by Willow Rose
She exhaled with relief as a tall man came out and greeted Samuel and took him inside. He waved at Alexandra to let her know everything was alright and that she could take off without worrying. She smiled and waved back, then watched as the door to the institution closed behind them.
Finally, he would get some help. Finally, she could get a break.
Things had been awful the last two months while they waited for an opening at Hummelgaarden. Poul didn't want to know of the boy and Samuel had started throwing his tantrums again, only now he had gotten bigger and stronger and that made it more difficult for us to handle him. He had thrown stuff around in the living room, trashed his own room completely, and kicked a hole in the bathroom door when Poul had locked him in there to calm down. The house was a wreck and so was Alexandra. She was crying herself to sleep again at night, not knowing what to do or how to deal with this and her doctor told her she had developed an ulcer. She needed to rest and not be stressed. It was affecting Olivia as well. She had a hard time breastfeeding and was crying more and more. Alexandra was up several times at night and could hardly keep herself together in the daytime. She was terrified of Samuel and what he might end up doing. She found herself trying to avoid spending time with him, which only made things worse and the tantrums come more often. She knew he felt neglected, she knew he wanted her to love him more than she did, but it was just so hard, so difficult with all they had gone through and the way he acted. There were just some things that time didn't seem to heal.
The people at Hummelgaarden had called Alexandra two weeks ago and she had talked to a guy who was going to be Samuel's counselor. He sounded nice, calm and very professional. He was also someone she felt she could share all of her concerns with and she was able to explain her situation to him without feeling like he condemned her in any way. Actually, he sounded like he completely understood her. For the first time since Samuel was four years old, there was someone who actually understood her! They were going to try different things with Samuel, he told her. Different kinds of therapy and see what he responded to.
"I've been with kids like Samuel before," he explained. "We don’t have much time, but I'll make sure to use it the best way we can and get the most out of it."
Alexandra was so relieved when she hung up after the conversation with the counselor from Hummelgaarden and, for the first time in months, she actually had something to look forward to. She felt a slight hope grow in her that maybe there still was help for Samuel, that there was someone out there who could help him. That was all she wished for. All she ever dreamed about. That he could have a normal life. That they could all have a normal life again.
Alexandra drove off with Olivia babbling in the backseat. She was still so small and fragile, but growing bigger by the day. She was so sweet and so gentle that Alexandra could hardly believe that she and Samuel had the same parents.
"Yes, Olivia. We'll pick him up tonight. Don't you worry."
Olivia loved her older brother. She was the only one in the family who adored him. He wasn't too fond of her, though. He couldn't stand it when she cried or fussed, and it would often make him scream even louder. But even though Samuel never talked much with her and never held her, it was like Olivia didn't care. She smiled when he looked at her and giggled even when he told her she looked stupid.
"Stupid baby," he always called her to her face.
But that only made her giggle even louder. Any attention from him was better than any Alexandra or Poul could give her. Alexandra didn't understand that, but she wondered if Olivia could somehow have a positive effect on Samuel. Maybe her unconditional love would help him understand that he was loved, even though his parents found it hard to show it?
Alexandra hoped. She was at the point where she hoped for anything and was willing to try everything. So when she was heading to pick up Samuel at the end of the day, she took Olivia along, even though Poul was home and asked if he shouldn't keep her.
When Samuel walked out of the building and the tall man gave him a hug, Alexandra gasped. Samuel never let anyone touch him anymore. This was a good sign.
She looked at Olivia. "Here comes your brother. Looks like he's made himself a new friend, doesn't it?"
The tall man waved at Alexandra with that friendly smile of his as Samuel approached the car. And what was that? He opened the door and he…he smiled!
"Hello, baby," he said and jumped inside the car.
No stupid? You always call her stupid baby.
To Alexandra's great surprise, he was still smiling as she watched him in the rearview mirror.
"Hi, Mom," he said.
Alexandra was about to burst into tears as she started the car. "How was your day, sweetie?"
"It was great, Mom. It was really great."
"I'm so glad to hear that, sweetie. Were they nice to you?" she asked, careful not to say anything that would set him off.
"Yes. They were. My counselor is awesome. Did you know he swims?"
"No. I didn't. I don't know much about him, to be honest."
"Yeah. He used to be like a pro swimmer. He won Bronze at the Olympics once. It was many years ago, but it's still pretty cool. I think swimming is pretty awesome, don't you?"
Alexandra tried to hold back her tears as she looked at him in the mirror once again. "I think it is very cool, yes."
"Me too. I think this was a very cool day too. Can't wait to go back there again tomorrow."
51
February 2014
"WHAT'S GOING ON?"
Sophia opened the door and let me in. Inside, I found Jack, our other neighbor. "What's going on here?" I asked. "What's about the killer? And why can't I tell Morten? He needs to know about it if he's going to catch this guy."
"Sssophia met him tttonight. He was in hhhher house," Jack said.
"He was in here?"
She nodded. I noticed her hands were shaking. She sat down in an old chair. "I was sitting in my living room. I was watching TV and the kids had fallen asleep, when suddenly, someone just walked right through my front door."
"It wasn't locked. You never lock your door, Sophia!" I said. "I’ve told you a million times to lock it."
"I know. But things didn't used to be like this around here, you know? We used to be able to leave our homes unlocked and nothing would happen."
"But from now on, you're locking it, alright? Then what happened? Did he say anything?"
"He screamed. He was like a freaking ninja on speed. You have no idea how he yelled and screamed. He sounded exactly like my oldest when he's playing ninja turtle. It was so unreal, Emma. He was swinging his sword at me, telling me he was The Deliverer and that he was going to free me from my fears."
"That's exactly what he told that lady last night who was stabbed. He didn't hurt you?"
"Well, he was about to, but I shot him."
"You shot him?" I asked, my voice breaking.
"Yes, I shot him. Hit him in the shoulder. He screamed like a pig, then stormed out of the house. It woke up the kids and everything. Jack here heard it too and came running. He just put them all back to bed."
"But…but…good that nothing happened to you, but how…I mean, where did you get a gun?"
"See, that's why I didn't want you to blabber this to your boyfriend. After the last time my boyfriend sent me to the hospital, I bought a gun to be able to protect myself from future boyfriends. You know how I always fall for the bad guys. Well, I thought it was a good idea to get some protection, if you follow me."
"I do. Clearly. So you bought an illegal gun and now you're afraid you’ll get in trouble if Morten finds out. I hear you loud and clear. Thank God you had it close at hand, though."
"I always keep it in this drawer, right next to my couch," she said and pointed at a dresser.
"What if one of the kids finds it?" I asked. You might want to find a more secure place."
"Hey. This thing just saved me from being sliced into pieces. I'll decide what is secure."
> "Okay. We'll talk about this on a later occasion, but are you okay, Sophia? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"
"He didn't hurt me. I'm more shocked than anything. That's why I called you…and I'm so glad Jack is here too. You guys are my closets friends. I needed you."
I leaned over and hugged Sophia. "I'm glad you did," I said. "And I'm glad you're alright. So you shot the bastard, huh? I bet he didn't see that coming."
Sophia chuckled. "No, he certainly didn't. You should have seen the look in his eyes when the bullet hit his shoulder. It was quite hilarious now that I think about it. I didn't think about anything other than protecting the kids when it happened, though. It was all that was on my mind. Kill him before he slaughters all your family. I'm glad a bullet through the shoulder was enough to scare him off. I'm a peace-loving person, you know? I would hate it if I had to kill someone. Even if it was to protect myself and my family."
I chuckled. "Yeah. I know. Do you want to sleep at my house? We could carry the kids over there."
"Nah. You have enough trouble as it is. I'm a big girl. I don't think the guy will dare to come back, do you?" Sophia asked and looked at the both of us.
Jack shook his head. "You ssscared him off pppretty good. He'll bbbe busy mending his wounds. He won't be bbback."
"I think you're safe," I said. "Do you want us to hang out here a little bit?"
"That would be nice. If you don't mind. I'm so sorry I ruined your romantic night," she said. "It's okay if you want to go back to Morten. I understand."
"Nah, that ship has sailed," I said and sat in a chair next to Sophia.
Jack sat on the couch.
"We'll stay here till you feel safe again. Right Jack?" I asked.
He smiled. "Rrright."
52
February 2014
ANDERS SAMUELSEN WAS BLEEDING. His shoulder was hurting like crazy and it hurt like hell to move his arm. When he ran out of that woman's house, he had been terrified. He heard her scream behind him and quickly looked for a place to hide across the street, so the crazy woman wouldn't follow after him and shoot him again.
He had been hiding there ever since…Not daring to walk into the street again. His heart was beating heavily in his painful chest as he hid in someone's yard across the street. He was sitting on the cold snow but soon figured he would only get sick if he stayed. So, he carefully rose to his feet and walked around the back of the two-story house. There was light coming out of the windows. Panting and moaning, Anders walked slowly up onto the back porch and looked inside.
An old man was sitting in an armchair. The TV was on, but he seemed to be asleep. Anders was freezing. His body was shivering. He was holding his sword with the arm that wasn't hurting. He looked down at it, resenting himself for having failed to fulfill his mission.
You'll have to kill him, Anders.
Careful to not make a sound, Anders grabbed the handle of one of the French doors and opened it. What a relief that it wasn't locked. Quiet as the ninjas he had read about online, he entered the living room and shut the door after him. Remembering step one in the article from Wiki-How called How to Move like a Ninja, he now made sure to maintain balance and control by allowing his body weight to sink and be carried by deeply flexed knees.
Anders had rehearsed this over and over in his house back then. Now, all his training finally came in handy.
Don't forget your breathing. Step two tells you that breathing is so important. You have to breathe along with your movement. Unconsciously holding your breath can unknowingly produce unneeded muscle tension and could result in a gasping release of breath if you are startled or accidentally unbalanced.
Anders focused on his breathing, while walking closer to the sleeping man in the chair, remembering step three: Be as patient as possible.
Don't rush it, Anders. Take as much time as you need. Impatience and the resultant hasty movement that it encourages are the greatest dangers to the person who must move silently without detection.
Anders calmed down by breathing regularly. When taking another step, he made sure to use all joints for movement, emphasizing fluidity through the engagement of the ankles, knees, and hips for stepping. In that way, he could avoid the lazy and dangerous habit of stiffening knees and swinging the entire leg from the hip.
But, first and foremost, he remembered to walk on his toes first, then roll onto his heel and, most important of all, he made sure to control his energy, his chakra, while he walked.
To his satisfaction, he didn't make a sound sneaking across the wooden planks. The old man in the chair had no idea what was coming towards him, he wasn't going to realize it until it was too late.
Anders tried hard not to giggle as he approached the old man in the green chair. The man was breathing heavily in his sleep. Anders imagined swinging the sword at him and cutting his throat. He wondered if it would be more effective to wake him up first? Have him look into Anders' eyes and realize what was about to happen? If he was to understand what was going on, it would definitely be best. He had to recognize his fear of death before embracing it, right?
Anders grunted slightly in pain as he lifted the sword with the good arm and stepped in front of the sleeping old man.
He was about to grab his shoulder and shake him, when suddenly there was a sound coming from the other side of the door. The sound of a key being turned. The voices of two people saying goodbye to each other outside. Anders felt how pearls of sweat sprang on his forehead and upper lip. He looked down at the old man. There was no way he could wake him up, kill him and then get away before the front door opened and someone would see him. If he stabbed the man in his sleep, he wouldn't get the maximum effect out of the whole thing. And that was, after all, the mission, wasn't it? To have them face their fear of death. To stare death into the eyes.
Anders stared at the door, then at the old man. He blinked his eyes several times. It was so hard to focus. It was like his brain was all blurry. He bit his lip, wondering where he even was and who the man in the chair was. He tried to listen to the voice in his head that had been guiding him the last several days now, the voice of whoever had sent him on this mission, but he couldn't hear it. He shook his head.
Don't fail me now. I need you. Don't leave me.
He looked up as the handle of the front door turned. And, just as the door was opening, he finally heard the voice again.
Run! Run for your life Anders.
Anders sprang up the stairs moaning and grunting in pain, found a bathroom and hid in the shower, pulling the curtain closed.
53
February 2014
JACK AND I STAYED with Sophia until she fell asleep on the couch. Then, we carried her into her bedroom and left the house, locking the door with my extra key that she gave me a long time ago.
"Ssso, you think she'll be alright?" Jack asked, as he walked me home.
I smiled and nodded. "He won't be back. She scared him to death by shooting him."
"Wouldn't he nnneed to go to the hhhospital?" Jack asked, as we reached my front door and stopped.
I shrugged. "I suppose."
I stared at Jack while wondering. If it really was The Caring Killer who had been shot, then we might actually have a possibility of catching him if he looked for help at the hospital in the mainland or at Dr. Williamsen's, our only doctor here. But then I'd have to tell Morten what happened, since he was the police and the only one who could ask the doctors to contact him if a patient with a gunshot wound showed up. I’d made a promise to Sophia, but if I kept quiet and kept it, I might lose a chance to finally catch the bastard.
It wasn't an easy decision.
"Anyway. I hhhave to get back and get my sister to bbbed," Jack said.
I looked at him and smiled. Always caring about his sister more than himself. When was it his turn to live? When she died? I loved that he took care of her the way he did, but couldn't stop wondering what might have been between us if it hadn't been for her. I loved his myst
erious, artistic nature. He was so different from Morten.
"Well, thanks for helping us today," I said and found the key to my own door and put it in the lock.
"What are fffriends for?" he asked with a smile.
"See you later."
Jack waved and walked away. I watched him cross the road and walk towards his own house. Then I turned and opened the door.
"I'm home, Dad!" I yelled, took off my coat, and put it on a hanger. I placed it in the closet in the hallway, then pulled off my heavy boots. A small pile of snow landed on the wooden floors and started to melt slowly. I set them aside and walked into the living room where I found my father sleeping heavily in the old green chair that he loved so much. The TV was still on. I found the remote and turned it off. My dad woke when the noise from the TV stopped. He grunted and looked at me.
"What? Are you home already?"
"It's ten-thirty, Dad."
"Yeah, but on Valentine's Day…Aren't you kids supposed to stay out all night and go dancing and stuff?" he asked.
"Morten is not much of a dancer," I said.
My dad was scrutinizing me. "Something wrong with you two?"
"I don't know, Dad. It just kind of went wrong. Sophia called and needed my help, so I had to leave the dinner. Morten was really upset and left."
"Oh, that sounds bad. I'm sorry for that. What was so important with Sophia that it couldn't wait?"
"She had an emergency. I really promised not to say anything. Say, what is that on the floor?"
"What on the floor?" he asked perplexed.
"That over there. And there. It looks like…" I walked closer to the stains on my wooden floors. "It looks like small puddles of…" I kneeled to see better.
"Blood?"
My dad leaped out of the old chair and walked closer. "Blood?" he frowned. "That can't be right."
"The door to the yard is open," I said. "And there is blood on the floor? What happened here tonight?"