26. Bay
TWENTY-SIX
bay
“B-b-bay! Baaay! B-b—” My eyes fly open in the midst of dad’s frantic screaming. The prominent fear evident as I jump from my mattress and sprint through my open door. The bottom of my feet stick to the old hardwood floors as I round the hall and find Dad in his La-Z-Boy like he always his, blue eyes wide and filled with alarm.
“What’s wrong?” I press, closing the distance between us. “What happened?” Slowly, he lifts his arm, and I notice it shaking more than it normally does. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”
I follow his finger and see nothing, but the inside of our kitchen. But a car drives by outside and alludes that the front door might be open.
The front door might be open.
Slowly, I move toward it, noticing the small gap when I reach for the knob and wonder why the screen door didn’t slam shut like it always does.
It’s because whoever shoved it open, broke it or did it so hard that it’s stuck. Darkness greets me outside. No movement comes to my attention and my nerves set on high alert. Levi set up those security cameras, so I can look back at the footage, not that I want to, but it’s there.
What ever happened to that security Levi told me about?
Closing the door and locking it, I remember that’s my first mistake. I don’t remember ever securing it closed and fell asleep early tonight.
I chastise myself because this could’ve gone really bad. I don’t have room to make these sorts of mistakes. I could’ve just gotten my family really hurt, very fast.
Getting back into the living room, Dad is also on high alert, watching my every move as I approach him.
“Are you alright?” I ask, my voice trembling as I take the fold up chair next to his plush leather one. “Did they hurt you?”
“N-n-n-n-n-no.”
“I’m sorry, Dad.” Tears burn my eyes, but I deny them the right to fall. He’ll get upset, and he won’t be able to get his words out. He won’t be able to defend my apology because he’s recovering. “I fell asleep and?—”
“M-m-ma…t-t—” I open my mouth to keep my jaw from allowing a sob to break through my throat as he struggles to speak to me yet again. I’ve gotten used to his speech being impaired, but when he’s desperate to tell me something, it seems as though he has a harder time.
“I’ll stay out here with you tonight,” I offer, reaching for the remote on his side table and looking for something to watch other than infomercials.
“B-b-bay.” I steer my focus back to him and his jaw trembles. “Wh...what…is hap-hap…hap-p?—”
“What is happening?” I finish for him, and he bobs his head. “I…I’m not sure.”
“Levi.” He says that name perfect which I should be proud of, but he just hinted that Levi has been talking to my dad about me which immediately pisses me off.
“Did he tell you that we were gonna get some extra help?” He bobs his head.
Motherfucker.
“I’m gonna go get you some water, ’kay?” I don’t wait for him to answer me, striding in the kitchen and opening up the security app that Levi set up.
I watch someone in all black walk right up the porch and open the door without a problem. My heart drops at my mistake again and within thirty seconds of the person walking into my house, someone else follows.
Pulling the phone closer to my face, I try to look for evidence of who it is before both bodies are sprinting from the house in a frenzy.
The first body sprints across the lawn, then looks back. I can’t make any features out right away, but when the second body is on the first’s ass, it’s like he’s chasing him.
Quickly, I grab some water and walk back into the room with my dad.
“Dad, did you see…” His blues meet mine, almost the exact same shade but mine are a tad brighter.
He knows.
He knows who was in the house.
M-m-ma…t-t
Mat.
Matteo.