Mistakes Were Made

Chapter 30: No Monster Anymore

       The sound of the front door banging makes Dakota jolt awake. She stretches, her hand moving to the other side of the bed where Hank should be. But all she feels is the warmth he had left behind. Dakota figures Hank went out for a smoke. How typical, she blushes. Suddenly, footsteps echo through the house. At first, Dakota listens as she smiles at the thought of all the things she and Hank had just done. Then it dawns on her. Dakota slowly sits up, her eyes locked on the picture frame hanging up in the living room. She grabs one of Hank's dirty t-shirts off the floor, realizing how messy their house is. She goes back to her thoughts, trying to focus on what is making her heart race.
             If the bed is still warm, then that means Hank would be gone for about 30 or so minutes. He liked to sit out there and smoke for a while before coming back in. The bed would be cold if Hank had just finished smoking. Plus, there's no usual cigarette smoke smell in the air. Had the 28-year-old man not went out yet? Something else that is off is the slow footsteps. Hank walks slow, but that's just because he can't get enough wind because of his smoking habit. Terror fills Dakota. She quickly grabs the metal baseball bat beside her bed. She holds it close to her and she gets up and goes to the bathroom. She hides in the shower. Dakota holds her breath as she waits for Hank to call out her name.
Suddenly, a shadow appears in the moonlight that shines through the bedroom window. The shape of the figure is not Hank. It's shorter and less muscular. Dakota holds her bat tighter, pee running down her leg at the anticipation. Her heart pounds harder as she waits.
The figure suddenly appears in the doorway. Terror fills Dakota as she recognizes the familiar brown eyes and slick black hair. His nose is now crooked from when Hank punched him before. Johnny.

             Hank walks back to the house with a few boards in his hands and a box of nails. As Hank approaches the house, he can feel that something was off. He stops, staring at the house in wonder. What is throwing me off? He wonders. Hank shrugs as he continues on towards the side of the house. As he rounds the corner, he notices that the front door is cracked open. Hank thinks back to when he had left. Did he accidentally leave the door cracked open? No, he didn't.
                Hank makes his way to the front door, being careful and quiet. He lays the boards down on the porch. He opens the front door and grabs the hidden hand gun under the wooden stool that Drew had placed there two Christmas's ago. Hank takes the gun and takes it off safety and points it towards the ceiling, the way you're supposed to hold a loaded gun. He slowly walks around the corner, looking into the living room. There's no movement besides the light from a passing vehicle splashing on the front and sides of the houses in the neighborhood. There's a muffled sound, which makes Hank's heart beat faster.
                A dark figure steps out of the bedroom with a crying Dakota in their arms. Hank raises his gun automatically. The dark figure stops and suddenly all Hank knows is Johnny. The crooked nosed man stares at Hank's gun in slight fear.
                "Let her go, Johnny!" Hank shouts.
               "Or what? You'll shoot me?" Johnny slowly caresses Dakota's hair, making Hank's hand more twitchy. "We both know you ain't got the balls."
                "Not as big as you coming here while the cops are looking for you." Hank growls, "Man's gotta have some balls."
                 "Damn right, Allen!" Johnny exclaims, "And I told you I was gonna hurt her."
                 "Hank!" Dakota cries out, tears rolling down her face.
                 "Go ahead, pull the trigger, big boy." Johnny says mockingly.
                Hank pulls the trigger but the slot is empty and so is the next. His heart pounds. The gun is useless now. With his adrenaline pumping, Hank rushes Johnny. He punches him in the center of the intruder's crooked nose, making the bad man's grip on Dakota loosen. She manages to get loose and she runs and hides in the small pantry room that's being used now as a laundry room. Hank spots the baseball bat in the floor and grabs it, he swings it into the side of Johnny's head. The man falls to the ground screaming, blood pouring out of his wound. Hank grabs a hold of the intruder's neck and back of his shirt, rushing Johnny out of the house. Getting him as far away from reach of Dakota. Hank throws Johnny out into the front yard.
                "Fuck!" Johnny curses, wincing in pain.
                Hank quickly makes his way down the format steps and kicks Johnny in the groin. Johnny lets out a loud, animal like howl. Hank kick him again and again until his fist become hot and ready. The 28 year old grabs the bad man's ripped shirt and punches Johnny until all that can be seen is red. Hank pauses for a minute before kicking Johnny once more but in the mouth, knocking several teeth out.
              A familiar voice rings through the air.
              "Hank, why the hell were you at my—" Mona sees Johnny on the ground trembling in pain, "Oh hell nah! You white people are CRAZY!"
                 Mona turns and runs back towards her house with her arms waving.
              "My neighbor is a crazy white man!" Mona screams, "He's got himself a dead white boy! Somebody call the po-po!"
               Hank walks inside the house, dialing 9-1-1 for an intruder. After he gets off the phone, he looks out at Johnny who still lays on the grass trembling in pain. Then it dawns on Hank. Where's Dakota?
                "Dakota!" Hank shouts, looking around the house frantically. "Koda baby, where are you? It's okay, Johnny can't hurt you anymore!"
                  Hank wonders into bedroom and searches the bathroom. His heart is racing.
                 "Dakota!" Hank screams at the top of his lungs, panicking. "Baby, where are you?"
                Suddenly, Hank hears a faint voice from the laundry room that was originally a pantry. Hank walks up to the closed doors, swinging them open. A jug of Tide laundry detergent is thrown at his head. He ducks, holding his hands up as dirty laundry is thrown at him. He manages to catch one of Dakota's panties and a sock.
                 "It's okay! It's okay, Koda! It's me." Hank says as she screams, "It's Hank!"
                  Dakota stops screaming and throwing dirty laundry. Hank can see that she is wearing one of his t-shirts and his boxers. Her dark brown eyes stare up at Hank as she realizes who he is. She begins sobbing, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kisses Dakota as she continues to sob. She lays her head on his chest as he rubs her back, shushing her.
                   "Everything is going to be okay, baby." Hank kisses the top of her head, "There's no monster anymore."

               
                   The police and ambulance came to the Allen household and took Johnny to the hospital before he was arrested for attempting to kidnap a minor. Dakota and Hank was brought down to the Police Station for questioning. Dakota decided to whip out a tale that was partially true, but had to dodge a few bullets. She told the police Johnny had tried to rape her before and she didn't tell Hank for a long time, which lead to Johnny's first charge. Then Dakota heard about what Johnny had done to Hank, which annoyed her that Hank tried to protect her from the truth. But by the time Hank and Dakota got to go home, it looked to be that Johnny had up to life in prison. Johnny had also beat his wife to death before he had snuck over to the Allen house. His kids were missing.
                 As Hank finished up talking to the police officer, he asked the police man what was screaming in his mind.
                 "Excuse my language Jim, but how in the hell can I make sure no other bastard comes into my home and tries to hurt Dakota again?" Hank hopes for some answer that won't cost too much.
                 Officer Jim Mosby, a guy Hank and Drew went to school with, smiles at him before sighing. His dark eyes go over Lulu, the German Shepherd whose top police dog they have in Thorne Bush.
                  "Get ya' self one of those German Shepards. They're a good guard dog and they made a great pet too." Jim says with a smile, "My wife and I got a boxer when we thought somebody was sneaking around our house at night. Turns out, it was the damn raccoons trying to get into our trash! Yes sir, Killer tore that raccoon to shreds he did."
                  Unfortunately for Hank, Dakota over heard the conversation and immediately started begging Hank. Something Hank doesn't need on his plate right now: a dog. He gives Dakota a look.
                   "No, Dakota. I will not have a mangy mutt who pisses on everything good we have. The answer is no."