Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine NK LCM February 2018 Anniversary Issue | Page 95

Karen D. Bradley
excerpt from Shattered Illusions
Gena was getting up when Terry ran by, grabbed her hand, and headed for the stairs.
Terry pulled Gena slightly to get her to move her butt. They were not far from the
top stair when Gena tripped. Terry turned and caught Gena before she hit the ground,
steadying her. The assailant, right on their heels, lunged at them. The force of his
body connecting with theirs sent them tumbling down the stairs.
Terry woke up in a daze. Where am I? She remembered. Gena’s. Oh no. She tried
to sit up too swiftly and got light-headed and had to lie back down. She sat up again,
slowly this time. Her head throbbing. She was slightly dizzy. It didn’t feel like
anything was broken.
Once she looked around, she found the assailant knocked out next to her with Gena
face down over part of his chest. Terry felt faint as she stood but she walked over
to Gena anyway. She knelt next to Gena then leaned over. Terry shook her ever so
slightly and whispered in her ear.
“Gena! Wake up! We need to get out of here before he wakes up. Oh lord, Gena, get
up.”
Terry was scared to move her. She rested her hand on the floor next to Gena as she
checked the pulse in her neck. She exhaled, relieved she was still alive. Terry tried to
use the hand on the floor to push up to stand. Her hand slipped a bit. Glancing down,
she saw liquid was on the floor, a small pool of blood. “Oh, no! God, no.”
Her heart beat wildly against her chest as she ran to the kitchen. She picked up
the phone and dialed 9-1-1. The dispatcher answered the phone and Terry started
speaking rapidly.
“Miss, we need you to slow down and repeat what you said.” The voice was calm
and steady.
Terry took a deep breath and clearly stated. “My sister has been stabbed. I need an
ambulance at 212 Bell Oak. Oh!” Terry cried out in pain then hit the floor, landing on
her knees. With the phone muffled against her, her head fell forward onto her lap as
she wrapped one arm around her stomach trying to stop the pain.
“Miss! What’s wrong? What’s happening?” The dispatcher’s voice rose slightly to
indicate her concern but not enough to sound alarmed.
The pain was so severe, Terry struggled to speak. She ignored the dispatcher’s
questions. She held her head to the side so that her voice wouldn’t sound stifled. “I
also need the police. The assailant is still in the ...”
Terry looked up and saw the assailant standing above her with his finger on the
hook, cutting her off
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NKLC Magazine | 95