ASHLEY

46

   Boom!

   There it goes again. I unlock the bathroom door and run to my room. Grabbing the closest thing to me I slip on a pair of pink fluffy shorts and a large tee. I don't bother to take my hair out of its messy bun. Loose strands fall over my shoulders in a frizzy mess. I don't care. Making my way to the window I pull the curtain back just a little. Enough for me to see the two men hovering just outside the door. They're dark attire and harsh whispers are enough to make me suspicious of their presence. Neither of them look familiar and so I don't understand what they're doing here.

   Their lips move quickly and in sharp jabs. Nothing about them feel right. My stomach begins to turn in anticipation and fear. Right now would have been the perfect time for Kenneth to show up. He said he would be back. Surely whatever he had to rush off and do wouldn't or couldn't have taken up so much of his time.  He should be here.

   My attention is drawn back to the two men when one of them pulls on the door knob. I gasp and mentally slap myself.

   Maybe if they dont hear any movement or noise they'll go away. The taller guy with messy locks scans the area while the shorter one keeps his eyes and hands trained on the door knob. They can't. They came be trying to break in. This neighborhood is generally quiet except for the occasional block parties or family cookout. No crime ever goes on around here. That's what made Aunt Jackie love it here so much. If someone is trying to break in that means they must be targeting one of us specifically. I can't understand why. Last I checked I didnt have any life threatening beef with anyone. Especially not these guys. I haven't seen them a day in my life.

   I drop the curtain and move to search for my phone. Kenneth is the first person on my call log. I press down on the call button and put it to my ear as I wait for him to pick up. It rings for a while but no answer. Maybe if I try again. I press down on the call button again. I wait for him to pick up but he never does. It goes to voicemail. Instead of leaving a long harsh message like I want to I refrain from doing that and instead simply hang up. Frustration washes over. I'm a mixture of emotions by now. All of them waiting for me to explode. Pushing me over the edge. Never have I been so fearful of my life. My heart beats so fast I can hardly tell if it's beating at all.

   Another look out the window reveals the two men walking around the corner and out of sight. I breathe a sigh of relief. They're gone. Maybe they're just folks from our of town who were mistaken about who lives here. Whatever the case I'm just glad they left.

   My relief comes to a shattering end when the two men appear again. The taller one carrying a red brick he must of picked up from the side of the house. My eyes grow wide like saucers. He can't seriously be...can he..? The tall guy draws his hand back, gathering all the strength he can muster to lunge to heavy object through the living room window. Thankfully he doesn't get to that point. The shorter guy tanks the taller guys arms causing him to drop the heavy brick. He scowls at his companion. They argue for a while about something. Most likely the tall guy bent on throwing the brick at my window.

   They make their way back to the door where the shorter guy pulls something from his pocket and start fidgiting with the door knob again. Seconds later I hear a loud click and the front door squealing as it's being opened slowly. Realizing what little places there are to hide I slip out of my room and into Angela's. Under her bed is the best spot. So that's where I hide.

   Heavy footsteps can be heard in search of something or someone. "I don't think anyone is here," comes a deep voice.

   The other voice is wobbly and unsure when he says, "There wasn't a car in the driveway."

   "She doesn't have a car. The bitch can't afford one," he barks harshly. I supress a gasp as realization cuts through me like a sharp knife. "Check the bedrooms."

   My body tense up at those three easy words. "And if I find her?"

   "Then you bring her to me. Boss wants to handle this on his own."

   "You don't think it's kind of messed up he's going after his girls?" His girl? I'm not his girl. I find myself thinking despite the circumstances.

   "If boss wants something done I do it. No questions asked. Besides, Ken should have known better than to cross him. Now go." Footsteps trail through the house. Why is he bringing up Kenneth? What does he have to do with this? Possibly everything. This has everything to do with Kenneth. I don't know these guys but they obviously know him.

   One of them follow me into Angela's room. I freeze and squeeze my hand over my mouth to keep from making a sound. From my position under the bed I can see his thick timberland boots standing in the doorway. I shrink back under the bed as much as possible. He's going to catch me. I know he is. This is where all the victims hide out in scary movies. This is where they are always found and killed. I force those thoughts out of my head. Too horrible to think about.

   My eyes squeeze shut and I wait for him to get down on his knees and yank me from under.

   Nothing.

   Silence.

   I open one eye to get a peak. "Nothing in here!" he yells to his companion then turn on his heels and head back down the hall. He didn't even check. He didn't want to be here. But that only makes me wonder if he would have done anything to save me if I had actually been caught. Maybe he was just too lazy to actually check it maybe the only reason he didn't is a small act of defiance against whoever he's working for. 

   Whatever it is I'm grateful for it.

   Loud crashes can be heard as the two men search the house. After finding nothing...or rather no one..they leave. I stay under the bed long after they leave just to make sure they aren't coming back. When I'm sure they aren't I breathe a sigh of relief. My phone goes off and I jump so hard I hit my head on the bed frame. Ouch!

   I crawl out from under the bed before answering. My fingers tremble as I pull the phone up to my lips. "H-h-hello?" I question.

   "Yeah, it's me. Something wrong? You sound like you've been crying."

   "Kenneth someone broke into my house and they were looking for you and then-" I say all in one breath. Kenneth stops me.

   "I can't hear a word you're saying. Calm down and speak clearer."

   I take a deep breath and begin though nowhere near calm. "Someone broke in," I huff.

   "Stay put. I'm on my way."

   I nod then realize he can't see me. "Okay." I hang up. By now the sun has gone down and so I seek shelter tucked in a corner as I wait for Kenneth to show up. Funny he called me only after the men were long gone.

   I wait in silence. The front door squeaks open and footsteps are advancing towards me quickly. They've come back. They've come back to finish what they started. Cold hands grip my forearm and a piercing scream escape me.

   They've come back to kill me!

Oohhh! A cliffhanger. Well would you look at this madness. Bria is like the sweetest person we know. Why the he'll would anyone want to rob her? What the hell does Kenneth actually have to do with this? What do you guys think happened to Bria? Are the two men really back or is the hands grabbing her simply just a figment of her imagination?

This is just too much.

P.s. this chapter is dedicated to all my fans out there reading this despite how pathetic my updates have been. I really appreciate you!