Silhouette (Part One)

Prologue

My labored breathing sounded like thunder in the silent room, with my heartbeat right behind. The soft bed against my back couldn't protect me, no one could. The man stalking through the house with the knife won't let me go. All I can do is hide, and hope he doesn't find me. Now tears find their way out of my eyes, where I had been trying to hide them.

Why did he need to kill them? He didn't need to kill them, he wanted to. What does that accomplish? Nothing. I moved to wipe the tears when I saw my hands. Covered in crimson gloves, I stopped before they reached my face. The last words mommy had said to me. Run. Hide. Don't. Get. Caught. Her last breath heaved the pool of blood around her body, expanding it to reach me. The light of laughter and love always there shining in my mommy's eyes, faded and died. Dropping her head from my lap, I got up and ran.

Ran for the only place I felt safe. My room. Thinking about it now, I should have ran away from the house, but outside, I didn't feel safe. The soft sheets behind me provided a temporary comfort, until I heard a creak outside my bedroom door. My heart picked up speed, and the tears kept coming. They wouldn't stop, but I can't make a noise. Otherwise he'll find me.

"Oh little boy." His gruff voice echoed through the house and through the door he was standing behind. I had locked it, but I doubted it would keep him out. Instead of waiting to see him, I crawled under the bed and tried to calm down. Tried to stop the deafening thump of my heart. Tried to stop the river flowing from my eyes for my family.

He killed my father first, then stabbed my mother and let her bleed. My older sister never stood a chance. And now, I'm next. Oldest to youngest. How such cruelty could exist was beyond me, but I had a taste today. And I hated it. Hated him. Hated the man who paid this man banging on my door to kill. If I live; I will find that man, and he will never live to hurt anyone else.

My hate was interrupted by my door crashing to the floor, making me jump. Splinters spun into view as the door crashed out of sight, into my bookshelf. Heavy boots scuffed across the hard carpet my bloody hands are currently leaving prints in.

"My my, aren't you the sneaky one. If I didn't know better you could be a mouse." He stepped around the bed trying to figure out where I went. "If you give yourself up I promise I'll make it fast. All the pain and misery you are feeling will go away."

He stopped in front of my small crimson hand prints. Oh no. Hand prints. I led him right to me. A tan hand hit the floor followed by a large ugly tan face, with large brown eyes set behind a crooked nose. Paralyzed, I didn't fight the hand that snaked under and yanked me out. His eyes seemed to mesmerize me, I couldn't fight. So this is the end.

"Since you were so kind as to leave me a trail of breadcrumbs, I promise it'll be quick." He brought a large, flat, wicked looking black knife, covered in blood, into view and heaved me up with one hand by the neck. My throat was covered by his rough hand as he pressed the knife to the area above it along my jaw. Stars began to swim across my vision from the lack of air. This is the end. I failed. He found me, and now I am dead.

My eyes were locked on his as he hesitated. What? You can't kill me? You already killed my family. Why can't you kill me?

Then the side of his head exploded, mixing the baby blue walls of my bedroom with red polka dots and bits of brain. His grip failed, and I fell to the floor with his body. A crimson circle soaked into the carpet, wringing the remainder of his head in a bloody halo. His lifeless brown eyes stared at me with no one behind them. Footsteps approached from behind, as I stared back at the unseeing eyes in shock, not understanding how it happened.

A pair of hands gripped my sides and hefted me over its shoulder. My brain shut down. I didn't think about anything and barely noticed a soft male voice speak to me as we left the house of slaughter that used to be my home. Blurred images of a car ride and a hotel room followed close behind. My savior sat me down on one of the large beds and brought his eyes to mine.

The crystal blue eyes that stared into mine were hard as crystal itself. They stared into my soul, then softened. The moment of weakness revealed pain and anger and hate. And death. Mostly death. "You're safe now. I'm not going to hurt you." A sweet smell invaded my nose, clearing the stench of death from my mind. "Drink this. It will help you sleep." His hard hands pressed a warm cup into my hands. Reluctantly accepting it, I looked into the creamy caramel colored liquid sloshing around the white confines of the mug. The sweet Cider wafted into my nose, making me forget. Forget the pain. Forget the anger. Forget the anger.

The hot liquid passed between my lips and warmed me as I drank. Warmed me down to my toes, and into my soul. Mommy used to make me warm cider on cold days. Mommy. Mommy? Mommy is dead. She isn't here for me anymore. My eyes started to get heavy. The warmth lingered, but the pain also returned. Heavy eyes leaking hot tears. The warm embrace of sleep enveloped me within minutes. I forgot about the pain. The death. The anger. The hate. The revenge I wanted. But I could never forget. Never forgive. I would never be the same. Never.