➳ o n e

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Silence.

It's funny, really. The way one word can take on so many different forms.

There's awkward silence, between two people who have run out of things to say. There's comfortable silence, when you're laying side-by-side under a blanket of stars, oblivious to war that's going on around you. There's forced silence, distracting silence, numb silence.

And then you have uncomfortable silence, the type of silence that leaves you with a feeling of unease. The silence that you don't expect, the silence that takes you by surprise and leaves you on edge.

This silence.

It feels like hours I've been down here, trembling in the darkness of a dead-end. The drunken threats and unpleasant sounds of my father taking everything into his path of destruction have turned into nothing more than heavy breathing somewhere across the basement, and vision is not necessary to know that he's ever nearing.

I find myself crouching against the cool touch of a cement wall, engulfed in darkness. The musty smell of dampness hangs low in the air and the tension is thick, leaving me silently choking.

My anxiety consumes me piece by piece, torturously; and the lack of sound within the room picks at my ears so hard it's deafening.

"Lonnie..." The low grumble of my father's voice fills the room, replacing the silence that suddenly seems a lot more consoling to me. He teasingly speaks the name I detest, a sense of evil cheeriness telling me I won't escape unscathed sending chills up my spine,

A light burst of alcohol infused warmth stings my nostrils, indicating how close I am to the monster that hunts me down. It takes everything within me to fight the whimpers that threaten to show and I feel the tears falling silently.

I hear the light shuffling of heavy feet somewhere in front of me. My stomach churns with fear of being found, knowing that with each breath I take, I am one breath closer to fate.

I feel the light tickle of my father's alcoholic breath on my neck, and before I have time to react I feel his rough and calloused fingers grip my wrists and tug me away from the wall.

"Found you."

I let out a gasp I hadn't even realised is waiting to be released, a combination of unease and fear of what lies ahead for me. The calm tone of my father's voice scares the absolute hell out of me considering that last time he spoke to me was as he was yelling at me over the sound of shattering glass.

Just die. You're worthless. You don't deserve to live. Just wait until I get my hands on you, darling.

I have no idea what is flaring up inside of me, whether it's the sudden adrenaline that comes with wanting to get away or the unease of discovering what will happen to me if I don't. I let out an ear-piercing scream that rips through the air, taking my father by surprise and causing him to let go of my wrist. 

I have a rough idea of where I stand in the darkness, assuming that I've got the right pictures in my head the door should be directly across the room.

I use whatever energy I can muster to shove the man standing before me, and the alcohol in his system assists him in easily stumbling to the ground. I take the opportunity to run forward, feeling the seemingly bare wall until I find a protrusion.

I take the door handle in my shaking hand, fumbling and twisting it until the door swings open and floods the room with light. Looking behind me I am grateful to see my father lying motionless on the floor; the heavy impact must've knocked him out.

For a moment I consider locking myself away in my room, but I know another day will bring more fear and, theoretically, I think I'd be safer on the street than I would in this confined space.

Without even having time to think I slam the door behind me shut, taking precious time to slide the heavy bookcase that now holds infinite shards of glass in front of it. I need to ensure some safety, even if it's only for a while.

And without weighing up my options, settling for just the clothes on my back, I run for the front door.

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I promise I won't be writing a/ns all the time, I've changed lol

Hiii! 

So I've finally decided to make a start on improving this story. This is a pretty short chapter just to set the scene.

It's been quite a while, and people have told me to continue, which is actually really encouraging so ilyyy.

I'm going to put this story on hold until I find a co-writer, I'm really sorry, but I think it'll be for the best if I have help. I want to make this story as good as I can for all of you, and sometimes good things take time.

So thank you to everyone who is actually reading this and supporting me, and I'll have it back up and running in no time!

Love you all, don't forget to vote. x

~Erin

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