Title: Bleeding Inside
Author: Katie Louden
Date started: May 27, 2002
Rating: R for gore and language
Summary: Julie lost everything she ever loved. Her life is all she has now. When she meets a guy, Jack, who can relate to her story, they immediately connect, and Julie fights to open herself up again to the beauty and love of the real world. But when she finally opens herself up, she is faced with an even greater challenge when she meets the man who killed her family.
Chapter 1-The Blood
I remember it all so clearly. The window. The gunshots. The blood. The figure casually walking into the room. The knife. The blood. The face. The things he took. The blood. The hate. All the blood.
It was the 4th of July and we were all watching the fireworks from the window. The Brooklyn Bridge was always full of people, watching the man at the bottom of the bridge who set the fireworks off. I had glanced to the side of the house quickly, just to see a figure walk by, but thought nothing of it. People walked through our yard all the time.
I smiled at my Mother, her pale, wrinkled face grinning madly.
I fixed my gaze on my sister, her eyes glistening with every firework explosion.
I popped my head back in the house, just for a second, to smell the red, white, and blue candles we had lit all over the house.
Just for a second.
As I brought my head slowly back out, I stopped to listen to the fireworks for a minute. When they stopped for just a moment I heard a different, louder bang right in front of me. I felt my Mother's and sisters' brains fall to pieces into my hands. I saw their blood explode all over the red, white, and blue candles, staining them, staining me, and staining my life. Forever.
I fell to the floor from the impact of everything. I sat on the ground, stunned, and unsure of what had happened. They had popped like balloons and their insides had been exposed, falling to pieces all over the house.
I didn't think it was possible to have so much blood.
I touched my face, smearing the blood, stinging my eyes. The candles didn't smell good anymore. They smelled of flesh and blood, and the stench of death coated their flames.
What should I do? Run? I hopped up, just in time to see a figure walk by the window. I dropped to the floor again, faking my own death, which I begged to be brought to me. I had nothing and I knew it right from there.
But he saw me.
I saw the smile on his face, all teeth, pearly-white teeth. His shoes were leaving more bloodstains on the crisp, white carpet. I closed my eyes tightly, choking on the tears that were forming inside me.
I felt the knife slice my cheek like butter. I quickly opened my eyes, letting my salty tears fall down my cheek and mix with the thick blood rolling down my face, staining the carpet more. He wasn't smiling anymore. He stood up and stomped hard on my chest, forcing me to scream out in pain. The air inside of me was pumped out, but I didn't want to breath in the room. He glanced out the window where my family was splattered, and then he kicked my head. I felt my eyes roll back in my head. I felt the cold knife pierce my throat and then slice again, but through my forehead, just above my eyebrow.
But I was still alive. I saw him. He took our possessions, even a few of the bloodstained, porcelain dolls that my sister collected. I saw him jump over the gory mess by the window, and run out of sight.
I lay there on the floor. I couldn't move. Or maybe I didn't want to.
I closed my eyes, remembering my family. They were gone.
I closed my eyes, hoping that they would stay closed forever.
I never wanted to open them and see what I had seen.
But I was saved.
Read on.
Author: Katie Louden
Date started: May 27, 2002
Rating: R for gore and language
Summary: Julie lost everything she ever loved. Her life is all she has now. When she meets a guy, Jack, who can relate to her story, they immediately connect, and Julie fights to open herself up again to the beauty and love of the real world. But when she finally opens herself up, she is faced with an even greater challenge when she meets the man who killed her family.
Chapter 1-The Blood
I remember it all so clearly. The window. The gunshots. The blood. The figure casually walking into the room. The knife. The blood. The face. The things he took. The blood. The hate. All the blood.
It was the 4th of July and we were all watching the fireworks from the window. The Brooklyn Bridge was always full of people, watching the man at the bottom of the bridge who set the fireworks off. I had glanced to the side of the house quickly, just to see a figure walk by, but thought nothing of it. People walked through our yard all the time.
I smiled at my Mother, her pale, wrinkled face grinning madly.
I fixed my gaze on my sister, her eyes glistening with every firework explosion.
I popped my head back in the house, just for a second, to smell the red, white, and blue candles we had lit all over the house.
Just for a second.
As I brought my head slowly back out, I stopped to listen to the fireworks for a minute. When they stopped for just a moment I heard a different, louder bang right in front of me. I felt my Mother's and sisters' brains fall to pieces into my hands. I saw their blood explode all over the red, white, and blue candles, staining them, staining me, and staining my life. Forever.
I fell to the floor from the impact of everything. I sat on the ground, stunned, and unsure of what had happened. They had popped like balloons and their insides had been exposed, falling to pieces all over the house.
I didn't think it was possible to have so much blood.
I touched my face, smearing the blood, stinging my eyes. The candles didn't smell good anymore. They smelled of flesh and blood, and the stench of death coated their flames.
What should I do? Run? I hopped up, just in time to see a figure walk by the window. I dropped to the floor again, faking my own death, which I begged to be brought to me. I had nothing and I knew it right from there.
But he saw me.
I saw the smile on his face, all teeth, pearly-white teeth. His shoes were leaving more bloodstains on the crisp, white carpet. I closed my eyes tightly, choking on the tears that were forming inside me.
I felt the knife slice my cheek like butter. I quickly opened my eyes, letting my salty tears fall down my cheek and mix with the thick blood rolling down my face, staining the carpet more. He wasn't smiling anymore. He stood up and stomped hard on my chest, forcing me to scream out in pain. The air inside of me was pumped out, but I didn't want to breath in the room. He glanced out the window where my family was splattered, and then he kicked my head. I felt my eyes roll back in my head. I felt the cold knife pierce my throat and then slice again, but through my forehead, just above my eyebrow.
But I was still alive. I saw him. He took our possessions, even a few of the bloodstained, porcelain dolls that my sister collected. I saw him jump over the gory mess by the window, and run out of sight.
I lay there on the floor. I couldn't move. Or maybe I didn't want to.
I closed my eyes, remembering my family. They were gone.
I closed my eyes, hoping that they would stay closed forever.
I never wanted to open them and see what I had seen.
But I was saved.
Read on.