The Blood-Stained Sour Candy

By the third day after my death, the stench of decay had become so strong that even the mothballs could not cover it anymore. Mom sprayed an entire can of air freshener in the living room.

"You brat! Did you take a dump in there or something? It's just some stupid cooking job. Is doing all this really worth it? Open this door right now so I can teach you a lesson!"

Just then, urgent footsteps came from outside. Dad had come home three days earlier than planned.

He had called my phone countless times over the past few days, and it had been off every single time. His fatherly unease drove him to get in his truck and drive through the night.

He carried a large box in his hands. It was the latest model of the oven I wanted, the birthday gift I had been talking about for three solid years.

"Layla! Dad's home!"

The moment Dad walked through the door, the smile on his face froze before it could fully form. The smell hit him like a physical force.

As a long-haul truck driver, he knew that smell far too well. He had seen too many gruesome accidents on the highway. That smell only came from one thing: decomposition.

"What is that smell?" Dad's face went deathly pale.

When Mom saw Dad, her eyes shifted nervously. "What smell? That brat is doing God knows what in her room. She’s turned it into a garbage dump..."

"Bullsh*t!" For the first time in his life, Dad swore at Mom.

He rushed to my bedroom door and pounded on it with his fist. "Layla! Open the door! It's Dad! Open up right now!"

Silence from inside. No response, no footsteps, not even the sound of breathing.

My spirit stood beside Dad. I watched his trembling hands and felt a storm of emotions.

"Dad, you finally came home. It's too late, though. I'm already gone."

Liam heard the commotion and came running over, clutching an apple he had secretly hidden away. Tears streamed down his face.

"Dad, please make Layla open the door! She hasn't eaten anything in three days! She hasn't even come out to use the bathroom! I called for her, but she won't answer me!"

Three days?

Dad's eyes instantly became bloodshot at those words. He whipped around to face Mom. "Three days? You let her stay locked in there for three days?"

Mom flinched at the look in his eyes and took a step back, though she still tried to argue. "She's the one who wouldn't come out! What was I supposed to do?"

She rushed forward and snatched the apple from Liam's hands, smashing it on the floor.

"Stop trying to feed her! She's faking it! Do you think she's going to threaten me by dying? She doesn't have the guts! Every time she throws a fit, it's all bark and no bite. I don't believe she'll actually do it!"

"Shut your mouth!" Dad's roar came out ragged and terrifying.

He shoved Mom aside. She stumbled backward and crashed into the shoe cabinet.

"Layla! Can you hear me? Get back from the door! Dad's breaking it down!"

Dad did not hesitate another second. He threw his full weight against the locked door.

The first impact made the door frame shudder. Dust rained down from above.

The second impact came with the sound of splintering wood around the lock.

After the third massive crash, the door flew open.