Breathless

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day went as any other school day, except with the added exhaustion that Aurora and Damen had brought upon me this morning. I used the few spare minutes I had packing my bag with any needed books from my locker and walking out of school to try to link everything up as the days events replayed in my head. A lot happened in those days. They should change the saying to 'Time flys when you have no idea what's going on'. Not only did I feel like my walls were being broken, but ever since the accident, ever since I awoke in the hospital I've felt out of place. Like my whole body had overcome some sort of transformation and I was no longer myself. 

My thoughts were pushed aside when a familiar shiny vehicle came into view parked in front of the school in the school carpark. I gaped for a moment in disbelief, no longer walking. My car was nestled in a small car space next to a fence and under a tree. I paced towards the car to try identify any noticeable damage. Upon my search a white piece of paper crinkled in the wind while being stuck inbetween my windshield wipers. I unfolded it and read;

I FIGURED YOU WOULD NEED A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION TO GET HOME -SCOTT 

Oh how heartfelt, I thought sarcastically. Guess Scott was responsible for the temporary misplacement of my car this morning. 

It took about ten to fifteen minutes to drive home but with my mind completely sidetracked it felt like only a couple. It's a wonder that I didn't get into an accident.

It was quarter to four by the time I got home. The sky was coloured in a dim shade of blue and white. The sun shone lightly down on dry vivid earth beneath.

Searching for my house keys I dug through my bag and patted down my pockets for anything pointy and made of metal. Then I remembered something. I quickly squatted down and looked behind a potted plant sitting next to the front door. The spare key. I smiled to myself at my sudden detective like just-solved-a-case feeling and unlocked the door.

Entering my home I threw my bag and the spare key on the couch in the living room and strutted to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I then walked back into the living room, taking my phone out of my bag which I was now sitting next to. Seeing that I had no missed calls or messages I lay my phone next to me with no concerns and rested on the couch. For a while I just sat there, thinking. I guess I was pretty occupied by my thoughts because when I looked at the clock it showed that it was now 5:30. It was too early to prepare dinner and I didn't really have much homework to do but I decided to get the homework out of the way.

Grabbing my bag and phone and pulling myself off the couch I dragged myself to my room and took  my homework out onto my desk. I struggled to work my head around a few math equations. I was never very good at math. English was more my kind of subject. 

My eyes strained to keep themselves open as I turned the page to my textbook. And now my vision is getting blurry. I know my homework isn't due until next week but I still wanted to finish it. Perfect.

I rested my head over the textbook and shut my eyes for a second, hoping that that might reboost my energy somehow.

"Stop! Get away from me now!"

I hear someone shouting downstairs. That's not really the kind of energy boost I had in mind but it definitely did the trick. I jumped off my chair in a fright and slowing listened in from the top of the stairs.

"You're not getting anything from me so stop trying!"

I recognised the tone of the voice as a middle-aged woman, who she was was still a mystery to me. Who is she talking to? Why is she in my house? 

I jolt as the sound of the woman's scream fills the house, straight after a big bang causes the whole house to shake.

As a reflex I squat to ground while hanging onto the stair post. More loud thumps fill my ears and the state of my home enters my mind. A bang here and a smash there. The noises become strong enough for me to need to cover my ears and squeeze my eyes shut to block it all out.

I wait for a few seconds, my heart pounding, but I can't hear anything else. Dead silence. It shocks me that after all that noise that whoever's in my house decides to keep it down. Or maybe they're gone?

With that thought I stand up and walk down each step with fear spreading out through my body. I bet in this silence you could be able to hear my pulse from the next room.

I gasp in shock as I stare at the bottom floor of my house which looks completely normal if it weren't for the giant hole in the wall, torn couch, shattered coffee table, books spread out on the floor (as well as the bookshelf), picture frames smashed throughout the living room leaving glass around each one, and the flickering hanging light source that looks as though it is about to drop off the ceiling. The word destroyed floats its way around my head as I astonishly examine what was once a neat and tidy living room. I can only imagine what they've done to the kitchen.

The sight of all this destruction must have left me blindsided to the fact that my whole vision is in black and white, as if I've stumbled into a fifties TV show. 

I run into the kitchen to see what damage has been done but its exactly the same as I left it. My glass of water is still sitting in the sink. It looks normal although, like the living room, it's still in black and white.

The floor creaks from behind me and the shock in me is replaced with fear. I grasp the knife that is sitting with all the other steak knifes inside the wooden stand on the counter and turn around, aiming the knife in front of me.

Upon my analysis of the living room I had failed to notice the outstretched arm of a woman behind the torn couch. She was laying on her stomach and sliding herself across the floor with anger and pain flooding her face. I just stood there. The knife vibrating from my shaky hands.

She had light hazel eyes which complimented her fair complexion. Her wavy maroone coloured hair was just below shoulder length. She wore denim blue jeans along with a checkered shirt, the sleeves ending between her forearms. She was quite petite for a middle aged woman but you could still tell she was in her late thirties or early forties. Her cheeks were bruised and her arms scraped. Blood and sweat were covering her visible skin while her jeans were torn and shirt cut. I was almost positive she couldn't have done that to herself.

Somehow I sensed some familiarity in the woman. She was flickering her eyes as if about to pass out. And then I saw it.