Tracy

074:

         

074:

Richard followed her into the house. She had made it half way down the hall, and he was about to decide to follow her, demand more answers, when with a shattering of all the front facing windows on Ray's lovely house--

The dark rooms lit with the glare of uncanny, unearthly brilliant fiery light. Richard ducked, flew at Tracy and knocked her to the ground. The whole front of the house shook, creaked and groaned. The sound of twisted metal, showering glass and plaster, and imbedding rock chips in the tiles and Richard's back. The grating, disjointed crunch screamed mayhem.

Tracy screamed, and it blended with Richard's yell, as his big hand cupped her skull, keeping the glass and debris from raining on her. Upstairs Monday held Danny, screaming as Jake stumbled to the top, looking out the blown out windows. The screams of fire engines could be heard.

"Are you hurt? Are you hurt?" Jake yelled above the settling of wreckage.

"What the hell was it?" Richard sheltered Tracy's slight form, protecting her as the dust settled and the acrid odor of burning rubber met their nostrils.

"I think it was Ray's car." Tracy screamed. "Seriously! Ray's car!"

Richard's head turned slightly, still cupping her face, as he squirmed to the side, nearest the walls. "Ray's car, the one we were just driving?" He had a finger in his ear to still the ringing.

Jake's answer was startling. "Yes! It's Ray's car all right! I see the perps running away, I think." But he couldn't get out the front door, he couldn't get anywhere near it. His feet slid on the bottom step. "You guys gotta get out of this here area!"

Richard scrambled with Tracy on her hands and knees toward the back of the house through the hallways that led to the back bedrooms, the kitchen, and the dining area. Sirens could be heard coming closer.

"This is shit! How come they haven't caught these idiots?" Richard yelled to Jake who was trying to see out the shattered front windows.

"I don't know, except they're that good. That good. Sneaky little bastards."

Richard got to a rounded corner and helped Tracy up, running his hands down her face as she warded his ministrations off by slapping at his hands. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm not! But you're bleeding. You're bleeding, Richard!"

He touched his forehead just above his left eye, and winced, but turned to look back the way Jake had just gone. "Stay here."

"You can't just leave me here!"

"I said stay put." He made his way back the way they'd come, opening the door that was already hanging on just a few hinges just as the police and fire department pulled up.

He was ready to tell them all about this attack-- the guy had to be close by. Someone had detonated a bomb that blew up Ray's car. Planted it at the hospital, hoping to catch one of them, he was sure. Tracy and the children were not safe. Something more had to be done.

*****