Ray Ch. 04: Breathe

Now her peace was gone, dissolved into a pounding heart. Her peace hadn't disappeared, it had been taken from her by a sound. A sound which shouldn't have been there. A door opening in a place without doors. A step on hardwood where there was nothing but sand. She held her breath, trying to hear anything but the silence.

A creak spidered through the wood floor from down her hallway to where she lay. Then another. Closer. Quieter. She sat up, shoving against the weight of his presence. There was nowhere to hide. She'd already been found.

She threw the covers back, shivering in the chill of her nakedness. Her first instinct took her to her bathroom, another locking door to put between the monster and herself. Her hand grasped the knob, ready to pull it closed when she remembered her promise.

There it was, calling to her from under her bed, the green light from her alarm clock reflecting off the smooth barrel. Her only other way to save herself she had left on her nightstand. The green light illuminated the screen as if reminding her help was only three numbers away.

A movement, a slight shift of the handle on her bedroom door, brought her to her knees. She crawled across the floor, reaching underneath her bed and wrapping her hand around her only chance to defeat her tormentor. Her hands shook as she lifted the weapon to her shoulder.

"I'll fucking shoot you!" she screamed out, her voice breaking over the words.

Fists pounded into the door, jolting her nerves with the booming sound.

She grasped the fore-end and pulled it back with all her strength before shoving it forward and letting it fall into place. The sound ripped through the air, leaving a heaviness lingering in the distance between the door and where she sat trembling. When she pulled the trigger the gun kicked back, sending pain tearing through her shoulder. The pounding stopped, leaving her with nothing but a silent darkness.

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He lifted his foot off the gas, letting the car roll slowly down the street. The headlights broke through the darkness, reflecting off the black pavement in front of him. They illuminated both sides of the road just enough for him to see the people wandering around the sidewalk. Puffs of white came from their mouths as they conversed with each other, their arms wrapped around themselves to keep warm in the freezing night air.

"Are we looking for someone?" Jake asked from the passenger seat.

"No," he lied. Looking was all he spent his work hours doing anymore. Any and all Causasian males who appeared to be in their mid-twenties with brown hair, blue eyes and a slight heft to their weight were now subjected to his scrutiny.

"Then why are we in the slums?" Jake asked, his eyes staring out the window.

"We're patrolling the streets, like we're supposed to," he replied. Heads turned towards their car, watching them with distrusting eyes.

"Can I ask you a question?" Jake inquired, his hand lightly touching his perfectly slicked back hair.

"I guess." He dug into the bag of chips on the dashboard, shoving some into his mouth. He wondered how effective the salt and grease would be at replenishing his energy. It was Thursday night and his thirteenth hour of work. Between Monday Funday and working a double shift to make up for requesting Tuesday off, he was losing steam.

"How do you know Natalie Morris?"

"Haven't we already had this conversation?" he asked, stuffing more chips into his mouth.

Jake took a swig of his Coke then twisted the lid back in place. "Yeah, but I figured maybe this time you would answer the question."

"What does it matter?" He glanced down into his lap, suddenly worried his cage may be noticeable underneath his uniform. "If you want to ask her out, hurry up and do it already. It doesn't have anything to do with me."

Jake shifted in his seat, adjusting the items on his tactical belt. "I'm not going to ask out a girl I already know is going to say no."

"How do you know she's going to say no?" he questioned, curious if she had already given him a hint of what her answer would be.

"Because if there was any chance she would say yes, you wouldn't keep acting like it wasn't a big deal," Jake replied, shaking his head in disgust.

The radio beeped, white noise interrupting their conversation before the dispatcher's voice came through the speaker. "Possible home invasion at thirty-two seventy-two Jagger Street—"

He didn't hear the entire directive. His senses shut down after the sound of her address. His foot was already shoving the gas pedal to the floor before Jake had a chance to turn on the sirens. Red lights brought civilian traffic to a standstill, but he ran through every one. Jake was yelling words to him but none of them could break through the red haze. The rapist would not escape again.

Within ten minutes he was skidding to a stop in front of her house. The teal door was wide open, the inside of the house still in darkness. He pulled out his gun then nodded to Jake. They crept slowly up to the home, Jake stepping over her lawn while he himself moved up her driveway.

"Avalon Police!" he yelled through the doorway, praying to hear the sound of her voice answering back.

Only silence replied.

He continued slowly through the entryway, Jake close on his heels. The silence screamed through him. All he wanted was to hear proof of her still beating heart, even if it was just the sound of her breath.

He flicked on the light to her living room. His eyes ran over her favorite chair and his favorite place to kneel on the floor in front of it. They moved to her empty couch, his tongue already missing her taste. The light flooded into her empty kitchen, reflecting softly over her empty cabinets. The wood floor creaked as their boots pressed into it, disturbing the heavy silence. He held his gun steady as he turned down her hallway.

The rack of a shotgun was unmistakeable. It shattered the silence, ripping through his heart when he realized it was coming from behind her closed door. Jake immediately pointed his gun towards the sound, his finger poised on the trigger.

He held out his hand, praying Jake would hold his fire. "It's Officer Ray," he yelled down the hallway. Even if they were his last words, he couldn't let Jake shoot through a closed door when his soul may be on the other side.

"Officer Ray?" Her voice was quiet, almost as if the words weren't meant to be said aloud.

He dropped his hands, bringing his gun back to his side. He wanted to run to her, or crawl to her, whichever would get him to her faster. "Yes, it's me."

Jake stared at him from across the hallway, his brow furrowed as he mouthed "Officer Ray?" into the air.

"I'm coming down the hallway," he called out, ignoring Jake's silent questions. "Please, don't shoot me." He motioned for Jake to stay put, then continued slowly to her bedroom door.

He knocked gently then turned the knob, pushing it open just enough for him to peer inside. There was his goddess, naked and on her knees, huddled in the corner her bed and nightstand created, shotgun clasped in her hands. When she looked up at him, she burst into tears.

He shut the door behind him, hoping Jake would stay put, then made his way to where she was. His eyes ran over the hole in the wall between the dresser and the door.

"Shhh..." he whispered, kneeling down beside her.

The tears poured down her cheeks, her breath nothing but desperate gasps escaping her lips.

"Just breathe..." He grabbed the gun, gingerly taking it from her trembling hands, and laid it on the floor. Her body was shaking as he wrapped his arms around it, pulling her into his lap. He held her as tight as he could, trying to keep the pieces in place as she crumbled. "Don't stop breathing for me..."