From her bedroom, Melissa listened in horror to what occurred outside her bedroom door. Helpless to assist the two men she loved, she realized she needed to obey her father’s instructions.
Melissa crossed her room and opened the window. Leaning out, she lifted one leg and hoisted herself out on to the roof of the garage and slid down the length of the shingled surface on her backside and grabbed a large, outstretched branch of the mature oak that hugged their home.
Once enveloped in its sturdy branches, Melissa moved down, navigating its interlocking limbs before landing on the lawn below. She looked left then right, contemplated which neighbor was closest. She went to the right, though not to seek a neighbor’s help, but to reenter her home.
Melissa pushed open her front door and dashed into the kitchen unnoticed. From the ten-slot wooden knife block sitting atop the kitchen counter, Melissa selected a twelve-inch butcher knife. It had not been used since her mother was alive, but the blade retained its shine and a razor-sharp edge.
Peering around the corner from the kitchen, Melissa had a clear view of Eugene. He stood with his back to her. With stealth and silence, she swiftly stole up the stairs. She saw that Eugene was intensely focused on Gabriel. He did not notice her approach until seconds before she reached him.
The abomination loomed over Gabriel. He raised his muscled arm to strike at him as Melissa sprang into motion.
As she mounted the treads and was just steps from him, Eugene inhaled deeply. It became clear to her that his sense of smell alerted him to her presence. He shuddered and snapped his head to the side as she plunged the blade of the butcher knife into the center of his back.
Eugene cried and grabbed for the knife between his shoulder blades. Melissa slipped past him to the opposite end of the hallway and into the spare bedroom.
Using the distraction, Gabriel scrambled to the shotgun. Once the weapon was in his hands, she watched as he rolled onto his back and leveled the weapon at Eugene. He squeezed the trigger, blasting a bullet directly at the behemoth beast.
The shell exploded into Eugene’s chest, knocking him back several steps. As he staggered, Gabriel got to his feet. Once standing, he pumped the shotgun extracting the spent shells as Eugene approached. He fired again, hitting Eugene once more in the chest and knocking him back to the top of the stairs.
Gabriel then stepped forward and engaged the weapon a final time. The round sent Eugene flying down the staircase before landing, a lifeless mountain, at the front door.
Gasping and crying simultaneously, bordering on hyperventilation, Melissa moved immediately to her father’s side as Gabriel descended the staircase.
Her father’s body was in the hallway, in the alcove where he’d initially been when he’d warned her to get into her room. His eyes were closed and a thin rivulet of blood ran from a gash in the side of his head. Although she always viewed her father as strong and capable, indestructible, Melissa now saw him as the mortal man he was.
She called his name and lightly tapped his cheek.
“Come on, Dad!” she pleaded. But he remained unresponsive. She pressed her fingertips to his neck searching for a sign of life. A strong pulsation radiated from his carotid artery.