Be My Escape..

Chapter 1

I kick a rock forcefully with my shoe, my sister humming contently beside me as we walk home from school. My back-pack weighs on my shoulder, reminding me I have tons of homework..

We turn the corner, where I see my big brown house at it's usual spot. We walk up the concrete steps, and as I turn the lock with my usual house key, I hear a strange noise echoing from the living room. I look around, scanning the room. Nothing seems unusual, but it seems a little cloudy in here. I walk into the living room where my mom's eyes seem to be glazed over. Her hair; golden like mine and Lily's, is tussled and messy. Her makeup is smeared, and her clothes hang loosely from her slim body. As we begin to greet her, her eyes look up. They don't have the usual cheery glint. It's instead replaced with craze and hatred..

"You okay?" Lily pipes up, seeming to notice as well that my mom doesn't look normal.

"Run. I can't hold it in anymore," She seeth's, shutting her eyes tight.

"M-Mom?" I start.

I'm too late.

She stands up in a rage, towering over us. She pulls a small knife from what seems nowhere, and begins slashing it at us.

I slam Lily out of the way just in time, but pain pulses through me as I realize i've been cut. It stings, and I feel the blood begin to drip. I grit my teeth, and my eyes begin to water. She kicks my back. I quickly shoot up, covering Lily.

"Mom what are you doing!?" I scream. Lily begins crying in fear.

What's happening? She's never done this! Why would she hurt us?

She begins yelling gibberish, slashing the knife again. This time, barely missing Lily. I can tell her forehead now has a small cut, and she begins yelling. She manages to blow us a few more times.

I forcefully take her hand, and run outside across the smoothly paved street. We're both yelling, knocking on her door. I can hear my mom sobbing inside.

Our neighbour, Mrs. Larson, swings open the door. When she see's us, she gasps and looks at our house. She quickly shoves us inside, and asks what happened. She picks up her phone from the counter, dialing a number.

"M-My mom! I don't kn-know why!" Lily sobs, rubbing her hand to where the cut is now bleeding from her forehead. While Mrs. Larson is chatting worriedly to her phone, I rush Lily to the bathroom, taking paper towels and soaking them with cold water. I run it over her forehead, swiping away the red.

Lily is still hysterically shaking.

"Our mom is normal! She bakes cookies, and pays bills, and all that stuff!" She chokes out.

I nod, but something is biting at my thoughts. The house smelt sour, and there was a thin fog inside.

I knew it. The smell. I'd smelt it before.. At her boyfriend, Ray's house. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it isn't good.

I hear sirens ring loudly in the distance, and Mrs. Larson knocks softly on the bathroom door.

"You girls okay? I'll fix you up and get you something to eat." She promises, voice muffled because of the thick wood separating us.

"Y-Yeah. You locked the do-door's, right?" I quaver, rubbing a moist towel over my own deep gash.

"What's happening, Hannah?" Lily asks me, pushing a strip of blonde hair from her face.

"I don't know. But I don't think it'll be good," I answer honestly. By now, the sirens were louder and closer. I could tell a few had already arrived, and so I quickly distract her by leading her to the living room. We sit down on the soft cushions of the couch, living room connecting to a nice kitchen. I wince when Lily touches my gash, still bleeding a bit.

"You got that for protecting me." She whispers.

"And i'd do it a hundred times more." I reply with a weak smile.

Mrs. Larson bustles in with a plate of sandwiches and cookies, also setting down a few Coke's.

She begins firing questions at us like missiles.

"Has she done this before? Hurt you?"

"No. That's why it's so surprising," Lily squeaks.

"The house was weird; sour smelling. I'd smelt that weird scent before at her strange boyfriend Ray's apartment,"

Her eyes widen.

"Tell me about Ray,"

"Well, he's kinda shady an-" I begin, but never have the chance to finish.

A knock at the door is what had interrupted me, and Mrs. Larson excuses herself. Lily nibbles at a sandwich, and I bite into a chunk of a snicker-doodle; cinnamon dancing on my taste-buds. She comes back in, flowery dress swaying. Two police officer's march in. One chunky and short, other skinny and tall. I can't stop staring at the mole resting on the tall one's nose. I wonder if there's a hair on i-

"Well, girls, you look beaten up."

Well, i feel beaten up.