My Neighbor

Regret?

Rage fills his face. He pulls up my shoulders and slams me down on the ground again. My entire back screams in pain. "Dustin... wait! I didn't..." He is already dragging me out of the room. We go to the kitchen and he lets go of me. He goes off to get something.

I scramble to my feet and run to the nearest door. It's a bathroom. I lock it and look around. There is one window towards the back. I try to open it. It's locked. I run back to the medicine cabinet by the door. I shuffle through it and find nothing to break the window with. The door is being banged on. It suddenly cracks and opens up to reveal an even more pissed Dustin.

He grabs my hair and pulls me down the hall, through the kitchen, and into his garage. He then ties my hands behind my back with wire and pushes me to the floor. The wire cuts deep into my wrists. Tears weld in my eyes. I hear the door slam and look up. His parents are still looking at a wall, just above my head. At least it's not at me.

I slide my back up a wall to get to my feet. I feel a pinch of pain in my right arm, a stray nail must have been jutting out. I can feel a trickle of blood running down my arm. I walk around and look at the objects along the tables. There are some surgical tools, a lot of things you would find at a dentists office, and more than anything; knives. The door opens again. Dustin walks over to a table and grabs a knife, then turns toward me.

"Dustin, please don't do anything. You know I didn't mean it..." A sinister grin forms on his face. "Dustin..." I back away as he walks closer to me. I hit a wall and he keeps coming closer. He is now less than a foot away. "Please..." I beg as a last resort. "Don't hurt me."

"Why not? So you can call me crazy again? Call me the bad guy? You have no idea the kindness I have offered, you ungrateful bitch!" he screams. He takes the knife and cuts deep in my arm. I cry out in pain.

"Dustin, stop, please!" I shout. He just keeps making deep cuts in my arm. "Will you just look at yourself!" He stops, and looks down at his hand holding the knife.

"You're cutting me continuously, isn't that reason enough to call you the bad guy?" I ask.

"I..." he starts.

I can see behind him that the door to the house is opening. My mother walks into the garage silently, holding a knife. I focused my eyes on Dustin, trying note to give clues that she is there. She quietly comes over to us slowly.

"I... I'm sorry, I, Maya, I'm so sorry. This, oh my gosh, your arm!" Dustin says. He gently examines my wounded arm. Its coated with blood. I can't really feel it anymore.

"Let me go get the first aid kit..." Dustin turns to retrieve it. "Wait!" I shout, but its too late. My mother charges Dustin, surprising him. At the last minute he tried to dodge her. She stabs his shoulder instead of his neck. He screams in pain and holds his wounded shoulder. He charges toward her. He grabs her knife and aims for her heart. While all this is happening, I'm screaming at them to stop. I pull on Dustin, but he just shakes me off.

Just as he is about to stab the knife into her heart, I do the only thing I can. Just as Dustin's knife digs deep into skin, he realizes what he has done.

"Maya..." he mutters.

I look down at the knife, that's now two inches into my chest. I just look at it. I don't even know what to think. I hear my mom gasp behind me. I fall backwards, knife still in me. My mom catches me and eases me to the floor.

"Maya, look at me. Don't look down just look at me. Keep talking to me." my mother says. She sounds worried but I can tell she is trying to contain her fear. I just nod to let her know I'm aware of my surroundings.

Dustin looks at me for a second before taking off into the house. He returns with a large first aid kit.

My mother looks to him with pleading eyes. "Please, just call an ambulance, let this be over." He looks at her with an emotionless face, then turns back to me. The start getting things out to patch me up with.

My mom just keeps talking to me, asking little things to keep me awake. After about half an hour, Dustin finishes cleaning, stitching, and covering my wound. My mom just holds me in her lap, hugging me close. We both look at Dustin for anticipation of what he will do next. He just walks over to the table, collects all objects that can be used as weapons, and retreats to the house. We are left alone with nothing but a few empty tables, his parents, and each other.

I tell my mom I love her. "I love you too, Maya." she replied, with a kiss on my forehead. The pills soon take effect. I drift off in my mothers arms, feeling safe and protected.