27. Chapter 27
July 4, 2011
7:30 pm
Hailey had spent the last three days at the hospital with Trey and now that she felt comfortable leaving his side, she was looking forward to having a sense of normalcy. The last few days had been exhausting and Hailey was ready to sleep in a regular bed. After her much needed shower, she relaxed under the covers. She finally stopped long enough to notice that the throbbing in her head had resumed.
Sighing, Hailey got up and padded through the living room to Angie’s kitchen. She could hear the TV in the guest room, Sara’s laughter carrying through the house. Hailey smiled. She was glad her sister was finding happiness, especially with all that was going on. Sara deserved it, even if it was in a TV sitcom.
And, thankfully, Hailey didn’t have to worry about Trinity tonight. After the stress of the last few days, and the trauma of her father being shot, Hailey had agreed to let her stay with Cecilia at Genevieve’s for the night.
Hailey got herself a glass of water and brought it back to her room where she took two ibuprofens for the pain. She slid back under the covers and, finally, after three very long days, allowed herself to relax.
She wanted to spend the night combing through what she knew, but instead, Hailey drifted off to sleep and tried to fight off the nightmares that came with it. Some were about the fire, others about her mother, her sister, and, of course, Trey getting shot. There was always a faceless killer chasing after her. His figure would contort from David’s to Ryan’s to Sara’s. Even her mother became the boogeyman.
She awoke with a jolt, nausea threatening her.
Loud booms and crackles thundered through the sky. Disoriented from her dreams, she nearly screamed, searching for cover from the gunshots.
Hailey breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the sounds were fireworks. She hadn’t even realized it was the Fourth of July. She inhaled and sat up quickly, breathing in and out as she calmed her nerves.
The bedside clock showed it was only 9:30 pm.
As she went to lay down again, she heard a noise coming from the other side of the house. She told herself it was Sara getting water or using the bathroom, but her gut told her something was wrong.
She thought about calling Gavin, but didn’t want to alarm him if it was nothing. Instead, she grabbed her phone and tucked it into the pocket of her sweatpants and made her way toward the sound.
“Sara?” she whispered.
Nothing.
Heart thudding loudly, palms sweaty, Hailey continued to slowly walk toward the kitchen. She heard something to her left and quickly turned around. She let out a scream as Sara crept around a corner.
Startled, Sara returned the scream and then began laughing, along with Hailey.
“What are you doing up?” Hailey asked.
“I thought I heard something, so I came to investigate.”
Hailey stopped. “I came out because I heard something.”
The two shared a knowing glance.
Sara ran to the kitchen to grab a knife while Hailey tried to quickly pull her phone out of her pocket.
More booms and crackles ricocheted above.
Movement on the other side of the room caught her eye, the flashes of light illuminated a shadow hiding on the other side of the room. Hailey let out a blood curdling scream and ran toward Sara. Hailey was tackled to the ground, her phone clattering across the tile. Pain ruptured through her body as she collided with the floor and her breath was knocked from her lungs.
She struggled to move the fog from her mind. Once again, she felt hands tighten around her throat as Ryan began to squeeze. Flashbacks began flooding her as she recalled the last time he tried to kill her.
Just like before, the black hole threatened to swallow her.
She didn’t want to die like this. She didn't want Trey to find her body and have to tell Trinity what happened. She wanted to make things right with Sara. She wanted more time with them.
She had to fight back. She had to get away from this monster.
Then, a force ripped Ryan from her, and he grunted as he crashed to the ground. She sucked in air as quickly as she could, relief filling her.
She knew Trey would save her.
She started calling out to him as she pushed herself off the floor. Disoriented, she shook her head.
No, not Trey. Sara. Sara had saved her.
Sara quickly brought down a knife and sliced his left shoulder blade and Ryan howled in pain. Furious, he went after Sara as she ran toward the front door to get Gavin and Carter. Blood was pouring out of his wound, leaving a trail of violence behind him.
Sara screamed as Ryan grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground and the knife slid across the floor and under the couch. Hailey fervently tried to grasp the weapon, but her arms weren’t long enough. Not waiting a moment longer, Hailey reached out and grabbed Ryans ankle, causing him to stumble. He cursed at her as she yelled, “Run, Sara!”
Sara hesitated.
“Go! Now!” Hailey screamed as she scurried toward the kitchen to get a weapon. She wasn’t sure she’d make it out alive, but she’d die trying if it meant Sara could live.
Sara ran like her life depended on it. She tore through the front door, leaving it open. She darted to the truck that was parked at the edge of the drive, screaming and waving her arms as she did. Gavin and Carter rushed out of the truck when they saw her.
She began crying hysterically. “Ryan is in the house!”
Gavin’s eyes widened as he grabbed her upper arms and studied her face. She brought a hand to her mouth and realized she was bleeding, but she didn’t care. Her sister’s life was in danger.
Carter ran inside, pulling out his pistol as he did.
Gavin handed Sara his phone. “Get in the truck and lock the door. Call 911 and do not get out until they’re here. No matter what.”
She nodded and Gavin followed, gun drawn.
Sara climbed into the driver’s side and locked the door. She called 911 and tried to calm herself down. If she was hysterical, it would take them longer to get there.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“Someone broke into my house and my sister has been hurt. He’s trying to kill her!” She rattled off the address and quickly hung up. Then she searched the phone for Trey’s number.
His voice was groggy, “What’s up?”
“Ryan is here! He’s got Hailey!” Her voice quivered as she tried to keep from crying.
“I’m on my way,” he said and hung up.
She sobbed as she watched red and blue ribbons fill the sky. This was her first Fourth of July being free. But she still felt like she was in prison, shackled and chained to the past that seemed to haunt her and bring chaos and heartache to her family.
Revenge always comes at a price, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to pay it. And now her sister might die because of it.
Another boom vibrated through the air and more ribbons danced in the sky as colors fell to the ground.
Three more booms reverberated through the darkness. But this time it wasn’t fireworks.
It was gunshots.
Sirens in the distance pierced her ears. She just hoped they made it in time.
Now, all Sara could do was wait to see who had been killed.