Hell's End - A Flash Fiction

"How the hell did that happen?"
"No clue, never mind that, how are we going to get out of here now?"
Steve sighed and took a closer look around the neighborhood they were in. He was not familiar with this street, but had passed through via the larger avenues in the area before today.
"Got no idea. Never mind how this happened, we got to get out of  here before he shows up."
"Not with the car. We are so not getting around that broke down van." Luke grimaced at the white smoking vehicle that blocked  his Ford in the narrow alley.
"No shit."
"Don't be a smart ass, Steve. It was your idea to get over here without any real planning. Damn you know what he is capable off."
"I want him out of her live."
"So do I, but we could have done this better."
"No one forced you to come with me, Cuz"
"And let you run into trouble all by yourself,? How stupid do you think I am?"
Steve grinned without answering.
"Thanks. Still no reception?"
Steve starred again at his Smartphone, and shook his head.
"None, dead as a door nail, and not much charge left."
"Time to get moving then."

Quickly moving past the broke down, smoking pick up, the abandoned their car in the tight alley, their breath quickly accelerating  as they tried to make some distance from that dump of a place, Steve's sister used to call home.
Hardly a home, considering the man living with her had a preference for breaking her bones and almost all of her will, until she finally had enough and left him, coming to the first place, the safest place she could think off.
His house.

They arrived at the end of the tight alley, with Luke checking the reception before Steve had a chance to ask.
"Finally, Luke nodded into his direction.
"We got reception"


*



They made it home just in time.

Three police cars, one of them crushing  his mothers rose garden, the others blocking the entrance to his little blue house took over the small front yard.
The flashing lights threw blinding pulses through the always quiet neighborhood, with a sterile coldness and irritating rhythm that took their ability to move out of the cab with the usual swiftness from them.
Silence,.
One breath.
Another. Then Luke spoke gravely.
“I got it, go.”
Steve moved automatically, grazing over the scene, trying to get a glimpse of it all, looking for him, looking for her, cursing himself under his breath, for leaving her alone at his home, without protection, without anyone by her side, when he had known that she was not safe,.

Not even here, not even in his own house, the home they grew up in.

He should have known nothing would have stopped that bastard from getting what he thought was his.
“No, no, no“, he murmured with increasing loudness, not wanting to see that which happened, but moving forward with the same automatic motion that propelled him this far.

Four more steps until the front step.
Three.
Two.

The sound of his sister yelling his name was the sweetest sound he had ever heard, mirroring her rushing embrace as she pushed his arms around him, shaking, shivering more then he had ever felt another human being shiver.
“He broke in, just broke in, he wanted to kill me.”
Squeezing him even harder he added. “Steve, he was trying to kill me.”
Her sobbing, made her words temporarily impossible, as he stood their holding her until her crying allowed words to come forth again.
“I shot him, Steve. I was so scared and I shot.”
The release of the breath he had been holding without realization, created an animalistic sound  of release he had no idea he was capable off, and he dropped to his knees, still holding onto his sister, his precious, safe and breathing sister.

It was over.
Her nightmare was finally over.


© Claudia Blanton 2013