Chapter 14: Blood is Thicker Than Water

Matthews arrived at his house which was nothing more than a 15-minute drive from Alexia's house while driving as fast as he could through the 9 pm traffic of downtown Hornbrew. Although James was a skilled driver with him having to participate in many high-speed chases he couldn't help but scrape the side of his car revealing the grey metal under the black and shiny coat of paint.

Although he was an aged old man with grandkids he moved like a man in his mid 30's to his front porch while signaling the two officers that followed him to each go on the sides of the house in order to ensure this man didn't have a chance to escape. He quickly unlocked the door and ran inside yelling, "Candice, Candice where are you."

Rushing down the stairs was the frightened Candice who was currently holding a wooden bat the had the year 1976 inscribed on the side of it. With eyes of fear and hysteria, she quickly embraced her husband who was just as shocked to see her ready to defend herself despite being a hardcore pacifist. Stroking her head he looks down at her and says, "It's ok, it's ok everything going to be alright."

After enjoying each other's safety and comfort Candice says, "I think one of them is in the house."

It had taken a quick second for what Candice had said to really sit in before an officer came from the back of the house through the door that was supposedly supposed to be locked. The officer had come and stopped by the stairs and the entrance to Candice's painting room where she spent some of her free time painting. He stood with his gun drawn and pointed at the ground as he began to say, "I think it's all clear except for the house Mr.Matthews as there seems to be signs of forced entry through the back do...."

Before the officer could say anything else he's quickly tackled into the side of the staircase and viciously mauled by a woman whose clothes were basically rags sewn together into clothes. Her wild hair was matted and slick looking with the shine of the blood that stained it. The man yelled as he had chunks and pieces of his shoulder and neck torn and ripped out as the woman continued to gouge her teeth into him.

With his senses, James whips out his Barretta out and shoots 4 rounds into her piercing her right arm, her lower and upper back, and the right side of her abdomen. She stops and looks at James and Candice as if they had bothered a dog that was territorial with its food. She rose in an odd way as if she was a puppet being controlled by a novice puppeteer. Without a sign or indication, she bolts toward James and his wife as he unloads the rest of his bullets into her striking her chest and her left leg which made her stumble for 3 seconds before she gained her balance and continued. Before she could pounce she stopped as if something had caught her attention.

She rose and stood upright and casual like she didn't just maul an officer to death and broke out into a full-on sprint toward the two scared people before her. Her murky blue eyes locked on them with her head cocked to the right before saying, "Hello there brother, I really do hope you chose a blue casket for my funeral. It's my favorite."