Caught in the Moonlight

Chapter Ten

 Alex swung around quickly and grabbed Beth, smothering her mouth with his hand as she sucked in to scream. He stepped to the side, hiding her, as Josh turned slightly. I stepped slowly into the room as he turned back to the bed. He started chuckling quietly as he stared downwards. I looked around and spotted a Barbie lunch box, made of tin. I quickly grabbed it in one quick, careful movement, remaining soundless as I crept across the floorboards. I was aware of Alex watching me from around the corner of the doorframe and Josh's laughter growing more maniacal by the moment. Once I was within distance, I aimed carefully and swung the box like a bat, landing a hard blow to the back of his head. He fell to the ground, not quite out cold yet. The knife slipped from his hand and I quickly caught it and flung it across the room. 

  I hunched down next to him, punching his face multiple times. I felt his nose crack beneath my fist and his cheekbone fracture. What stopped me was a quiet whimper. Josh, now fully unconscious, was fully passed. I gave him a nice, sturdy kick to his side, the satisfying crunch of his ribs under my toes filling me with pleasure. He rolled over and I finally looked at the actual bed, which had been blocked before. I didn't see Kylie- what I saw was their dog. The husky was laid out over the mattress, several stab wounds lining her exposed flank. Her blue eyes were clear, blank, and open, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth. I heard the whimper again and my head flashed upwards to where Kylie was tied up, mostly under the blankets, with a stretch of duct tape covering her mouth. Tears streamed out of her eyes and she whimpered again. Alex ran in, spotting her at the same moment.

  Beth scampered in after him, kneeling next to Josh as Alex slowly tore off the duct tape. I grabbed the dog, avoiding the blood, and moved it to the wooden floor. I heard a deep intake of breath and audible sobs, turning around to see Alex sitting on the bed with Kylie in his lap. He held her close, rocking her back and forth. Beth seemed in shock as well, leaning against the closet door and crying hysterically. "Are you okay?" I asked, sitting down slowly next to Alex and drawing my hand through Kylie's hair. Her only reply was to sob harder. Aunt V approached the door and gasped, backing against the wall with her hand over her mouth. "James!" She cried, sliding down the wall onto the floor. James rushed into the hallway, embracing Aunt V and trying to comfort her. Alex shed a few tears as well and I did my best to keep calm, taking a deep breath. "Where's a phone?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Downstairs, in the kitchen there's one next to the sink," Aunt V replied in a hushed tone. I followed her instructions and called 911, explaining what happened and where I was. With a promise to be here soon, they hung up the phone.

  I returned to Kylie's room to find Beth gone. "Where'd Beth go?" I spoke clearly, my voice steadier than I expected. "Bathroom," Alex replied quickly, still holding Kylie. I walked down the hallway and heard the sounds of vomiting from in the bathroom. I tried the knob to find the door locked and looked around. A bobby pin rested in the corner, covered in dust but durable. I straightened it out, inserting it into the hole in the door. I turned it a few times and the door made a clicking noise. I quickly turned the knob to see Beth leaning over the toilet, gagging and choking. A cough exploded forcefully out of her throat and I rushed over to her, patting her back and kicking the door closed behind me. Once she stopped choking, she finished puking and closed the toilet lid, falling against the wall. I pulled down the toilet handle and stood, seeing paper cups beside the sink. I filled one up for her and sat down again, handing it to her. 

  "Are you alright?" I asked, rubbing Beth's arm as she sipped the water. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just can't believe what happened. I know it didn't have anything to do with me and I have no good reason to be doing this but I can't help it," Beth's voice turned slightly into a sob towards the end. "You have every right to be upset over this. You are pregnant with his baby, Beth!" I rationalized, trying to make her feel better. "I know and I don't know what to do! I'm against abortion but I don't want my kid to grow up knowing his dad was an abusive murderer and is in jail now!" Beth cried, falling onto my lap, her brown curls slipping down around her. My mind was taken back to Alex- what he'd been through sounded similar. A knock on the door downstairs startled me and I heard someone pull themself off the floor and walk downstairs.