Targets

“Higher, Dad, higher!” Elizabeth cried.

Her dad smiled as he pushed his 4 year old daugher on the swing he had built for her about a month ago. Everything seemed so perfect. He had a beautiful wife, an amazing daughter, and his house had just been redone.

He stopped the swing with one hand and his daughter smiled in protest. “Dad! Why’d you do that?”

He smiled at her and replied, “It’s time for dinner. I’ll race ya back to the house!”

She jumped off the swing and ran toward the house.

“Look,” she said pointing, “I beat Daddy!”

He walked up the stairs and pulled her close. “Yeah, you did! Now how ’bout we go see Mom?”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the house. “Ok!”

They walked in through the screen door and walked into the large kitchen, where Kate was making dinner. Greg, Elizabeth’s dad, waled over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey sweerheart,!What’s for dinner?”

She grinned and took the lid off the pot on the stove.”I thought we could have some chili for dinner since it’s supposed to rain soon.”

He smiled his warm smile and replied, “It’s perfect! Just what I wanted!”

She smiled and went back to stirring the food. Elizabeth came in the room with soap all over her face.

“Elizabeth! What happened?” the two parents asked in unison.

“I don’t know! she wailed, “It was all over when I walked in.”

Greg walked past them and into the bathroom.

“Oh my goodness! She’s right! It’s all OVER everything! Even the walls!” kate ran in and yelled, “It’s ruined all the towels!”

The family went to work cleaning it up. After it was finished, Kate said, “I turned the chili off. I think we all need a shower after all this.”

Greg nodded, “I think you’re right.”

Kate took a deep breath and said, “Greg, maybe we should let Ellie go first, she’s probably the messiest.”

Greg nodded and they both left Elizabeth. She, after all, knew how to use the shower and was actually pretty smart for her age. She walked over to the shower and sang her little shower song, ‘Left for the hot water, right for the cold!’ She turned it on to the right temperature, then preceded to undress. She put her dirty clothes in the hamper and stepped into the shower. She wet her hair and reached for the shampoo, then lathered it into her hair. As she stepped into the water, it suddenly started to turn red.

She turned and examined the water. BLOOD…..

The only thing Greg and Kate heard after that was the high pitched screams and ran into the bathroom. Kate quickly grabbed Ellie and wrapped her in a towel. Greg took a look at the water.

“Why the heck is this water now blood?” He quickly shut the water off and the remaining water in the bottom turned clear once more.

Kate cried, “What is wrong with this bathroom?”

Greg shook his head and shrugged his shoulders without saying a word. As Kate dressed Ellie, Greg made some calls to plumbers telling them the problem and insisting they send someone out tomorrow. When he returned to his family, they were sitting in the living room on the couch.

“Well, they said they can send someone out in an hour actually. So let’s get some food in our stomachs, shall we?” asked Greg

Kate nodded and handed Ellie to Greg, and then went back to the kitchen.

“Well,” Greg said to Ellie, “that was some fright then wasn’t it?”

Ellie nodded. “Yeah, it freaked me out!”

They walked into the kitchen where Kate was dippign up chili into bowls for everyone. They all ate in silence until they heard the doorbel ring.

“I got it,” Greg replied, standing up. “Why don’t you two wait in here and I’ll be right back.”

Kate just nodded and closed her eyes. Twenty minutes later Greg returned, his face white with fear.

Kate slowly said, “What’s going on?”

Greg took a moment to reply, his words ghostly, “The plumber took the back wall off the shower, and he said that the blood is from a dead body behind the shower that had been put there recently. As for the soap, he said that the pipes in the ceiling had been filled with soap, and it leaked down.

Kate whispered, “SO what does that mean?”

Greg looked he in the eye, “We’re targets.”

Kate remembered instantly what had happened over the past few years and feared what would happen now.