Chapter One: Intruder

The house was dark and silent. No lights on or normal racket to be heard. Practically void of life. A flash of lightning nearby lit up the darkness for a few seconds. The wind picked up outside and the rain slammed against the windows, as though demanding to be let inside. It drummed across the metal roof, mercilessly. The front door was flung open, swinging on it's hinges wildly before slamming closed on it's own again. But as loud and chaotic as the storm was outside, the house remained quiet. The normal sounds of children playing and laughter, of evenings around the dinner table, all of it was gone. As though it never existed in the first place. The family that lived here must have left in a hurry. Almost nothing was out of place. In the living room, favorite toys were abandoned and left behind to collect dust. In the kitchen, two cups of tea remained on the counter that had turned cold several hours ago.

Although all seemed abandoned, with the roaring of the storm outside and the emptiness inside, it wasn't all as it appeared to be. There was a faint creek of the floor boards in the hallway upstairs. Someone was here. Someone who didn't belong. And he knew he wasn't there alone. Quietly the intruder entered the first bedroom, waiting for another spell of lightning to get a better look at his surroundings. This room, just like the last two rooms,was empty. He moved over to the closet and abruptly opened the doors to find nothing but clothing. There was another sound somewhere in the house and he cautiously slipped inside the closet, out of sight.

oOoOo

The Lieutenant Colonel pressed his back against the wall, wiping his damp bangs out of his face. The storm outside was not making things any easier. Something about it's timing had been a little too convenient. Silently, he made his way into the hallway, looking around the corner to make sure the cost was clear. Swallowing his uneasiness, he took another step forward before glancing behind him again to make sure no one was sneaking up on him. There was another noise that caught his attention even over the sound of the rain. He brought his gaze back in the direction he was headed, taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves. Bringing his weapon up, he forced himself to hold it steady. Trying to recall everything he had been taught over the last several years when dealing with this kind of situation seemed almost impossible. No amount of training could completely prepare him for this.

Remaining as still as possible, he listened for any sound over the rain outside. After holding his breath for so long, there was a shuffling further down the hall and he slowly moved in that direction. The house remained quiet, making it difficult to know where the trespasser was. He must have found somewhere to hide which was going to make tracking him down even more difficult. Of course even if he managed to find the intruder, he really didn't have a plan after that. Maybe he could hold him until help came. That was assuming help was coming. The more he thought about it, there was a chance that he really was on his own for this. But he could handle it by himself. Right? He'd been in worse situations. Of course back then things were different. Now there was more on the line. Somehow he always realized that about this time when thrown into these situations. He was over thinking things and couldn't afford to do that right now.

The thunder seemed to be right over the house now, making it impossible to hear anything that would be helpful. Just as another flash of lightning lit everything up, there was a sudden movement as the intruder left his hiding place, pointing his weapon out into the hallway. The Lieutenant Colonel had a split second to respond as the gun was aimed in his direction. He dropped down just as a shot rang out even louder then the storm. Despite the pain in his shoulder, he brought his gun up and as soon as he saw movement, he fired as well. The shot didn't stop the assailant as he landed hard on him, knocking the gun away. The Lieutenant Colonel felt the other man's grip on his neck as oxygen started to become scarce. Despite the man's weight, he tried to rolled them to the side, and get his foot up to push him off. The hallway was not big enough for the fight to continue as they got dangerously close to the stairway.

The pressure on his throat lessened as his opponent seemed to be fumbling for something in the dark. Taking in a much needed breath, he realized the other man still had a gun. Without another thought, he knocked the guy off, slamming him into the wall. Glancing around, he searched desperately for his own weapon in the dark. The lightning off in the distance illuminated the hallway just enough for him to see the cold steel at the top of the stairs. As he went for it, there was a sudden force from behind just as he got a hold of the firearm. The fall down the stairs made it impossible to comprehend which direction was up or down. Thankfully it didn't last long, leaving the two disoriented and entangled at the foot of the staircase.

The Lieutenant Colonel didn't remember firing his gun again but when the other man didn't get up or try to attack him, it was cause for concern. The intruder was much larger then him and now felt like dead weight. He could feel warm thick liquid seeping into the front of his uniform and he started to panic. Managing to roll his opponent off, the stench of blood hit his nose and brought on a wave of nausea. He had to get away but wasn't sure what he needed to do next. His mind was reeling and before he could get too far, that smell, that metallic odor seemed to get even stronger. Moving away from the body, he threw up in the nearby corner. Glancing back, the realization that he had ended a life with little effort hit him hard. Standing up seemed impossible as he felt the invisible weight of his own guilt come crashing down on him. Before he could dwell on his action for too long, there was movement at the top of the stairs. Bringing his gaze upward, he found himself at a complete loss of words. No explanation or excuse formed in his mind as he stumbled over what little coherent speech he could manage.

"...Van?" The small boy continued to stare down at him, all the while clinging to his little sister's hand.

"Daddy? Whatdyou do?"