PROLOGUE

Sirens blared loudly in my ear. Red, white and blue lights flashed in my eyes, lighting up Smallwood Street. My body ached all over, but my joy overshadowed some of the pain. It felt wrong to feel relieved, to have any positive feelings what so ever, when those that I loved, those who were all I had, were being carried out on gurneys, hidden away by loose, black body bags. All of the terror created by this night was gone, yet the feeling still remained for the upcoming months. Tonight I was free. A fireman held me close to him. He held me tight, as if he were protecting me. One hand lay on my back, while the other rested on my head. I felt as if he were trying to make me bury my face in his chest, cry for what I've lost, what I've been through, and hide me from the man that would be walked out of that door. Yes, he was trying to protect me, but from what? I had already survived. I had already seen that monstrous face. I may have needed protection before, but now it was different. I was different.  I forced my head around just in time to see this tall man walk out of the house with officer's on either side of him. I had disconnected myself from the fireman to get a better look. His wife beater had been torn from the bottom of his left side and up a few inches or so. His top was originally white, but the events from tonight showed on the fabric. Blood. He was drenched. I wasn't sure if it was his, mine or theirs. His large nose trickled a thick red fluid, and bruises began to form all over his face. I found myself taking a step back. I was sure he could feel my eyes on him; he could feel my presence through all the others that stood on the street. Concerned citizens. The medical team. The fire department. The Ohio State police. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw his head turn and his eyes lock right on to my face. He had caught me looking at him from afar. His blue eyes met my brown and for a moment the fear that he had learned to cause crept up on me. 

"I will be seeing you!" He shouted at me with confidence, catching everyone's attention. His grin was large, bright and creepy. 

If it wasn't clear to the onlookers before, it was clear now. I was the victim and he was the accused. What he was saying to me was a lie. At least that was what I told myself, and what the fireman said to me. For tonight, for all the other nights, he was being arrested, and he was going to jail for a long time. I took a deep breath. I was now aware of how dark the night sky was, how clouded the moon looked, how there seemed to be not one single star nor a breeze. Everything was still. What did that mean? It had to mean something. After all, there weren't nights like these in Ohio. Was God trying to tell me something? Did it signify the end of the horror, or was this just the beginning?