Chapter Ten

It's been about two weeks since I got home from the hospital. Everything has been going smoothly. No surprise visits from Jeff, not even any breaking news about new murders in the town. I think me telling my father must have scared Jeff off because he hasn't even been at school. Everything has been back to normal in my life, that is, until tonight. 

~~~~~

I get my pajamas on and tell my parents' goodnight. School today was exhausting and I'm glad that it's finally Friday. I lay in bed and let my body relax, which is still sore from Jeff's boots. I quickly start to fall asleep.

I'm woken to a scream. I jump up and look at my phone, its three in the morning. I quickly get out of bed and run down the hall, when I hear another scream come from my parent's room. I open the door, where I'm left in shock as I see that familiar white hoodie. Jeff.

Jeff is standing behind my little brother, with that same knife being held to his neck. Jeff has a knuckle-white grip on my brother's hair, holding him in place. I look to see my mother and father in the corner opposite of Jeff, my father standing in front of my mother defensively. I feel the tears start to fall down my cheeks. How did he get past the cops?

"Ah! The guest of honor decided to join us!" Jeff says sarcastically, a smile playing on his lips. The deep cuts in his cheeks are gone and his eyelids are back. How is that possible?

"Jeff... Please just let go of my brother. Okay?" I say slowly. Jeff's laughter booms through the whole room.

"You're such a stupid bitch!" He says to me, laughing harder. "This is all your fault after all! What? Did you think I was bluffing when I said that I would hear you? Well, I did, and the only reason I wasn't back that night to gut you and your family, was because you made my life harder with the cops showing up at my cabin, tearing up the place. I had to hide out for a while because of you." He says, glaring at me. "This is because of you."  

Right then, he stabs the knife into my brother's side and withdraws it again. I scream at the top of my lungs and run over to him bleeding out. My parents try to move but jeff cusses at them and points the bloody knife at my dad, threatening him to stay where he is. 

"We have to call the police! He's going to die!" I scream at Jeff. 

"Stupid bitch. That's the point. To die." Jeff says laughing hysterically. "Plus, with all that damn screaming, the police are already on their way. But anyway, let's get a move on." Jeff says and grabs my arm. I try to yank but his grip just gets tighter. 

"What do you think you're doing?!" My mother and father ask in unison. Jeff glares at them both. 

"Well you see, I told your little perfect daughter here to follow my directions and everything would be fine. But, she goes and opens her mouth and does the exact opposite. So her life belongs to me now, and she made this mess, so she is coming with me as a pawn to get out of it." Jeff says, smiling like everything is just normal. "And, if you two"-pointing to my parents- "so much as tell the police she is my pawn, I will be back to gut both of you. Do as I say, and maybe one day you can see your daughter again. If she isn't in prison that is." Jeff says laughing loudly until he hears the cops pounding on the front door. He glares at me. "We have to go! I already had to deal with cops once, I'm not doing it again." 

I glance at my brother bleeding out, he nods at me and cries out in pain some more. My parents are now at his side, putting pressure on his wound. I nod back at my brother. 

"Alright, this is bullshit. Your taking to long and my patience has run thin." He says and tosses me over his back. I feel the wind go through my hair as he jumps out the window and lands easily on his feet. He runs into the forest that is behind our neighbor's house. 

As he runs, me over his shoulder, I can see the police surrounding my house and my brother being pulled out on a stretcher. I think he will be okay. I notice my father talking to the police, but my mother isn't paying attention. Tears are streaming down her face as she sees Jeff in the distance, running away with me.