BLEEDING PRINCESS

She gripped the black handle of the knife so hard that her knuckles were white. Talia didn't want to keep stabbing over and over again, sending blood splashing all around and over her, but she couldn't make herself stop.

Fear and anger sent her heart racing and a cold tickle down her spine as a gutteral, animal cry escaped her lips.

She didn't notice at first when the weapon fell from her numb fingers, the percussive sound of the blade hitting the floor echoing over the now silent scene.

Falling exhausted to the floor, Talia's eyes found those of the man she had just viciously stabbed to death and she shuddered, the horrific sight causing bile to rise in her throat and chasing away the high she had been on from the speed she had taken earlier in the day.

She closed her eyes and was instantly swamped with images of what little family she'd had. The memories suffocated her with their intensity and she knew she had to get out of here, get as far away as she could.

As the shock started to wear off, Talia's gaze slid around the room, stopping when she got to her mother's corpse, crumpled at the bottom of the stairs where the now dead assassin had left her. Weak and shaking, Talia crawled across the floor on all fours, huge, gulping sobs wracking her body.

" M . . . Mom?"

Tears streamed down her face as she reached the body. She reached out shaking hands and pulled her mother onto her lap, cradling her like she had cradled Talia so many times as a child. Talia sat there like that for a moment, crying uncontrollably. After what felt like an eternity she lay the corpse back on the floor, wiping a smear of blood from her mother's cheek.

"You w . . . will always be the best m . . . mom ever." Talia's voice choked with emotion as she reached over and closed her mom's eyes, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She dried her tears and took stock of the scene; there, by the kitchen door, lay Calla. Sweet, innocent Calla, who only hours earlier was full of life, her pudgy little toes shuffling over the floor as the music moved her boday and she danced, laughing when she stumbled and landed on her butt. Talia crawled over to Calla and lifted the baby into her arms, rocking her and stroking her hair as she hummed the song that had been playing for Calla's last dance.

In the distance, Talia could hear police sirens, so she kissed her baby sister and gently lay her down. Closing herself off to the overwhelming emotions rampaging inside her and focusing on what she had to do now, Talia slowly made her way to the front door, her black jeans clinging to her legs as she crawled.

She reached the door and used the handle to pull herself to her feet, a cry of agony escaping her; the blood soaking her white shirt wasn't only that of the man she had killed. After murdering her family he had attacked Talia with the knife, catching her with a slicing blow to her side. As they had fought he had kicked out at Talia, causing a small fracture to her right ankle. Now that the shock and adrenaline had worn off the pain was getting worse. Looking over her shoulder at her slaughtered family, Talia knew she had nothing left. She pushed back the tears that welled in her eyes, clenched her jaw against the pain in her foot and pressed a hand to her wound.

She had to get away, now; she could cry later.

Talia pulled her brown hair around her face, trying to hide the blood on her face. Closing the door behind her, she stepped into the brisk night, wincing as the cold air stung as it hit the cut on her cheek and her busted lip.

Whimpering like a wounded dog she limped down the quiet sidewalk, the ache in her chest making it hard to breathe. An alleyway opened onto the street and she turned into the comforting darkness, sliding painfully down the wall. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Talia sat there and watched the house on the corner where her whole life lay shattered.

The police arrived as a crowd started to gather outside, and as they started to cordon off the area Talia couldn't bear to watch any more; she closed her eyes and rested her head back on the wall behind her, the vision of her mother and sister's bodies burned into her memory.