I plan on surprising Josh with some pizza tonight. I haven’t seen him since he picked me up from the airport, which sucks.
Out of everyone in my family I’ve always been the closest to Josh. I look up to him, the way a little sister looks up to her big brother. I suppose it’s because he’s always spoiled me rotten. There was never a moment Josh didn’t have time for me.
I’ve always been his little star … his favorite person.
Traveling to other countries has made me realize just how lucky I am to have the support and love of my family. I do treasure it, even if I don’t always show them how much I appreciate them. I plan on changing that, starting tonight. I have something special planned for each of them. I’m definitely going to be spending more time with them so they will know how much I love them.
I know Josh loves pizza and that’s why I’m getting it for him as a treat. We’re going to have a nice relaxing night where we can just catch up.
I knock on Josh’s front door, excited to spend the night visiting with him. Suddenly the door is yanked open and the pizza is slapped from my hands. Fingers dig into my bicep, yanking me forward and into the house.
A panicked sound escapes my lips as I take in the huge man in front of me. His watery eyes make fear slither down my spine.
What the hell is going on? Who is this man? Where is Josh?
I hear a growl from deeper inside the house. “Don’t dare touch her! Let her go. She has nothing to do with this!”
It’s Josh. He sounds different, though. His voice carries a dark undertone I’ve never heard before and it makes a sinister fear bleed into my veins.
“Nah,” the man snarls, “She’s coming, too.” He shoves at me and it makes me take a stumbling step deeper into the house. “You saved us the trip of finding you.”
An alarm starts to ring somewhere deep inside of me … something is wrong with this picture.
I get shoved again and take a few more stumbling steps forward. I glare at the huge man for daring to shove me around like I’m nothing.
It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m in any danger because I’m still living in my safe little bubble.
Right now, in this second, I still believe nothing can touch my happy life.
Ignorance is bliss.
Funny how you refuse to see danger when it’s staring you right in the face. You refuse to admit that just maybe your safe little bubble is not strong enough to keep the monsters out.
But bubbles pop. You can feel the moment when your safety net gives way. It’s an earth-shattering shock. It’s a devastating blow to the axis that’s supposed to keep your perfect life in place.
Josh comes into my line of sight and I feel a foreign shift in the deepest part of my life. As I gasp in shock everything that makes my life perfect starts to dim. A darkness starts to creep closer, tainting the edges of my world. It’s an alien feeling, something I’ve never felt before. Cold, volatile … a hostile intrusion.
Josh’s face is bloody and all beaten up. He’s being held back by two men, each gripping one of his arms tightly. I can see how much of a strain it is for them to keep holding him.
I blink a few times, unable to comprehend what I’m seeing.
“Josh,” I finally mana
ge to breathe. I try to move forward so I can get to him, but the huge man yanks me back.
“Let her go,” Josh grinds the words out but this time the dark undertone is missing from his voice. He actually sounds scared, and that makes panic and dread wrap forcefully around my heart.
He drops his head forward as if in defeat and begs, “Let her go … please.”
I feel my heart crack at seeing my brother like this. He’s always been the strong one … unbreakable. I can only stare at him with wide eyes. My brain is refusing to comprehend what’s happening.
Josh closes his eyes and when he opens them again, they’re flooded with pain and desperateness. His legs give way and I watch in suspended dread as my brother falls to his knees.
“Please!” he screams. “Please, she has nothing to do with this! Your fight is with me.”
The man starts pulling me back … away from Josh. I watch the distance grow between my brother and me and it makes the panic I’m already feeling ignite in my veins.
I see his blood smeared all over his face.