THE X-MEX

I tiptoed around the large wooden table. Now I was at the farthest end from the door. In the blink of an eye a butcher knife from the wooden block was shining in his hand. “Come on Gino, talk to me.” He pointed and thrust the knife into the empty air where I had been only seconds before. He then retracted quickly to cover my only escape. For a second I thought the pounding from my chest would give me away. “I know you’re right here and you’re going to pay.” He was now circling back on the other side of the table, but still intercepting the door. I had to think fast! I picked up a chair and flung it at him across the table. The back of the chair smashed with a sickening thud right across his face and tumbled to the floor. He barely flinched. He kept coming and his face was twitching with rage. I swept another chair and hurled it in his direction. He dove over the table, the slicing blade missing my chest by inches. I tripped and landed on the floor against the wall. The chair smashed on the other side above the sink splintering glass and knocking pots and pans. He rolled down the table and sprung up swinging left and right. I laid there motionless, holding my breath. Blood from a gash on his face ran down his chin, hit the floor and tiny droplets sprayed on my left arm. The pots and pans crashing on the floor had briefly distracted him, now he wasn’t sure where I was. He wasn’t cursing anymore. He was growling, wild, sniffing. I looked up, his face, the blackness of those voids, was like a skull dancing with a corpse. He sniffed again, scanned, trying to pick up the scent. I was frozen with terror, unable to move. Suddenly a door slammed at the far entrance to the basement. He ran to the hallway and yelled at the top of his lungs. “I’m going to get you mother f...er!” He stepped back in the kitchen and let out a long and painful wailing and then discharged his fury, stabbing again and again the wooden table. Before going to his room he picked up a chair and smashed it against the wall. I did not dare to move until I heard the door from his room slam shut. I had to restrain myself from flying out of the kitchen. I tiptoed around the debris and once in the hallway I ran out. I did not see anybody by the entrance but whatever it was that had slammed the door had certainly saved my life. The beauty shop was closed. A side door lead to Mrs. Pawlak’s apartment on the second floor. “What do you want?” Boyfriend Julio, beer in hand, answered the door. “Who is it honey?” The quacking came from far inside, before I could answer. “You have to come down! He’s gone crazy, attacked me and is breaking everything!” I said out-loud for her to hear me. “Easy! Slow down! What are you talking about?” said Gorilla with beer. “The blind, the blind from room five.” I was trying to calm myself down.