Escape (A Short Story)

Escape

"Heh! I barely cut you this time, but next time it will be deeper and more painful!" He said as he dropped her onto the ground. She yelped slightly as she landed on her stomach, before swallowing her cries. He threw a small rag and breakfast onto the stairs as he walked back out.

The girl hurriedly crawled over to the food and grabbed as much of the leftover egg as she could and shoved it into her mouth. She was glad he wasn't much of a morning eater, yet he still made a decent amount of food. Which meant more leftovers for her. She picked up the rag, wondering what she was supposed to do with it. Than she remembered the new wound he inflicted on her. It wasn't the first time he drew blood, but it was the most he had drawn at once. She gently pressed the dry rag onto her neck and winced. But she knew it was better than leaving it to crust up onto her neck. After doing her best attempt to clean up her neck, she put the rag into her cage. She might need to use it later. She smacked her dry lips, but she knew she wouldn't get her water until the next feeding time.

She scavenged around the area for more bits of food that she may of missed and then fell asleep.

She woke up in the darkness. Had he come back and decided she was not worth his time and merely turned off the lights? She blinked a few times but did not see him. Not that she could see much at all.

She jerked her head toward the door as he heard yelling. A man and a woman. Suddenly she heard a door slam and she winced. Loud footsteps pounded toward the basement door. She whimpered as the man threw open the door with a twisted look on his face.

"You're the reason my life is like this you little brat! I can't find good work! I can't find a good girl! I can't keep up with the bills! And it's all your fault!" He yelled. He brought out the strange object again and yanked her toward him. He smiled in that twisted way of his.

"This will teach you who's in charge," he muttered as he transformed the oval object into a small silver blade. He started to cut her all over, not that deep at first, but started to go deeper as he unleashed his anger onto her. She gasped out in pain as red liquid oozed out of cuts all over her body. He then picked her up and put her into her cage. She thought she heard the latch shut, but she wasn't sure, since she could only hear blood roaring in her ears. She lay, in too much pain to move. Her purple bruises were already making it hard for her to move. Now she was losing blood. She saw through her fuzzy eyesight, scarlet on her dirty sheets she was given to sleep on. She felt tired all of a sudden, but it felt somehow different. It was comforting. It seemed to promise peace. Her eyes felt heavy, and it was getting harder to stay awake by the second. Than she lay at ease as she allowed it to take over. As she fell into a deep slumber.

~She opened her eyes and saw she was in her old room. Where she lived before the abuse started. She rubbed her eyes and scooted off her small bed. She examined the room and walls; it looked so familiar, yet so unreal. The door was cracked so she slowly peeled open the door and peeked outside. Nothing.

She stepped out into the hallway and entered the living room. The kitchen was on the right side of the room and it was open to the living room. Suddenly the door beside the kitchen, the front door, opened. The man stepped inside. The girl flinched and was about to run and hide when she noticed he was...smiling?

"Hey sweetie! Come here and give daddy some love?" He asked happily.

She didn't move.

He stepped forward, his smile turning to a frown.

"What's wrong sweetie?"

She backed away, and prepared to run.

"CoMe On, It'S aLriGhT," he said as his voice started to become disorientated and strange. He had a strange expression on his face as he walked toward her with open arms.

She tried to scream as his arms wrapped around her, choking her.~

She gasped as her eyes shot open. A dream... It was only a dream. She winced as she tried to sit up. She remembered her new injuries and the pain hit her like a brick. They only stung, but it did hurt.

She blinked in the darkness. Then she heard a click and a light shown through the basement. She scrambled to the back of the cage, ignoring the sharp pain. The man appeared from the doorway once again, with a grim expression. He undid the latch and slung open the cage door.

"Get out," He said gruffly.

The small girl didn't hesitate to move out and sit in front of him, not making eye contact.

He turned away from her, she noticed he seemed more somber then normal, "Why have you done this too me?" He asked," Why did your mother leave us? You realize it was your fault she's gone?" His voice was starting to rise in volume.

He walked a few feet away and suddenly turned toward his daughter.
"It's time for you to pay the ultimate price!" he said as he came closer to the shivering girl. He grabbed her by her hair and yanked her to his height. She squirmed slightly but quickly stopped as he pulled her closer to his face. His hot breath warming her face.

"Are you ready girl?"

She gulped. The ultimate price? What could he mean? He easily tossed her across the room, her body creating a loud thump as she hit the floor. He got down on his knees and held her by the neck to the ground.

Her survival instincts started to kick in and she started to squirm, but then she realized. Did she really want to continue living? She allowed herself be pressed down to the ground, the pain was slipping away anyways. Maybe the more pain he inflicted, the less it hurt? She felt herself losing consciousness and smiled. Pain was nothing to her anymore. She could no longer feel it. It couldn't hurt her anymore.

She closed her eyes, his yelling fading into the distance.

"Goodnight...daddy," she whispered under her breath, using the last of her air to say those final two words.

"I'm free..."