Dominance

Chapter 12: Breakdown

Aside from Twister's deep breaths and the plocking of the dining room clock, the house had fallen silent. The minutes had ticked by and Sara didn't even realise how long she'd been standing there, staring at the mangled mess that was once the shape of a person, until the front door behind her creaked open. Officer Marrson shakily held up her gun, aiming it in Sara and Twister's direction. Her mask was pulled down onto her chin and her eyes scanned the room in horror. her sight flickered through the trashed house from where Frost was hanging out of the wall, to Rain who was still amongst the shrapnel of wooden furniture with Sparkie's fluffy bulk standing over her, and then back to the bloody heap that was originally Hail.

With Twister still incredibly wound up, Marrson hadn't taken the best time to come barging in. He raised his head, hackles elevated. A beastly snarl emitted from his blood-smeared, curled-high lips, revealing a threatening display of his massive teeth. Sara wasn't sure she could manage any more bloodshed at this point. With a spur of foolish bravery she stood in front of Twister, arms outstretched and blocking him. Like a barricade of reason between the both of them. Or perhaps it was just a thoughtless reaction of pure stupidity.

"Please. Just go!" Sara was proud her voice did not waver as she confronted the horrified police officer.

Twister's grotesque head slowly draped over Sara's shoulder. He moved with precision, eyes locked intensely wide and predatorily onto Marrson. His jaws stretched wide before snapping shut and baring with such a noise that even sent shivers up Sara's spine.

Officer Marrson was quite obviously terrified. She was very slowly backing back out towards the door, but a sudden loud crunch from further inside the house spooked her. Sparkie had stepped on some wooden panels that had splintered off from the trashed staircase railing. The officer's finger jerked back on the trigger and Sara squeezed her eyes shut as a bullet exploded out of the gun.

When it didn't strike Sara she slowly opened her eyes to see it floating, barely centimetres in front of her.
It hovered, just outside a bright blue, semi-transparent shield which sent a familiar buzzing throughout her body. Amongst the mixture of unbridled anger, frustration and desperation Sara could feel a build-up of pressure. Officer Scotts, his expression equally afraid as his partner, rushed into the house at the last possible second to push Officer Marrson out of the way. The pressurised wave, bullet in tow, exploded outwards. Fortunately for the officers, the bullet missed them both and pierced through the wall instead, but the blast of light smashed them both hard against the wall.

Sara didn't bother to check to see if they were unconscious or dead. Her concerns were totally elsewhere. Instead, she left them slumped on the floor and dashed up the battered stairs, headed to her parents' bedroom.

🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻

The images of Sara's parents' bodies was not something she would ever forget.
Barely through the doorway, her father lay at a rigid angle. His salt and pepper hair was still sleeked back neatly as it usually was. Face down, a puddle of blood underneath him had soaked into the carpet. There were gashes on his back. The slashed fabric of his shirt was sticky with red. Not even a couple of meters away, Sara's mother lay sprawled on the ensuite bathroom floor. Smears of blood trailed along the wall towards the open bathroom door. Inside, further splatters were on the tiles and staining the porcelain fixtures. Her mother's glazed eyes were open and her mouth was agape in her last expression of fear. The colour of her skin was a shade of grey and devoid of the life it once had.

Sara lost all strength and her legs gave way. They crumbled underneath her and she sunk to the floor. Bile rose in her throat and she felt like she needed to put in extra effort to remind herself to keep breathing.