REM

Panic-stricken

As I reached for the door knob, someone behind me yelled, "Hey!"

Turning around, I saw two shady looking guys walking toward me from what looked to be an older Cadillac. At first I was confused, but then I saw the guns in their hands. My heart began to beat faster as I turned back around to go inside my house.

I slammed the door behind me, then locked both the handle and the deadbolt. The frame was busted from a previous break-in, so I knew it wouldn't hold for long if they really wanted in.

My shoes were an afterthought as I ran up the the few steps in through the open kitchen door into a quiet house. I avoided the windows as I heard pounding on the door and more yells.

"Open up! We just wanna talk."

Yeah right, I thought.

Briskly walking down the hallway, I threw my lunch bag into my room and continued on toward my brother's room. I found him – asleep.

"Hey, wake up!" I shook him with both hands on his shoulders. Drool had dripped onto his pillow, so he must have had a good sleep after taking the medication for his flu.

"Wha?" he mumbled. His eyes were barely open as he tried to sit up.

"Some guys with guns are outside the front door! What the fuck did you get into now!?" I growled, but it wasn't the time to discuss my brother's mistakes in life. Even if I wasn't the man they were looking for, I could still get caught in the crossfire. I wasn't about to let that happen.

I slapped him in the face and he immediately snapped to. His eyes popped open and he jumped off the bed to his feet. He hurried out of his room down the hall and grabbed his shoes before closing the kitchen door and locking it.

A loud boom sounded as the front door gave way to the force exerted upon it by the two men. My brother ran back to me as I stood in the hallway next to the bathroom.

He slipped his shoes on as one of the men yelled, "That's door number one! You think another one is going to stop us?"

Before we could devise a plan, shots rang out. I ducked into my brother's room as he dove into the bathroom with his hands over his head as well. I peeked around the corner to see several bullet holes in our kitchen door, but it was still holding.

"Got any ideas?" I asked in a hushed voice with teeth clenched.

My brother rolled his eyes as he tried to work is sleepy brain. His neck suddenly turned sideways. Standing up, he turned around and went toward the bathroom window.

Peering out again, I watched the door as the two men barged into it from the other side, clearly unable to shoot the knob off. Amateurs, I thought. I could probably do better.

At that moment, I heard a loud cracking of wood. The frame or the door was giving way, so I bolted across the hallway into the bathroom and locked its door behind me as well.

The window was open and my brother was now spearing the screen covering the window with the plunger. After a few tries he finally broke through it, then began peeling it open as I listened carefully for movement outside the bathroom.

Another loud crack and I was certain they had broken through. I turned to see him weaseling his way outside toward freedom and safety. As panicked as I was, I tried to remain calm so we didn't draw attention to our location.

With half his body through the screen, I pressed my ear against the bathroom door and heard footsteps that seemed to be getting louder. "Shit," I muttered under my breath.

I turned away from my potential death and gave my brother's feet a good shove, sending the rest of him through the screen as it ripped open even more.

"Ow," he grumbled on the outside.

Serves him right, I thought to myself before stepping onto the toilet, then hoisting myself up onto the window sill and through the screen. I dangled for a bit before slipping out onto the hard ground as well.

"Oof," I groaned, landing on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw my brother straddling a wooden fence post and waving his arm.

"Come on," he urged.

I picked myself up and ran over to him. Grabbing his hand, he helped me up and over, then hopped down himself. I was relieved, but gave him an unimpressed look as we then set off on foot through a neighbour's backyard.