Children of Darkness by Courtney Shockey Read Free Book Online Page A

together.
    “I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for a hot bubble bath and a big mason jar of wine,” she comments while we watch the button light up for the ground floor.
    “Oh, believe me, I am,” I reply. It is going to take more than that to end this day.
    “Good night, Dr. Janet. I’ll see you in the morning,” she says as she waves and walks to her car.
    “Bye, Stacy. Have a good evening,” I reply on the way to my car.
    Focusing on the road is no easy task as I drive home. Emily’s session that morning won’t leave my head. My mind keeps replaying the lies spilling from my tongue and the hope shining in her eyes. I blink back tears as guilt threatens to swallow me whole.
    A horn blares and jerks me back into the present. I swerve back into my lane and wave an apology to the driver of the oncoming car. I can read the obscenities being thrown at me through the window.
    My attention now fully back on the road, I turn on my windshield wipers as big drops of rain begin to fall. The rest of my drive is uneventful and I soon find myself parking on the curb in front of my house.
    I cover my head with my purse and run to the front door. As I slip the key into the lock, I hear a scratching noise coming from inside my house. My heart fills with ice and my hands begin to shake. The lock wouldn’t move fast enough and I burst through the door to find Max whimpering and shaking by the entryway table.
    “Max!” I yell as I drop everything in the doorway and crouch next to him. I pull him into my arms and feel his body shaking. It reminds me of Emily during our session and another wave of guilt flows through me. I speak to him calmly and soothe his trembling frame as my mind races to figure out how a police trained dog could be in such a state.
    In the three years I've had Max, I have never seen him scared of anything. He retired from the police department and I adopted him soon after moving into my new house. His whimpers die down and he starts licking my hand.
    “That’s my boy,” I coo. “Apparently, we’ve both had a rough day. I’ll make us something special to eat.”
    As soon as I say eat, Max jumps up and runs to the kitchen. I shut the front door, chuckling, and make my way to the kitchen to start our special meal. I put on my headphones as I power up my iPod. I need music to drown out the overwhelming feelings threatening to punch through the surface.
    I sing along to Make Waves by Tech N9ne when I feel something touch my leg. I swat my hand in the direction of what I thought was Max, but my hand didn’t touch anything. I pull off my headphones and look behind me. Nothing is in the kitchen.
    A chill runs up my spine and goose bumps break out over my skin. I turn off my iPod and listen for any noises in my house other than the meat cooking in the skillet. After a few moments of nothing, I go back to cooking our dinner, but decide to leave my music off. I am not going to be snuck up on again.
    I set out Max’s dinner and make my plate fifteen minutes later. The smell of steak and broccoli fills my house. Dinner is delicious and I send my compliments to the chef. Giggling at my own joke, I realize how lonely I am. I don’t want to call Coby and worry him over my highly emotional state, but I need him.
    “Hey there, my sweetheart.”
    “Hey, baby. I just needed to hear your voice. I’ve had the worst day and I’m completely drained,” I say into the receiver.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I had to have an emergency session this morning and it was extremely emotional,” I reply and wipe a hand down my face.
    “Do you want me to come over? I can be there soon.”
    I hug myself and smile. “No. Max and I are leaving the house for a jog. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow for our date.”
    “Okay, baby. Call me if you need me again. I love you,” he says.
    “I love you, too,” I reply as I end the call.
    I put on Max's leash and we head out into the dusky evening. The rain had stopped but left