Hour of Darkness

The Intruders

...Before...





CLARICE








“It's my turn.” Ten-year-old Clarice tried to grab the dice from her twin brother's hand. Aaron jerked his hand back.





         “No it isn't.” Aaron insisted. “You rolled, then mom, now it's my turn.”





         “Huh uh.” Clarice twisted on her knees where she was positioned at the coffee table. “Mom. It's my turn, right?”





         Dana Stuart smiled apologetically and shook her head. “Aaron's right, honey. It's his turn.”





         “Told ya.” Aaron sneered and shook the dice in his hand as Clarice made a face at him. Aaron made a face back and dropped the dice on the Monopoly board. He picked up the tiny cowboy boot and moved it six spaces, landing on Community Chest. He took his card and read it silently to himself. “Awesome.” He moved his game piece past GO then snapped his fingers at his dad. “Two hundred dollars, please.”





         Grant Stuart shook his head and handed over the money. “You sure you're not cheating?”





         “Check the card, dad.” Clarice suggested. “It probably didn't even say to pass go.”





         “Shut up, it did too.” Aaron insisted.





         “Hey.” Dana shot a warning look at her son. “Don't tell people to shut up. It's rude.”





         “Sorry.”





         The doorbell rang.





         “Play nice, guys.” Grant said as he stood up and headed for the front door. “Remember – you're the only siblings you got.”





         Clarice and Aaron looked at each other and rolled their eyes, then grinned.





___________________________





The young white man was dressed nicely and looked like a college student, possibly from the community college. Grant stepped back from the peep hole in the door and opened the door half way. The young man smiled. He had a nice smile, the kind a father likes to see on the boy whose hand his daughter is holding and introducing as her boyfriend. It was friendly, even charming, though not in that smart ass 'I'm the shit' sort of way. Just genuinely friendly and charming.





         Grant smiled back. “Can I help you?”





         The muzzle of the pistol appeared out of nowhere and pressed against his temple. “You can invite us in, pops.” A Hispanic guy around the same age as the white kid stepped in front of Grant, gripping the handgun.





         Grant's hands raised slowly. “Listen, guys. I don't want any trouble. If it's money you want, I got some in a safe, but it's not much, a couple thousand. You can have it.”





         The Hispanic guy grinned. “Show us the money.” It was as charming a smile as his white friend. If it wasn't for the gun pressed against his head, Grant wouldn't have guessed that these two young men were of criminal stock.





         Anxiety and start fear knotted Grant's guts. Dana and the kids were in the next room. These guys seemed to only want the money, but what frightened Grant the most was that they hadn't bothered to hide their faces. Thieves who only wanted to grab the money and run...hid their identity with some form of mask. Intruders who intended on eliminating witnesses didn't see the need to cover their faces. But the weapon pressed to his head put him and his family at the mercy of these two men. And that wasn't a place he wanted to be.





         The muzzle of the gun shoved against Grant's lower back as the Hispanic guy walked him back to the living room. The white kid stepped in and closed the door, locking it behind him. When Grant entered the living room, Aaron twisted around. “Who was it, dad-”





         The boy faltered when he saw the two young men standing behind his dad, and the tense, scared look in his dad's eyes.





         Aaron started to get up. “Dad?”





         “Aaron, sit down.” Grant ordered quickly.





         “That's right.” The Hispanic man said as he revealed the handgun. “Everyone just stay where they are.”





         Clarice whimpered and inched closer to her mom.





         The two men scoped out the room. “You got some nice shit.” The Hispanic guy said as he nudged Grant forward.





         “Look.” Grant said. “Just take what you want. Just don't hurt my family.”





         “Hurt your family?” The Hispanic guy hissed as he shoved the gun in Grant's face. “Do I, Jorge Rodriguez, and my buddy Sean here look like the kind of guys who would hurt your family?”





         Grant said nothing as he stared at the gun only inches from his face. The fear grinding his guts turned to terror. They had revealed their names as well as their faces.





         Jorge glared into Grant's face then grinned and withdrew the weapon. “Show us the cash and everyone will come out of this just fine.”





         Grant hesitated. Once they had the money, would they kill his family?





         The white guy, Sean, raised his own handgun and pointed it at Clarice.





         “You really want to play this game, daddy?” Jorge asked in a low, dangerous voice.





         Grant swallowed thickly. “No.”





         “You.” Sean waved the gun at Dana. “Show me where you keep the money.”





         Dana hesitated, glancing fearfully at Grant.





         “I'll show you.” Grant said.





         The Hispanic guy shook his head. “Nah. You and I will stay right here and watch the kiddies. My boy here will take wifey to get the money.” He leaned closer to Grant and whispered, “Besides, I think my boy digs her. She's one sexy bitch.”





         Grant started to lunge forward but got the gun shoved against his throat. “Don't.” Jorge hissed quietly.





         Grant's face twisted with rage and fear. “If that little fucker touches her, I swear to God I'll-”





         “What?” The gunman pressed. “You'll do what? You give me any trouble and I'll blow away your whole family.”





         Sean moved to Dana and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.





         “No! Mom!” Clarice jumped to her feet and hugged her mom's waist.





         Dana untangled Clarice's arms. “It's okay, honey.” She assured her daughter with a trembling voice. “I'll be all right.”





         “Yeah, don't worry, sweetheart.” Sean flashed his deceitfully charming grin. “I'll treat your mama real good.”





         Tears streaked Dana's cheeks as the young man tugged her towards the hallway. She cast a frightened look back at Grant.





         “I'll kill you both if he touches her.” Grant swore quietly.





         Jorge raised the gun and hit Grant in the back of the head with the handle. Grant dropped to the floor, barely conscious.





         “Dad!” Aaron cried and rushed to Grant.





         The gunman shoved him away and knelt down, leaning his face close to Grant's. “You'll do nothing, asshole.” He turned his eyes to Clarice who was now huddling with her brother. “In fact, that's one cute little girl you got there. Maybe after my boy is through with wifey...I'll take a turn at this one.”





         “You sick bastard!” Grant tried to shove himself up. The gunman smashed the butt of the gun down on his head again, this time knocking him out cold.





         Clarice screamed and ran for the hall. The Hispanic laughed and stood up. Aaron lunged at him and began punching him in the gut. The man laughed and grabbed Aaron by the hair and threw him down, hitting his head on the coffee table. Aaron dropped to the floor, unmoving.





         The gunman headed for the hallway. “Come on back, little senorita. I ain't gonna hurt you.”





______________________________





“The cash, baby.” Sean shoved Dana into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. She stumbled then caught her footing. His eyes crawled all over her like vile insects. She shuddered. He was a good looking guy and even with the gun in his hand he still somehow maintained a charming persona, like he was just an actor playing a role and not really as dangerous as the circumstances attested he was.





         The picture frame in front of the wall safe was cliché but Dana had thought it classically old fashioned. She popped the frame loose from its latch and it opened like a door, revealing the door of the small safe. Her hands shook as she slowly twisted the dial – three clicks to the right, two to the left, then five back to the right – and the lock disengaged. She opened the door and took out a small blue file envelope held closed by a black band. She handed it to the gunman the other guy had called Sean.





         Sean took the envelope and opened it, thumbing quickly through the bills. “Anymore in there?”





         Fear tightened Dana's throat as she shook her head. “That's all we have in the house.” She tried to hold her voice steady and failed miserably. She had noticed the same discrepancies in the situation as her husband. These men took no precautions to hide who they were. She thought about Grant, Aaron and Clarice out in the other room. Clarice was only ten but the lovely woman she would soon become was already showing through. And that worried her. It worried her a lot. And Grant, and even Aaron, would fight to the death to protect Clarice.





         To the death. The words ricocheted through her head and down into her heart. How was it possible that such a typical, normal evening at home...transformed so suddenly into a living nightmare? Where had these men come from? And why had they chosen her home? Her family? She raised her eyes to Sean's face again. He was watching her silently. It gave her the chills. Looking at him more closely, she realized he wasn't quite as young as she'd first thought. It was his clothes and hair style that gave him the college kid appearance. Was that intentional? A ruse to gain trust?





         “What's wrong, honey?” Sean spoke low, dropping some of his 'kid' demeanor and allowing some of the 'man' in him to emerge. Sean tossed the envelope of money aside as if it were of little importance to him. He moved towards Dana. She stepped back and bumped up against the wall. Sean came in close and caressed her cheek and throat with the muzzle of the gun. His body was only inches from hers as he leaned his face close and began breathing in her scent. She gasped and flinched when she felt his other hand slip beneath her shirt and caress the curve of her waist.





         “No.” She whimpered and turned her face away from him. “Don't.”





         “You'll like it, baby.” He murmured close to her ear. The muzzle of the gun continued to caress up and down the side of her neck as his other hand moved up, his fingertips tracing over her ribcage then just below her breast. “I promise.”





         “I gave you the money.” Her quiet voice shook badly. “Please...leave me alone.”





         “It isn't about the money, honey.” He smiled at the rhyme. His breath was hot against her ear. “Not really. I mean, the money is nice but...” His fingertips danced over skin. “This is even nicer.”





         “Why...are you doing this?” She was shaking. She wanted to shove his hand away, shove him away, but the gun was right there, caressing her like a dominant lover she couldn't resist.





         “Why ask why, baby?” He whispered and tugged at her earlobe with his lips. “It is what it is.” His hand slipped up over the swell of her breast and squeezed firmly. He released a slow sigh and moaned softly. “I so enjoy this part...I do it so well.” He squeezed her breast again. “Every time.”





         Dana closed her eyes and tried to turn her face away from his hot breath and probing lips. “Are you...going to kill me?” She trembled.





         “Afraid so.” He admitted bluntly. He nuzzled the curve of her jaw. “Such a waste, too. But witnesses just muck everything up.”





         Tears squeezed out through Dana's closed eyes. “And my family?”





         “Sorry, honey.” He said. “Got to make a clean sweep.”





         The sobs gripped her instantly and she shook beneath them. “Please...don't touch my daughter. She's just...a baby.”





         “Don't know that I can promise you that.” He dropped a light kiss on the side of her neck. “My buddy, Jorge...you see, he has an affinity for pretty young girls and your girl is quite lovely.”





         Dana cried softly, her body shaking. The idea of that man out there violating her innocent little girl filled her with nausea and rage. In a burst of courage, she shoved the man back. Not expecting her act of bravery, he stumbled back a few steps but not enough for Dana to make a run for the door. The moment she stepped forward to go, she was staring down the muzzle of the gun.





         “I get your need to protect your family.” He whispered. “I really do. But it's time you faced reality. You're going to die here tonight. Your family is going to die. You should take comfort in the fact that regardless of how they die or what was done to them before they die...isn't gonna matter in the next life. They probably won't even remember it.”





         “Take comfort in it?” Dana cried. “That pervert out there is gonna rape my little girl...and I'm supposed to take comfort in your little after life theory? Fuck you.”





         “Just what I had in mind.” He smiled and motioned towards the bed with the gun.





         She shook her head slowly, tears wetting her cheeks. “No.” She trembled. “You're going to kill me anyway...I'm not gonna just lay down and give it to you.”





         “So you want me to rape you like an animal?” He raised one eyebrow. “It isn't really my style, but whatever the lady of the house wants.”





         The hand holding the gun hit her hard in the face, no warning. An excruciating pain shot through her entire head as blackness pressed in around her vision and she went down. He grabbed her and threw her on the bed, straddled her body and began tearing her blouse off with one hand while he gripped the gun with the other. From a great distance away, she heard Clarice scream and she was crippled with the reality that she could do nothing to save her baby girl.





______________________________





Clarice gasped with sobs as she ran down the hall and turned the corner fast. She collided with a solid object and thought she'd accidentally ran into the wall when she suddenly realized it was a human body. The man quickly grabbed her. She started to scream when a strong hand covered her mouth.





         “Shhh.” The man held her tight, his mouth close to her ear. “It's gonna be okay.”





         Clarice's chest heaved with hard gasps as her wide frightened eyes turned to the side. She didn't recognize this man. He wasn't one of the intruders. He turned his face and looked at her for a moment. He had black hair and dark blue eyes with glowing gold specs – like the fireflies on the lake where they camped in the summer.





         Down the hall, the Hispanic man's heavy footsteps grew louder. Clarice began to tremble harder in the man's arms.





         “Listen to me.” He whispered close to her ear. “You have to trust me. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, but you have to stay quiet. Can you do that for me?”





         Clarice nodded. The man slowly removed his hand from her mouth and set her aside, into a corner crook of the hallway. He held up his hand for her to 'stay'. She nodded again.





         The man pressed his back against the wall of the hallway and withdrew a handgun. He looked back at Clarice. “Cover your ears, honey.” He said. “And don't look.”





         Clarice covered her ears with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut then jumped when the gun fired loud. Just once. Followed by a grunt and a heavy thump as the Hispanic intruder hit the floor.





______________________________





Dana's blouse was torn open. Her breasts heaved beneath her thin bra as the man dug into his pocket and withdrew a pocketknife. He snapped it open and slid the blade beneath the band of her bra and sliced it in half. He dropped the knife on the bed and rubbed her bra off her breasts. The gun was nestled against her ribs. Panic surged her pulse and she began to gasp for air.





         “Nice.” Sean murmured as he rubbed his hand over her full breasts. She could feel the hardness between his legs pressing against her stomach as he straddled her. She shuddered and tried to close her mind to what he was doing. He leaned down and covered a nipple with his mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut as his hand gripped her breast and massaged it as he suckled her warm flesh.





         When he drew back, he licked his lips. “Tasty.” His voice was thick with sexual hunger. He tugged at his belt, loosening it then unfastening his pants. He grabbed at the snap on the waist of her slacks and she cried out softly, turning her face into the pillow. He slid down the zipper of her slacks then began working his hand beneath the waistband of her panties.





         “No...” She whimpered, panic tightening her chest and making it hard for her to breathe.





         The gunshot rang out, snapping through her head as surely as if she'd been shot. But it came from the hallway. Dana began to shake as the image of Grant or one of her children being shot filled her head. Sean twisted away and jumped off the bed. She instantly rolled on to her side and curled up, crying uncontrollably.





_________________________





“What the hell was that!” Sean went out the bedroom door at a rush. He only had a moment to register the situation. The little girl was huddled into a corner of the hall, her hands over her ears and next to her – a man he didn't recognize was down on one knee. He spun around, a Glock 10mm gripped in his fist and aimed right at Sean.





         The little girl looked up, hands still over her ears, eyes wide and frightened.





         The man hollered at the girl. “Don't look!” She quickly squeezed her eyes shut. Two shots were fired in rapid succession. Sean's body snapped back before he even felt the bullets rip through him. He hit the wall hard and fell to the floor. Dead instantly.





________________________________





Clarice sat in the corner, shaking, tears squeezing out of her tightly closed eyes. Hands pressed hard to her ears. The man touched her shoulder. “You're safe now, Clarice.” His lips pressed against her forehead. “You're safe.”





         Clarice opened her eyes slowly in time to see the man disappear into thin air.





____________________________





Dana's body jerked hard with each shot that rang out. She laid huddled in a ball on the bed. She could still feel the wetness from the gunman's mouth on her breasts. Her hands shook as she tried to cover her chest with the torn blouse. She waited for Sean to return, to finish his job. But he never came back.





         Silence filled the house. She wanted to move, to check on her family, but her body felt paralyzed. Her eyes were still closed tightly, seeping tears, when she felt hands touch her. She cried out and jerked away on reflex, but then the hands were grabbing at her again. Small hands.





         “Mom?” Clarice's frightened voice forced her eyes open. “Mom...are-are you okay?”





         Clarice stood next tot he bed. Untouched and unharmed. Dana's arms shot out and grabbed her, pulling her into her embrace. She held her so tight she was afraid she might hurt her, but she couldn't let go. “Baby.” She cried, shaking hard. She drew back and rubbed her hands over Clarice's face. “Honey? Oh my god, honey, are you okay?”





         Clarice nodded but she looked somewhat dazed and confused.





         “Honey...what happened?” Dana whispered. “Clarice...where are the men?”





         Clarice looked at her mom, frowning. “Huh?”





         “The men with the guns, baby...where are they?”





         Clarice took her hand slowly and tugged her towards the door. Dana crawled off the bed, covering her chest as best she could. Clarice led her to the hallway. The moment they stepped through the bedroom doorway, Dana saw Sean's dead body, slumped down against the wall. Two bullet holes in his chest. Her eyes widened as she absently squeezed Clarice's hand. “Where is...the other man, honey?” She whispered, confused.  “The Mexican guy?”





         Clarice led her around the corner and looked towards the living room. She raised her hand and pointed. Dana's eyes followed to where she was pointing.





         Jorge Rodriguez lay crumpled on the floor, dead.





         “What happened, baby?” Dana asked in a dull, disconnected voice.





         “He shot them.” Clarice whispered.





         Dana frowned. “Who shot them?”





         Clarice looked around. “I don't know.” She said quietly. “He...disappeared.”