Thou Shall Not Die

It the small neighborhood in Tampa Florida all was quiet and silent as the first signs of dawn appeared. All the residents were still asleep and all the houses were dark except for one house that was next to a ruined house.

A single light was on as the inhabitants in the house walked around gathering weapons getting themselves ready for the fight to get their family back.

In one room the youngest of the three stared at her reflection brushing her short hair. She got up and went to the closet of her kidnapped friend.

Going through her friends clothes she picked out a black midriff and black spandex pants. After putting the clothes on she took her leather jacket off the bed putting this on as well.

She finished tying up her combat boots and looked up seeing the pictures on the dresser.

One was of her and her friend striking poses on a car. Another was of her sister giving her friend a piggyback ride.

There was one of her friend and her boyfriend making crazy faces at the camera. Another was of her friend squatting down to hold her niece and nephew.

The final picture was of all of them together smiling and happy like the family they were.

"I didn't lose my family the last time I'm not gonna lose them now." Abby said exiting the room.

Next door a young mother was looking through the ruins of what used to be her and her families home. She went through the rubble finding a picture of her at nine months pregnant with her children.

She smiled at the picture then went through the rubble finding an entire photo album.

Flipping to a page she found a section of her in the hospital bed after she had given birth to her twins.

Next to her were two containers where her daughter and son were in asleep. Another was of her and her children when they turned one and wanted their own room.

She remembered how they both fought and argued about who got the top bunk. Her little boy saying boys were better so he should get it while her little girl said girls were better so she should get it.

Eventually her son got the top bunk while her daughter got the bottom one saying the top was too high up.

She flipped through the pages which contained photos of her children with her, her sister, and their friends.

The final picture was one that was exactly the same one that was on her friends dresser. Them together as one big happy family.

She ran her hand over it. "Mommy's coming to save you babies." She said shutting the book and walking back to the house next door.

In another room a man sat on the bed looking at his reflection.

His eyes focused on a picture that was on the side of the mirror. Getting up he walked over removing the picture of him and his girlfriend.

He ran a finger over it, it was of them sharing a coke float together on the pier of the boardwalk.

Smiling he remembered how they both dabbed the others nose with the foamy froth from the drink.

Another pic was of him and the guy who became one of his best friends. They had their arms slunged around each others necks and they were covered in mud from going dirt riding after a big storm.

The next picture was of him and the two women who had changed his life and he had helped saved. They were in their swimming clothes playing valley ball on the beach.

The final picture was of him holding two kids who looked at him as their uncle on his shoulders. They were all making flexing poses in the picture.

He laid the pictures on the dresser looking at all of them remembering how he used to be and who he was now and what he had gained.

Something he didn't really have before. He looked again at the pictures before whispering...

"My family."

The mother was now in the bathroom putting her hair into a ponytail looking at her animalistic eyes remembering how she came to be this way once again.

Her eyes grew intense as anger boiled in her but she controlled herself.

Grabbing her clothes she buttoned up her dark denim jacket, buckled her belt, and zipped up her boots before exiting the bathroom.

The man spiked his flat hair before putting on his cowboy hat. He glanced down picking up his girlfriends necklace which had ripped off during the previous event.

He had fixed the chain and it was glowing dimly. "I'm gonna get you back and bring you back home baby." He said putting his shades on before exiting the room.

The young woman from earlier wiped a tear as she looked at the place where she had not too long ago buried one of her best friends in the world.

She had her bloodhound from as long as she could remember.

Her dog was one of the main things that had helped her and her sister during their last fight and now she was gone because of them.

Another tear hit the grave as she placed her collar on top of the makeshift cross she had stuck into the grave.

She heard the door from next door open but she didn't looked up.

The two pairs of footsteps got louder till they stopped just behind her.

One pair came forward standing beside her before squatting down next to her wrapping an arm around her shoulders and hugging her.

The two young women stared at the grave a little longer before the oldest broke the silence.

"You ready Abby?" Karen asked.

"Yeah." She said nodding and wiped a tear away. "Let's get our family back."