In the House On Lakeside Drive by Corie L. Calcutt

back to the cold graveled earth. A couple soft clicks echoed out from the roof of Sam’s mouth, and his cane was back at the ready.
    “Give up?”
    The sounds of coughs poured from a liquor-parched throat. He crept along the ground, his lungs on fire, and stopped, lying motionless in the driveway. Nothing moved, and no one dared breathe. “Is…is he dead?” Josh asked, still taking shelter from the corner of the porch.
    “God, I hope so,” Sam replied, jabbing his cane downward in an attempt to find his opponent. The sudden jerk of a hand against his cane startled him, and soon he found himself disarmed as hollow laughs rose from the ground.
    “How now, blind man?” Cooper taunted, chuckling as he saw the tall youth flounder a little and struggle to regain his bearings. Another hand darted out, this one grabbing Sam’s ankle, and the force of Cooper’s pull on the joint caused Sam to lose his balance and crash to the dirt. As Sam fought to release his attacker’s grip, he could hear the sounds of a one hundred fifty pound man picking himself off the ground. Sam’s leg stung as it was thrown onto the graveled driveway, and the point of his own cane pressed against his throat. The young man lay still, motionless as the round end of his prized possession drove deeper into his flesh. “I should end you now,” a cold voice spat above him, and it was all Sam could do not to swallow the ball of fear that was building near his Adam’s apple.
    The sound of something flying through the air surprised Sam, and the sudden cry of surprise from his attacker gave him some hope. The pressure lifted from his throat, and Sam immediately rolled away from the sound of sharp cries and muttered oaths. “Little brat!” Cooper shouted. “Fix you too, I will!”
    “Sam, run!” Josh cried, followed by a grunt as another rock went sailing into the air. “Go away!” he shouted at Cooper. “Leave us alone!”
    “Ow! Son of a…shit!” Cooper yelped, the barrage of projectiles too much for his winded body and addled mind to overcome. “Little fucker! I’ll…”
    Gravel crunched as tires pressed their weight onto it, sending little pebbles flying in all directions. An engine died, and the sound of doors slamming greeted Sam’s ears as he struggled for his feet. “What the hell are you doing here, Lavelle?” Evan shouted, exiting the newly arrived vehicle. Sam heard shoe rubber mash dirt and stone, followed by a sharp yelp and shout from Remy’s uncle. “Just coming to cause shit?”
    “Ain’t no concern of yours,” Cooper spat. “Came to check on the welfare of my nephew. Seeing as how his life was in danger and all.”
    “Like you give a shit.”
    “Matters to me if he’s still breathing.” Sam heard a rough tug of cloth and safely assumed that the evil man had wrested himself out of Evan’s grip.
    “Remy’s fine. Or he was until you showed up,” Sam spat.
    “Enough, Sam,” Evan warned. “Get inside. Josh, you too. We’re fine.”
    “You…you sure?” Josh stammered, drawing closer to Sam. “’Cause…’cause I can…”
    “We’re fine,” Evan repeated, more firmly this time. “Did you call the cops?”
    “Yes,” both kids said in unison. The warble of a police siren served to back up their statement, and Sam heaved a sigh of relief as he heard the vehicle pull to a stop and two doors open from it.
    “There a problem here?” one of the officers asked. Sam recognized it as Jesse Baker’s voice. Jesse’s son Allan had graduated OLBC the year before, and Officer Baker had spent a lot of time up at the school.
    “This piece of shit isn’t supposed to be anywhere near Remy,” Evan began. “His lawyer filed a restraining order a month ago.”
    “I was checkin’ on my nephew’s welfare,” Cooper insisted. “Seein’ as how I wasn’t notified about what happened and all.”
    “Are you your nephew’s guardian?” Officer Baker asked.
    “No, he’s not,” Sam piped up. “Remy can sign his