Dark Paradise

The Terrors of the Night

'Would he ever do that to me?' the blood curdling question was yet to be answered. Any being was capable of murder. I shook my head frantically, attempting to shove those thoughts away, but it was utterly useless. The devastating thoughts remained fresh and clear in my mind.

Once I was done with all the morning necessities, I hesitantly wrapped my fingers around the knob and pulled the door towards me. I peaked my head out, my eyes roaming the surroundings. Once I was reassured that the coast was clear, I allowed myself to step out. I clutched the school bag to my chest with an immoderate amount of force, like my life depended on it and began descending the stairs. Satisfaction overflowed throughout my being because I was in the front door territory, but my limbs halted once his raspy and slurring voice enveloped my eardrums. As soon as I was welcomed by his voice, my whole body froze, resembling an ice-cube and my eyes widened, fear lacing my blue sparkles.

"And, where do you think you're going?" he slurred, signaling he was once again in his drunken state. I cringed at the thought that never escaped my mind.

"School." I softly answered as my heels swiveled. My face was directed towards the chipped dark wooden floor, not being able to face him after the horrid nightmare I experienced.

I was suddenly welcomed by his barking laughter. His guffaw seemed inhumane and dripped with evil and bitterness.

"School? Why do you go to school? Do you think you'll ever make it far in life?" he resumed his laughing session and my eyes remained ogling the ground.

I almost forgot how supportive and fatherly he can be.

"Clean this house. At least we'll get something from that." he demanded of me, as if I were a slave working for his majesty. His tone, surprisingly, had a serious edge to it, considering his not so sober condition.

"I can't," I couldn't afford missing a class but then realization consumed me, I was doomed. His mind immediately comprehended and processed my utter mistake, and I found him marching to where I was located. He fixated himself in front of my face by approximately two or three inches. A chill ran through my back, forcing me to shiver in angst.

"What did you say? Repeat." he ordered me to do so in a deadly tone of voice. My gaze was still fixated to the floor, and my vocal cords never daring to give me permission to mutter a word.

"I said repeat." his tone increased this time, sounding like a growl. I almost jumped from the sound, but I immediately lifted my gaze. As soon as my head rose, his rough palm came in contact with my cheek. My head involuntarily titled towards the left from his actions and my fingers rode upwards, slightly touching the area he slapped me. The stinging sensation intensified drastically once I touched it, but it was nothing I wasn't aquatinted by.

"What another?" he mockingly inquired with a playful smile etched to his features. My head shook in a frantic manner and the sick smile transformed into a cunning smirk that dared to creep into his features

"Oh, come one, what if I wanna give another?" I remained silent, not knowing what to exclaim. He aggressively brought the bottle that he was grasping in his hands to his face and drank like the maniac he was. Poisonous liquid began spilling everywhere as he gulped from the bottle. Once he finished successfully emptying the bottle, he unexpectedly threw the glass to the floor and I watched it shatter into a million pieces, similar to my heart.

"Clean it up. Now." he demanded once again and stumbled his way back into the other room. I dropped my bag and did as I was told. When all the glass vanished, I picked up my bag and examined the time. My eyes almost fell out of their sockets once I saw what time it was. I was eight minutes late!