I crouched down and covered my ears. A few seconds passed and another BOOM exploded. With each fire came screams from the others. Knots grew in my stomach as I realized that we were going deeper into hell. These guys weren’t just burglars; they were armed and dangerous. I knew the difference between the sound of a .22 and the boom of a .44 Magnum. Every time I heard another blast, it almost knocked me off my feet, reminding me of the .44 Magnum my friend Tim used to use for target practice. My arms and hands were shaking. The smell of gunpowder permeated my nostrils. I felt helpless. The ringing in my ears made the confusion worse. This continued shot after shot for the next half hour. With the glass broken out of the kitchen window, the gunmen had a clear 3-foot by 5-foot opening to shoot through. I stood behind the freezer, positioned only 10 feet from the shooters. They shot at us every several seconds, giving us enough time to communicate, but not enough to change position. They shined their flashlights inside, took aim, and fired at anything that moved, like a game at the county fair.
