A gasp slipped from her lips, which drew the attention of the trespasser. He turned toward the closet and paused. In a matter of seconds, he began taking slow steps in her direction. Olivia’s heart struggled to bust from within her chest once she realized the elevation of imminent danger.
Thump. Click-Click.
Short spurts of air burst through her flared nostrils. Olivia gripped her right hand with her left fingers to steady the loaded gun. A bullet in the chamber was set for action.
“Don’t come any closer,” Olivia screamed and bolted from behind the clothes. The moonlight through the sheer curtains covering the window bounced off the weapon she held with a finger against the trigger. Any pressure applied would fire a shot.
The intruder stopped in his tracks two arms lengths away. She could make out only his nose, lips, and eyes through the mask. He remained silent and positioned himself in a crouch as if prepared to pounce.
“What are you doing in my house?” Olivia yelled at the intruder. “Whoever you are, you picked the wrong house to break into,” Olivia warned. “When I pull this trigger, I’m shooting to kill. Believe that.”
Sweat trickled along the side of her face. The silent invader took a step in her direction.
Olivia screamed, “I told you not to move.” She adjusted her stance with the pistol pointing at the man’s chest. He took another step and Olivia pulled the trigger.
Click.
Olivia stared at the gun in disbelief upon realizing it misfired. They made eye contact and a shocked moment of silence passed between them. Every hair follicle on her body prickled with horror. A sudden chill spread throughout her bones.
Without warning, the intruder laughed. Before Olivia could rack the gun again, he leaped at her and closed the gap between them.
“Aah,” Olivia screamed before he slammed his shoulder into her chest like a linebacker. Every ounce of air in her lungs was forced out. Her ribcage ached from the brunt force. She huffed in a struggle to catch her breath. He forced her back into the closet, causing her to lose balance. The clothes on the hangers kept her from falling to the ground.
Olivia regained footing and jumped into survival mode. She grabbed hold of a cluster of dresses and rolled to the side out of his grasp. The intruder lost his footing and stumbled deeper into the closet. Despite the hit from him, she slammed the gun hard against the side of his head and punched him with an uppercut blow to his chin with her other fist.
“Oww,” he howled and gripped the areas of impact with his hands and dropped to his knees.
Olivia considered reloading the gun to try to shoot the man. Fear of another misfire convinced her to choose to escape instead. She darted around him and ran from the bedroom. Her bare feet pounded along the wood floors through the hallway to the living room. She reached the front door and struggled to turn the bolt lock key. Her sweaty palm slipped on the doorknob, preventing her from opening it.
“Help me,” she hollered in hopes Dion or other neighbors would hear her cries. Panic filled her mind with the threat of death if she couldn’t get out. She pivoted toward the kitchen as the sound of heavy footsteps slammed across the hardwood floor in the hallway.
Olivia turned in time to find the intruder pursuing her in the moonlit room. He chased her around the kitchen island multiple times as if they were playing a game of tag. Out of breath, he finally stopped and stood at the opposite end from her to catch his breath. He gripped the sides of the granite countertop.
Air forced its way into her lungs as she heaved to control her breathing. She focused on him to assess which way he may attempt to run. Remembering the gun, she extended her arms and stood with the weapon pointing toward the man. She racked the gun to advance the bullet into the chamber.
This time, Olivia knew with certainty, it loaded. Shaken, she managed to steady her hands. “Get out of my house,” she yelled.
“Olivia.” The silent pursuer spoke. He held his hands out toward her as if he expected a hug.
“Why are you here?” Olivia bellowed. Her hands trembled. She froze with the recognition of the attacker’s voice.
“Women like you think you can do whatever you want without consequences. I’m here to teach you a lesson,” he said.
“What are you talking about?”
Before Olivia understood what he meant, he ran around the island and growled as he sprung to slam into her again.
Olivia felt her body go airborne. A shot rang out into the shadowy room. Her head hit the hardwood floor, slipping her away into darkness and silence.
FORTY-ONE
Olivia
A ringing of high-pitched bells filled Olivia’s ears. The coldness of the floor on her face made her mind wonder how she ended up on the ground.
“Olivia? Do you hear me? Wake up.” A faint voice floated into the distant air. The constant sound of ringing muffled the words.
Olivia moaned from the sudden pain ripping through her skull. She gripped her head with both hands to soothe the agonizing ache of what had to be the splitting open of her cranium.
“Olivia.” The voice sounded closer.
The scene of running from an intruder flashed through her mind. Someone had been in her home which brought about an awakening of her senses. She jerked and forced each eye open. A face appeared in the moonlit room.
“Aah,” she screamed and raised from the lying position on the kitchen floor with her hands up to protect herself.
“Olivia. You’re okay. It’s me, Durbin.” He flipped on the light switch.
“Oh, my Lord. Durbin.” Olivia held her head in relief and squinted from the brightness in the room. “What are you doing here? What happened?”
“Someone broke into your house.” Durbin pointed to the body of a
