Broken Marilyns

WHO'S THERE?

WHO'S THERE?

After Jack left, I opened some wine and drank straight out of the bottle. I took a deep breath; the room still smelled like Jack and it made my heart race and sour at the same time. Lying down on my couch, I let my eyes close while I wrapped my head around what just happened. When I couldn't stand the scene in my head any longer, I opened my eyes.

Outside on my porch, I heard what sounded like footsteps. I walked over to the window to see who it was but no one was there. Trudging back to the couch, I heard footsteps again, only this time they were outside my kitchen window - someone running.

Peering through the window, a face pressed up against it. I flew back, tripping over myself. From one window to the next, the intruder surrounded me with eerie sounds of glass being scored. Cupping my hands to my ears I shouted for it to stop. The body ran across the porch. A cautious knock began at my front door. Slowly striding towards the door I hovered, my head turned to listen. A few moments of silence lapsed before a man whispered four unnerving words: "you're gonna die tonight." Footsteps quickly descended down my porch stairs. I was being toyed with. A little plaything for someone's amusement. Everything grew silent for a while until a realization set in that made my heart pound out of control.

I'd left my garage door open.

My uninvited guest wasn't finished. Rapidly, the lights began to flicker on and off and I dropped to the floor, paralyzed with fear. I tried turning on the lights, but they must have switched off the power in my breaker box. Minutes had passed without any activity, but I stood in my kitchen and readied myself.

Heavy thuds started up the stairs in my garage. A mere two inches of wood separated us now. I scrambled to my wood block and pulled out my biggest butcher knife. The doorknob jiggled - nothing. Something was inserted into the lock; I heard some tinkering and then a gut-wrenching click. The door was unlocked. I inched closer to the door. I would be the first one to strike.

A dark form began to slip inside. This was it. All my rage welled up inside, charging me. I reared my arm back and stabbed where I thought the intruder's chest would be and was sickened by the feel of it sinking through layers of flesh. A loud female groan vibrated through the blade and handle, into my arm. I pulled my hand off the knife immediately and heard a sickening thud. For a moment I wanted to see if the person was okay but that decision was overridden by the impulse to run. So I did.

Across the street, I noticed my neighbors' living room lights on and I bolted for their door. Climbing their steps, the door opened and I was pulled inside. "Oh my God, Jenna, are you okay? We called the cops. We saw someone walking around your house."

"I stabbed them. They came into my house!" I managed to push out between breaths.

"Stabbed them? We saw them leave."

"What?" I heard but I didn't understand.

"After we got off the phone with the cops, the person left. They ran down the street, got into a car and left."

"Someone broke into my house! They're still in my house. I stabbed them!"

Just then, police lights flickered in the distance and were soon in front of my house. I ran outside.

"Stop right there, put your hands up!" an officer kneeled behind his car door as I approached. I did as instructed.

"It's my house," I motioned my head towards my house. "Someone broke in. I stabbed them but they're still inside."

"How many?"

"One. They cut my lights."

The Officer recited something into his radio and then signaled some men inside. "Ma'am, please sit inside the vehicle while we clear the house."

Outside I was given dirty looks and pity. The intruder was still inside my house and apparently still alive and being taken care of by medics. Glad the intruder was being taken care of while I was sitting outside in a police car, a stranger to my own home. Finally a familiar face walked up and filled me in on what was happening. "What the hell happened, Jenna?" Bradley asked with despair in his eyes.

"I don't know. I'm still waiting to hear what the hell happened. Someone was harassing me and then they broke into my house. I thought it was Simon. I was just defending myself but I'm being treated like I did something wrong," I felt my cheeks turn red as anger bubbled beneath my skin.

"Jenna, you stabbed Anne, Jack's wife." I didn't understand.

"What was she doing at my house?" I asked angrily, this still wasn't my fault. Anne was harassing me.

"We still don't know. Anne's too out of it for us to ask many questions. They're going to transport her to the hospital. Jenna, you're lucky she's alive." Me? Lucky? This was insane. Bradley shoved his hands in his pockets and let out a heavy sigh.

"What?" I snapped, making Bradley angry.

"You were with Jack, weren't you?"

A million petty excuses flooded my brain but none good enough to put Bradley off the trail. My long silence had already answered Bradley's suspicion. "That's what I thought!" Bradley hissed, an inch from my face, and pounded his fist against the car. He glared at me in a way that stripped me of all value. I was no longer the object on his pedestal. "You think he's in love with you? Get in line...you're just another notch in his belt, just like Aubrey," he fumed, jaws clenched.

"What are you talking about?" my heart stopped, fixated on his last sentence.

"I'm talking about you being completely fucking clueless." He turned his back on me and walked into the mass of people and flashing lights.

After a couple hours, the officer who told me to sit in his car waved me out and allowed me inside my house. "Ms. Pierce, have a seat," the Officer held his hand out towards my dining room table. "I've talked to your neighbors, the ones who called us and we're very sorry to put you through this whole thing. You're not in trouble." I forced my eyes not to roll. "Your neighbors said that they saw lights flickering on and off, a figure walking around your house and then into your garage. Apparently a car pulled up at which time the figure left, then someone else got out of the car and entered the garage. Everything holds up to your side of the story and I'll tell ya, it's the craziest story I've ever heard," the stout man gave me a comforting smile. "Again, I'm sorry this happened to you. We'll wrap this all up shortly and be out of your hair, all right?" I smiled but felt like I'd been kicked in the gut repeatedly.

I wanted to erase this entire day but I couldn't. The damage was done and it was irreparable. Anne, Jack, and I would have to live forever with our disfigurements - shiny, raised scars that distorted the people we once were.