Worried
about the girls, the Henry boys have them come down to share their
room, rather than sleeping in their apartment.
A
noise woke Will. He sat up in bed. He saw his brother sprawled on the
chairs and smiled. He should never have let him stay up, but Luke had
insisted he could do his part. Another noise caught his attention,
bringing him to full alert. It sounded like the squeak of the front
door. It needed oiling, but Patty and Dollie left it so they could
tell if anyone tried to sneak in or out during the night. Will knew
that door was locked before they went to bed. He'd checked it
himself.
He
hopped out of bed and woke his brother. A short scramble later, Luke
was awake and alert. They didn't hear anything else, but that didn't
mean there wasn't someone out there. They had no weapons except the
pocket knives both men carried. It was better than nothing, but
wouldn't be a match if the intruder carried a gun. Still, that would
have to do. Neither of them owned a weapon—not that the women would
have allowed guns. They had a city dweller's fear of fire arms.
Leaving
the women, they struck out in search of the intruder. They were
certain someone had come in and had probably headed to the apartment.
They would be disappointed to see that the women weren't there. Some
perverse notion had made Will pile pillows under the blankets in
their beds. He hoped it would slow down anyone who intended to do
them harm.
They
drew closer to the apartment and saw flashlight beams playing along
the walls and floor. Plastering themselves against a wall, they
listened for any sounds that would tell them where the intruder was
in the apartment. Someone ran into a piece of furniture and cursed
softly. Another voice shushed him. Two men? That was bad news. The
brothers had counted on a single intruder.
"They
aren't here," one voice said softly.
"Then
we look for 'em. They got to be here somewhere."
"Ain't
those fellas here?" the first voice said. "What if we run
into them?"
"Then
I wouldn't want ta be them," the second said.
"Hell,
I seen those boys fight. I don't wanna be us
right now."
Will
smiled, clenching his fist that didn't hold the knife. The other
switched the knife to a fighting grip. He wondered if his brother was
doing the same. One thing he and Luke had learned living with their
father—they could fight like hellcats. Both of them were toughened
by their father's beatings. Unless the men who'd broken in had guns,
Will and Luke could take them.
They
heard movement inside the apartment. The lights moved toward the
door. Will and Luke took up positions on either side of the door and
waited.
"You
head down one side of the hall and I'll head down the other,"
the second voice said. He sounded a little older than the first man.
There was a hard edge to his words like he came from the big city.
"Shouldn't
we stick together? What if we run into them Henry boys?"
They
heard a soft slapping sound. "Then I'll take 'em out with my
Slugger," the older man replied. The slapping sound
repeated—very like the noise a hand made against a piece of
seasoned hardwood.
Will
and Luke waited for the men to come out the door. One emerged, the
other lingered a moment. Holding their breath, the brothers waited
for the second man to emerge. When he stepped out the door, the Henry
brothers made their move. Will dropped to a crouch, lunging against
the second man with his shoulder low. The man staggered, trying to
catch his balance. He reached for his companion, only to see him fly
across the hallway as Luke slammed into him with a flying tackle.
Two
bodies tussled on the floor. Will couldn't see which was Luke and
which his opponent. He was too concerned with his. He'd discovered
that this was the man with the bat. He wasn't overly worried. There
had been plenty of times his father had come after him with a chunk
of firewood, intent on breaking his bones. Will had survived that,
though he had sustained some nasty bruises.
The
man with the bat raised it to bring it down on Will's head. Instead
of waiting for him to complete the swing, that could have killed him,
Will stepped up to meet him, grabbing the other man's arm. He
squeezed hard, putting pressure on the ligaments and tendons in the
intruder's wrist. With a snarling howl, the bat clattered to the
floor. Now that he just had his fists, Will had the advantage. He
slashed at the other man's arm and felt his knife connect with flesh.
He cut so deeply the blade scraped bone.
His
opponent screamed with pain. Rather than attacking Will, he grabbed
his arm and ran for the door. Flinging it back, he hurtled down the
hill toward the center of campus. Will watched him a moment, then
realized that his brother probably needed him.
Luke
and the other man were in a skirmish, both trying to get the upper
hand. Luke landed a series of jaw shattering punches on the other
man, but he was tiring. Will was busy with his own man and didn't
have time for his younger brother. The most he could count on was
that Will would help him as soon as he'd dispatched his opponent.
When he heard the man howl and make a break for it, he tightened his
grip on the second man. His hold was slipping. He felt the strength
drain from him. He hit the fellow one more time and felt his body
slump against the floor.
"Speak
to me, Luke," Will said.
"Right
here," Luke said to get his brother's attention.
"Lost
ya in the dark. Should I go after the other man?" He knelt by
Luke, taking his position on the floor.
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
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