Alone (Bluford High) (Watty Awards 2013)

Chapter 12

   That stabbing on his throat was at least he thought would happen while he was under the covers. But he knew everything was getting into his head.

"Dammit, I gotta stop being so scared of this," he muttered.

  In reality and a few minutes after his heart stopping thoughts, Dale could hear the sound of something pounding on the floor from downstairs. It sounded like someone was stomping aggressively or at least jumping up and down. However, as the sounds progressed, they started to become different in tone and the level of aggressiveness. He started to suspect if the someone was not even a someone, but some people. Literally, the sounds were rhythmically disturbing. The first one was loud and clear, the second was in a more tapping motion and the third was faint.

"What the fu-" he said.

   For at least five minutes, he had completely forgotten that his parents were not at home. They had gone to do a neighborhood watch program that had began with numerous of other volunteers. Then, the noises were coming up the stairs very quickly.

"Oh, my God!! Gotta go!" He thought, knowing better than to scream the statement.

  He got out of his bed and slipped on some shoes and his jacket in a matter of ten seconds. He grabbed his cell phone and ran to his bedroom window, opening it and making a screeching noise. The bedroom door opened as slow as ever and made a little opening, but Dale wasnt taking any chance of staying there any longer. He climbed out the window, only to have the hood of his jacket pulled violently.

      "Woah!!" He yelled out.

    A tree branch was caught inside the hood and nearly made him fall. In an act of reflex, he caught himself and took the branch out. Right before he could jump off, he was blindsided................painfully and shockingly with the end of a blade slicing his throat. The blood started oozing out of the wound but it was not deep as he thought it was. He could hardly catch his breath and covered his throat to stop the bleeding. He was unable to stop the quick injection of a needle in his bicep area and fell immediately. With his eyes slowly closing, he was unconscious in seconds. It didnt seem like it, however. And maybe it wasnt. Maybe death was better.