Before Your Eyes

When Family Comes Together

Warm was the sun bathed day. Burning sensations ran amuck in the kitchen as steam slipped out the windows. The bitter winds were scarce This Sunday morning. George had been outside decapitating the trunks for the blaze. His wife had been cooking a grand feast. Diego had been put to use and started to lay the table. I too found a way to usefully occupy the passing hours. Under prior advice from George, I sat in his study managing my way around his computer. Filled to the brim with Ebay tabs, I chose not to remove a single one in case of its importance. He had left a single window for me which read 'Looking for Hire in London'. I believed that I was under qualified for most jobs I scrolled through, however not many of them took my interest. But then that's where I found it. A dream of days gone by. A distant forgotten memory. 'JOURNALIST WANTED!' It called to me. I accepted this beckoning and sent off a request.

My ears pricked to the change in my surrounding sounds. A mechanical roar powered from outside the window. I quickly pushed myself to the pane and stared down at the collection of beasts in the drive. Faces began to sprout out, all of which were familiar to George as he marched up towards them. Reds, Blues and Silversparaded on the drive and across the road. Yet there was one out of place. One solitary black laid barren. Everyone had been slowly sieving themselves through the door with friendly faces. My eyes patrolled back to the shadow grown on the side of the street. Someone was reluctant to leave their shrouds of steel and there they just sat for a while. I was summoned downstairs. My head turned back quickly to the window to see a newly locked car and a mass slithering towards the house. I quickly shuffled myself down the stairs where the boy had been raised by George's shoulders where they greeted the guests. Each held to their own and stole a seat around the grand table. George sat at the head with his wife adjacent. I and the boy sat next to one another somewhat in the middle of the table. Every seat was filled apart from the one opposite me. It sat there on its own, collecting dust. Layer upon Layer. Neglected. Left behind.

People began to help themselves to food and for such a large communion, rather tidily. However this delight was disrupted by Diego. I held his shoulder firm and shook my head to which he then picked up a knife and fork. The room had been filled with some sort of noise until one point. A point of which made my spine chill. My blood froze as I turned my head. The chair opposite was occupied. I knew the face before my eyes all too well. I saw it in my nightmares, and dreamt of life without it. "Julius! I thought you said you couldn't join us?" George's voice shot through the room to a dying response. "The chairmen decided for me to have a break, that's all father." He hissed, making my heart tremble. He lifted up his head to say a further few words but stopped. We locked eyes with one another. He was the doctor of the operation theatre. The director of agony. He squinted and his head prowled forward. I was done for he knew it. My new hair couldn't easily shake off his threat. I reached down and grabbed Diego's hand. He too then looked at my face of fear and turned to see the matter. His hand turned to brittle winter. "Father? Who are these fine people?" Snarling like a stray dog, He kept his eyes impaling to mine. "This Julius is Becky and John! They have been staying here for the past few months!" His deceit was notable, but a flaw hindered to his left. "Why would you tell him that George! That's Lilia and Diego, Julius. They have been here for the last week or so!" Her words though she knew not the cost. Had our heads as its consequence. His hands pounced from the table trying to clutch us with them. We quickly shot away from the room and out the door. He ran around the table after us. He knew we had nowhere to go. George leaped from his chair and tackled his son. Like a Python and a Lion, The two struggled against one another. George was overpowered and Julius continued his pursuit. We burst through the front door with Julius closely on our heels.

Through streets and alleyways, none of which I knew where'd they take us. Hoping for me to wake up any second after the next. I never looked back. The boy too was painted in terror of what was to come to us if we were to be caught. The sun had been cloaked by the clouds. No light passed through to reach down for us. Salvation was futile, I thought to myself as we approached a wall. A dead end. Nowhere left to run. Tears fell but were covered by the rain around us. Julius slowly crept toward us. Each step ringing closer to our end. I held Diego close for what I believed to be the last time. I whispered to him, through the fall of tears.

"I'm sorry."

He held me tighter with each thud of feet until the thuds stopped. He was looming above us now. Marking our death certificates. But then it arose. Among the crashes of rainfall, the roars from the King of the pride. George swung his weight onto the doctor. The doctor was engulfed in fury as he hailed down on the mighty Lion. Strike after strike they kept at it. We moved around them, but waited for George's safety. George was on top of him holding him down. He yelled to us to go to his red truck on the side of the road and leave. I couldn't move, the boy tugged at my hand not wanting to watch the bloodsport. We were both too distracted to have noticed The Snakes sly move. He had dislodged a brick from the pathway sending it crashing to the side of George's head. The boy looked away and held my leg in search of comfort but I was frozen. George was struggling to get to his feet but with one last mighty roar, he shouted "Go!" That is the last words we heard him say. Without hesitation, The doctor kicked him over and with the brick still in hand, choked the remaining life from the King of this falling jungle. We ran to the street where the truck had been waiting for us. I turned on the engine and we were ready to leave. I bowed my head. I couldn't do it. I couldn't deal with my guilt. I had left George there to succumb to the venom. The boy screamed to leave and for him I quickly snapped out of it. I knew it would later come back to haunt me but for now, I had to drive. I saw the doctor leave the alley with blood on his hands and dripping from his forehead. My veins were filled. Overflowing with envy. I would avenge the pride for what they had lost. I slammed my foot on the pedal sending the car crashing into the doctor. I reversed and the doctor still squirmed up to his feet. In the middle of the road, he continued to approach. I shifted gears and at the fastest speed I could go, rammed through his bones making them shatter to dust. We just kept driving, leaving the bodies there. We carried on forward following signs to London. Not a word was spoken for the rest of that night. The radio was silent, the rain fell quiet and the boy's whispers had come to a halt.