Assassinated: The Lost City

Thieves In The Night

Middleton

I woke up gasping for breath. My shirt was soaked in sweat and I felt my heart slamming my chest. My legs were tangled in the soft cotton blanket and I clutched it tightly, willing for comfort. The nightmare was terrible. Only it wasn't. It was a hundred per cent real.

Two days earlier....

Mum and dad had dressed up elegantly for the charity dinner they were attending that night. I was supposed to be babysat by my aunt but she had important errands. So they eventually trusted me enough to leave me alone. I sauntered at the doorway, waving to my parents all buckled up in the Accord. I closed the door behind me and locked it. Hmm, what to do now? I called up Diana to see if she would maybe Skype me to keep me company but she didn't answer. I tried with Heather too and well, the same happened. I danced my way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to eat some leftover meatloaf. It was scrumptious and I ate it while enjoying my favourite show, The Flash. After entertaining myself I decided to go to sleep. I switched off all the lights and climbed up the creaky wooden stairs. Dad had to fix these stupid stairs but he had said, "Think about it. If someone had broken into the house, we would hear them entering." Typical, optimistic dad.

A few hours later.....

My eyelids opened and I apprehensively arose. I thought I heard someone scream. On second thought, it could be me still in my sleeping mode. I was just about to place my head on the pillow when another shrilling scream sent shivers up my spine. I was bone chilled. I saw through the window and spotted my neighbour's house. The lights were off but I could see shadows moving about in their house. I rubbed my eyes. God, is something weird going on or am I going crazy? I was about to grab my phone when the lights came on again. I froze and my body became watchful. I scanned the house and saw no movement. Then, I glimpsed shadows moving quickly out of the shrubs nearby. I watched them run as my breathing became rapid. It was a burglary. I immediately called the police and in ten minutes I heard sirens wailing from a distance.

The police always had to come when everything was over. Why the freaking hell then would someone seek protection under them? And then I shut myself. You called them later. I had a self-to-self conversation that wasn't doing any good to calm my nerves. I knew that sooner or later the police would come to do some questioning so I called mum's cell. She picked up and I told her everything that happened. She was silent and I could feel her go tense.

"Don't go anywhere. We're leaving now. Lock all the doors and windows and stay safe. If the police knock at your door, watch them from the window first."

"Sure. I'm so scared I wouldn't even-" The line went dead. Mum actually hung up on me. "...Go to the bathroom." I finished to myself in a whisper.

"Did you see anyone entering the house?" The detective asked. The police had eventually arrived and had launched into a series of interrogation questions. He was a tall and broad-shouldered man in a heavy leather jacket. But obviously, every other male around me would be taller because I was petite. He had these eccentric hazel eyes that would stare into your eyes intensely when he interrogated you. Almost as if he knew the look in his eyes would keep you on edge and would pressure you to confess the truth.

"I didn't see them entering. I saw some of them running out. But I heard screams. The kinds of scream that make you shudder." The last part came out in a whisper. Dad, as usual, was pacing up and down the living room frantically with his arms crossed on his chest. Mum was sitting on the couch with her head bent. I felt a wave of guilt as I saw the detective jotting down very short notes. If it was up to me, I don't think I would even jot down any of these things. I was feeling useless because I was the nearest eyewitness yet nothing I saw or heard could boost the case. "Detective, I'm sorry if I'm not much of a help but that is everything I saw and heard."