A Quick Venture Into a Mind Unknown to Reality

Within Twelve Minutes

Sometimes it takes time for life to hurdle into a descending mess. Sometimes all it takes is 12 minutes.

Be warned, violence is involved

Artwork: MMMurdock at Deviantart.com
& my sister, Tatiana Berrios

~~~~~

~Minute One~

My steps are wobbly and inconsistent in my drunken state as I step out the cab and slam the door closed. I walk up the cobblestone walkway of my house, the below freezing feel of them on my bare feet going unnoticed with all the alcohol and adrenaline pumping in my blood. Please let everyone be asleep.

~Minute Two~

I put my ear to the door, greeted by the sound of silence. Strange, mom always leaves the T.V. on to let sound drift through the house. I fumble furiously in my handbag for my keys and when I can't find them I reach under the WELCOME carpet. But our extra pair of keys aren't there. Huh?

~Minute Three~

I test my luck as I twist the doorknob and when it clicks, I take a minute to praise the heavens for this gift they've bestowed upon me.

~Minute Four~

I slowly walk in, suddenly feeling grateful I couldn't find my heels within the mess of unconscious bodies and red cups half-full with questionable liquor. Within the darkness , the first thing I see is our grandfather clock. I walk closer and note that it's 3:51 am.

~Minute Five~

I walk down the long hall and smell rusting iron as I round the corner into the living room. The door to my parents room is open a crack, just enough to see the large puddle of what my mind immediately assumes is blood, and my first instinct is to barge inside like a wild animal.

~Minute Six~

I drop to my knees at the sight of my mother slumped over on the floor propped against the wall with a dent on the left side of her frontal lobe. I crawl to the other side of the bed to find my dad sprawled out on the floor with indentations all over his chest. The tears that I failed to notice begin blurring up my vision as I crumble to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

~Minute Seven~

I lay there shaking violently as I sob.

~Minute Eight~

And sob...

~Minute Nine~

And sob...

~Minute Ten~

I regain my composure just as I hear a rustling noise in the kitchen. I jump up, just remembering my little brother, and dart into the kitchen. I find myself following a blood trail leading me to a, once empty, cabinet next to my fridge. I open it and find my brother curled up in a ball taking slow raspy breaths and my composure slips away for a few seconds before I pull him out and try to stop the gushing blood excreting from his stomach.

~Minute Eleven~

I pull off his shirt and wrap it around his stomach to control the bleeding. My ears pick up a sound in the distance of boots and I stop moving completely, holding my breath to further inspect the air for more foreign sounds. Nothing but the constant ticking of the grandfather clock and Joseph's raspy breathing fills the air and I begin to think I'm hallucinating.

~Minute Twelve-

Joseph's eyes open and he smiles when he catches sight of me. "I love you Carrie, so mu..." He trails off just as his smile fades and his eyes stray away from my face. Heavy breathing and a husky laugh take over everything my ears can hear as I feel a cold blade press into my neck. The warmth of my blood and the sound of the clock as it strikes 4 am are the only thing my mind registers before the dark, cold feeling of death consumes me.