Tonight You Die

The phone yelled at her. Woke her from her deep sleep. She slapped at it and winced as she heard it clatter to the hardwood floors. She cracked one eye open and peeked at her clock. Seven in the damn morning and people were already on her nerves.

Groaning, she swung her legs over the side of her bed and, using her toes, felt for her phone. When her toes brushed it she leaned down and snatched it up. Twelve missed calls and even more text messages. From her sister and step brother. What the hell? Roxy scrolled through the text messages, all of them filled with worry and what almost sounded like fear.

Before she could listen to the many voicemails, there was a pounding at her door. Jesus, what the hell was going on today? She shook her and grabbed her worn robe, wrapping it around her and shuffling barefoot to the door. Not bothering to ask who was pounding so frantically she threw the door open with a harsh glare.

''What the hell Charlie? Blow up my phone then attempt to beat my damn door down?"

Her step-brother wrapped her up in his arms and hugged her tightly. "When you send out emails like that of course I'm going to do that Rox. What's going on?"

Peeling him off of her she looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about? What email? I haven't sent anything. I was asleep!" Roxy walked to the kitchen and Charlie followed. She started the coffee pot, because obviously today called for it.

Charlie shook his head and pulled out his phone. She watched as he sent a text and then started to open his email app. "Then how did Karly and I both get the email, from YOU? Hell, Rox, it reads like a damn suicide note!"

She turned to face him, eyes squinted at him in disbelief. "Seriously? Come on man you know better than that. I am not suicidal!"

Stretching his arm out, phone facing her, Charlie said, "explain this then Roxanne."

She took the phone and looked at the email sent from her address to her siblings.

"I hope you both know how much I love you. Y'all have been my rock through all the rough times and I can't thank you enough. I just don't know how I am supposed to keep up this facade of happy. Since everything happened with Ryan nothing has felt right. I know we had to end, but his death won't leave me.You both have done all you can for me. I don't want to be that burden on you guys anymore. And after tonight I won't be. I love you but this is my goodbye. Tonight i go to him."

Roxy slowly looked up at her brother, trying to determine the joke, because this had to be some sick joke.."What the hell Charlie? What kind of sick humor is this shit? How did you get into my email to do this ? WHY?"

He shook his head as he sat his phone down on the table. "Maybe you should check your email. Make sure it's secure. I may do a lot of crappy jokes on you and Kar, but this? You know I"d never do this kinda thing."

She knew he was right, he was far to protective of her and their sister to do this. Silently, she headed to her bedroom to grab the phone she had dropped on the bed in her irritated shuffle to the door. As she walked back into the kitchen, coffee forgotten, she pulled up her email. Her brows furrowed together when she noticed an email sent to her from her own email address. "What the hell?"

"What is it?"

Roxy shook her head. "I got an email, but it was sent from my own email address." Clicking on it, she let her eyes scan it. The blood in her veins turned to ice. Her hands started to shake and her phone clattered to the counter top.

Rushing to her side, Charlie picked up the phone and the color drained from his face as he read the email. "What the... call the cops. Get my phone and call the damn cops. We have to make a report." Charlie looked at his sister and knew she wouldn't be able to call. She was in shock, or paralyzed by fear so he grabbed his cell phone and dialed nine-one-one.

Fifteen minutes later, two patrol officers were standing in the kitchen, note pads in hand and a recording device on the table between them. "So, Mr. Davis, tell us about the email you received this morning that you got from who you thought was from your sister."

Charlie told the story, including that their other sister Karly had also been copied in the email. He then went on to tell them how it had gone down since he had knocked on Roxy's door.

Nodding the female patrol office looked at Roxy. "Ms. Davis, do you have any idea who would send these types of messages? Anything at all that might come to mind?" At the shake of her head the officer continued. "Okay, so I know this might be difficult for you, but, whoever sent these mentioned a situation with a Ryan. I need you to tell me about that. It could be helpful."

"He was her ex-boyfriend," Charlie supplied. "He was an abusive jackass who hit her one too many times."

"We really need to get the story from Ms.l Davis."

Roxy swallowed hard against a lump in her throat. "We dated a year and a half, mainly because he had me convinced there was no reason to leave. He had been abusing me since the night of our six month anniversary. Physically, mentally, emotionally. All of it. The night I tried to leave him, he tried to kill me." Tears fell down her cheeks and Charlie squeezed her hand.

"Take your time, I know this isn't easy."

With a deep and shaky breath Roxy continued. "He had a knife and he came at me at the top of the stairs. We tumbled down the stairs and I ended up in the hospital with broken ribs, a concussion and other injuries."

The officer jotted notes in her notepad and looked back up. "And what happened to Ryan?"

Another deep breath and Roxy wiped her eyes. "When we landed at the foot of the stairs the knife he had being trying to attack me with wedged into his chest. He died."

"Look, is that all? Talking about him brings back a time we'd like to forget." Charlie said.

The officers collected their things and stood. "That's good for now, but stay available in case we have more questions." At the door they stopped and turned. "And no matter how tempting it might be, don't reset your password to that email. Whoever this is, they may make contact again, in which case you'll need to contact us immediately. For now we're going to get our IT team on this to try to track the IP address that this message was sent from so we can put this to rest."

"Of course officer. Thank you." Roxy said as she closed the door and locked it. Looking at the floor she whispered, "do you think they will message again?"

Charlie led her down the hall to her bedroom. "I don't know. I hope not. If they do we'll just report it and hope for the idiot to be caught." With a hug and kiss to the top of her head he said, "look, go take a hot bath or shower, I'll whip up some breakfast."

Nodding, Roxy headed to the bathroom while Charlie headed back to the kitchen. As he began to pull out pans and supplies from the refrigerator he heard the water turn on down the hallway and reached for his phone. Karly picked up on the first ring.

"Is everything okay? What is going on?"

"She didn't send the message."

"What do you mean? Yes she did."

Charlie shook his head as if she could see him. "I know it looked that way, but apparently her email was hacked. She got a message too. We were busy with the cops, filing a report."

There was silence and then, "Wait, she got a message? From who? What did it say?"

"Well, that's the thing, we don't from who, which is an issue. It was sent TO her from her own email address. And it was rough, bad. "

Through clenched teeth, Karly said, "Tell me what it said Charlie."

"Whoever it was sent her a death threat. They told her that she would pay and that tonight was her last one. They also told her that no one would suspect anything because it would look like an accident too, that they knew the truth."

"OH MY GOD! What are the police doing? Don't leave her alone. I'm flying out there."

"Kar no, I'm here and nothing is going to happen to her. I will make damn sure of it."

Breakfast was long done, lunch skipped, and brother and sister were sitting on the couch watching some court tv paternity show. The day had been quiet aside from the television. Charlie had made sure that Roxy had water and anything else that she might need, but never leaving her side for more than a few seconds. They both jumped when her phone gave off a beep notifying her of a message.

She slowly picked up the phone and turned ghost white as she looked down at the phone. "It's an email. From me."

Charlie took the phone while using his to call the officer's number from the card they had left. When the officer picked up he said, "she got another email. It says 'why call the cops, are you scared? You should be. I haven't forgot what you did or how you lied to cover it up. Soon, real soon, everyone else will know you killed him too'. So, what are y'all doing to nail this bastard?"

"We are doing all we can with the information that we have. We got a hit on an IP but it was a dead end. Came from a coffee shop about a mile from your sister's place. If you forward the newest email to me,we will track that one as well and see what hits."

A frustrated sigh escaped him and Charlie said, "I'll see it over." He had it sent before he hung up the phone.He looked at his sister and saw the silent tears flowing down her cheeks.He grabbed her hand and squeezed. "It's going to be okay."

"Who is doing this? WHY are they doing this?"

With a deep breath Charlie turned to her. "It has to have something to do with Ryan. Who was really upset when he died? Who didn't believe that the abuse happened? I really think if we figure that out, we'll have our answer.

'But, I don't..."

"Look, I know that you don't want to think about that time in your life, and usually that would be fine, but right now, I need you to go back to that point and think hard."

Roxy took a shaky breath and sniffed. She had spent every day since Ryan had died doing her best to forget him and all that came with the thought of him. Now almost a year to the date later, she was being forced back into her own personal hell.

"What is the date," she asked.

"It's June twenty=seventh, why?"

"Tomorrow is one year since he died. Do you think that has something to do with all this?"

Shaking his head, Charlie grimaced. "I'd put money on it. It also makes me think nothing will happen until after midnight." Picking up his phone, he began firing off a message.

"Who are you messaging?"

"The police. It might help."

"Oh, yeah, of course. So, you really think it's someone with ties to Ryan?" When Charlie shook his head, Roxy buried her head in her hands. "He didn't have any family to speak of, or so he said. Just an estranged brother he claimed he hadn't spoken to in ten years."

"Do you remember the brothers name?"

Roxy shook her head. "He never said, why would he after so long? He said he didn't even know where the guy was.I didn't kill him Charlie, I swear." Fresh tears fell and her brother wrapped his arms around her shoulders as her tears wet his shoulder.

"Shhh, I know you didn't but to be fair, IF you had, it was justified."

" Well, someone disagrees with you."

Night fell and no more messages came. The silence was almost scarier than the alternative. Roxy took a sleeping pill that she had been prescribed a while back to help combat the insomnia and sleepless nights, hoping that it would help her mind turn off. She knew too that her brother was in the guestroom, refusing to leave, and that was a comfort to her. There was also a regular patrol by her house, watching out for anything out of the ordinary.How had this become her life? How was her ex still terrifying her from the grave?

Charlie listened to his sister pace then toss and turn and he hoped that she would get some much needed rest. He had promised her that he would sleep too, but knew that he wouldn't. Like any brother, he was protective, and needless to say this whole situation intensified that. He knew that if he did manage sleep tonight that it would be light and insubstantial at best. For the hundredth time he wished he had brought his gun. He'd just feel better.

He turned on the tv and must have dozed off, because he was awoken by a scratching sound. It was coming from the living room. He quietly got up and padded into the hallway. He peeked in on his sister who was sleeping soundly and then headed to the living room. He had punched in nine-one-one on his phone and his thumb hovered over the call button. The instant he saw the doorknob wiggling he connected the call and headed back to the bedroom.

"Nine-one-one, what is the location of your emergency?"

He rattled off the address and then spoke quickly."My sister has been receiving threatening emails all day, and now someone is attempting to break into her home. There are no weapons in the home. I believe that whoever is trying to get bin plans to kill her. Please hurry. Contact Officer Richards. He is the one who came out today to take the complaint."

"Okay sir, remain calm and stay on the line with me.I have someone dispatched to your location and Officer Richards is being contacted. Can you see anything that could be used to protect yourself?"

Charlie frantically looked around the room but saw nothing. "No, nothing/"

"Can you get out of the house some way other than the front door?"

"No."

"Okay, I have Officer Richards on the line and he is aware of the situation. He is en route as well. Can you find anything, maybe in the kitchen to use as protection?"

"Let me go see," Charlie said. Just as he stepped out of the doorway he heard the lock click and the door ease open. He slipped back into the room and whispered,"they're in the house. They picked the lock, and are in the house."

"Okay, remain calm. Officers are two minutes away."

"And what do we do if that is too long?" He tossed the phone to the bed and grabbed the lamp off the bedside table. It wasn't super heavy but it would have to do.Ear to the door, he heard whoever it was rustling through drawers in the kitchen and felt his body tingle with adrenaline. T%his sick son of a bitch would not touch his sister if he had to be the one to die to be sure of it.

The sound of sirens, muffled in the distance, reached his ears. If he heard it, then surely this guy heard it too. As if on cue, the intruders footsteps s changed direction and headed toward the hallway. This was it. The cops would be too late. It was up to Charlie to save his sister.

Throwing open his door, Charlie stepped into the hallway, lamp hoisted high over his head, ready to strike.At the sight of the stranger he froze. "What the hell? You're dead asshole! I saw your dead body!"

"Ahh the noble brother. I heard about you. Always sticking your damn nose where it didn't belong. Nothing's changed I see. And no, I've not been dead, but my twin brother has been for one year today.And your bitch sister killed him."

Recovering from the shock of looking at a face so like Ryan's, Charlie said, "She didn't, but if she would have it would have been well deserved."

The twin lunged, a knife held high. At that moment, two doors opened simultaneously. Roxy's scream pierced the air as cops yelled out.

"POLICE! Drop your weapon!"

Instead of dropping it, the intruder sliced as he lunged. Before the blade could connect to it's target his body jerked as gunfire rang out. He fell to the floor as Roxy clung to Charlie, shrieking through her tears.

One month later...

"So, wait. Ryan had a twin brother no one knew about who came out of the woodwork for revenge?" Karly sipped her coffee an looked between her siblings.

Nodding, Roxy said, "Apparently so. Adam. Blamed me and claimed his brother was a saint."

"Well, may they both rest in hell." The three siblings raised their coffee mugs and toasted each other with smiles as the sun sank down behind the trees.

Roxy was happy to be alive, and was thankful to finally put the violence behind her. She had a new lease on life, and on a new apartment, but finally knew her nightmares were laid to rest.