「 FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY 」

29 | "I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me"

I sat with my legs crossed in front of me and my arms folded against my chest to keep the cold out. The television played on the same news channel as they reported on what happened tonight, the volume was almost on mute but I could still make out what they were saying.

I nodded in reply to Logan's question and he wrapped his arms around me and I leaned into his shoulder.

I looked over at him and he looked straight ahead at the television, absorbing everything they were telling us.

"Everything's going to be okay," Logan said, but I wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure himself or me.

But in Logan's arms I did feel as though everything was going to be okay.

***

The violent banging of the door woke her up that night.

Downstairs she could here muffled voices sounding urgent and worried,

She'd expected a day like this to come, but even still she'd never be prepared for it.

She stood up from her bed and her feet touched the cold hard wooden floorboards, she walked over to the staircase and peeked through the bars.

"Honey, get the kids," The girl's father whispered to the women, who stood behind him watching the door. She had a frightened look in her eyes but nodded, her eyes flickered up to the movement at the staircase.

"Get her and go" The girl's mother mouthed to her as the banging of the front door got louder and scarier, she didn't want to leave her parents here but she went back upstairs anyway, listening to her mother's command.

There were five bedrooms upstairs. One was a spare room, one was her own, one was her baby sister's, one was to her parents and one belonged to her older brother who had gone out to a party and hadn't come back yet.

In a way she was glad her older brother was out tonight, he didn't have to experience the horrors she had to bear that night, but she was terrified that the one person she counted on to always protect her wasn't with her then.

Her steps were quiet as she walked over to the only occupied room where her baby sister lay in her cot, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

Flicking the lights on, she tip toed over to the cot, gently lifting her up in her arms, the baby stirred but did not awake fully.

Now there were shouts from downstairs, the door sounded as if it was going to fly of its hinges.

Until it did.

Then baby awoke, crying for the comfort of her mother. 

The girl did as much as she could to silence the baby, but nothing seemed to work.

There were cries of pleas and wails from downstairs, she recognized them as her mothers.

She heard the yells of anger from her father.

She also heard the silence that came next.

Two loud and distinct gunshots rang through the air,

With that she ran downstairs.

Her first thought was to go down and check to see if her parents were okay but she had been instructed to get her sister out of there first.

And she was so close, just as she could step foot out of the door she was yanked by her hair and dragged backwards. She struggled to stay on her feet until she was let go and a cold hard metal was placed against the back of her head.