April

26

Jared's POV

I dropped April off a while ago and headed home. The drive was quiet, except for the music blasting on the radio, and I missed her french vanilla and strawberry scent.

I drove into the familiar neighborhood and parked in the driveway of my house. I got out of the car and walked inside the house.

"Mom?!" I yelled but no answer.

I was puzzled by the grave silence in the house and yelled again

"Mom? Where are you?"

No answer.

I was starting to get worried and frantically searched for her everywhere. In her room, the kitchen, the bathroom, behind the couch, under the pillows.........wait, what?

"Mamá?"

I was hyperventilating now and I tried to calm myself. I took deep breaths and it worked a bit.

The thought of going outside to check for her kept nagging me at the back of my head. I walked out of the house and turned the corner toward the backyard and there she was.

She was digging out weeds from the flower bed. She had a ear muff over her head and she was humming to a song she used to sing to me as a kid.

Fly me to the moon....
Let me dance among the stars,
Let me see what spring is like on......
Jupiter and mars........

I hummed along with her, getting lost in the music, and danced around. She finally acknowledged my presence and got up from the ground. She hugged me, careful not to stain my shirt, and pulled away and kissed my forehead.

"How are you, Jared?" She said with that beautiful accent.

I smiled at her. "I'm fine mamá, what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, just taking care of my flowers. The weeds were growing everywhere and it was a true eyesore" she said and continued weeding.

"If you're hungry, I made shawarmas, take as many as you want" she said and continued humming the song.

My eyes went wide in excitement and I ran into the house. I opened the fridge and a smile spread across my face. On a plate in the fridge were six shawarmas. I took two and grabbed a coke. I microwaved it and when it was done, I removed the wrapping paper and gobbled it down.

~~

I jolted out of bed when I heard glass breaking. I bolted out of my room and into the living room where I saw something I was not expecting.

"Dad?"

"Well hello there Jared" he smiled at me. It wasn't a pleasing smile but the kind that can give you chills down your spine.

"What do you want?" I crossed my arms.

"I want my wife and money back, stat"

"In your dirty, ugly dreams"

My eyes were filled with rage while his just watched me with........................amusement?

A little smirk played at his lips and I couldn't help but frown.

"What?" I seethed.

"You just don't get it Jared, do you? Did you think I would come here and ASK for my belongings. I came to take it whether you like it or not" his smile widened and he signaled over at something.

I looked to my side to see a large man, larger than me, holding my mom hostage. A knife was held to her throat and she whimpered as tears fell from her brown eyes.

I was shaking from anger and I looked at my father.

"Now Jared, just give me the money and I'll be outta your hair forever, or else, you won't ever see mommy again"

But I had already spent the money. I couldn't let them kill mom, no, I won't. I had a plan.

"It's in my room, lemme go get it"

"Nuh uh. I'mma go with you, so you don't pull a fast one"

I shrugged and he followed me to my room.

"Nice room you have here"

I didn't answer him, but kept walking to my wardrobe, where I kept my gun.

"Where's the money, Jared?" He asked.

"In the wardrobe"

I brought down the briefcase where I kept the remaining money. I handed it to him and he took it, placing it on the bed and opening it, his back turned to me.

Never turn your back on the enemy.

I quickly grabbed the gun and stuffed it in the waistband of my jeans and used my shirt to cover it.

He walked out of the room and into the living room.

Mom had stopped crying and her head hung low. Her eyes were closed and I glared at the man holding her.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MOTHER!!?" I screamed.

I was about to lunge at the man when dad held me back.
"You don't want to accidentally kill your mom, do you?" He said

"And by the way, I only knocked her out. Her sobs were annoying. Don't be a baby about it" the other man said. I scowled at him and looked at dad.

He looked at me, then at mom, then back at me. A dangerous smile spread across his face and my eyes widened in fear.

"Kill her"

Without hesitation, I grabbed the gun and shot the man in the head. His dead eyes stared at me for a while before his body dropped to the floor, the knife grazing mom's neck slightly.

Blood dribbled from her neck and she fell to the ground too.

I pointed the gun at my father as his amused eyes now turned into a scared one.

"You wouldn't really kill your father right?"

"Should we find out?"

I kept the gun pointed at his head when I heard police sirens. My door bursted open and before I knew it, dad was being handcuffed.

"I was just....." He was cut off by Liam.

"Anything you say or do now will be used against you in the court of law"

Dad kept quiet and was put in the police car and driven away.

I picked mom off the ground and cleaned her neck wound and placed her in her room on the bed.

The dead body of that man was taken out of the house and all that was left was a pool of crimson.

Guess I'm cleaning that up