Chapter 55

Kelly climbed up the ladder quickly, while Mark was still untying his feet. Even in a state of utter bliss, hunting for ice cream she accidentally saved herself. If she had stayed down there a moment longer, Mark would’ve killed her. But as it stood she climbed out from the cellar.

“Do you have any ice cream?” Kelly asked.

In the witch let out a terrible laugh. “You are in the middle of the bliss. You won’t care at all if I kill your daughter, her husband, or yourself. Is that right?”

Kelly shook her head and said, “I don’t care, it’s just that I really want some ice cream. It’s delicious. And… I don’t like death, because life is so beautiful. I’m not sure I would be mad at you over it, for after all I’m sure you had your reasons.”

Kelly strode confidently towards the freezer, clearly planning on ice cream. “Coralina do you want some ice cream?”

The little girl burst into tears. “Mama you have to kill her.”

Then the real trouble started as Mark climbed up the ladder and he smiled. Not one moment later he was charging Kelly. He knocked her to the ground his hands pressed tightly to her throat.

“Don’t hurt mommy!” Screamed Coralina. Her tiny throat aching from the effort. The scream was big and sharp, like a child who is properly terrified, and she watched her mother slowly turned red. Then Kelly made a garbled sound, as her lips started turning blue.

“Mommy! Daddy please stop!” Coralina was crying, her screams with terrible hiccups of fear.

The witch was laughing.

“Beth! He’s going to kill her! He’s going to kill mom!” Coralina screamed at the top of her lungs, fear completely consumed her. Her ears were ringing, her throat was burning from her effort to make her sister hear her. As she helplessly watched as her mother went limp in her father’s hands. His eyes were wild, and out of control. She wondered, if her mother was already dead.

She let out a wail, so loud and sharp and piercing that the entire woods would hear it.

The front door swung open. There stood a trembling five-year-old Beth, her hands shaking violently as she lifted the shotgun to her shoulder.