Hell Is Coming (The Watcher's Series Book 1) by N.P. Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

from the back seat and rifled through it, stopping when I found the picture of Frank. The photo was creased and slightly faded and showed a man in his late twenties who was unmistakably my dad’s brother. I could hardly believe I had an uncle. The photo showed Frank leaning against a black car with trees in the background. He had a half smile on his face as he looked at the camera with dark brown eyes that had the same kind of hardness in them that my mom’s had. It must be a Watcher thing, that slightly haunted look that suggested you had seen too many bad things. Frank was handsome like my dad, about the same build though he looked more athletic than my dad did and his dark brown hair was swept back whereas my dad’s had been combed to the side. Looking at the picture I tried to figure what Frank was like as a person but the picture didn’t give much away. I guessed I’d find out soon enough anyway. There were directions to Frank’s cabin on the back of the picture as my mom had said there would be.
    “Anyway, baby, I have to go now,” my mom said in the video and I thought.
    As usual, huh?
    “I’m really sorry for all this, sorry if I messed up your life. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me one day. I…I always tried to do what was right, baby. Sometimes it just didn’t work out.” Her brown eyes went glassy again. “I love you, Leia. Look after your brother and tell him I love him. Tell your father I love him too. Goodbye.”
    The screen went black as my mom switched off the camera.
    Tell my father she loves him?
    I shook my head, tears rolling down my face. In a sudden surge of anger I slammed my fist into the dashboard and let out a frustrated scream. If only she had known when she made that video what would happen the next day.
    My mind reeled. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel. My life had been turned upside down, like I was freefalling with no way of stopping myself. What the hell was a girl to do when her dead mother drops a bombshell like that?
    There was only one thing to do as far as I was concerned: get drunk. I hadn’t drunk in nearly a year because I was trying to be good, trying to be straight, to be normal. What a waste of time that had been, especially when I found out I was anything but normal.
    I pulled out my phone and called Josh. He would be pissed that I still had the car. His phone rang but there was no answer, which meant he really was pissed. He tended to block me anytime we argued or I pissed him off. I sent him a text apologizing, telling him I would be home with the car soon, albeit an hour and a half late.
    I put the laptop and journal on the passenger seat and drove home, all the while wondering how I was going to tell Josh about everything and how he would react.
    Whatever happened, it looked like our lives were about to change forever.
     

Chapter 4
    By the time I arrived back at Diane’s place, I’d called Josh three more times on his cell and every time the call went to voicemail.
    What the hell, Josh? Get a grip, no need to be an asshole about things.
    I parked the car and took the laptop and journal up to the house with me.
    Josh and Diane were nowhere to be seen and there was an eerie silence in the house. The TV, normally blaring in the background, was switched off. I expected Josh to be standing there waiting for me when I came in, ready to chew me out for being late and messing up his plans. “Josh!” I called out. “Diane! I’m home! Hello…”
    No one answered.
    Frowning, I put the laptop and journal on the sofa. Then I noticed the strange smell. It was sharp and pungent and reminded me of something I had smelled once in chemistry class back in high school. It was sulfur. Why would the house smell of sulfur? “Josh, I’m home. Car’s outside.”
    Still nothing.
    Where the hell is everyone?
    There was no one in the kitchen so I went upstairs, noticed the bathroom door was slightly open, that there were large wet footprints imprinted