Intruder

Cassidy's thunderous heart did not slow as Hazel slowly made her ascend up the attic steps, her footsteps soft against the aged wood. Cassidy had a sudden thought and began to feel around as she walked away from the stairs.

"Oh, Cassidy," Hazel's said teasingly, her voice sending chills through Cassidy's body. The back of her legs brushed up against an old love seat and Cassidy bit her lip to keep from screaming in fright. "I know you're up here. Henry always said the attic would be the safest place, because you'd refuse to come up."

Cassidy quickly ducked down, hiding herself behind the loveseat as she forced herself to keep her breathing even. Her mind turned to her children and she felt an ache in her heart as she realized how defenseless they would be if something were to happen to her. Tears crept into her eyes and her hand brushed against something slender and cool on the floor.

She gave a start at first until she closed her hand around it. It was one of the old pipes from the stove when Henry had fixed it shortly after they'd moved in. She silently said a prayer that her husband had ignored her about just throwing it away. Her grip tightened around the pipe as she listened to Hazel walking about the attic.

"I knew you'd be all too curious, and now that Henry is gone, you're mine. He always said when he passed you'd always remained off limits, but now I can finally have my revenge," Hazel's voice chilled the air and Cassidy gritted her teeth.

"I did nothing to you," Cassidy responded, mentally cursing herself for being so callous as to risk her being found.

"You did everything, Cassidy," Hazel said hatefully, her feet creaking against the floorboards as she turned. Pale moonlight shone in through the attic windows and Cassidy froze at Hazel's shadow. "I wanted Henry. He was mine. You think those girls were the first? Ha! Henry and I've been doing things like this since we were in college. He was mine, mine to have, and you took him!

"When you guys started dating, he was supposed to lure you in like all the others, but you just won him over, didn't you? Weeks went by before he could tell me he couldn't do it! He couldn't hurt you, because he loved you! Which of course ended our little game. Years go by. You wind up marrying him and I wasn't even invited! Three kids later and not even a letter or a damn card! The itch was still there though; oh you bet your sweet ass it was still there. He tracked me down, said he needed to scratch that itch, and he needed me. Me. Not you."

Tears burned Cassidy's eyes and she held back the sniffles. She slowly lifted the pipe up, not wanting it to scrape against the floor. Rain began to pitter patter against the window, distant sounds of thunder were beginning to roll in. "What about our children?" Cassidy asked, her voice sounding numb. "You think Henry would be happy with you killing his wife and leaving his children orphaned?"

The shadow on the wall turned towards the loveseat and Cassidy quietly got her feet beneath her. "You think I care about those brats? They should've been my children. I was supposed to bear Henry's children, and you took that from me."

"So, my husband chooses me over you and you think I'm the one you have the bone to pick with here? He abandoned you, but my children had no part in it. They didn't ask to be born, but Henry and I did ask to be their parents. They are still half of Henry, the only thing left of him walking around. Don't you want that? Don't you want to know that there's three pieces of Henry living and breathing? If you want to kill me, go ahead, but you leave my children alone."

Hazel gave a cruel chuckle. "I'll do as I please. Now come out from behind that sofa and let's get this over with." Silent tears from Cassidy's eyes as she raised herself to her full height, half of her body hidden by the couch. She clutched the pipe, keeping it hidden behind the sofa.

"Come get me," Cassidy said, her voice cool. Hazel sauntered over, the glint of her bowie knife glimmering in the moonlight. Her pace became hurried and as she placed a foot on the sofa's cushions, Cassidy struck. She whipped the pipe across Hazel's temple, knocking her off balance and falling onto the floor.

Cassidy came from behind the sofa, her hands shaking and her breathing patchy. A wave of adrenaline washed through her and she ground her teeth. She unleashed her fury with another strike against Hazel's shoulder. Hazel attempted pushing herself up, knife barely in hand, as Cassidy whacked her on the back of her head.

She crumpled onto the floor and it took Cassidy a moment to realize she was hyperventilating. She dropped the pipe and ran for the stairs. She turned on her heel, pushing the stairs back up before sprinting down the hallway. Cassidy kept a watchful eye on the door as she banged on her daughter's still locked bedroom door.

Elizabeth opened the door with a frantic look painted on her face. "I need your phone now!" Cassidy shouted frantically. Elizabeth stared back at her mother in shock, a thousand questions on her tongue, but before she could ask one, her mother was screaming again. "Now, Elizabeth!" Elizabeth ran to her bed, snatching her phone from her bedside table. She handed it to her mother with a worried gaze.

"Mom, what's-" Cassidy pulled Elizabeth from her room, eyes still glued to the attic stairs.

"I need you to get your brothers. Lock yourselves in Peter's room. Don't come out no matter what you hear." Elizabeth rushed to follow her mother's orders, making a bee line for her brother's room. Cassidy tore her eyes away from the stairs to watch as Elizabeth tugged a half-awake James into the nursery. Cassidy and Elizabeth's eyes met for a second. "It'll be okay. I love you."

Elizabeth nodded her head solemnly and locked the door behind her. Cassidy hurried to the door, blocking it with her body as she began to call for help.

When the dispatcher picked up, Cassidy's voice was rushed and frightened. "Help! Please you have to help me there's an intruder in my house. I-I have three children and she's threatening to kill them and me."

"Ma'am, please calm down," the young man said. "Who is intruding in your home?"

"Her name is Hazel. She's a serial killer. She-she and my husband they...they murdered all those women. There's evidence in our attic. She came for it and I found out. I hit her pretty hard with a pipe and locked her in our attic."

"Where are you and your children in the home?"

"My children are locked in a room and I'm outside incase she comes out. Please you have to send someone to 511 East Sycamore Drive. You can't let her hurt my babies."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll send a unit right now. Please remain on the line until police have arrived."

As Cassidy went to say a reply, the attic stairs began to wobble. Her hands began to shake around the phone and more tears began to fall.

"Ma'am, are you there? I need to know if the intruder is armed," his voice was muffled through the mental fog.

"She has a knife...and I think she's coming."

"Ma'am, you need to lock yourself in with the children. Please get somewhere safe."

"I can't. She won't stop until we're dead. I'm gonna slide the phone under the door to my daughter, Lizzie. If something happens...just tell her I love her and her brothers so much."

The dispatcher began to protest but Cassidy knelt down, pushing the phone under the door. "Lizzie," Cassidy said, leaning so her mouth is against the door. "Take the phone and talk to the nice man. He needs you to stay on until police arrive." Before she could talk herself out of it, Cassidy slowly walked towards the wobbling attic stairs.

Without looking, she brushed her hand against an end table and removed the drawer. She lifted it above her head and slammed it to the ground, causing it to splinter. Cassidy dropped to her knees, hurriedly searching and finding the small handgun her husband had concealed in a false bottom of the drawer.

The weight of the gun comforted her and with minimal light, she checked to make sure it was loaded. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the bullets and rose back to her full height. The attic stairs continued to rock and Cassidy raised the gun above her head, barely aiming in the dying light.

She fired three rounds into the ceiling, the gunfire causing for the children to jump in the next room and wake the baby. Peter's shrill frightened cries rang through the air and Elizabeth handed the phone off to James while she hurried to comfort the terrified infant. She held Peter close to her chest, bouncing him, as she attempted to soothe him back to sleep.

Cassidy waited for the stairs to move again and when they didn't, she chuckled numbly. "That's what I thought." She turned and walked back to the nursery. She rested her back against the door and lowered herself to a squatting position. She allowed for the tears to freely flow down her face.

"Mom? Mom, is that you?" James' voice softly came through the door. "Are you okay?" Peter was softly sniffling into Elizabeth's chest now as she nervously watched the door. "Mom? Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm okay, baby. Tell the man on the phone I'm alright. Everything's alright." Through the windows came the blue and red lights of approaching police cars, their sirens loudly singing in the air. Cassidy dropped to her knees at the sound of the policemen walking through her home and she kicked the gun away from her at the sight of the policemen at the top of the stairs.

"She's up there," Cassidy said through sobs. The man nodded at her and slowly approached her.

"Where are your children?" Cassidy touched the door behind her. The man nodded his head. "Get them and get out. We'll take care of this." Cassidy hurried to her feet, knocking on the door.

"Kids? Kids, open the door." The door swung open and Cassidy crushed James in a hug, kissing his head. Next was Elizabeth and Peter, both receiving a teary eyed kiss before being wrapped up in a hug. She took the children under her arms, leading them from the room, but they were then stopped by a different policemen.

"We're opening the attic. Might be best if you stay back for a minute or two." Cassidy nodded her head and glanced at her children, forcing an encouraging smile. The policemen slowly lowered the attic stairs and down tumbled Hazel, her leg bleeding profusely.

She screamed profanities from the pain and an officer began to yell for a medic. Cassidy ushered the children behind the door, shielding them from seeing Hazel. They had to restrain Hazel to keep her from hurting the medical personnel as they worked on her leg to stop the bleeding. Once they were done, she was strapped onto a gurney, her hands held down by cuffs, and the medics began to carefully walk her down the stairs.

Hazel and Cassidy's eyes locked for a moment, pure hatred brewing between them. Cassidy breathed a sigh of relief and dropped to her knees as she began to cry once again.

Elizabeth and James each put an arm around her and she held them tightly.

A few months later...

After being charged with several counts of homicide and breaking and entering, Hazel was sent away to serve several life sentences. Cassidy was thankful that her children had been spared having to testify or even having to hear what that awful woman was saying about their father.

Cassidy stood on the porch, watching as the movers loaded up the last of the furniture. Elizabeth and James were busy keeping Peter busy while Darla and Cassidy wrapped up packing the house. A for sale sign was staked into their front yard and Cassidy felt an overwhelming sense of relief washing through her.

She waved at the movers and watched as they pulled out, heading towards their new address. Cassidy joined her children in the yard for their last frolic at the old house before ushering them into the house. Elizabeth and Cassidy fastened themselves in.

"Say goodbye house!" she shouted happily.

"Goodbye, house!" the children repeated giggling like the schoolchildren they were before Cassidy backed out of their driveway for the last time. She began to drive after the moving van, fun music coming through the speakers. After so many months of torment and family therapy, it finally seemed that her family was pieced back together as best as it was going to be.