The Family Origin

Chapter Fifty-Eight: MAISIE POV

 I was in the kitchen cutting vegetables for dinner and humming to myself when I heard the banging. The unexpected sound made me jump. It was like someone was pounding their fist against the door in a desperate attempt to get my attention. My eyes widened and my grip tightened on the knife.

Miles and Joseph both have keys. Who was this? Who was trying to break into our home? Why did they want inside? Horrible memories of the drunken intruder breaking into our home and murdering Clara ran through my mind.

"Open the door!" an unknown male voice screamed. "Please! Open the door!"

My stomach twisted into a tight knot. Looking over my shoulder, I could see the small crib Miles had brought into the kitchen so I could watch Jasper while cooking dinner. Jasper began fussing while the man continued to pound on the door. He threw his tiny fists into the air as he made soft noises.

"Please!" the man screamed. "They killed my wife! Please! They are going to kill me! You need to open this door!"

I chewed on my lip as I took a step away from the counter. My knees were shaky, and nausea was building in my stomach. The man continued to scream and bang on the door. His voice was filled with a mixture of fear, anger, and panic.

His wife was killed? Did Miles kill her? Were they threatening our family? Miles had been killing the people that hurt us. He wanted to keep us safe. If he was trying to kill this man, he definitely could not come into our home.

There were three loud but spaced-out bangs like this man was throwing his shoulder into the door.

How strong was the lock? Would this man be able to break down the door? What would he do once he got inside? Would he hurt Jasper? I could not lose another child. Where was Miles?

I glanced down to see the kitchen knife was in my white-knuckled grip. If this man came inside, would I be able to defend myself? I had never hurt anyone before. When the intruder came into our home, I tried pulling him off Clara but he sliced open my arm. Would I be capable of killing someone?

The pounding on the door stopped, and I took in a sharp breath. Did he finally leave us alone? Had Miles finally come to protect us?

The unknown man appeared in the kitchen window. His eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped when he saw me. His clothes were clean, and he did not look like a drunken intruder. He balled his fist and pounded against the side of the house. The glass of the window rattled. I took another shaky breath. Why would he no longer go away?

"Open the door!" he screamed. The fear in his voice had mostly washed away and was replaced with anger. "What is wrong with you? Why won't you let me in? Let me in!"

I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat. I took another shaky step back toward Jasper. This man could not come inside. I could not let him near my baby.

"Go away," I said, hating how my voice cracked. "Leave us alone."

"They are going to kill me!" he screamed. "What do you not understand? Let me inside!"

I violently shook my head from side to side, unable to speak. His brows furrowed in rage when he realized I was not letting him inside. He screamed a few curse words at me, and I took another step back. There was a high-pitched cry, and I looked over at Jasper. His fussing turned into his own set of screams. I rushed over and picked him up from the small crib. His weight felt awkward in my arms because I kept the knife in my hand. Would I have to use it? Where was Miles?

The man punched the window, and I watched cracks form in the glass. With each punch, more cracks formed until it shattered. I screamed as I watched the shards of glass rain into the kitchen. The man used the sleeve of his jacket to break the remaining pieces of glass in the window pane.