One of Us Is Going Down
Things That Go Bump In The Night
Ashlyn woke in the middle of the night, she wasn’t sure why as she sat up in bed. She looked at her phone, thinking that it might have gone off, waking her up, but it was black. No texts, no calls, no emails, facebooks or tweets, not even a weather alert. The tv wasn’t on, and she could hear Brian snoring softly in the other room. Nothing was on fire, her window was closed, nothing was askew, yet she felt that something was not right.
She stood in the dark kitchen a moment later, sipping of glass of water, hoping that would calm her nerves and she would be able to sleep. She heard something jingle. Ashlyn looked around and that was when her eyes fell on the front door knob, it wiggled. Someone was trying to break in. She nearly threw her water down and silently ran to Brian’s room. She hopped on the bed and threw a hand over Brian’s mouth. He woke with a start and sat up, seeing her shaking. Ashlyn held a finger to her lips to silence him.
“Someone’s trying to break in,” she whispered, pointing towards the front door.
Brian yanked the gun from his bedside table drawer and stood, ready for anything. He walked out into the living room and motioned for her to stay put as he took cover behind the sofa. They watched, her from the door to his room, him from the living room as the burglar fiddled with the door, dropped the lock pick he was using and cussed. Brian rolled his eyes, this was some rookie kid just looking to steal a tv or something. He sighed and waited for the door to swing open, his hand still holding the gun that was aimed at the door.
The door did swing open and a face with ski mask peeked around the corner. Brian jumped from his hiding spot behind the couch fast as lightening, alerting the kid he was there, the kid took off, footfalls resounding off the pavement outside. Brian leapt over the couch and followed out the door. Ashlyn ran to her room and scooped up her phone to call the police. She yanked the charger from the cell phone and slid her finger over the screen to unlock it. One arm wrapped around her, one hand clamping over her mouth, the other grasping her wrist and twisting it so she dropped the phone.
Ashlyn slammed her free elbow back into the ribs of the man holding her, tucked her arm into her chest and flipped the man over her shoulder. She turned to run as the man fell to her floor, his legs catching on the lamp beside her bed and taking that to the floor with a crash. A hand snapped around her ankle, yanking her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her. Her head smashed against the floor, blurring her vision a moment. The man started to move to get over her. She kicked him in the ribs and clawed to get a shard of the broken lamp in her hands. The man came at her again as her fingers wrapped around a piece of the lamp, she swiped up at his exposed neck, leaving a cut across his collarbone. She screamed for Brian as the man grabbed her wrist and slammed at against the ground to force her to let the glass go.
The guy Brian was chasing dove into the open door of an suv that was in the back corner of the parking lot he had just chased the guy across. The SUV took off like a bat out of hell. Brian raised his gun and took aim to shoot the tires and stop the guy from getting away, that was when Ashlyn’s scream reached his ears. This was also the moment that he realized that this was not a group of unprofessionals. Brian took off back to the apartment, hearing Ashlyn’s desperate screams for him. His heartbeat loud in his ears, his breath coming out in pants, and the packing sound as his bare feet slapped across the pavement as he ran with all he had back to the apartment.
Ashlyn screamed for Brian again as the guy lifted her up, dragging her flailing body towards the window. She screamed, frantic for Brian. She could hear him coming now, running down the outer hall towards the apartment. The guy dropped her suddenly and unceremoniously, then took a dive out the window. Ashlyn collapsed to the floor as she heard Brian come running back in the apartment. She screamed into the carpet and cried so hard she was barely taking in air. Her fingers we wrapped tightly around the leg of her bed as she wailed into the carpet.
Brian sat on the floor and pulled her into his arms forcefully unlocking her fingers from around the bed. She fisted his shirt in her hands and dug her face into his neck, crying so hard the sobs were shaking her body. He kept one arm around her and smoothed over her hair with the other.
“They. .were. .try-ing.to-oo..taaaee-ke me-e-e-e,” Ashlyn sobbed into his chest, still in hysterics.
“I know, but they didn’t,” Brian said, kissing her forehead as the sounds of sirens made their way closer to the apartment.
This was no kid looking for something to do on for entertainment, these weren’t just some hoodlums or a gang, this was serious. This was the beginning of a long investigation to come. Brian knew this, but he wasn’t sure just how much he should let the sobbing brunette in his arms know.
She stood in the dark kitchen a moment later, sipping of glass of water, hoping that would calm her nerves and she would be able to sleep. She heard something jingle. Ashlyn looked around and that was when her eyes fell on the front door knob, it wiggled. Someone was trying to break in. She nearly threw her water down and silently ran to Brian’s room. She hopped on the bed and threw a hand over Brian’s mouth. He woke with a start and sat up, seeing her shaking. Ashlyn held a finger to her lips to silence him.
“Someone’s trying to break in,” she whispered, pointing towards the front door.
Brian yanked the gun from his bedside table drawer and stood, ready for anything. He walked out into the living room and motioned for her to stay put as he took cover behind the sofa. They watched, her from the door to his room, him from the living room as the burglar fiddled with the door, dropped the lock pick he was using and cussed. Brian rolled his eyes, this was some rookie kid just looking to steal a tv or something. He sighed and waited for the door to swing open, his hand still holding the gun that was aimed at the door.
The door did swing open and a face with ski mask peeked around the corner. Brian jumped from his hiding spot behind the couch fast as lightening, alerting the kid he was there, the kid took off, footfalls resounding off the pavement outside. Brian leapt over the couch and followed out the door. Ashlyn ran to her room and scooped up her phone to call the police. She yanked the charger from the cell phone and slid her finger over the screen to unlock it. One arm wrapped around her, one hand clamping over her mouth, the other grasping her wrist and twisting it so she dropped the phone.
Ashlyn slammed her free elbow back into the ribs of the man holding her, tucked her arm into her chest and flipped the man over her shoulder. She turned to run as the man fell to her floor, his legs catching on the lamp beside her bed and taking that to the floor with a crash. A hand snapped around her ankle, yanking her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her. Her head smashed against the floor, blurring her vision a moment. The man started to move to get over her. She kicked him in the ribs and clawed to get a shard of the broken lamp in her hands. The man came at her again as her fingers wrapped around a piece of the lamp, she swiped up at his exposed neck, leaving a cut across his collarbone. She screamed for Brian as the man grabbed her wrist and slammed at against the ground to force her to let the glass go.
The guy Brian was chasing dove into the open door of an suv that was in the back corner of the parking lot he had just chased the guy across. The SUV took off like a bat out of hell. Brian raised his gun and took aim to shoot the tires and stop the guy from getting away, that was when Ashlyn’s scream reached his ears. This was also the moment that he realized that this was not a group of unprofessionals. Brian took off back to the apartment, hearing Ashlyn’s desperate screams for him. His heartbeat loud in his ears, his breath coming out in pants, and the packing sound as his bare feet slapped across the pavement as he ran with all he had back to the apartment.
Ashlyn screamed for Brian again as the guy lifted her up, dragging her flailing body towards the window. She screamed, frantic for Brian. She could hear him coming now, running down the outer hall towards the apartment. The guy dropped her suddenly and unceremoniously, then took a dive out the window. Ashlyn collapsed to the floor as she heard Brian come running back in the apartment. She screamed into the carpet and cried so hard she was barely taking in air. Her fingers we wrapped tightly around the leg of her bed as she wailed into the carpet.
Brian sat on the floor and pulled her into his arms forcefully unlocking her fingers from around the bed. She fisted his shirt in her hands and dug her face into his neck, crying so hard the sobs were shaking her body. He kept one arm around her and smoothed over her hair with the other.
“They. .were. .try-ing.to-oo..taaaee-ke me-e-e-e,” Ashlyn sobbed into his chest, still in hysterics.
“I know, but they didn’t,” Brian said, kissing her forehead as the sounds of sirens made their way closer to the apartment.
This was no kid looking for something to do on for entertainment, these weren’t just some hoodlums or a gang, this was serious. This was the beginning of a long investigation to come. Brian knew this, but he wasn’t sure just how much he should let the sobbing brunette in his arms know.