I was finally in the house by entering the unlocked basement door. Glad that someone forgot to lock it from the inside earlier in the day. Time  to get the ball rolling  and find out what is going on. This has been a very disturbing night, to say the least. I haven’t been this stressed out since my military days, I still remember how I felt leaving my comrades and my platoon to get a nice and comfy corporate job, but that was the best  ROI  decision of my life. Then I met my wife. She is the love of my life, she brought peace to this  cut-throat world  I live in and I can’t let anything harm her or her family. Our future is  at stake  here.
I need  to think outside the box  now, I can’t let anyone see or hear me. As I wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the basement, I hear a thud coming from upstairs, as though a body fell to the floor. I have got to act fast. I take a deep breath, adrenaline is running through my veins. ‘Cold-blooded Louis’ is in the house. That’s what the platoon called me back in the day. It’s time  to get down to business  and save everyone.
As I rush up the basement stairs as quietly as possible, all I can see are two blurry silhouettes in the shadows of the hallway. As my eyes adjust, I finally see Betty and Grandpa. What a relief! They seem safe and sound. I tap the back of my head, to get a headcount from my sister-in-law. Betty holds up only 2 fingers. As I get closer to them, I see a body on the ground that I do not recognize. I get closer and whisper, ‘Why is he not  burning the midnight oil  anymore?’
Betty replies, ‘This is one of the guys who attacked us, but Grandpa knocked him out with a baseball bat.’ She looks shocked and freaked out, which is not a look I have ever seen on her face before. Betty Boy is not a person who is easily stunned. However, this is not the time to worry about that now.
‘Do we have a  ballpark  of how many attackers there are?’ I ask.
‘Impossible to say,’ grandpa replies. ‘Louis, if you are here, where is your wife? And where is my wife?’ His face is grim and he is grinding his teeth as he waits for my answer.
‘Your wife was taken away by car. She must have been the target. Your daughter is hiding behind the barn, safe for now.’
The three of us look at each other in the darkness. Betty takes the pistol from the guy on the floor. She does not look freaked out anymore.
‘I guess we are  back to square one, but now we  have power in numbers.  Let’s get out of here, find my sister, and then rescue mom.’ Betty Boy is back.

TO BE CONTINUED