The Darkness Within

Don't Let Go

"Mark! Come back here! I'm gonna get you!"

"Come on ya slow poke! You're it!"

I chase my older brother around the living room, doing loops around the couch. He taunts me by letting me get close to him and then jumping over the couch at the last minute. I sat on the floor fake pouting to see if he'd take the bait. He did and came over to sit beside me. The second his butt hit the floor I smiled a wicked grin and tackled him onto the floor. My tiny 8 year old body was no match against my brother's 15 year old build, made muscular by years of wrestling and football.

He pins me underneath him, my arms held above my head with one of his hands, the other held above me making a spider-like crawling motion. I started to laugh and squeal, writhing beneath him to try and get him off of me. I knew what he was going to do and I needed to get out of his hold.

"No! No! No tickles Mark!" I squeal loudly and he starts to tickle my side roughly.

"Mwahaha! I gotcha! You can never escape!" He said while he tickled me.

I writhed beneath him, laughing hard and trying to get out of his grasp. He lets go of my hands and uses both of his to torture my sides relentlessly. Red-faced and out of breath, I laughed until I cried.

"Mark! S-stahp! I'm gonna pee my pants!" I continue trying to push his hands off me.

"Oh really now? In that case I'm not gonna stop mwahahaha!" He said evilly.

"Alright Mark, honey. Don't need your brother making a mess on the new carpet. Let him go and I'll start making your guys' lunch okay?" My mom came out of the laundry room and playfully scolded Mark.

Mark sighed and ruffled my hair, getting off me and letting me get up.

"Thanks Mom. You saved my life!" I said, hugging her.

She laughed and mused my hair.

"Oh no Hon. If you guys were outside I wouldn't have done a thing. I was just worried about the carpet." She chuckles softly and hugs me back, my small frame nuzzling into her warm embrace.

I gasp, "Mom! You care about the carpet more than my dignity? How can you say that?"

She laughs and lets go of me. She looks at Mark who's been strangely quiet for a few minutes. I turn around and look at Mark who's staring out the living room window with a horrified expression on his face. I walk over to him and tug on his shirt, trying to get his attention.

"Mark? What's wrong? What are you looking at?" I said as I tugged on his shirt.

When he didn't answer me I looked out the window, trying to see what he was staring at. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just my neighbors playing basketball in the street and a few cars parked along the road. All of them were empty except for a black car sitting about a block away from our house on the opposite side of the street. It seemed that that was what Mark was staring at.

"Mark? Who is that? Is that your friend?" I asked, pointing out the window to the car.

"N-no. Mom... We need to leave. Right now." Mark said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Why. What's wrong sweetie."

My mom walked over to the window and once she saw the car she gasped. When she looked out the window the men in the car got out and started to approach the house. They were dressed very formally. Black suits, dress shoes and everything. My mom grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the window, shutting the blinds quickly.