Something in the Dark

It was a straight shot to the front door and I decided not to waste time with the driveway. I slowed slightly for the curb, jumping it and smashing some expensive bushes in front of Shannon’s house. Tearing across the grass, the jeep left a path of ruined landscape and smashed sprinkler heads. I braked at the last possible moment, sliding across the damp, manicured lawn to a final stop, just a few feet from the front door. If I was wrong about all this, I was going to have a lot of explaining to do, probably from a jail cell. I leapt from the jeep before it had completely stopped, and thought I heard a woman’s scream. Running to the door, I awkwardly collided with it even as I fumbled with the knob. It was locked. My fist pulled back instinctively to pound the heavy wood, as if knocking would really do any good. A definite and urgent cry for help rang from the house. My arm stopped in mid swing and I took a long step back. Aiming at a spot adjacent to the doorknob, I kicked with everything I had, putting my full weight into the blow. The door shuddered, but it held. I knew the deadbolt must be locked too. Preparing myself for a second attempt, another scream pierced the air, sending a shot of adrenaline through me. I gritted my teeth and when my foot hit the door, it did so with every ounce of weight and all the body strength I possessed. This time the impact was followed by loud cracking sounds as wood splintered and the entrance gave way. At the same time, intense pain shot through my knee and up my right leg. I tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the sight in front of me as the door swung open. Gerald was sprawled out on the sofa, a pillow obscuring his face. His arms and legs were flailing in distress. A tall, thin man in a dark suit was bent over him, pushing the pillow with both hands. His head turned my way, staring at me with piercing, dark eyes. My sister was riding his back, her legs wrapped around his waist. Shannon had one arm around the man’s throat and one hand pulling a mass of jet-black hair. She was cussing up a storm, and only glanced my way, as if she didn’t dare lose any concentration on the task at hand. The man from Chicago seemed to be treating her the same way, with total indifference. My first step toward them caused me to cry out as I carelessly put my full weight on the damaged leg. Fortunately, I only need a few steps to reach them and when I did, I launched myself with as much velocity as possible off the lone good leg. The mysterious intruder turned to intercept me just as I speared him in the ribs, knocking him over the sofa, screaming sister and all. For a moment there was an urge to check on Gerald, but I heard him gasp and choke. That meant he was breathing and Shannon was in greater danger, so I continued over the sofa after the dark haired man. I was stunned when his head popped up to meet me at eye level, especially since Shannon was still glued to his back, her arm tenaciously locked around his throat. Regardless of the extra burden, he had already risen to his knees and for a brief moment we nose to nose, eye to eye. We exchanged stares, and his was changing. In that moment, I was looking into the eyes of a hungry shark. They were large, cold orbs, with a solid black color devoid of normal human characteristics. I had seen eyes like this before, in my first dream. I reared my head back and shot it forward, smashing it into the bridge of his nose. He let out a yelp as his head snapped back, aided by Shannon’s lasso hold on this throat. As the head came back toward me, I met his face with my right fist. He crumpled to the floor but again surprised me, practically leaping to his feet even though Shannon was still attached. He must have decided she had to go if he was going to deal with me and finish off Gerald. He easily pried her arm away from his throat and pulled her off his back, throwing her almost ten feet away. She landed with a thud and a gasp, but it didn’t look like she had hit in a way that would break anything or seriously injure her. While Gerald choked and Shannon moaned, I raised myself off the sofa and took a wrestler’s stance as my adversary rounded the furniture to have at me. A long, lanky arm shot out faster than I could anticipate. Feeling his grip close on my throat, I hit him as hard as I could in the gut. He only paused slightly, looking angrier and lifting my entire body into the air with that one arm, strangling me in the process. Quite a feat for a man that weighed at least 20 pounds less than I did. I hung there kicking, trying to break his hold and inhale as much air as my constricted windpipe could squeeze through. With my good leg, I felt anxiously for something solid under me. Finding the coffee table, I was able to plant my foot there and gain some leverage. It was enough to pry his hand away from my throat, using both of my hands. As I did so, he pulled his other arm back, a clenched fist zeroing in on my head. The sound of a dull thud rang out as he recoiled, releasing his grip on me. Falling sideways onto the sofa, Gerald cried out as I landed on his legs. At least that meant he was breathing. I was struggling to gulp air myself, replenishing the oxygen that had been absent. Looking up, I saw the dark haired man had his head bent low and was holding the back of it with one hand. There was blood on his wrist, dripping onto his silk shirt and suit jacket. The attacker turned to see what had hit him and as he moved I was able to see Mom rearing back for another swing of the fireplace poker. She didn’t hesitate a moment, letting out a groan as the sharp poker came arcing towards him again. This time he turned, and his free hand simply caught the weapon in mid flight. He made it look unbelievably easy, as he did by removing the poker from Mom with one hard jerk. She stood there wide-eyed and winded, not knowing what to do next. He didn’t have that problem. His arm drew back the ominous looking poker for a retaliation blow.