Inside The Mind of War - Part 6

ezzy (77)in #short • 4 years ago

"No, Daniel. That's not OK." She grabbed his face with two trembling hands, the fear and hysteria unleashing itself through her body with a vengeance. "Can't you see! You're a goddamn madman! A psychopath! You've lost your mind and are living in a state of psychosis! I'm scared out of my mind here! Why don't you just kill us all then and be done with it, you deranged son of a bitch!" Her pupils pulsated with terror as Daniel's own personal madness came to a climactic boil.

The hard, metal shaft of the gun struck her flush in the face, shattering the teeth it made contact with in the process. Megan slammed into the wall and crumpled to the floor. Blood seeped from the open wound in her mouth creating an ever expanding dark red pool on the floor. "Daniel, no." she mouthed in a strained whisper, her lower jaw hanging disclosed on one side. The room spun in a clouded vortex of agony. She brushed over a fragmented piece of broken molar with her swollen tongue as Daniel deliberated over Karly.

"And this you've turned this little bitch against me too. Am I right? This is the best I get from my beloved family after years away from home? You really think I've lost my mind and gone crazy?" He raised his right hand, arm unbending and pointed the gun at his daughter. She screeched, begging him to stop and clutching handfuls of her blonde streaks in a confused frenzy. "No, daddy! Please! Don't hurt me and mummy anymore! I'm sorry!"

But her pitiful actions only seemed to heighten his levels of manic enjoyment. He broke out into a depraved grimace. The evil corruption eating away at him now finalizing it's conquest. "I'll show you who's crazy." he murmured before pulling the trigger and...

... An echo of blurred words pushed through the foggy haze and into the fore. They appeared to blend in with the vision of Daniel standing over them, emotionless and overlooking the corpse of his dead daughter. The mists of thought cleared as something grasped at her arm.

"Meg, you listening to me?" a voice whispered in concern. The final traces of her mind's ghastly hallucination ebbed away. She found herself staring through the wall behind him into her own private dreamscape. "Sorry, Dan. I'm fine. Dunno what came over me. I Just checked out there for a minute." She passed a clammy hand over her scanty, brown hair. The room appeared to be shrinking the longer she spent down there but was certain it was only a trick of the mind. Though the toxic atmosphere was still as pungent as ever and the threat was far from over.

"OK, then. Let's go." he said.

Daniel led the way, brushing past her though all the while keeping his attentions locked onto the small glassy opening above the table. She could see his unrelenting conviction for taking such drastic measures as encasing them all in the safest place he could think of. The irony being doing all this so as to protect his family. A chill ran up her spine, but she followed close behind him.

It was at this time she made the observation. One that had the potential of provoking dire consequences. The outline of the gun was visible underneath Daniel's shirt. The bottom flap hung loose making it an easy steal with a well timed motion to relinquish his firearm. He averted his gaze back to Karly and held up a steady hand. "Keep your voice down." He whispered. "We don't wanna wake her and have her wandering upstairs after us. You got it?"

Her heart thumped within her chest, adrenaline surging through her veins. She knew this was a matter of life or death with no room for error. "Can you hear me back there?" He asked again, though still with his back turned. This was her chance and there was no going back. Megan flicked at the tattered white hem and sprang for the gun. Though she underestimated his military honed reflexes.

He whipped round as Megan's fingers slipped from the rubberized grip. "What the hell are you doing!" He yelled as she fought to wrench the wretched thing away. In the next instant, two vice-like hands tightened around her wrist. Tears streamed from her eyes as she knew their only means of escape had been all but extinguished. She closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle, whatever it may be.

A petite voice sounded out from the far end near the bottom of the staircase. "Daddy?"

"Not now, sweetheart." He answered before focusing his attentions back to Megan. "What in the hell did you do that for?" He whispered. "I'm on your side. Don't you believe me or something?"

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I don't. I... I think you've... Got things a little... mixed up after your experience at that bunker." The truth was out there, but his reaction was yet to be seen. After taking a deep breath, she looked up at him and awaited the outcome.

"Well, that's just too bad. Because I know what I saw. Don't believe me if you want, but you're still my family and protect you both I will. Is that clear?" She felt her heart ache at his answer. Even in the throes of a psychotic meltdown, the love still burned strong.

"Now, I don't know what you want to do next, Meg but I'm damn sure gonna hold on to this from now on." He reached around and slipped the firearm from the back of his jeans. "I think it's a safer option for everyone. Don't you?" He bought it up to eye level checking the safety switch and magazine release. Megan stood there, rooted to the spot. Confused and in a state of escalating paranoia herself. "Well" He continued. "Everything looks in working ord..."

The sharp, muted crack that emanated from the ventilator shaft did not register with her until several seconds afterwards. Daniel's head snapped back and his lifeless body fell to the ground. Crimson droplets scattered over the floor surrounding him. The far off sound of a small girl's horrified screams where the last thing she heard before collapsing with exhaustion onto the ground.

Three squad cars and an ambulance gathered into a tight semi-circle around the driveway of 74 Chevening Street, Palmdale. Red and blue lights flashed overhead as a large crowd of onlookers gawked at the crime scene. At least ten enforcement officers struggled to keep the overly zealous ones at bay whist a flurry of men in suits and emergency care teams dodged and weaved in between one another.

An unassuming man in a beige suit and green tie strode up to one particular law officer heading up the investigation. They stood just a few feet within a barricaded section next to the kerb. "Capt. Willard, is it?" The cop looked up, then smiled. "Ah yes. Mr. Dreyfuss, right?" The gentlemen both nodded in agreement. Mr. Dreyfuss decided to start proceedings. "That's right. Well, first things first. How are his wife and kid doing?"

"Pretty shook up, which is to be expected." He replied. "The girl was taken away a little while back. Megan is still in the ambulance over there being attended to but is in no state of mind for questioning. I hope you understand that."

"But of course, Capt. We're not monsters, you know. Just keep me information as to her situation if you don't mind. Did you retrieve the firearm?"

"We got it, alright. It's on it's way downtown to go to lock up as evidence." The captain placed his hands on his hips and inspected the noisy, bustling atmosphere in front of him. "If you hadn't tipped us off, god know what would have happened in there. I mean, Daniel sounded like one crazy ass soldier gone rogue." He pointed to a small balcony on the other side of the road adjacent to the house. "That's where our sniper was at. Bill "The Marks" Sparks, we call him. Could shoot a tin can off a telephone pole without blinking once. He's a real dead shot, excuse my choice of words. Anyways, he saw Daniel go for the gun and that's when he took him out. I mean, you can't take any chances, right? So he did what had to be done. And it just so happened our boy decided to hole himself and the family down in that basement." The Capt. redirected his attentions to the driveway. "*See that small tiny window there? Well, how lucky could we get. Daniel just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Depending on whose point of view you looking at it from. *"Mr. Dreyfuss let out a choked laugh before scouring the curious faces all around him.

"And none of them had any idea what was going on out here?" He asked the Capt.

"By my reckoning, none whatsoever. We cleared the vicinity beforehand and made sure our team were placed exactly where they needed to be. A job well done if you ask me."

Mr. Dreyfuss tugged at the sleeve of his jacket. "It's a quarter to three, Captain. I gotta attend to some business. Anything you need from me, you got my number."

"Sure thing, Mr. Dreyuss. A pleasure making your acquaintance. And give my best to the Colonel, would you?" The two men shook hands and parted ways in opposite directions. Mr. Dreyfuss crouched underneath the police tape as several reporters attempted to encircle him. Though held back by half a dozen cops, one female journalist jostled her way through. "Sir, can you give us any information as to what transpired? Anything at all? What's your name?"

"Sorry lady, can't give you nothing at this time. You have a good day now."

She was promptly escorted away as he continued to march towards a parked car, pulling a cell phone from his trouser pocket. He got in and started dialling before the car door had even shut.