Death Before Dawn

I awoke to the sound of yelling coming from downstairs. I heard daddy yelling and things breaking, I jumped out of bed and opened my door quietly and walked to the the railing at the top of the stairs and crouched down. I watched as my dad and a man I didn't know fight in out living room.  I watched as my father and this stranger circle each other trying to figure out what the other was going to do next. I wanted to do something, anything to protect my dad but my feet were rooted to the ground i couldn't stop watching. For the first time since i'd been awoken i heard my father speak. " You little piece of s**t my son and daughter hit harder than you do is that all you got." He spit blood out and onto the floor of our living room. " Oh yeah? How about after i'm done with you I go up stairs into your son's room and break his neck in his sleep, after i'm done with him i'll go into your daughters room and take my time with her I hear she looks just her mother." The man sneered at my father. At that my father lunged at him both of them falling on top of the glass table at the center of the living room. The sound of the glass table breaking jolted me from where I was sitting. My training kicked in everything my father and my trainers had been drilling into my head since the day I learned to walk all came rushing back to me. I take off running down the hall, past my brothers bedroom to my father's office. Once there I opened the door and ran behind his desk in the top drawer was a key to the safe in the closet. Once I get the key inside the lock I turn the handle and the door opens. There lying on its side is a gun my father's 9mm engraved on the side in latin reads "Audentes fortuna iuvat" ( Fortune favors the bold). I check to see if the safety's on when I see that it is I take off back down the hall to the top of the stairs but when I get there i see the stranger getting himself into a sitting position on the floor next too my father who is holding his neck. I suddenly find myself stuck not knowing what to do next, but the stranger does he picks up a shard of glass and stabs my father in the chest, over and over and over again.  With tears in my eyes I take the safety off the gun pull the slide back raise the gun and fire one shot at the stranger. I watch as the bullet strikes him in the forehead and exits out the back of his head. He's dead. I put the gun down and kneel beside my father. "What do I do daddy ? Tell me what do I do!" I ask sobbing  "Promise me you'll take care of your brother." As he speaks blood is pooling out of his neck and onto the living room carpet his words are garbled but I can still make them out. " I promise I promise i'll take care of him." I swear "I'll always be with you.."  " Dad! Dad! Please don't.. go." I beg  Silence. It was almost deafening. I sat there for what must have only been minutes but felt like hours holding my father's hand before I got back onto my feet and went up stairs walked down the hall to  my twin brothers room. As I stood in the hall watching as my brother sleeps I look around his room at the posters on the wall, the pictures of the three of us on his dresser. I'm trying to savor this moment. To remember that just a few hours ago we were celebrating our 10th Birthday, we were laughing and opening presents to remember when were last happy. Because I know after tonight everything is going to change and nothing will ever be the same.