Sacrifice (Coming Soon?)

"They found another body down by the river again, last night." My mother speaks, clearing the awkward silence. It felt like a punch to the gut as those words left her mouth.

"How old?" I whisper softly, without looking at her. My eyes looking straight ahead of me at the television, the story of the second murder two nights ago was on.

"Seven. A little boy again." I took a sharp breath in. The tears formed in my eyes again, for the third night in a row.

Another innocent boy was now dead.

I watched as the little boy's parents mourned over their child on national tv. I saw this one last night, tonight will be the other boy, that my mother had just informed me about.

I couldn't take it anymore, so I pressed my thumb on the power button, shutting of the TV. Though, the cries of the parents still haunted my thoughts. "I'm going upstairs," I say to my mother, without looking back.

My head spun at the information I was given. That was the third boy this week, and there was someone still out there, ready to attack again, at any second. I tip-toed up the stairs silently, and jogged down the vast hallway, to my little brother's room.

My feet lead me inside the doorway and I watched his innocent face as he slept. He was snoring little, mouth partly opened.

I pressed my lips to his forhead softly whispering, "I love you," before turning away. A single tear leaked out of my eye, and I thought about what would happen if I had ever lost him. A heavy feeling inside my stomach stirred and I felt sick.

I feared for my little brother's life, and I'll sacrifice anything, to keep him safe.