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I. To Save Him
My boots squeaked each step down the cobalt stone pathway out the Collin's residence. It took an hour longer to tuck Jonah to bed and helped him sleep until Mr and Mrs Collins arrived from work. I looked down at the wad of bills in my hand before sliding it deep in the back pocket of my skinny jeans. As a baby sitter, my pay grade was above normal. Not that I complain, but nowadays, people aren't exactly generous enough not to expect something in return.
The night sky looked unforgivingly bleak and dark as I step out from the gate. The light sprinkling of rain and the cool evening breeze made me shiver as I briskly walked down the dimly lit street. I quickly pulled the ends of my leather jacket closer and wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. As I turned right to Elmsworth Street, the light pitter-patter of the rain turned to a heavy downpour. I quickly rummage inside my sling bag for my umbrella but aside from a pink notebook, burger wrappers, pieces of papers and Jonah's crayons, there was no sign of it in my bag.
It was the least of my concern when I realize something else was missing in my bag - Mom's meds!. I looked up the sky and welcome the droplets of rain. "Really? You're kidding me right?" I said in mock annoyance and marched back to my employer's house. By the time I arrived, I was dripping wet. My yellow blouse clung tightly to my skin and I was sure my hot pink bra underneath was showing. My hair was plastered in my face and neck and I could feel some water inside my boots.
I worried my lower lip, debating against using the doorbell or to use my set of keys instead. Mrs. Collins was kind enough to give me duplicate keys. In the end, I decided I didn't want to disturb them so I slid in the key and turned the knob.
Everything was the way it was before I left. The light was left on in the hallway leading to the second floor and the house was silent as a mouse. I tried to keep the noise down as I entered but the squeak of my boots deliberately made it hard to remain in stealth mode. I was also faintly aware I was leaving puddles of water each step and I needed to clean that up before I go. I made it to the kitchen in record time, grabbed my Mom's meds which was laying on the marble countertop and tucked it safely in my bag. I was ready to head out and be drenched in the rain again when I heard a distant scream.
It was faint that I had to stop and listen to hear it the second time but there was only the deafening silence and the amplified sound of the raging rain outside. I knew I should just leave the house, head straight to my apartment and indulge myself in a hot shower but a curious and inexplicable uneasiness beguile me to look. I found myself starting up the stairs where I was sure the sound came from. The Collins is the only house in this part of Elmsworth Street. In the back of my mind, I was sure I have watched countless of scenes like these in horror movies where some psycho murderer decided to do a killing spree just to satisfy his twisted thinking. Even though I know how ludicrous it was to sneak in a house in the middle of the night, I couldn't seem to stop. That's probably what got those actors killed and what could get me killed too.
A low growl made me stop at the top of the stairs. The whole house was plunged in pitch black as the power went down. My fingers dug in my leather jacket and I waited in bated breath to what would happen next. The Collins didn't own a dog, or do they? I should have known if there was.
The master bedroom was on my right and I tiptoed to it, glad that my boots didn't squeak. What if I'm thinking the worst here and they were just roleplaying Red Riding Hood?. I suddenly straightened and blink, forcing those lurid thoughts out of my mind.
"What in the world am I doing?" I murmured.
I was about to turn away when a loud thud resonated from the room. It was like something heavy hit the floor, like a sack of potatoes was dropped. I was sure Mr. and Mrs. Collins don't store potatoes in their bedroom though. I'm not sure if they even like potatoes at all. I didn't even know them that well and I was working for them for almost half a year now.
The door leading to the master bedroom was cracked open, enough to see but the lack of lighting made it impossible to perceive what was happening in the room. I slowly crouched down and peered through the crack. It took a while longer for my eyes to adjust in the darkness and when it did, I had to cover my lips with my hand when I saw Mrs Collins bloody corpse lying on the carpeted floor. Her neck was twisted and her gray lifeless eyes were wide with horror.
My whole body shook with terror. My eyes move to the other corner of the room, desperate to find Mr Collins. Outside, the heavy downpour of the rain seemed to blanket the grisly murder and as if on cue, lightning flashed from the sky. A bright, white light illuminated the room in one sweep.
This time I finally found Mr Collins. He was on his knees staring up at a man dressed in black clothes. It looked like he was pleading but I couldn't tell for sure. Thunder rumbled in the sky. I held my breath. Everything seemed to stop as I waited. The light faded and the darkness once again concealed what's to happen next.
In the back of my mind, a hushed voice whispered, He's going to die too yet I didn't want to believe it.
Then, when Mr. Collins cried out, my reasoning had gone haywire and I ran.
Of course it didn't turn out like the mad dash I was hoping for. I ended up stumbling over my clumsy self and fell down on my knees. I hastily stood up, cursed my damnable boots and ran to Jonah's bedroom. I ran and ran not bothering to look behind me. It seemed like forever until I reached Jonah's bedroom. I turned the knob, hurriedly pushed the door open expecting a bloody corpse of a 6-year-old boy, only to found Jonah awake and sitting on his bed, hugging his Sponge Bob stuff toy. I quickly bolted the door. My knees turned Jelly O and inevitably gave away under me. I slid on the floor, my hands still trembling, my breath coming in short pants.
They were killed What should I do?. The police, I should call them...
"Honey?" Jonah's voice drifted in my fuzzy brain and I raised my head to look at him. My mouth went dry. His parents were killed and here I was, a scaredy 19-year-old who is his only chance to survive.
Get up Honey! Get up! You can't let someone die again because of you!
With a newfound determination, I pushed off from the ground and took a deep breath
"We need to go." I hissed and ran to open the window. It was not too high and I could manage to jump with Jonah.
Suddenly, an angry growl filled the silence. The lightning flashed again followed by a vicious thunder. The door shook and scratching sounds filled the room. The wood peeled away, chip by chip and I was too stunned to move. Lightning flashed outside and I saw the thing scratching the door away. It was a big dog, vicious - a wolf. I grabbed Jonah and made him looked at me. My heart was beating so fast; I could hardly contain the urge to bolt away.
"Go baby girl, run away, call for help" My father's broken voice rang in my mind and for a second I thought I was living that nightmare again. I shook my head.
"We need to jump and then you will run. Run as far as you can and ask for help." I said. I hoisted Jonah up to the window's ledge and was about to join him when the door in his bedroom came crashing down.
The wolf stepped inside the room, snarling viciously, its golden eyes trained on me. Jonah gripped my leather jacket and tried to pull me closer, but the wolf merely bared its canines and I was frozen in place again. It was large. A rough estimation would tell that its' head is in line with my stomach, and I was a good 5'4. It could rip us away easily.
It remained in the doorway, growling more viciously by the second until the man came in. The wolf stepped aside and stopped growling, but its eyes were still set on us, as if it was waiting to pounce any moment.
The man was tall and his clothes were all black. I could hardly see what he looked like with the way the shadows covered his face but his cerulean blue eyes seemed to light up in the darkness as he regarded me coldly. His gaze casually hovered over Jonah then back at me. I stared back, hoping he couldn't tell that I was too scared to move.
"Arius." His voice came out husky and stern, as if he was reprimanding a child. The muscles at the back of my nape tense up and my heart beat started like scampering rats.
Arius? My eyes darted to the wolf. Is that its name?. I move slightly to conceal Jonah and the man's eyes flickered dangerously while the wolf stalked forward with a low threatening growl.
I know I needed to move fast. I lowered my head and let my hair curtained my face as I tilted to the side a bit. "I'll count to three Jonah and then you will jump." I whispered, my eyes never leaving the man and the wolf.
The wolf growled louder as if it heard what I said. But even if it did, it couldn't have understood what I was saying. The man's eyes flashed faintly with a trace of irritation. His gaze became calculating. I felt like a specimen under a microscope, being probe.
I licked my lips. I needed to do this. I wasn't a hero or anything but this is what's right. I need to protect Jonah.
"One, two..." I curled my hands into fists. "Three!!!" I shouted and hope Jonah did what I say and jump. I readied myself to act as a shield for him, but I doubt it could have prepared me for what happened next. The wolf jumped in the air, twisting slightly and propel forward, aiming for me. It moved too fast I had no time to dodge. Its paws landed on my chest. The force was more than enough to fling me to the other side of the room. My back and head hit the wall. Pain interrupted in my skull. White-hot light flashed before my eyes and I fell in the ground like a rag doll, moaning in pain.
"No!!! Honey!!!" Jonah screamed. The sound was distant and I struggled to open my eyes. But my lids were too heavy I could barely crack them open. Everything was blurry and I couldn't see Jonah anywhere. I hope he jumped or dying won't be worth it.
The wolf came in my line of vision. It growled ferociously and I don't doubt it will pounce any second. I took in a shaky breathe but it was too painful, I ended up wheezing pathetically.
"H-honey?" Jonah's voice was soft and filled with fear and I could hardly hear it.
Damn it. He didn't get away. He will die just like him.
"J-jonah." I rasped, forcing the strength what little of it was left. "Run."
And then, darkness consumed me completely.
Content altered: April 1, 2017 - Jonah's Age