come from, for one, but also as to where it was that we should be looking for in the first place. She turned her head over to me, as it was tilted a bit, as it was clear that she was a fair bit confused.

I blinked a few times, as I wondered as to what it was that we were in here doing in the first place. It then came back in to my thoughts, as I too, just like she had done, began to look around the room, quite a bit confused on where it was that we had heard the sound come from in the first place.

Just as I thought through those thoughts in my head, that was when we heard the ring from my fathers phone, in the other room. I looked around, a bit lost as to where the noise was coming from. I knew that it had not come from the living room or the kitchen, as that was where we had went in through in the first place.

I also knew that he was trying to call some one as well. There was surely no way that we had missed him when we were in the kitchen, or when we were in the living room. I shook my head as well, as I knew that the ring tone had not come from either of those rooms when I first had heard them.

It then began to hit me, as to where the noise had come from, as I turned my head over to where it was that I saw Lilly staring at, at the current moment. I gulped, as I looked at it, at the exact same time as well, as the memories of what had happened a few hours ago began to hit me once again.

I closed my eyes, as tears began to fall from them. Lilly did not come over to make me feel better this time either. I did not want that from her any ways, as I just wanted to drown in my own sorrow right now. I shivered, as I thought on what it could be in the bathroom.

If it was another one of those crazy people, that meant the taser would do nothing to help Lilly, if she even tried to use it. I remembered her friend trying to use his when we were in the DMV, and it helped him to no avail. Lilly had hers out while walking up to the door, with her right hand out, ready to open it.

I was about to tell her to take her gun out, but I knew that if my father was in the bath room, and he was in fact okay, than I did not want to risk him getting shot. I just stayed silent, as I watched as Lilly began to slowly open the door to the bath room.

I began to draw a little bit closer by each passing second, as I began to feel more and more safe. At the same time though, I was a bit worried for Lilly as well, as I remembered what had happened to my mother, when she had opened the bath room door to the DMV.

I was about to tell her to stop, but by the time I got the chance to put a single word out of my mouth, the door then slammed open to the bath room, and Lilly immediately had her taser out, ready to shoot it at the person that was in that bath room.

I quickly turned my head over, to be able to see through most of the bath room, besides the shower, which did not make much sense for a person to be in there in the first place. I then saw who it was, right away, as I saw that they had their back turned.

Though I could not see their face, I recognized the shirt, and the body to be my fathers. I heard the phone ringing louder than before as well, as he seemed to have his eyes focused on that, rather than the fact that the door behind him had just been slammed open.

Lilly looked at me from the corner of my eye as well, as she, much unlike me, had no clue as to the person that was in front of her. She looked as if she was about to shoot at any moment as well, but luckily she held her ground, as she then began to speak to me.

"Is that him, or not?!" She said to me, a lot louder than she had just been a few seconds ago, while we were in the other room. It was clear that she did not care if she was heard or not at this point, which made a fair amount of sense as well, due to the fact that she had just slammed the door open to the bath room.

For some reason, I did not respond to Lilly, just as I had promised to do a few moments ago, before we had walked in to the room. My eyes, and my thoughts were right on my father, as I had a bit of a sad smile on my face, as I was not sure what it was that I should do, or how I should react to seeing him, and knowing that he was okay.

It was enough for Lilly as well, as I saw from the corner of my own eye, that she seemed to have relaxed, now that she knew that the person that was standing beside the counter, could only be my father. There was just one other worry that I still had on my mind however.

I remembered that the person that had been in the bath room at the DMV, looked to be a normal person, but it was clear that they had not been. I wondered if my father might perhaps be the same, and he could have the same sickness that the other man had.

There was only one way for me to test it out though, as this time I did not hesitate one bit, as I began to draw closer to Lilly, and the bath room. I thought that Lilly might stop me, as if she might be worried that he could be one of the crazy men.

That was not the case luckily, as I got up close with Lilly, and then I stopped right beside the front door to the bath room. I let out quite a bit of a loud sigh, as I was not sure what to say, or what it was a should do. I just began to go off of my instinct, as I then began to loudly yell to my father.

"Dad!!! Are you okay?" I yelled loudly. At first, it did not seem that my father had heard a word that I had just said to him, and that was the part that scared me the most, as I knew that most of any normal person, would have been able to easily hear what it was that I had just said to him.

Hell... If there was one of our neighbors in the apartments, they might have been able to hear me as well. I could tell that it bothered Lilly as well, as I saw from the corner of my eye, that she began to put her hand down to the side of her belt, where she had her gun held at.

Just as she had done so however, I then saw that my father began to slowly turn his head over to me, and Lilly. By the look on his face, at first it kind of scared me, as it did not seem to be that he was his normal self at the current moment, as I could see a bit of a strange look in his eyes, kind of like the one from the crazy man at the DMV.

I began to move back a little bit, as I started to get a bit scared, that he might now be like that man. That did not seem to last all that long though, as I then saw a bright look then begin to flash in to the eyes of my father, as he saw that it was me who had spoken.

He then began to come up to me close, as I started to worry that Lilly was about to shoot him. My father then just gave me a big hug though, as I was glad that I did not hear the gun shot come fron Lilly. My father held on to me for quite a bit of time, until he moved back, with quite a confused look on his face, as he began to speak.

"Who is this with you? Where is your mother?" He said to me, a bit confused as to why Lilly was with me at the current moment. I did not blame him for it either, as I knew that he did not know the news yet, just based off of what it was that he said next. "I've been trying to call her..."

It began to hurt me, even deeper than it had just a few seconds ago, as I began to remember all that I had seen happen, while I had been in the DMV. I shivered a little bit, as I then looked up at my father, with a tearful look in the eyes of mine.

My father stared back in to my eyes for just a few seconds, as he seemed to be a bit confused at first. That was, until he began to understand why I had that look of mine. I began to see a couple of tears drop from his eyes. I began to speak to him finally, to answer his question to the fullest.

"We were in the DMV... She was trying to help a man... But it was one of those crazy men..." I began to say to him. I could see by the look on his face, that he understood now. I knew that I did not need to go any further, but I went ahead and did so anyways. "Shes gone..."