In the Blink of an Eye

Chapter 9: Say what now?

We are home from 'practice punishment' now and I am hurting badly. I am about to take a shower to ease my muscles when someone knocks on the door.

"Hold on!" After I call that out to the person on the other side of the door, I rush to wrap a towel around me. Once I am covered, I go and I open the door.

"Hey. Mr. Wilkins said that he needed you to meet him in his office in thirty minutes. He also said to not be late," Eli said and I groaned.

"What time is it now?"

"3:30. So you got until 4:00." I nod and Eli leaves. I shut my door and I rush into my shower.

I guess I won't be able to relax now.

Ten minutes later, I am out of the shower and I am changing into my PJs. I have twenty minutes left to be in Mr. Wilkins's office. So I have decided to think back to what has happened in the past.

I lay on my bed and I stare up at the ceiling.

Bang!

I shoot awake and I run quietly down the stairs. I hear talking from unknown voices and then I hear my mom and dad's voice.

"Get out of my hou-" bang!

The sound of a thud follows and I suspect that I no longer have a father. The feeling of fear, sadness, and anger rushes through me but I stay completely still, fighting the tears that are wanting to escape.

"Why did you do that?! He did-" bang!

I am now parentless.

The murderers shot out the living room window and they entered the house. My parents were trying to protect me. That cost them their lives.

I tap one of the killers on the shoulder and he turns around. Before he can process anything, I take his gun and I shoot him. Before I even have the chance to do anything else, a bang echoed through the house, and pain explodes through me. I scream and tears stream down my cheeks. I fall to the floor and I scream in pain again.

Bang!

I throw the gun away from me as the second killer falls to the floor with a thud.

Sirens are growing louder and closer to my house. My vision goes in and out of focus and my breathing becomes shallow. Fear spreads through my body as I think what is going to happen to me.

Police officers and paramedics flood into the house. A lot of them run up to me, bombarding me with questions that I can't answer because I can't pay attention. I just stare at my lifeless parents' bodies before I go unconscious.

I killed two people that night. My ten-year-old self didn't know how to cope with being a murderer. She didn't seek any help or anything. She just stayed quiet. Not wanting to talk to anyone.

Now, I am suffering the consequences of keeping quiet. But it was my first line of defense. I was protecting myself from the world that so badly hates me. But, I now put myself a little way out there.

I wake up a short time after and I see a police officer standing above me. I whimper and he yells at the paramedics to help me, that I am still alive. My eyelids flutter closed and I hear the officer's voice boom.

"Stay awake, kid. Don't go to sleep. You're going to be alright."

As much as I try to stay awake, I can't help but fall into the darkness waiting to swallow me.

I passed out again and I woke up in the ambulance.

A paramedic was trying to take some blood samples but she couldn't puncture my skin.