A Brothers Bond

I awoke to the sound of a click in my ear.

A body odor filled my nostrils, I slowly opened my eyes to a dark figure lying at my side. I could only see dark eyes staring at me, his leather mask covered his features. He was a large muscled man his hands holding what looked like a Luger so close I could feel the steel on my cheek.

Then he spoke, his voice garbled and deep telling me if I yelled he would pull the trigger. Finding my voice, I asked what he wanted from me. Pulling off his mask, which was not a good thing as now I saw whom he was and knew he planned to kill me.

I had shot his brother when he had broken into my home well over a year ago and remembered this face from the court hearing that found me not guilty for protecting, my friend and me, from this sadistic animal. My girlfriend that was staying with me at the time had been raped as he made me watch tied to my bed. I had managed to reach my gun from under my mattress after struggling to get to it before he came at me. His brother was doing ten years in the state prison, with no chance of parole due to the horrendous crime he had committed.

I knew if I did not move quickly I would be dead from this insane man. Slowly moving my body towards him, he moved just an inch to his right side and I sprang upwards and smashed him hard to the face catching him off guard enough to roll and kick the gun from his hand. His wild scream erupted the quiet night as I ran towards the bedroom door slamming it as I descended the stairs of my home I was out the back door as I heard him charging down the stairs.

I did not have time to get my pistol, looking around for a place to hide, I headed towards the lane beside my place. Trashcans surrounding the dark houses, my neighbors on both sides I knew were away for the summer.  Older people in the other houses that would not even hear me scream if I chose to yell. A new house under construction.

I could see his outline with his gun standing at my door deciding which way I had gone. The night was warm luckily only a half moon to light the sky, heading towards the far end of the lane staying in the shadows I made my way with no shoes, I tried to watch where my feet landed with each step that I took.

He must have heard the direction that I was going, I could hear his heavy feet not that far behind me. I was so glad that my nightgown was black as not to stand out in the darkness. I could hear him so he was gaining on me. An animal scurried from the full dumpster as I neared.

Crouching down behind the bin full of old wood, I held my breath, but could smell him as he passed inches from my huddled body. He stopped just as a cat meow from near a garbage can. He moved on towards the end of the lane, I let out a slow breath, stayed motionless. He kept on going I could hear his feet crunching on the pavement. Should I head back to my house, would he hear my movements in this clear silent night?

If I stayed here, he was bound to come back this way when he did not find me. I listened, his footsteps sounding farther away, so making my move I headed towards my house as fast as I could, as my feet were bleeding and sore. I reached my door, it was locked climbing onto my patio, I broke the side window climbed through my hand was cut as I dialed 911 the phone fell from my grasp as my blood seeped to the rug. Taking the steps two at a time, I reached my bedroom as I heard the door crash in. He was in my house again.

Running to get my gun, from under my mattress I could not find it, then remembering that I had cleaned it and put it in my side drawer, frantically reaching for it, the gun slipped to the floor as I turn just in time to see him enter the room as I retrieved it.

I aimed for his heart, he was down just inside my doorway and I could hear the sirens in the distance. I removed his gun shooting two shots into my wall, wiping my fingerprints and blood off his gun, I placed it back into his hand.

Once the police arrived I would soak my feet and bandage my hand .