Paradise Falls ||JJ Maybank||

[10] Home Invasion

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My shift the next morning was like trudging through molasses, slow and sticky. The diner was unusually quiet, with only a scattering of early-morning patrons shuffling in for their caffeine fix. Each passing minute felt like an eternity, my mind still swirling with the events of yesterday.

Upon returning home, I immediately noticed that my parents were nowhere to be seen. Usually, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but today, with yesterday's chaos still fresh in my mind, their absence felt ominous. Maybe they got held up somewhere, running errands or stuck in traffic.

I changed into more comfortable clothes, opting for shorts and a bikini top to combat the stifling heat that filled the house without electricity. Little did I know, the oppressive atmosphere inside was nothing compared to the danger that was about to breach the sanctuary of my home.

As I finished changing, the sound of the back door sliding open barely registered in my mind. Assuming it was just my parents returning or a friend seeking refuge from the sweltering heat, I paid it no mind, unaware of the imminent threat lurking in the shadows.

The noise of cabinets being ransacked jolted me out of my reverie, drawing me toward the kitchen. "JJ, there's no food in there," I called out jokingly, expecting one of my friends to reveal themselves, "and if there is, I wouldn't eat it. It's probably expired by now."

Approaching the kitchen, I was suddenly grabbed and thrown across the room by a stranger, my body slamming against the wall with a sickening thud. Pain shot through me as I struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

"Where the hell is it?" the man who threw me demanded, his voice dripping with menace as he grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and pinned me down.

I groaned, attempting to wriggle free from his grasp. "Where is what?" I managed to choke out, my heart pounding with fear and confusion.

With a brutal kick, he silenced my protests, while his partner continued tearing through the house in search of their elusive prize.

"The compass," he clarified, his grip tightening as he pressed me against the wall. "You were with that guy on the boat. Where is it?"

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. These were the men who had fired shots at us yesterday, and now they were here, in my home, hunting for something they believed I had.

"How did you find me?" I stuttered, my mind racing with fear and uncertainty.

"Let's just say I had a little chat with your parents," he replied, a sinister grin playing on his lips.

My blood ran cold at the thought of my parents being endangered because of me. "What did you do to them?!" I demanded, my voice trembling with a mixture of rage and fear as I tried to escape his grip again.

He chuckled darkly, throwing me to the ground with a force that knocked the wind out of me. "You won't be seeing them anytime soon," he taunted, his foot pressing down on my chest as he warned against defiance.

I lay there, every bone in my body aching, my chest constricted under the weight of his foot. The stench of fear hung heavy in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood from a split lip.

With a final, contemptuous sneer, the man released me, sending me sprawling across the floor like a discarded rag doll. I struggled to catch my breath, the pain in my ribs a relentless reminder of my vulnerability.

As the intruders continued their relentless assault on my home, the once-familiar surroundings morphed into a nightmarish tableau of destruction. The crash of shattered glass and splintering wood echoed through the house, punctuated by the occasional grunt of exertion from the invaders.