Forever and Always

Chapter 1

I awoke to the clattering of a large vase falling to the floor, screams, gunshots, and then silence.

Pushing my blanket to the floor, I got up and approached the door cautiously, as if it was on fire. As soon as the door opened, a force threw me to the floor. A shadow pushed the door closed, then grabbed my hand and dragged me behind my bed.

The shadow was that of my older brother, carrying my sister. My brother, Jason, put his finger to his lips before I could open my mouth. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed 911. I could faintly hear,” 911, what’s your emergency?”  Jason whispered,” A guy just broke into our house and I think he has a gun and… Hello?” He turned off the phone and muttered to himself.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

"Courtney, I need you to find some weapons,” He said. Then he turned to our sister, Katie,” You stay here under the bed and don’t move.”

I grabbed an umbrella and handed Jason my softball bat. “Where are mom and dad?” I asked. He hesitated, but didn’t say anything.

Jason slowly got up and approached the door. Then I heard barking from the hallway. Our dog, Nemo, burst through the door as we were opening it and dashed under the bed with Katie.

Panicked, Jason and I listened for the sound of footsteps, maybe following the barking, but we heard nothing. We both silently peeked through the doorway just in time to see a shadow slip around the corner at the end of the hall. Jason tip-toed out of my room and down the hallway. He pressed his back up against the wall and motioned for me to do the same. We inched along slowly. My brother peeked around the corner, then quickly got back against the wall. 

He stood still, as if studying something, then brought the bat to his shoulder and swung. A man crumpled onto the floor, his gun slipping out of his hand. I hadn't even heard the man run up to us.

 Jason reached down and grabbed the gun and pointed it at the intruder. "Stop, you don't have to kill him!" I reached for the deadly weapon.

He just shoved me aside with his elbow," Why not? Our parents are dead!"

Tears swelled up in my eyes," What? What do you mean?"

"This man shot our parents, he deserves to die," I don't remember the last time I had seen Jason so angry. It was as if flames were in his eyes. I look up to my brother. He is smart, strong, gentle, and kind. But this time I knew he was wrong.

"No, he doesn't! He may have taken their lives, but it doesn't mean we have to take his!" I grabbed the gun from him, but it slipped from my grasp. It hit the floor, sending a bullet flying down the hall and shattering a window. Pieces of glass scattered across the hardwood floor.

The man on the floor quickly picked up the firearm before either of us had any time to react. He stood up and aimed it at me," Don't move!"

I put my hands up and crumpled to the floor, bracing for the bullet to pierce through my skull, make impact with my brain, and leave just a breathless body, punctured with a bloody wound. Instead I heard a loud thud and looked up to see my brother hit the man between the legs with the bat. The intruder fell to the floor, moaning in pain. 

He didn't stay down long. In the time it took for me to reach my brother, he was up again. He lashed out at us, kicking and punching. His foot jabbed Jason in the rib. A fist made contact with my temple, a few more in the arm and jaw. I was on the floor, blinded by blood and my hair dangling in my face. Jason fought on, swinging the bat in every direction until it made its final swoop into the man's chest, knocking the air out of him. The stranger drooped into a pool of blood. 

He wasn't done fighting yet though. The man wiped blood from his nose and got up again. This time he didn't lunge at us, he ran down the hall towards my room, where Katie and Nemo were cowering.

Jason followed him. The man reached my room and kicked down the door. I heard my sister's small shriek and the dog whimpering. I limped to my room. Jason was leaping for the stranger, but he kept dodging my brother's attacks. 

The intruder had his gun in one hand and Katie's arm in the other. He pointed the gun to my little sister's head. I screamed and looked into her eyes. They were full of fear and hurt. "Please, let her go!" I begged," She's only six!"

The man just smiled and looked down at her. He was about to pull the trigger, but then I heard a loud bang and he fell to the ground. Jason stood over him with my thick Geometry textbook.

The man lay on the floor, clutching his head, his heart probably pounding in his ears. The stranger still had his gun, and instead of waiting to fully recover, he pulled it out and shot two rounds at my brother.