Kidnapped by a Killer (Edited Version)

Chapter 2

Something, I didn't know exactly what at the time, disturbed me in the middle of the night and I opened my eyes to the dark interior of my room. Rolling to one side I checked the clock on my phone; it was only 2:37am. Rolling to my other side, I saw my Remi sleeping next to me. He must have slipped into my room while I was asleep. Maybe that was what woke me. I began pulled the blankets up to my chin with an exhale and prepared to go back to sleep. However, my relaxation was yanked away from me when I heard a clatter from outside my room.

Startled, I pushed the blankets away and went to my door. The sound had been close, as if it had only been a few doors away. My family didn't own any pets, so I knew whatever it had been had to have come from something else moving around the house. After I tiptoed down the hall to glance into the bathroom, I looked around the guest room. Both rooms were empty. I was on my way back to my own room when I thought to peek inside my parents' room. They weren't really night owls, but maybe one of them was sick and had gotten up to use the restroom.

I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a hulking figure leaning over my parents. He had something shiny raised above his head, but I realized what it was too late. He brought it down into my father's chest with an impact that made me jump with swelling fear, and my dad began coughing loudly.

By this time, my mother had woken up from the sound of my dad's coughs and was fumbling around in the dark. "Honey? Are you alright?" she asked, reaching for the lamp on her nightstand. I opened my mouth to shout at her to move just as the man pulled the blade from my father's chest and plunged it into my mom's stomach. She gasped and faltered for a minute, her eyes meeting mine from across the room. Then she fell forwards onto my dad and both lay motionless. I could already smell the blood.

Horrified, I stood frozen in place as my brain refused to process the scene I had just witnessed. Now done with my parents, the man straightened with his back to me. This jolted me into action and I moved away from the door. But I stepped back too quickly and the wood floors creaked softly under my weight. The man stopped and looked back towards the door. I didn't wait to know if he'd seen me as I ran back to my room and closed the door. I hurried to wake my brother. "Wake up..! We have to go!" I hissed, trying not to let my voice shake.

He blinked at me with a look of confusion. "Wha...? Whas wrong?" he asked.

I knew I didn't have time to explain it to him, so I picked him up and hurried to the closet. Shutting the door quietly, I held my breath and placed a hand over my brother's mouth. He tried to move it away, but I shook my head silently. Then the distinct sound of my bedroom door opening could be heard and we both turned to look at the closed closet door. Slow footsteps passed the closet and my brother looked up at me worriedly; I kept my eyes on the door, ready for a fight if necessary.

To my relief, the footsteps appeared to retreat slightly and disappear. Believing he had left, I breathed out a wordless sigh of relief and hugged Remi to me. However, that small sound would be our undoing.

A moment later, the door swung open and the man stood over us, his frame outlined in the light of room's moonlight. I pushed my brother behind me protectively and glared at the man, biting out a warning. The man did not answer. He grabbed my arm with a tight grip and dragged me out of the closet. After throwing me to the side, he then grabbed my brother.

Scrambling to my feet, I tried to get over to protect my only little brother, but as with my parents, I was too late. I stopped, hand outstretched, as I watched the man slit Remi's throat in one swift movement. My brother, who had been crying, went silent aside from some gurgling sounds and the man dropped him carelessly. I wanted to vomit.

The stranger was far from done, however, and he soon turned to me. I tore my eyes away from my brother's body just as he grabbed my shirt and pulled me to my feet. He pushed me back, and I stumbled into my closet door with a slam as he pinned me in place, knife to my neck. With narrowed eyes, the man leaned close enough for me to smell his cologne; it made my eyes water.