Through the Darkness

Chapter 1

She lied there awake, waiting, hoping that tonight he wouldn’t come into the room. Maybe tonight he will want to just go to sleep.

    Her prayers were not heard. The door nob turned, the rusty squeak used to comfort her, now all it does is remind her of what is to come. A stream of light showed from the hallway, promptly filled by the darkness of a tall man standing in it’s path.

    “No, please, not again.” she cried, tears soaking her cheeks.

    “Shhh... You just be quiet now. You know the rules, no talking while I’m working. Don’t forget, you tell anyone about our special nights and daddy will have to hurt you. You don’t want that do you?”

    “No sir.”

    “Good, now be a good little girl and get into the spot that daddy likes.”

    “Why do you do this?”

    “Because I’m your father and that’s what fathers do, they punish their children for back talking. Now do as I say or the belt comes out.”

    She rolled over onto her stomach, shoving her face into her pillow to drown out the screams, she grabbed the bars on the headboard as he wrapped the rope around her wrists. He tied her feet to the bed posts, separating them. She could hear him undoing his belt, the clanking of the metal brought tears to her eyes. She buried her face deeper into the pillow, she knew if he saw he would beat her. She heard the light thud of his pants hitting the floor and she braced herself for what was about to come. The bed groaned in protest as he climbed over her, pushing up her night gown. His hands scratchy and covered in calluses, stroked her body.

    She bit the pillow to stop her from screeching. The pain shot like lightning bolts throughout her body. Her shoulders throbbed as he pulled down on her body. She tasted blood and realized she had bitten off a piece of her cheek. He dug his nails into her skin, more pain shot deep inside her body.

    What he didn’t know is she had already told her mother her secret and tonight was the night that it would all end. She squeezed her eyes shut, drew in a long deep breath, and let out an ear piercing shriek, “HELP! He’s hurting me!”

    The door bursted open and in the doorway was her mother with a metal baseball bat in her hands, “You get off my baby!” she screamed as she started swinging the bat at him. Relief swept over me like a new tide in the ocean cleaning away all my pain and tears.

    He looked at her bloodshot eyes filled with hatred and pure rage, “You’ll regret this.” he whispered.

    He grabbed the bat the next time she swung, yanked, she could hear the snap of her shoulder breaking. He wrapped his hand around her throat, her spit gargling as he strangled her.

    “Now you can watch your rescuer die.” his hands tightening, her eyes going bloodshot.

    “NO!” she screeched.

    He released his hand from her, she dropped to the floor cradling her throat, he picked her up by her shirt to get her on her feet, blood ran down the corner of her mouth, she looked dazedly up at him, fighting to her last moment. He drew back his fist and punched her, the impact made a loud crack as she fell to the floor. Where she never moved again, never fought another battle never saved her daughter again.

    “I told you not to tell anyone,” he said as he advanced, “now you’re gonna pay for it.”

    Keira jolted from bed, awoken from her own screams, the alarm clock buzzing in the back ground of her mind.

    “Deep breaths Keira, in and out, just like you’ve practiced.” she thought to herself. Once she calmed down she glanced at the clock, it read 5:35 am. She curled the blankets off her swinging her legs off the bed.

    “Damion, get up. We are going to be late.”

    He groaned as he rolled off the bed and smacked the hard wood floor.

She looked down at him, “Please don’t slobber on my clean new floors okay?”

    “Yea, yea, yea, I helped pay for these floors so I’ll slobber on them all I want.”

    “No, I paid for the floors you paid to have them put in by a professional, I wanted to do it myself. There’s a difference, whether you believe it or not.”

    She got dressed and started to head out the bedroom door, “I’ll meet you down there, hurry up.”

    The clicking of her heals down the stairs was comforting to her, reminded her of her mother before she died. Her mother was beautiful, shoulder length, golden hair, bright blue eyes as clear as the brightest sunniest day. She could almost smell her hair, the strawberry shampoo always made her day brighter after school.

    “I could have slept for another 20 years.” he looked over at me, “Ready for another day in hell?” Damion said interrupting her thoughts.

    “Do you really expect me to answer that?”

    “No sweetheart, that’s why they call it a rhetorical question.” He smiled at me that charming, sweet, warm filled smile.

    “What, do you think I’m stupid?” She grinned.

    “Ha ha, very funny.”

    “I thought so. Come on, we have to go.”

    She grabbed her keys and headed for the door, something was slid under it, a bright red piece of paper. She tore open the door to see who left it there but no one was there. She picked up the piece of paper and opened it. The ink was dug into the paper as black as coal in the middle of the night. The message said:

I’m not done with you yet, you betrayed me Keira, now you have to pay. Love Daddy.

    She stood there, mouth hanging open, in terror, “How did he find me?”