Mennisa

I cried out.
How could I have not? I had just watched my parents be cut into pieces right in from of my four-year-old eyes.
I had been sleeping, in the middle of a regular Tuesday night. Then I had heard a sound downstairs, and a scream. I had grabbed Allie, my baby puppy that was sleeping beside me on the bed, held her in my arms, and silently creeped downstairs. The stairs were hidden behind a wall that extended about another 5 feet after the last step. I poked my head around the corner in time to see my mother struggling to get away from a huge, muscular man. My dad lay dead on the floor. Allie whimpered quietly.
"Shhhh....." I whispered.
Suddenly, two other huge men stepped out and started cutting Dad into pieces. My eyes filled with tears and disgust, but I couldn't turn away. Allie wiggled out and scampered back upstairs.
" Tell me now! Where is the Guardian? Where is the Weapon? Or you shall suffer the fate of your husband!" the man holding Mom yelled, his voice frightening and deep. I started weeping soundlessly.
Mom spat at one of the men. " Never. I'll take that secret to the grave!!" She twisted, trying to get out of the man's grip.
" Careful, there, ma'am," the man in front of her said mockingly." You will have to be cut slowly from legs up so you will feel every slash of the knife until we reach your heart."
Mom had tears in her eyes. But she said in a calm, unwavering voice " You will never now, Milah. Cut me if you must, but the Guardian will grow up and CUT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed the last part. I felt Allie return. I hugged her close, unable to make a sound, but with tears rushing down my face. A puddle had formed at me bare feet. I closed my eyes as I heard Mom's screams and the knife cutting through flesh and bone. Then was quiet. I opened my eyes.
And I cried out at the sight of my parents. All that had soundlessly been building inside me trough the whole slaughter came out in one huge scream. The men turned to me.
"There! Get her!!!" Milah pointed and screamed.
I turned and ran back up stairs, into my room. I closed and locked the door, but knew that wouldn't hold them back more that a few seconds. I grabbed a jacked that had been Dad's and reached up to me toes, the I grabbed a huge pillow and opened the window. A tree branch reached up to my second story window. The door opened. I grabbed Allie and threw her onto the branch. She was no cat, but she did manage to walk down to the trunk and wait.
I started climbing onto the windowsill when I felt hands grab me from behind. "NO!!" I shrieked, me little-girl voice seemingly funny for the others. Not funny enough to spare me the knife slash that followed. My arm stung and blood dripped down. I bit the man holing me. He loosen his grip and I jumped forward. I felt two more cuts being inflicted in my thin back, but held in my screams and concentrated on quickly climbing across the branch to Allie. I slid down the tree, yelping as a stray branch poked at my wounds. Once on the ground, I held out my hands for Allie to jump in. A man was climbing down the tree, and two more were rushing down the stairs, about to come out the back door.
I set Allie down and we ran as fast as we could toward the shelter of the woods. Our house was isolated, surrounded by miles of woods, with thirty minutes to the closest neighbor. I didn't dare look behind. My speed of a four-year-old didn't even compare with their muscled legs. My only choice was to hide. I entered the woods. It was clean and cleared out at fist, but then it would begin to thicken. I had never been allowed to go there. I broke the rules tonight, and rushed there. I didn't feel the jagged rocks cut my feet to ribbons. I didn't fell the branches scrape me and widen my cuts. I just felt the need to survive, something no four-year-old should feel. I didn't hear them closing in, but instead, they cried out as the branches poked at their eyes. I dived into a hollow tree, pulling Allie onto my lap. Only luck saved me. On of the men had seen a squirrel scamper in the distance, and, thinking it was me, they followed that trail.
I sighed in relief. Then I felt the terrible pain that had been suppressed by the need to live. I cried all night, while Allie whimpered her pain. We were both way too young for this.