Don't You Dare Tell Anyone Mr. Stevens

The Night Death Came

For the first night after the social worker left I had slept in peace. I dreamt of days under willow trees lying in the fields of flowers and nights under the stars sitting in the grass. Everything was sugary sweet. My eyes softly flutter and I realize it is still night time. I had gone to bed so early I was so tired. My window had been open. The air was soft and sweet when it blew and my curtains flew. I sigh and shut my eyes again. What a beautiful night it was sitting in my bed. My mind almost drifts off to dreams of pretty faces and soft lips until suddenly I can't move mine. A hand clamps over my mouth and I begin to scream but the sound never reaches my ears. I'm yanked out of my bed and thrown against the wall too shocked to even scream. Marcus stands breathing in deeply. He seems so furious he looks as if he's ready to release the wrath of hell. With his fist tight eyes wide hair messy and jaw tense he looks at me. He very slowly and carefully brings up a finger to point. I sit there against the wall and just watch. My body feels frozen.
"Who was here today?" he asks and I look at him like he's crazy.
"What are you talking about" I say unable to raise my voice past a whisper.
"Don't you lie to me!" he shouts and just stands in his place.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I shout back and rise to my feet.
"DO you mind some people actually like sleeping in the night!" I snap and his black eyes widen.
"What did you say to me?" he asks and its a scary calm. I clamp my mouth shut. He grows closer and with every pinching inch he grows closer I want to throw up.
"Say it again!" he shouts.
"No!" I shout back and he stops dead in his tracks. "I said no! Leave me alone and get out of my room!" I say.
He tilts his head "You know I'm getting a little sick and tired of the lack of respect you have for your father little girl" he says and I swallow hard.
"You are not my father" I manage to choke out and aim for the door of my bedroom.
My eyes fly wide open and I grab unto the door frame when he pulls me back. I open my mouth up to scream but he covers it and tosses me on the floor.
"You've forced me hand" he says and pulls out a hand knife. His hand smelled of whiskey and cocaine. I know because once Ben almost put some in his mouth when he left it lying around. I kick his leg and run out the door.
"Mom!" I scream. I'm running so fast I slide on the marble floors and bang into the hallway walls. The house is dark and the only light is cast by the moon through the windows.
"Ben!" I scream. Mom comes flying out of her room.
"What's wrong?" she asks. I grab her and hide behind her. For the first time in my life I actually desire for her to make me feel safe.
"Control your husband!" I shout. Ben comes out of his room rubbing his eyes. He had his Thomas and Friends slippers on and teddy bear in hand.
"What's wrong?" he asks and I yank his arm.
"We're going" I say and rush down the stairs. I don't care if I have to run bare foot. I'm leaving and I'm never coming back. That's it.
"Honey what's wrong?" Mom asks and I look up. Marcus still has his knife in his hand and mom reaches for it.
"Let go!" he screams. He punches her. She trips and takes to many steps. She falls and bangs her head on the corner of the hallway table and falls blood streaming down your face.
"Ben go" I say and push him down the rest of the stairs. When my body pounds on the front door something miraculous happens. It won't open. I look at it. Its nailed. I look at the windows. Nailed. I run to the kitchen. The patio door nailed. The sliding doors nailed. Everything nailed. We're trapped.
"Ben run" I say and I can hear Marcus coming up behind us. I think I have to think quickly. I look to the side and elbow the window in the hallway. My arm throbs and I wince. The windows aren't glass.
Marcus grabs my hair. "Ben run!" I shout and I feel my arm being cut.
"Maybe this way you'll remember not to disobey me!" Marcus screams and I shriek with pain. This isn't a pocket knife. Its a huge kitchen knife like the on'es you see Michael Myers use. This man is going to kill me. The blood trickles down my arm unto my shirt and splatters on the floor. I elbow him and the face and he releases me. I run but slip on my blood and fall to me knees. I crawl turning the corner and Ben stands there watching over me.
"Let's go" I say and grab him. Where can I go? Is there anywhere I can go? I run down along corridor where the wall is made of glass. The it hits me. Glass. Marcus replaced all the windows but not the walls of glass. I couldn't possibly penetrate through this wall it would be a waste. But the pool. It's attached to the house the room its in. The roof and three walls are made of thin glass because it resembles that of a greenhouse.
When I run through the french doors that lead to the greenhouse where the pool is the room is warm. It smells of chlorine. The moonlight reflecting off the water turns the room a beautiful blue almost turquoise. I have to get up high. High enough. I lock the doors behind me and I see his shadow approaching turning the corner.
"Ben go up those stairs now and wait for me" I say and yank open the closet doors. Attached to the wall is a long balcony where mom would sit and watch us when we were little it over saw the entire pool area. The iron gates were glazed bronze and curled at every turn. Ben looks at me.
"What about you?" he asks and I snap.
"Just do it Ben!" I shout and scour the closet. I yank out the tree metal bats. Those stairs are close to the glass ceiling. If I throw these high enough with the right amount of force the glass will break. If I do it on the side walls I'll get electrocuted. Mom always had this thing with intruders so she put the side glass walls to be electrocuted. All except the ceiling. Marcus bangs on the doors. He's bloody. Probably my blood. I reach for the stairs but arm begins to hurt and I become weak. he cut me. it was too long and too deep. I'll die of blood lose if we don't get out of here. Phone! The phone. I put the bats on the ground and run across the room for the phone. I can't believe I forgot. I dial 911. The line isn't dead! Thank God!
"This is 911 what's your emergency?" they ask and I'm so relieved and so filled with fear I scream my words.
"You have to help me! My father's trying to kill me! He knocked out my mother and my brother and I can't get out the house he nailed everything shut!" I shout. Ben screams.
"Tess!" he shouts and I look over.
"Sweetie where are? What's your address?" she asks. Marcus is easily breaking the glass of the french doors.
"No! Leave him alone!" I shout and want to run from the phone. I can't.
"Listen to me we are tracking you. The police are on their way hold-" and then the line goes dead. Marcus breaks the doors down and yanks out the extension cord. My heart falls. I run for Ben but he runs faster. I reach the stairs and he cuts at my leg. I grab the metal bat in swing. He screams in pain when I hit him dead in the chest. I run up the stairs and fall to my knees. The cuts they sting and the blood loss is slowly getting to me. Ben runs over to me and wraps his arms around my neck. I pick him and run across the balcony. I have to put him down. i drop the bats and the clang when they hit the floor.
"Ben hold this and swing if he comes at you. Do you understand me?" I instruct when handing him a bat. he nods. I grab a bat and with all the force I have yet throw it to the ceiling. It hits. Thank God. All it does is crack. Dammit. Marcus runs up the stairs. I am going to die right here right now. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm ready to give up when I look at Ben. His eyes are firm and set like mine. He grips the bat ready to strike. He looks strong. The way I am when I'm fighting. Then i realize I have to do this. If not for me for him. To save him. Marcus reaches the top of the stairs and I grab the bat and fling it. When it hits the glass the room vibrates.
Pieces of the ceiling shatter, the glass falling to the ground. I shield my face as slowly piece by piece the glass breaks away and the electricity sparks like blue fire. I grab Ben's arm. What do I do now? Marcus is in the way of the only way out. Marcus runs and I don't know what to do. i'm trapped I'm lost I'm dead. I hear sirens. Faint, hectic, crazy, in the distance but I hear them. I still hear them. I'm going to make it. I might actually make it. Before I grasp another thought Marcus charges. Ben with all his might, to my surprise throws the bat and it goes flying in the air. It hits Marcus in between the eyes and he falls knocked out cold. i shout because I have to do. I bend down and look at Ben.
"You did that?" I ask and he shrugs.
"You said to swing" he says. I laugh. its faint but I laugh. I wrap my arms around him and tightly and squeeze until I can't anymore.
"God I love you Ben" I say and he wraps his hands around my hair.
"I love you too Tess" he says and I pull away.
"Ben we have to go" I say and take his hand. We slowly grow close to Marcus. I look down at Ben. His face was soft but alive with fire. He had the courage to do something I could never do. Fight back. Really and truly fight back.
"You need to climb over his body alright?" I say. Ben nods and slowly steps over Marcus's arm as there is no other way out. He reaches the other side and I sigh of relief. Marcus didn't even flinch. I step over and hold my breath. Nothing happens. I step over again and breathe deeply when i realize I've finally escaped. Ben's fingers lock with mine and I smile at him. "Let's go" I say and he nods.
I take my first 3 steps of freedom and it feels amazing. Until a hand wraps around my ankle pulling my body right out from under me. I fall flat on the ground. Not even my knees the ground and my heart hurts. Ben stops and looks at me.
"Yess!" he shouts.
"Ben run!" I scream. I roll over and Marcus wraps his hand around my neck. I kick and scratch as much as I can but its no use. It doesn't work.
"Get off my sister!" Ben shouts and jumps on top of Marcus. I roll over coughing for air and glass shards scrape and Pierce my sides. Marcus stands and so do I. Ben is on his back and my vision is blotchy but I do see this. I see when Marcus grabs Ben and throws him. Throws him right down the stairs and the only thing I hear is a thump. My heart stops.
"Ben!" I cry.
"See what you've made me done?" Marcus growls. I stand at a loss for air and I all I do is cry. Marcus stands in front of the railing and I lose it as I hear the sirens grow closer. He's taken everything from me. My friends, my chance at a normal life, my family. He took Ben. I reach for the knife in hold it in my hands. He laughs.
"What are you doing with that little girl?" he teases "You'll cut yourself"
I snap and scream. I run towards him and shove it right in his stomach. I stand there in horror of realization of what I've just done. I twist the knife and he can barely get out a scream. The color escapes his face and he clutches my hands around the knife.
"You are not my father" I hiss "Let those be the last words you hear" I say. I run pushing his body a few steps further. He falls right over and lands on the cement. I watch as the blood trickles from his body. The sirens are close I see their lights outside. I mope down the stairs like a lifeless ghost. I hear them yelling but I don't care. Police or no police I don't care. I fall the the ground and look up and see Ben. I manage to crawl to his body with my bloody hair smeared to my face. I let my cry and whimper as I hear them breaking the doors down to the house.
"Ben" I whisper and pull his face unto my lap. I wipe his face clear of blood and his chest doesn't rise and fall the way it did when he had slept. His eyes didn't flutter.
"Ben" I whimper. I hear them running down the corridor. I wrap my arms around him and cry. I cry and ask God why? Why him? Why Ben? Why my little angel? I look to the sky but realize its too much and squeeze them shut feeling the itch on my skin as the tears come down harder.
"Ben!" I scream and bury my face in his shoulder letting my tears soak his robe.
"Police!" a deep hoarse voice shouts.
"Tess" Detective Jones says softly. She puts her gun away and kneels down beside me.
"I couldn't! I did everything and he's gone!" I scream and run my hands through his hair. Slowly my arms fall limp and my head falls back.
"I need a paramedic!" Jones's shouts. She grabs me.
"Tess stay with me" she says. I look at her face until everything goes blank.