The Two That Got Away
Prologue
(10 years ago Chicago)
Six year old Naomi Gardner couldn't sleep. It was her first day of 1st grade in less than twenty four hours. She was so excited to see her friends again. She was bouncing in the bed with all her excitement.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a loud thump downstairs. Heavy booted footsteps slowly trudged up the stairs. At ten at night neither of her parents would be wearing boots. Curious, she got out of her bed. The large Mickey Mouse t-shirt went to her knees. Long blond hair was in a braid to her lower back.
A shrill scream broke the eerie silence. Naomi ran to the door. The loud screams continued. Her father bellowed in pain. Naomi's fingers trembled as she turned the knob. Once the door opened, everything was back to the eerie silence.
"Mommy? Daddy?" she quietly called as she made her way down the hall.
Her parent's door was slightly opened. The door creaked as she pushed it open. On the floor by the king size bed laid her mother. Blood soaked her white night gown. Her father laid as if he was running towards the door. He was face down in a puddle of his own blood.
"Mom!" Naomi screamed running over to her dead mother.
Tears fell from her dark blue eyes. "Mommy! Wake up! Please mommy, wake up!"
"She's not going to wake up." a sinister voice said behind her.
Naomi turned around with a tear streaked face. A tall man stood there, a knife soaked in blood in his hand. Naomi shook her mother harder. When her mother didn't move, she stood up, and backed into the wall. The killer slowly made his way to the six year old. Sobs kept getting caught in Naomi's throat.
"Please don't…" she cried.
The man was now in front of her. She stared into his dark brown eyes, pleading. The man backhanded her. Naomi fell to the floor, smearing blood on the baby blue wall (it's her mother's). The moonlight flooded through the curtains. Naomi could now see the face of her killer perfectly. His dark brown hair was just as wild as his eyes. An evil grin was on his face.
Naomi tried backing up. There was nowhere for her to run. The man hovered over her. She was crying harder. He lifted the knife above his head, and brought it down into her chest. An ear piercing scream erupted from her mouth. He repeatedly stabbed her in the chest. She put her hands up to protect herself. Hot, searing pain filled her as he sliced her arms, chest, and face.
The man stopped when he heard faint sirens coming closer to the house. He stood up and jumped out the window. He left before he could finish the job.