Uninvited Guest

         Blood- so much blood. The kitchen floor was splashed with red . The sickening thing is that I knew whose blood it was. It was Riley O’Connor’s blood. My best friend, slaughtered. That wasn’t the worst part. The killer was still in the house.

         I rushed to the basement door. My heart was pounding fast. Sweat glistened on my brow as well as on my palms. I wrenched the door open into the dark room below. It stunk of dust and moth-balls. Quickly stepping inside, I swung the door shut behind me. I fumbled with the light switch I knew was beside me. I flicked the switch up. No light. My heart rate escalated. Thinking quickly, I grabbed a penlight from my jacket pocket. I shined it over the front of the door. “No lock.”, my voice croaked as I frantically scanned the door for something that obviously wasn’t there. Every second that went by was a wasted second.

         My mind was racing, adrenaline rushed through my system. I turned on the step and swept the thin beam of light over what was Riley O’Connor’s basement. Clutter filled from one wall to the other, patches of cemented floor peeking through the debris. I bounded down the steps taking three at a time, jumping the last four. My senses sharpened as my eyes became accustomed to the darkness. I made my frantic way through the basement maze, looking for something, anything that could help me.

         “I need a barricade.” I thought, anxiously shifting my grey eyes from left to right. A stack of yellowed papers rested in the corner next to an ancient radio. Boxes were stacked five high, a pile of wood rested in the corner. I made a split second decision. I just couldn’t see my 13 year old body lifting the gigantic radio and the papers were too light. I made a bee-line for the boxes. Not thinking about what could be hidden in them, I grasped the highest cardboard box. It slipped from my hands and crashed to the ground. I ripped the top open and peered at the contents inside. They were of photos of Riley, the 14 year old boy who would never smile into a camera again. His brown eyes sparkled in the picture. The sandy blond hair wet with ocean water. He was at the beach, somewhere far away from the terror that resided in his home. I moved on, desperately forcing myself not to cry over the loss of my friend. I had been strong through the whole thing, fear and anxiety taking over anger and depression.

         I tore open the next box, thanking God that I had found something that would help me. I clutched the rope that was coiled on top of the other junk. I sprinted towards the stairs, heart still beating a mile a second, jacket flapping in the thick air.

         I was on the top step when my blood ran cold. My ears sharpened at the sound on footsteps slowly making their way down the long hallway that led to the basement door. My heart pumped wildly and my hands began to tremble violently. My brain screamed move, but my feet just wouldn’t budge. My heart jumped at every footstep. My breathing increased, eyes widened. I felt cold sweat trickle down my back, my clammy hands wringing the rope.

         As though I just realized I had the rope in my hands, I took a step forward, breaking out of the time stilled state. I tied the rope around the doorknob, aware that the footsteps were louder, closer. The rope was no longer than a meter. I pulled it tight, knotting the other end around the side railing. I had seconds to rush once more down the dank steps.

         The footsteps stopped in front of the old wooden door. An eerie silence filled the air. The atmosphere was like static electricity. My hiding spot was under the stairs, wedged between the steps and the ancient radio. Every single nerve in my body hung on edge. My hair clung to my forehead, sweat gluing it to my skin. I was straining my ears, tilting my head towards the door.

         My heart was pounding. I was sure I had heard the doorknob turn. I swear I heard- no, felt the metallic gears in the door click out of place. I couldn’t see what was happening, but I knew the man at the door had figured out what was wrong . Angry grunts could be heard at the top of the stairway as the man forcefully rattled the door. The rope held in place. He wasn’t getting inside, or so I thought.

         Suddenly, there was a crack, followed by another. The sound of splintering wood filled there air. A loud crash followed as the door flew against the wall, not tumbling down the stairs because of the rope. I saw the man’s dressy shoes before I saw his face. I slapped my hand over my mouth, trying to quiet my quick breaths. It didn’t matter. The man switched on his high-powered flash-light. It took only seconds for him to train it on me. The light blinded me, stunning me to the spot. He drew closer, a dark silhouette behind the beam of bright light. Only when it was too late, when he was too close, did I see the knife in his hand. I let out a blood-curdling scream and shut my eyes. Instinct told me to run, but fear had the upper hand.

         My eyes flew open just as the man was raising the knife above his head, his panting showing his blood-lust excitement. My pupils dilated and sheer animal instinct took over fear. The will to live drove me on as I rolled out of the way. The knife plunged into the wooden sideboard of the stairs when my head had leaned only moments before. The man dropped his flashlight and it skittered away through the maze of boxes. The killer was using both hands to withdraw the blade from the wood. My mind was working on overdrive as I scrambled off my feet. I frantically ran towards the stairs, grabbing the flashlight as I raced by. I rounded the corner of the railing and tripped on a loose piece of wood from the pile in the corner. My body slammed into the ground and at the same time, the man removed his knife. He tramped over to me, knife raised once more. As a last attempt, I whirled around, using the flashlight to blind him. The piece of wood I had tripped on was in my hands and I struck him in the shin. He crumpled to the ground. I rose to my feet, kicked the knife out of his hands and whacked him with the log across the face. The man fainted, face demented and coloured purple and red.

         My heart pounding, I ran up the stairs and slid across the pools of blood to the kitchen phone. My fingers shook as I dialed 9-1-1. After the lady assured me police was on their way double-time, I looked up to the ceiling in relief. My stomach rolled and I threw up into the sink.

         Nailed to the ceiling was Riley, his throat cut so deep that his head swung downward, exposing the inside of his throat.

         I emptied my stomach and told the lady what I had seen. She told me to remain calm and that help was on the way. I thanked her, and gagged at the thought of having to be in the kitchen to stay on the line with her.

         As I stood there, listening to her talk to me, I heard another sound in the eiree silence. My heart began racing faster. I told the lady there was another man in the house. She told me to tell her if I could see the man.

         I turned my head to the doorway behind me that connected the kitchen to the living room. I saw the man alright. He smiled, the large kitchen night gleaming in the moonlight that spilled in through the windows. I dropped the phone, the womans voice disconnecting as the phone plug was wrenched out of the wall.

         My heart stopped as the man advanced. He stopped his slow walk and cocked his head. I could hear sirens in the distance. The man gave a dark chuckle and drew close to me, his knife extended.

         He leaned in close to my ear, the blade pressed against my cheek. "My brother may be caught boy, but I'm not. You listen to me, it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but I'll find you. And I'll do to you, what I did to your friend up there." With one last laugh, he drew blood from my cheek with a small gash. He grabbed the side of my head and smashed it against the counter. The last thing I saw was his jumping out the window and the bobbing lights coming closer to the open door.

         The blood- was everywhere. Then, everywhere went dark.