It was four AM when she left him in her bed that morning. The chill November wind blew through the open window as she tip –toed out of the bedroom. She had this room memorized and slipped out without a sound. A crack of thunder split the sky as a bolt of lightning illuminated it simultaneously. The rain poured down in unabashed fury and emotion as the events of the night before played back in her mind. The smell of his cologne lingered in her nostrils as she began to recollect how close he had held her. She went quietly down the stairs and went to the computer room. She sat at the desk and did nothing but stare at the lightened monitor.
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A chill ran through the man’s body as he tossed and turned at this hour. The first crack of thunder did not disturb him, but a second crack, much louder than the first, made him rapidly sit up in bed in a cold sweat. He panted and looked around the room in frightened anticipation, but saw nothing. He turned to awaken his love, but discovered that she was no longer lying there. He desperately searched for the lamp in order to see to exit the room. After he found the lamp on her bed stand, he fumbled to turn it on, and after succeeding, bolted from the room and stumbled down the steps in the darkness. Near the bottom, the light of the monitor shone like a beacon as he followed it to her little computer room. Upon finding her just sitting at the desk, he ran up to her and held her closely in his arms.
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The strong arms of her man suddenly wrapping around her had startled the woman at first, but she quickly wrapped her arms around him and let him lift her off of her chair in order to let him embrace her for as long as he needed. The sweat from his body seeped through her nightie as he firmly pressed himself up against her. He kissed her morning pale cheeks in a desperate display of frightened love. When she pulled away, he turned on the lights and followed her into the kitchen. The storm continued to rage outside and the lights flicked and went out. The face of a man appeared in front of her and she screamed and jumped back into her man’s arms. Blinking and seeing that there was nothing there, she calmed down and began to cry. He turned her around and let her cry on his shoulder, being in full knowledge of what had terrified her so. His hands rubbed her upper back and took a calming effect, and she stopped her tears.
She looked up at him and quickly kissed his mouth, before breaking out of his gentle hold. Sheepishly smiling she walked to the basement door and opened it to go find the candles. Something told her to proceed with caution as she motioned for her love to follow. Her heart pounded as she argued with herself that there was nothing to be afraid of. She looked down at her left hand and admired the ring on it. The medium sized diamond seemed to shine in the cold, dark, narrow stairway. He had given it to her last night, after she had excitedly told him that she would marry him. He had come up along side of her and broke her thoughts by taking her hand. Their eyes met as they reached the bottom of the stairs and they lovingly gazed at each other until the sound of shattering glass made them turn to see what had happened.
Her heart was beating at the speed of light, until she saw the culprit. Lynx, her cat, crawled out from the darkness and nuzzled her leg in remorse. His black color made him blend in with the blackness, so that one had to search for a pair of yellow eyes to find him. She led her fiancée to where the candles were and lit one after they were found, and she decided that she would clean up the mess that Lynx made as soon as there was light. They headed up the stairs and placed the candles in every available holder. The intensity of the storm worsened and with another flash of lightning she saw the face of the man that she had seen earlier, not just the face, but the profile of a huge, strong body as well. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He proceeded slowly towards her and she backed up into her fiancée.
Seizing the moment, the man pushed his soon to be bride behind him as he drew his sword. The steel blade glinted from the light of the candles, he was sworn to protect his princess, and protect her he would, even if it meant to die doing it. She was his world and he was not going to let anyone destroy that. The opposing man drew his own sword, and the fight ensued. He fought with all of his strength, but he was quickly losing to the intruder.
Seeing this, the woman remembered the dagger that he had given her and pulled it from its sheath on her upper right thigh. She threw it as hard as she could at the man fighting her fiancée. The hit was lethal, the small dagger sunk deep into the man’s neck, rupturing everything in its path. The man then fell to his knees and then upon his own sword. She rushed to her fiancée and threw her arms around him. The carpet of the dining room was quickly soaking in blood, but neither one cared.
He picked her up and carried her, walking around the expanding pool of rich dark blood, and proceeded to the stairs. She buried her face in his neck and began to kiss it, to which he responded by kissing her hair. They sat at the top of the stairs and just kissed, holding each other closer and closer. He then broke it off and picked her up and laid her back in her bead, and as he held her hand, he laid beside her. The storm continued to rage outside, but inside all was well as he held her closely to himself. He was sworn to protect his princess, and protect her he would, even in death.
By: Sarah Burns
