The formally dressed man turned around and pulled out a switchblade. He swung only to have the woman catch his arm in nearly the same motion he initiated the movement. She squeezed his wrist to the extent his bones almost broke from the pressure. The man fell to the ground as a result of the pain caused by the extreme force of the woman’s extraordinary grip. The unknown blonde turned around to see his acquaintance she sent flying only moments ago, quickly returning.
“You’re pretty tough for a woman, but I would really like to see you do that, aga—,” challenged the three-hundred-man. The woman hurled the large man like a cushion across a room in a pillow fight. He lost consciousness upon striking the concrete. She snapped her head in the direction of the formally dressed perpetrator.
“You like to beat up women, huh? That’s okay, I like it a little rough, too!” asserted the blonde with a wry smile as she walked briskly in his direction. He turned away and started to sprint before a swift motion roughly swept his feet from underneath him with such force that he nearly received a fracture in his upper, right femur. He screamed in pain as she laid him on his stomach and placed his hands behind his back.
“’You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,’ but before I continue, you should know something,” informed the blonde as she smiled an inch away from his face.
“What’s that, you emaciated strumpet!” cried the man.
“Trouble's always watching,” replied the truculent blonde in a casual manner. The large man slowly awakened with pain permeating his arms as he tried to raise himself from the concrete. He glanced at his handcuffed partner lying upon his stomach. The recently defeated man took one squeaking step before his opponent’s glaring blue eyes promised pain if he continued to move. He stood as though a hungry lion were licking its lips in front of him. The three-hundred-pound crony and well-dressed criminal exchanged puzzled glances from the distance between them. She walked over to the woman who was pursued by the wicked duo, only moments ago.
“Are you alright, ma’am?” asked the blonde as she leaned over her, slightly
“Yes, I have a lot to be grateful to you for, thank you. How did you become so strong, and who taught you how to fight like that?” asked the curious, recently rescued lady.
“An old friend with many reasons to be vigilant and watch her back. By the way, I should bust you for your involvement with the distinguished gentlemen who assaulted you, but I am going to give you an opportunity to change your life. I think it’s time to find a new career,” disregarded the law-enforcing blonde.
“Thank you,” replied the grateful victim solemnly before running off into the night.
Nightmares
Yvette Campbell lived in the heart of Third Ward in Houston, Texas. She minded her own business and avoided people doing things to attract trouble. Many would have a stroke from attempting to think of anything bad about her. If people started gossiping, she left the table or area. Yvette shook hands and spoke with most people except those who were always avoiding the police. The exception was occasional shouting matches with other women from her former husbands’ infidelities.
Yvette bore her sore muscles from nursing as easily as wearing earrings. Occasionally, blood rushed to her head, and her fists clenched very tightly with a scowl on her face upon thinking of raising two children, alone. Seeing her last two husbands ruffling the sheets of their bed with other women shattered promises of love, dedication, and fidelity. Yvette never fully trusted another man, again.
Yvette's two children absorbed most of her life. Her youngest, eight-year-old son Terry Campbell a.k.a. TC was not different from most kids his age. He generously poured superglue all over his teacher’s seat, once. The class erupted in laughter before the instructor realized she was standing in her underwear. He tormented his sister like a demon from the darkest pits of Hell.
Several years passed since the school staff noticed fourteen-year-old Tenesha Campbell’s tests were almost flawless, and her mind processed things like a computer. She read collegiate textbooks while her classmates were trying to write in cursive and learn multiplication. School officials removed her from her class because she distracted other students after finishing most of her assignments within a few minutes. The young woman continued advancing in many classes and winning numerous awards.
Students bombarded and knocked her over while seeking her academic prowess and company. However, this was a puddle compared to the floods she endured on a regular basis. One of her greatest tides occurred when she slept every night. Sweat and blood concealed her body beneath the covers. Sometimes, purple lesions with blood trickling from them appeared on her arms and legs. This has been occurring since she was eight without any successful solution despite her best efforts.
Tonight is going to be different, even if I have to die with it! She stumbled around the room and shoved night lights into outlets. Her mind strained without a solution to the source of her problems, but she heard rumors of evil spirits trapped in this world causing nightmares after death. I don't really believe this, but if placing lights around the area will help me sleep, this room is going to be brighter than the sun! Another possibility suggested leaving a glass of water on a table with a lamp and an open bible causes troublesome spirits to cross over. The young lady zipped around the room and shoved her desk, bed, and nightstand like barrels into ideal areas.
Tenesha slowly walked to her bed, lifted the covers, and dropped herself upon the mattress. She turned her head to the right, glanced at the lamp, bible, and pitcher of water with a slight smile. Her eyelids slowly felt heavier than lead as the light from the lamp became a blurred glow before her awareness disappeared.
Peace and comfort swept over her like a blanket. Her body felt like a sinking boulder as her head sunk into the pillow. Tenesha's eyelids were shut tighter than a military fort with snores echoing from her throat like a rumbling volcano before she knew it.
Suddenly, beads of sweat flowed down her body with each twitch of her arms or legs. Breath left her lungs with burning and aching limbs, reflecting the intensity of a geyser; however, yielding to fatigue would only guarantee permanent rest.
Hot gusts of rancid air blasted through her scalp past her face. Quick glances behind her revealed glowing, beryl eyes with linear pupils piercing the surrounding darkness. Sink-sized nostrils drew in air like vortexes. White, sword-length teeth grazed Tenesha's skin with their attempts to skewer her back. Small pebbles fell from her bleeding soles with adrenaline spikes preventing her from pausing. Hot, effervescent gases burned her nostrils as she stepped with the feeling of cars using her feet as speed bumps.
Half-second glances revealed shadows slithering along the ground in her direction. Wide eyes stared into the blinding darkness ahead of them with Tenesha dragging her body by sheer will. Trembling, wheezing, and dizziness permeated her mind as the young woman pondered her location. Brief glances to her sides showed nothing except sight-piercing blackness.
She gagged as sulfuric aromas grazed her nose. A quick glare showed the creature breathing upon the small of her neck. Flames brushed her heels, reminding her of their unwanted presence. Her foot suddenly sunk through the soil with the ground crumbling beneath her. Tenesha imagined jagged edges piercing her back with fragments of her skull, brain, and intestines scattered throughout the rocks before her blood touched the ground. She paused upon noticing she did not feel anything else beneath her. She landed safely on soft clay after falling a few feet.
Silence grasped the fleer's ears without hot breath caressing her back and neck. Her legs ceased their movement with her rapidly rising and falling bust. Her head darted in numerous directions with nothing but darkness and echoing silence. She inhaled deeply and stretched her arms until they became loose and dropped to her sides. The fleer lowered her body upon a tire-sized rock and sat upon it. Tenesha smiled slightly as she drew in another deep breath.
She rose to her feet and took a single step
with tension leaving her muscles. She stretched her body upon the rock until she fully covered its top. The young woman inhaled and raised her upper body. Her legs, abdomen, and head plunged through the soil upon stepping on it without warning. The ground disintegrated beneath her, instantly. Labored breathing, light-headedness, and her pounding heart quickly replaced Tenesha's calmness. Her body felt lighter than air for less than a second before she realized what was happening. She felt like a weighted anvil becoming heavier with each passing second. Irises burned from dryness with fumes saturating them like water.
A faint, orange glimmer flickered in her eyes before becoming brighter until flames licked the bottoms of her feet. She plunged helplessly toward the foreboding body. Her skin ignited with heat and pain upon getting closer to the pit. The adolescent shut her eyes tightly with the expectation of death's icy fingers grasping her heart until it stopped beating. Her cheek nearly touched the lake’s surface before...
She leapt from her bed before relief arrived upon staring at the four, familiar walls of her room. Infinite beads of sweat rolled down her glistening body. Shining plaques and pictures shimmered in her grateful eyes. Comfort inundated her mind before her lower body collapsed with sharp pain crushing her muscles. Retinas glanced down at the legs to notice scarred and bruised tissue she did not see before sleeping. She shuddered upon feeling her wet hands after rubbing her feet's bottoms. She held her hand in front of her face to see a thick, sticky, crimson film covering it. I'm bleeding!
Tenesha knew she did not want to close her eyes and return to her imaginary hell, but the consequences of refusal would only make her waking life worst if she did not succumb to sleep. She squinted upon seeing her golden awards’ scattered reflections confirming her room's safety. Tenesha finally scowled at the lamp, sitting with an open bible beside the pitcher of water. She rushed toward the stand and kicked it over.
Muscles tensed, fists clenched, and eye brows furrowed even deeper when images of people sleeping peacefully in their beds burned themselves into her mind upon seeing the broken, glass pitcher and the fallen stand. Tenesha grumbled with a scowl upon her face as her mother and brother slept obliviously to her stomping and screaming. She carefully stepped around sharp, broken shards and the puddle. She quickly flipped the light switch on and limped out of her room. If I had stepped in that puddle, I could have been electrocuted. At least, I would have had a nice, dirt nap!
Tenesha stomped rapidly to the kitchen, ignoring throbbing pains in her legs, and snatched some paper towels, a broom, a garbage bag, and a dust pan. She knew she had to get some rest; otherwise, the following day would be ruined. Her feet shuddered as the linoleum's cold surface penetrated them through the corridor. She entered her room rushed to the disaster she left, earlier. The young woman pushed the shards and debris of her failed attempt to sleep into the bag with the broom before tying it and tossing it into a corner.
Tenesha walked abruptly into the hallway and gently grasped the doorknob. Her smooth, shapely legs shivered as they touched the stone tiles. She hobbled into the bathroom. The darkness of the hallway magnified her dislike for coldness. She wasted no time fumbling for the light switch and maneuvered through the darkness as though sunlight filled the room. The warm air trapped in the house during the day gave some mild solace from the frigid temperature of the floor.
Tenesha walked toward the sink and turned on the faucet. She shut her eyelids, gently pulled her braids behind her head. She hoped the soothing sensation from the heat would help her rest. Steam rose from the running water very quickly, and she vigorously lifted the fluid toward her face. She stretched her arm toward the walls and grazed them with her fingertips. However, she was not able to obtain a towel, so she slammed her clenched fist upon the counter after a few seconds. Then, Tenesha slapped the light switch without looking for it. The young woman quickly blinked to avoid the water’s sting as she snatched her towel hanging on the rod of the shower curtain.
Tenesha vigorously padded her face before something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. She gazed at the young woman with smooth, almond skin and an even tone staring at her from the mirror. The observer carefully perused the individual standing in front of her. The appealing person returned the glance with a large, complimentary smile. She stared at the young woman’s braids before carefully tucking them underneath her nightcap. The reflection’s smile faded as she lowered her gaze to the young lady’s curvaceous thighs and legs.
Most girls would be delighted with the development of their lower bodies, but Tenesha cringed at the unwanted attention it attracted and the difficulty she had with certain clothes because of it. She slapped the faucet's knob off, struck the light switch as though it insulted her, and returned to her room. Green, neon numbers blinded her eyes with a repetitive flash upon a glance from the side of her bed. She scowled, slammed her head into the pillow, and punched her alarm clock before snores echoed throughout her room.
Sweat pooled around James Richard Louis' arms and legs while he drummed his fingers on his sides. His eyes glistened from the golden lights spreading from the torches. The stagnant air of the still night and the flames' heat grazed his skin. His lips stretched until they bled from seeing white sheets, poised pitchforks, and poised rifles rushing toward him. The darkness stabbed his squinting eyes with pain and blindness, and endless trees surrounded them into the blackness.
James' muscles tightened and attempted to move backward before his restricted windpipe reminded him of his limitations. Each inhalation crushed his throat as his legs kicked without touching the ground. His lungs contracted with suffocation before he stopped resisting long enough to see a cocoa-brown woman with a stoic expression dangling from a rope around her neck. She closed her eyes and moved her lips with steady speaking.
The noose choked her syllables with each utterance. She kicked and dangled her feet until there no strength remained in them. Tears streamed down James' face, and emptiness entered his soul as death claimed the woman. James knew his fate was the same when his feet were not touching the ground. He suddenly clenched his teeth and writhed because his palms felt as though needles were stabbing them. The fading light became pure darkness…
The teenager glanced up at his guardian and regretfully shook his head before two hands gently ceased its movement.
“I know you still have nightmares, but that is not your fault,” consoled the man with his hand on the boy’s shoulder. James slowly nodded his head and grasped the man's hands. The man gently withdrew his hands as he stared intently into the teenager’s eyes.
“I'm okay” replied the teenager with reassurance in his voice. The guardian slowly rose from his bedside and walked out of the room with an endearing smile before tapping the light switch behind him and quietly closing the door. You need to cool it with the nightmares! You know you are lucky because everybody does not tolerate that! He lowered the upper half of his body and stared at the blackness surrounding his room until his eyes were too heavy to remain open. Snores escaped his mouth before another thought crossed his mind.
A shrill noise obliterated the silence of a peaceful slumber before green, flashing neon numbers partially stunned the disoriented adolescent's eyes. Tenesha reached for her gold-framed glasses on her nightstand without raising her head from her pillow. She rose from the comfortable position of her mattress and shoved the frames upon her face, as she prepared to embrace the inevitable headache she normally called school. She struck the blaring, alarm clock as though it hit her. Smooth, almond feet walked toward the bathroom before a smaller pair rushed in ahead of her and shut the door. A sharp click came from the doorknob as her fingers touched it.
“Do know what manners are, TC?!” exclaimed the irritated, teenager.
“Why? You have manners, and they ain't help you!” replied TC through the locked door. Tenesha gasped and punished the floor with each pounding step toward her room. She peeled off her moist pajamas and donned her school uniform. The sibling rushed back to the b
athroom to see if it was available. The older sister gratefully entered the empty room before she gagged upon returning to the door's threshold. A stream of braids and brown fury rushed to the kitchen and immediately moved in for a verbal assault.
“TC, what in the world do you eat? Do you realize that the bathroom smells like a landfill? You might actually want to use this substance people use to clean themselves called soap,” sassed the belligerent, young woman.
“That’s enough, Tenesha! You’re always quick to point out your little brother’s faults, but you never want to be the one to tell him what is wrong or help him out unless you’re being sarcastic. Hasn’t it occurred to you if you think your little brother is nasty, other people will think he is nasty? If any of them know that you are related to him, they may have the same opinion of you?” replied a firm Yvette Campbell as she leaned until she was an inch away from her daughter’s critical, antagonistic eyes.
“That’s why I walk on the other side of the street. Plus, he doesn’t listen to me, anyway!” retorted Tenesha.
“Yeah, that’s really being a good, big sister. Just deny him because you don’t like his hygiene, and you say he doesn’t listen to you. Think about that: would you listen to someone that is always yelling, screaming, and hollering at you with nothing but negativity?” asked Yvette.
“You mean like you do?!” replied Tenesha.
“Watch your mouth, girl! I’ll send you flying through that window so fast; Superman would get whiplash trying to keep up! Besides, I’m the parent, and you are fourteen-years-old. You may be smarter than most people, but I’ll still put something on your—!” warned Yvette with squinted eyes and furrowed eyebrows in her daughter’s direction.
Trouble's Always Watching Volume 1: Volume 1 (The Trouble Series) Page 2