Five

Scott, please wake up.

Scott opened his eyes to the blaring sound of sirens. He sluggishly got up out of bed, his limps and brain not fully woken as yet. He rested himself against the headboard, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The dancing lights of red and blue caught his attention by the window situated a few inches away from his bed.

Scott furrowed his brow, he knew the flickering of red and blue lights meant the police was near, maybe even next door. He looked towards his own bedroom door wondering of his mother, sister and nephew had heard it; if they were okay. Looking back at his white curtains that covered the two sided window, he considered having a look at what was happening.

He gingerly placed his feet in his cream bed slippers. Nothing good came from the police being around and being just next door screamed something had happen; alerting neighbours and frightening those like Scott.

He slipped his fingers behind the curtain, lifting it a bit as his fingers rested on the cold glass. Scott's eyes scanned the area, curious neighbours rushing in the direction of the incident, clinching to their night robes to avoid the chill of the night air. A few stayed in their yards, standing at the front door or peeking through the windows just as Scott did.

The police stood before the white painted house, the slackers who didn't want to be on duty leaned against the blue and white vehicle humoring each other. If Scott recalled the house was the very same one an elderly couple lived in. The very same couple he thought had years of fruitful love that he admired.

The nearby officers parted from the front porch, others who actually wanted to do their job pushed the crowd back. The paramedics rushed out with someone, rushing towards the ambulance as they tried to assist the injured person every way possible.

All Scott's assumptions were answered when the white haired man dressed in brown trousers and a dark blue sweater, following behind the paramedics in a rush. It was indeed the elderly couple from next door. The scene made Scott frightened, danger was lurking in the neighbourhood and it was lurking near.

As the rate of his heart increased; he cursed his own weakness. Scott was in no shape or form to protect his family if something were to happen while his father was away. He was still fighting his own traumatic events only deciding after two years to finally change his path and fight his demons before they plunge him into a pit of darkness.

A knock on his door and the sound of his mother pulled him from his reverie, "Scott are you up?" His mother questioned followed by a few more knocks.

Scott gave the scene one last look then walking over to his bedroom door. He took a deep breath before opening it; his mother stood before him as she clung to her light pink robe, a look of worry on her face.

"I was checking to see if you were okay" Gianna let out a breath of relief, holding onto Scott's arm as if checking that her son was alive, breathing and in flesh before her.

"I'm okay mom, you don't have to worry" Scott assured her, squeezing her hand in his. "Where's Maddie and Simon?" He asked, looking down the hallway.

"Downstairs" His mother replied. "I came to check on you since we didn't see you coming down the stairs. With all that's happening I couldn't help but worry"

Scott stepped outside of his room, closing the door behind him, "let's go where Maddie and Simon are" he told her.

They went down the stairs, Scott following closely behind. He couldn't help but think how much this small town had changed. The only worthy news were missing cats around town. So much had changed in the past few years Scott had gone to college. Mikey had been proof of just how much things and people have change. Never would it have dawned on him that Mikey would become an addict, getting high on whatever they sold and got sucked into the bad section of this town.

Maddie flashed them a smile of relief as she held Simon in her arms, rocking him back to sleep as she hummed a lullaby. Gianna sat next to Maddie, smiling at Simon who was slowly falling back into a slumber. Scott lips tugged into a smile at the thought but immediately fell when he thought that his family was safe but that didn't removed the threat that walked the streets.

"I wonder what happened" Maddie said, almost in a whisper.

The police lights still hung in the night. They could only hope, hope that things weren't as bad as they imagined.

**

By time the sun was fully set in the sky, the news spread like wildfire. Everyone had a different story: from Mildred --the elderly lady from next door-- fell from atop the stairs or that a bloodlust murderer attacked them only to escape from the police in the nook of time.

That didn't mean the household of three didn't hear the story for themselves. Gianna stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast, Maddie attending to Simon while Scott watched the news. As he looked at the news anchor he couldn't help but think she looked familiar. He shrugged it off and focused on the news.

"This town is really taking a turn for the worst" Gianna said, dusting her hands on her apron. "I didn't think they would take things so far"

"Bashing Mrs. Hampton in the head with a baseball bat is truly despicable" Maddie added, not hiding the disgust on her face.

"I didn't know there was robbery going around town" Scott added to the conversation. "To think they would rob an elderly couple" Scott shook his head in disgust.

"We didn't tell you about it because we didn't want to add to your worries of you know what" his mother informed him, putting an omelette onto the plate.

"I know you both are worried" Scott looked at his mother then sister. "But I can handle the news of robbers going around town"

"That's exactly why we worry" Maddie pointed an accusing finger at Scott. "You want to take on more than you can handle, the next thing you're thinking about how you can't help us as you are. Thinking nonsense about how weak you've become over the last two years" Scott should've known his sister would just see right through him, his mother nodding in agreement.

"Your father is coming home soon" Gianna informed him. "So you won't have to add us to your list of worry's"

Scott felt like he wasn't reliable at all. That didn't clear his doubts it only increased them. He knew fully well that he's changed in more ways than one after the horrible incident. The conversation came to halt, Scott looking back at the morning news.

"Gang?" Scott questioned himself as the news anchor said that the crime might involve members of the local gang.

"They've grown over the years" Gianna said, frowning as she continued to watch the news after putting out three plates of breakfast. "They just keep pulling in more and more people into their recklessness" she added, frowning as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Mikey" Scott said, wondering if the once star baseball player was apart of it. "What happened to him?"

His mother stormed from in the kitchen into the living room. Standing before Scott, blocking his view of the television. "I want you to stay away from that boy" Gianna ordered him.

His mother didn't have to tell him twice. He could tell Mickey was trouble from a mile away, he was just curious as to why he'd turned out to be so different.

"I just want to know what happened to him. When I saw him a few days ago--"

"You met him!" Maddie yell, cutting Scott off before he could finish.

"Coincidentally" he made sure to say. "On my way to the book store, he stopped me and we talked for less than five minutes"

"I didn't think Mikey would be the first person to see you" Maddie said in disbelief.

"I'm telling you Scott" Gianna said in a rather strict tone. "He might have been your friend back in highschool but he's changed, he got involved in the wrong crowd and I don't want him pulling you in"

"He's not" Scott assured her, he could hardly go further than the community college least join a gang of people who robbed the elderly. "Didn't he get a scholarship to some high end university"

"He did" Maddie said. "Got in on a sports scholarship but he got ahead of himself, started partying, doing drugs. They eventually kicked him out"

"He came home and his parents tried to put him back on the right track, even sent him to one of the community college but he slipped right back into old habits"

It wasn't only Scott that life took a toll on outside this small town, Mikey also happened to got a hit from the bad end of the stick called life.

**

Things have taken a turn :)