My Parents Locked My Niece In A Closet To Steal Her Support Money

Part 2

I threw my car into gear and sped out of the driveway while the rain violently lashed against my windshield.

Every single mile between my house and my parents neighborhood stretched on like an endless agonizing nightmare.

My headlights barely cut through the chaotic darkness as thick tree branches scattered across the flooded highway.

My knuckles turned stark white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.

Heather trembling voice played on a continuous loop inside my terrified mind.

Guilt slammed into me like physical blows for ignoring the obvious warning signs all those months.

I pressed the accelerator closer to the floorboard while my car briefly fishtailed on the slick pavement.

I finally skidded to a halt in front of my parents old clapboard house.

The entire property was completely shrouded in darkness without a single light glowing in any of the windows.

I leaped from the drivers seat and the freezing rain soaked through my clothes instantly.

My shoes slapped against the flooded concrete walkway as I sprinted toward the front porch.

I pounded my fists against the heavy wooden door until my skin felt raw and bruised.

Nobody answered my screams over the deafening roar of the thunderstorm.

I sprinted around the side of the house to check the back patio door but it was securely deadbolted.

The rain was coming down so aggressively that my clothes felt like heavy wet lead dragging me down into the mud.

I wiped the stinging water from my eyes and frantically searched the dark perimeter for any sign of a hidden spare key.

The wind howled furiously through the massive oak trees in the front yard like a chorus of screaming voices.

A massive jagged branch snapped off a nearby tree and crashed violently onto the roof of my parked car.

I jumped at the sudden noise but I refused to let the dangerous weather stop me from getting inside that horrible house.

A flash of lightning illuminated a heavy decorative garden rock resting in the mud.

I grabbed the heavy decorative rock with both freezing hands and prayed I would not sever an artery on the broken glass.

I hoisted the heavy stone above my head and smashed it directly through the glass pane of the back window.

The glass shattered with a deafening crash that echoed loudly into the stormy night.

I cleared the jagged shards from the frame with my sleeve and hoisted myself inside the dark house.

The familiar smell of mildew and stale air hit my lungs instantly.

I clicked on my heavy metal flashlight and the beam quivered across the empty living room.

I called out for Heather but the suffocating silence pressed against my chest like a physical weight.

I moved swiftly through the filthy kitchen where dirty dishes were piled high in the sink.

The refrigerator held absolutely nothing except an expired carton of milk and rotting vegetables.

I crept up the main staircase while taking two wooden steps at a time.

At the top of the landing I finally heard a faint stifled whimper coming from the storage room at the end of the hall.

I twisted the brass doorknob but it was locked firmly from the outside.

I pressed my cheek against the cold wood and desperately called out my niece name.

Her broken little voice floated back through the gap beneath the door telling me she was still alive.

I raised my heavy winter boot and shattered the door entirely off its hinges, but are you ever truly prepared to see the monster hiding behind the mask of the people who raised you?