THE OTHER SIDE

by Stephanie Rodriguez

The lock broke off and the door swung wide open with great force. The door's cracks rose up and to the sides, lonely and plain, and banged on the wall hard like lighting striking the roof of our house.

My mind went blank for a moment. Her eyes wide like the open space, legs shaking like an earthquake, my sister stood next to me, my brother on the other side. Our hearts pumping, breathing heavily, like dying fish, we heard the lock break. We all took a deep breath and held it at the same time, we were one.

My body froze in an instant; a pain shot right through me like a bullet fired straight through my stomach. All was silent except for the angry voice on the other side of the door. His voice, mysterious and evil, was as deep as the ocean floor and loud like thunder; roaring like a lion.

The smell of alcohol filled the air in a second. Fear rushed through my veins making my body numb. I saw the fear in my sister's eyes as she turned to look at me. Scared, cold, I looked straight ahead of me, not making a single movement. Chairs, cabinets and dishes stood still.  The door, just a couple of feet away, scared and worried me. I stood my ground, my hands on my sides, my fists, wet and pale, closed tightly, waiting for the moment that I could release them for air.