Devil's Train

Chapter 1.

 I sighed as I closed my door and crept into bed, lights off and door locked. They were doing it again.

I tried not to listen, but it's hard when your parents are screaming at each other left and right. I grabbed my phone and played a random song on my playlist, but I still heard them, despite wearing earbuds.

All of a sudden it got quiet. Too quiet. So I took one earbud out and listened, turning down the volume on my phone slightly.

My mom came bursting into my room, turning on the light and shutting and locking the door behind her. Her left eye was bruised and her nose slightly bloody. She was shaking and her hair was messy. What happened?

"Sweetie, we need to leave now," my mom told me, voice quiet and hoarse.

"I know you're in there, Grace! Open the fucking door!" I heard my dad yell, pounding on the door as my mom shut her eyes tight in fear.

"Mom, what's going on? What happened?" I asked her shakily, taking out my earbuds and turning the music off on my phone.

Mom didn't respond. She started packing some of my clothes into a suitcase, not caring to fold them. "Jack, start packing things you want to keep, okay?"

"Where are we going?" I asked her hesitantly.

"We're going to my parents house."

I sat on my bed for a moment before finally getting up and looking around my room.

With my dad still yelling and pounding at my door, I ended up packing my laptop, phone, pillows and blankets, my polaroid and Canon cameras, and my stuffed bunny.

"What about Pancake?" I asked my mom nervously.

"She'll have to stay here for the night," my mom told me, still packing some of my clothes.

"What? No! We can't just leave her here!" I protested about to open my door before my mom grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the door.

"Jack, please! We'll get her tomorrow!" My mom whispered fearfully.

"He hurt you, didn't​ he?" I asked my mom, immediately regretting it. When I got no response, I unlocked the door and opened it to see my dad standing there angrily. He looked down at me, hatred spilling out of his eyes, and never before have I ever felt so small.

"P-Pancake!" I called through the doorway, trying my best to ignore his burning gaze.

"Where are you two going off to?" My dad asked, his voice deep and gravelly.

I heard Pancake come running down the hallway and felt relieved until my dad stomped his foot, which scared the poor puppy. He looked over at the small creature whose ears were flat and she was close to the ground, frightened.

"D-don't you dare hurt Pancake!" I stuttered.

My dad stopped for a minute and turned his head to look at me. "Now, son. What makes you think that?"

"I... I...," I decided against responding. "Pancake, come here girl."

Pancake slowly squeezed in between my dad's towering figure and into my room. I took her into my arms and hugged her close. Then, I looked back at my dad with fear before quickly shutting and locking the door before he was able to do anything else.

"Aw, come on son, I just want to know where you're going!" My dad called.

My mom grabbed my suitcase and threw it out of my window. Then, she took Pancake and told me to crawl out of the window myself. I did so and ran to the car after taking Pancake from my mom. I watched my mom struggling to climb out of the window herself, but when she finally dropped to the ground, the front door busted open and my dad stood there, eyes beaming with pure anger.