Daddy's Little Girl (Complete book- limited time only)

Chapter 29: End of the Line

The majority of the storm has slithered away. Traces of lightning can still be seen in the clouded sky. A steady drizzle falls upon the windshield as Harrison is speeding along in his car. Unsure where the bus may have gone, his nerves have him on edge, worried. This reckless race of desperation seems eerily familiar to Harrison. The panic he feels reminds him of the terrible night five years ago, the night he rushed his dying wife to the hospital. Though, for a completely different reason, the anxiousness he is experiencing right now is just as unnerving as that night.

Just the thought of Abby being out in the world all alone has Harrison completely flipping out. He worries about the people she might encounter almost as much as he worries about the child herself.

Harrison is beside himself talking out loud. "Oh, Abby? No, no, no..." He smacks his palm on the steering wheel.

His inner demons argue against him. "She'll be fine. She can take care of herself."

"No she can't, she's only five...she's too young!"

Harrison is not watching the road signs. He flies through a stop sign. 'Honnnnnnk' other cars at the intersection swerve to miss the out of control vehicle. 'Eerrrrccchhh' Harrison's brake lights don't even brighten for a second.

Harrison continues his conversation, "What is she thinking?"

"She's isn't thinking, she's doing what you taught her to do."

He begins to feel guilt for his actions, "Oh God, what have I done to her?"

"You have destroyed that little girl's mind, Harrison."

He knows it's true, "I-I didn't know what I was doing."

"You knew damn well what you were doing! You've created a monster Harrison, a murderer."

"I was protecting her...I-I love her."

"You don't love her, you've never loved her."

Harrison blindly flies through another stop sign nearly sideswiping another car. He doesn't seem to care or even notice.

"Where the hell did she go?"

"Think Harrison, think!"

"I don't know! I don't know where she went!"

Suddenly a bus comes into view just ahead in the distance. It appears to be stopped. Harrison yells, "Abby!" as if she can hear him. As Harrison approaches he sees the bus is on the side of the road, parked. He pulls behind the bus and quickly jumps out.

Upon closer inspection, he sees the bus has wrecked into a telephone pole. He rushes to the door of the bus, it sits wide open. The driver's body is lying on the steps. He is half out of the bus. Blood covers the man's back. He isn't moving. Harrison pushes the body with his foot, it moves limply. The driver is surely dead.

Harrison carefully steps over the body and climbs into the bus. "Abby?"

Once inside the bus, Harrison discovers two more dead bodies. They are covered with blood, not from the bus wreck but from knife wounds. Harrison sees the body of a man lying in the aisle. His throat has a large puncture wound still leaking blood onto the floor. The third victim lies across a seat; a middle aged woman stares into space looking toward nothing, her neck split wide open.

Harrison steps over the dead man in the aisle searching the seats for his daughter, "Abby?"

***