Watch Over You

Pain

It was raining heavily on a summer night. The small bedside lamp was the only thing illuminating in the tiny room. 13-year-old Juliet was huddled underneath her blanket, forcing herself to shut out the noise. Usually, the screams would only last for a few minutes, but that night was different. Juliet was shivering to say the least but from the dangers instead of the cold. She knew she had to escape this time, or it would be too late. She started to sweat and panic as she tried to think of a way to get out. The only window in the room had been sealed shut. Her room door was locked from the outside, but she had a bobby pin. But then what? How could she make it out all the way to the front door and leave?

Plates could be heard crashing onto the floor, followed by feeble wails and begging. There was a sudden thud on her door. The lock was being opened. Juliet scrambled to her feet, hurrying to the edge of the room and crouching down. The door slammed open and Juliet screamed. The visibly drunken man dragged her by her hair into the kitchen. The bruised lady struggled to get Juliet out of the man's grasp, only to be slapped across the face. Juliet thrashed around and bit the man, successfully releasing herself. However, the man was much quicker to grab her and throw her against the cabinets. Her back landed hard against the wood. 

The woman got up to her knees and pleaded for the man to stop hurting her daughter. She offered her life just so Juliet could run. The man refused. Fueled by rage, the man whipped out his gun and pointed it dangerously at both of them. Almost immediately, the two females quietened down. The man laughed. He forced Juliet to stand and strip. When Juliet didn't do anything, he placed the gun barrel between her eyes. The woman pushed Juliet aside so he wouldn't hurt her. The man shoved the woman away, grabbing Juliet by her shirt. He tore the fabric easily, ripping the shirt and leaving her bare. He trailed his hands up her thigh slowly, licking his lips in victory. Juliet could only close her eyes in fear as tears fell.

Something snapped inside the woman that night. She had enough of the abuse. She thought it could end five years ago, but she didn't have the strength to do it. She couldn't believe she ever trusted the man who she had exchanged vows with. He was a monster under a disguise, and she couldn't see through him. She couldn't let the man violate her daughter anymore. She didn't know where she got the sudden energy from, but she pulled the man back with a huge force. The man fell on his back, and the gun fell from his hand. She quickly scrambled to get the gun. The man backhanded her and lunged for the gun. In the struggle, the trigger was pressed. The woman dropped onto the floor face-up, her eyes wide open. Blood pooled out from underneath her head. Juliet couldn't believe the sight in front of her.

The man spat at the dead woman. He tossed the gun away then headed straight towards Juliet. He held her in an angry chokehold, draining the life out of her. Her vision was quickly turning black as she struggled to get free. Her hands wildly grabbed for something on the counter. Without a moment of hesitation, she stabbed the knife she obtained into his forearm. The man screamed in pain, promptly releasing her. She scurried on the floor to get out of the kitchen. The man hurled profanities at her as he took out the knife from his bloody arm. Juliet watched in fear as he inched towards her. She saw the gun next to her mother's dead body and ran right towards it. The man brought down the knife to slash her throat, but she fired the gun. The bullet missed his heart, but it was enough pain and damage to make him stagger. She dropped the gun in shock. 

However, the man wasn't giving up until Juliet ended up like her mother. He raised the knife again, but he coughed out blood. Juliet took the opportunity to wrestle the knife away from him and slashed his chest. The man collapsed, gurgling in his own blood as he tried to stay alive. Juliet got on top of him, the knife just inches away from his head. The man had no more strength to push Juliet away or grab the knife. For once in his life, he stared up at her in horror and begged for his life. Juliet didn't listen to him. She plunged the knife into his head, but she didn't stop there. She continued to slash his torso in anger as hot tears clouded her vision. She only stopped when someone pulled her away from the corpse.

Chris had just come home when he heard loud noises from his neighbour's house. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He broke down the door and forced his way inside. He stared at the bloodied mess as Juliet continuously stabbed the motionless body. He tore her away and pulled her into a hug. She was finally free and safe in his arms, but at the expense of losing her mother.

Only Chris knew of the truth. He didn't need to tell Claire what her best friend had gone through. He blamed himself for letting the violence go on for five years without his knowledge. Whenever Juliet came over to their house, he would always notice her fresh bruises, but she didn't say anything. It was his mistake not to investigate further. 

Juliet wasn't guilty, and her involvement in the incident was ruled as self-defence. However, the report that was released to the public was half-true. Juliet hated that the report didn't expose the devil for his crimes. She hated that he was being protected from the eyes of the public. She didn't need sympathy, but she needed revenge and justice. She didn't want to become a police officer even if she wanted to because she still had traumas every time she thought about it. She couldn't bring herself to use a gun after seeing her mother's death, but she still learned how to use one as self-defence with Chris' guidance only after he persuaded her. She vowed to become a journalist to make sure all reports that were released had nothing but the truth.