Listed on Ereader News Today:
A lot of things happened at once. Danielle let out a surprised sort of yelp, dropped her sandwich, and stood up so fast her stool fell over. I took a long, one-second look at the two men and thought they was trouble. Danielle seized my arm and yanked me behind her. It must be some motherly instinct like Momma’s air seatbelt whenever she’s gotta stop somewhat swiftly.
A half-groan, half-whine slipped out of Danielle as she muttered questions like “What do you want?” and “Who are you?”
My brain was firing those questions as well, but I couldn’t get ’em out ’cause Danielle had backed us into the corner by the stove. I kinda had to concentrate on breathing. Danielle grabbed the hot frying pan by the handle. She yelped again, and this time it had a note of pain
in it, so I guess the pan was still hot. It said something of her sheer stubbornness that she didn’t drop the thing outright.
The second man laughed at that, but he didn’t get to laugh for long ’cause he slipped on water from the first man’s sneakers. He said one of the bad words.
About this time, Danielle and I kinda came to the same conclusion. She abandoned the frying pan, giving it a small toss toward the first man, and lunged for the screen door leading from the kitchen to the back deck that leads down to the yard.
“Run!” Danielle ordered, fumbling with the lock and shoving the door open.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I slipped past her and bolted down the stairs. Rain soaked me instantly. I was amazed at how dark it had gotten, though it couldn’t have been past two o’clock. A scream stopped me. A huge crack of thunder shook the ground beneath me, but my feet seemed frozen in place. Dread and cold made me shiver. I stood with my feet planted firmly at the bottom of the steps, unwilling to turn and unable to continue.
“Get back up here!” the first man roared. His voice, for all its bluster, sounded distant to me. He didn’t exactly sound like the friendly sort you’d want to rush to for a hug.
“Ow! Run!”
This time Danielle’s voice failed to unstick my feet. Then, I couldn’t hear anything, but I knew a struggle was going on above me. I turned and placed one foot on the stairs to climb to the deck again. Looking up, I saw two figures emerge from my house onto the deck, one clearly in control over the other. I think if I’d had a full bladder, I woulda peed my pants right then and there. Not that it woulda made much of a difference given the rain trying to make the whole world a swimming pool around me.
The first man had forced Danielle to her knees. He was speaking, but I couldn’t hear anything he said. I don’t think he was even talking to me.
A half-groan, half-whine slipped out of Danielle as she muttered questions like “What do you want?” and “Who are you?”
My brain was firing those questions as well, but I couldn’t get ’em out ’cause Danielle had backed us into the corner by the stove. I kinda had to concentrate on breathing. Danielle grabbed the hot frying pan by the handle. She yelped again, and this time it had a note of pain
in it, so I guess the pan was still hot. It said something of her sheer stubbornness that she didn’t drop the thing outright.
The second man laughed at that, but he didn’t get to laugh for long ’cause he slipped on water from the first man’s sneakers. He said one of the bad words.
About this time, Danielle and I kinda came to the same conclusion. She abandoned the frying pan, giving it a small toss toward the first man, and lunged for the screen door leading from the kitchen to the back deck that leads down to the yard.
“Run!” Danielle ordered, fumbling with the lock and shoving the door open.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I slipped past her and bolted down the stairs. Rain soaked me instantly. I was amazed at how dark it had gotten, though it couldn’t have been past two o’clock. A scream stopped me. A huge crack of thunder shook the ground beneath me, but my feet seemed frozen in place. Dread and cold made me shiver. I stood with my feet planted firmly at the bottom of the steps, unwilling to turn and unable to continue.
“Get back up here!” the first man roared. His voice, for all its bluster, sounded distant to me. He didn’t exactly sound like the friendly sort you’d want to rush to for a hug.
“Ow! Run!”
This time Danielle’s voice failed to unstick my feet. Then, I couldn’t hear anything, but I knew a struggle was going on above me. I turned and placed one foot on the stairs to climb to the deck again. Looking up, I saw two figures emerge from my house onto the deck, one clearly in control over the other. I think if I’d had a full bladder, I woulda peed my pants right then and there. Not that it woulda made much of a difference given the rain trying to make the whole world a swimming pool around me.
The first man had forced Danielle to her knees. He was speaking, but I couldn’t hear anything he said. I don’t think he was even talking to me.
*****
No comments:
Post a Comment