Page 97 of The Perfect Spiral
I pushed the door open just enough to slip out and ran into my room as quickly and quietly as I could. I closed the door behind me, not fully, so as not to attract his attention. I glanced around the room, looking for a weapon, but found nothing.
“Fuck!” I whispered to myself. His steps halted, and the door was flung open to reveal him standing there, gripping a large chopping knife so tightly that his knuckles were white.
He lunged towards me, and I scrambled onto my bed, hopping over it and bolting out of my room, narrowly avoiding his swipe. I sprinted down the hallway as I heard him bellow.
“You fucking bitch, get back here, RIGHT NOW!” His voice boomed out.
“Stay the fuck away from me!” Suddenly, I was back in my bed, panting heavily. I threw back the covers and swung my door open. I looked both ways before running towards the front door.
Taking two steps at a time, I dashed past the living room, screaming “Stay away from me!!” over and over again. I burst through the kitchen door and slipped, falling onto my knees.
I quickly recovered and stood up, just as Kyle, Andy, Knox, Wes, Brett, and Tyler burst through the doors into the kitchen. I grabbed a knife from the stand and gripped it tightly.
Delilah, Ace, my mom, and Eric were all seated at the dining table, staring at me in confusion. “Alex?”
“WHERE IS HE, MOM?!” I walked towards the door I had just come through and kicked it open, stepping into the foyer with the knife in my hand.
“Alex! Who are you talking about?” Kyle asked from behind me.
“ALEX, GET BACK UP HERE!” I heard him. He was in my house.
“Where are you, you bastard?! I’m not scared of you, you son of a bitch!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
My breathing was ragged and rapid. I was standing in the foyer with my family, waiting for him to come down so we could face off. So it would be a fair fight. But truth be told, I was absolutely terrified of him.
“Baby doll, who are you talking about?” I focused my eyes back on Knox, who was slowly approaching me with his hand outstretched. He better not be trying to disarm me.
My eyes darted between him and the staircase. I was sweating profusely, and I could feel the knife slipping in my grip. I paced back and forth in the foyer, my mom’s sobs echoing in my ears. I looked up at her, and my own tears, which I hadn’t realized were forming, began to trail down my face. I started shaking uncontrollably again, rubbing the back of my neck.
“He’s here. He’s here to finish me off,” I sobbed. Why were they so calm? He was in the house! Couldn’t they see that he was here?
“Alex, sweetheart... he’s n-... he’s not here, baby!”
“Yes, he is, Mom! He’s here, he’s upstairs! Don’t you get it? He’s trying to kill me! I... I can’t... didn’t you hear him?”
I cried harder and harder, while everyone stared at me, their faces pale and shocked. Why didn’t they believe me? I had seen him with my own eyes. I started to hyperventilate, my breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.
“Baby, he’s still in... prison. I promise you nothing will happen to you. I’ll protect you, baby. I’m here. Just put down the knife, sweetie, and come to me, alright?”
“Are you out of your mind? I’m going to get him before he gets me! Protect me? He’s not in prison! He’s up there! Can’t you hear him?! He’s here, right up those stairs!”
I rubbed my hands through my hair and across my face. They just didn’t understand.
“Sweetheart, hand me the knife. You were dreaming. I’ll take you upstairs and you can see for yourself. I’ll protect you.”
“No way! Are you insane? He’s not hurting you, I won’t let that bastard get away with stabbing any of you. He stabbed me—that’s more than enough! HE’S A FUCKING COWARD! Do you hear me, Cain! You’re a coward!”
“Darling, please, look at me. I promise he’s not here. Put down the knife. You just woke up. It’s ten o’clock. You had a nightmare.”
I began to shake, tears dripping off my face, and I saw Andy starting to cry. I looked around at the scared faces in front of me. I looked down at the knife that I was holding and cried harder than ever.
The realization hit me like a freight train—they were more scared of me than they were of him. I was the one with the knife. I collapsed to the ground onto my knees and dropped the knife onto the floor.
I brought my hands up to cover my face, crying into my hands, not wanting to show my face or look at the people around me who must think I’m crazy.
I felt multiple arms wrap around me and heard Kyle’s soothing voice telling me it was alright. Was I having a nightmare?
“It’s alright, Sis, I got you. He will never touch you again. I promise,” Kyle whispered into my hair, trying to reassure me that he’s not out of prison yet. But he will be soon.
